Jordan Thomas has freaky agility

Since 2010, only five cornerbacks with 32 inch arms (Seattle’s prototype) have managed a sub-4.00 short shuttle:

2018 — Jordan Thomas (3.94)
2017 — Kevin King (3.89)
2016 — DeAndre Elliott (3.94)
2015 — Byron Jones (3.94), Tye Smith (3.96)
2010-2014 — No qualifiers

Thomas is the new name on a select list that includes two players Seattle eventually added (Elliott & Smith).

He also ran a 6.28 three cone. That is 0.16 seconds faster than anyone else in the last 10 years of the combine:

Jordan Thomas (2018) — 6.28
Buster Skrine (2011) — 6.44
Chykie Brown — 6.50
Grant Haley (2018) — 6.51
Avonte Maddox (2018) — 6.51
Will Davis (2013) — 6.52
Shiloh Keo (2011) — 6.55
Josh Robinson (2012) — 6.55
Kevin King (2017) — 6.56
Terrance Mitchell (2014) – 6.57
Patrick Peterson (2011) – 6.58
Curtis Brown (2011) — 6.59
Terrence Frederick (2012) — 6.59
Malcolm Jenkins (2009) — 6.59
Coty Sensabaugh (2012) — 6.60

That’s quite an achievement for Thomas. He’s not just quicker than the rest of the field, he’s considerably quicker.

On top of this, Thomas had a 38 inch vertical and a 10-4 broad jump.

The downside is he’s only 6-0 and 187lbs so he’s not the biggest but he does have 32 inch arms and a 77 6/8 inch wingspan. An average NFL cornerback has 31.5 inch arms and a 75.5 inch wingspan.

According to his NFL.com bio, Thomas is “known by scouts as an ‘over-thinker’ who has bouts of low confidence”. He’s also said to be an inconsistent tackler.

Neither aspect is particularly Seahawky. However, his athletic testing and length might interest the team late in the draft.

Running backs also excel in the short shuttle

Saquon Barkley is known for his low centre of gravity and ability to change direction quickly with explosive power and agility. He ran a 4.24 short shuttle. Nick Chubb ran a 4.25 and Kerryon Johnson a 4.29. Pretty similar times.

Without doubt Barkley is quicker and much more sudden than Chubb or Johnson but it was interesting to see how they compared in the short shuttle. They were all similarly explosive too with comparable vertical jumps.

If speed matters, is this guy an option?

Leon Jacobs, a linebacker from Wisconsin, had a quietly excellent combine. At 6-1 and 246lbs he ran a 4.48, jumped a 34.5 inch vertical and managed a 10-2 broad jump. He’s explosive and fast and also has good length (33.5 inch arms). Jacobs also put up 26 reps on the bench press (second only to Malik Jefferson among linebackers).

His short shuttle wasn’t too bad either. He ran a 4.44 — a time that compares favourably to K.J. Wright’s 4.46. If the Seahawks want speed in the front seven, Jacobs could be an option as a late-round SAM/LEO.

How quick was the safety class?

Eight players ran a 4.4 or faster at the 2018 combine. How does that compare to previous years?

2018 — 8
2017 — 5
2016 — 2
2015 — 3
2014 — 4
2013 — 3
2012 — 0
2011 — 0

At the 2011 combine the two fastest safety’s were Jeron Johnson (4.53) and Mark LeGree (4.56) — both acquired by the Seahawks.

This is the fastest group of safety’s in draft history. It’s perhaps indicative of the way college football and the NFL is going. It’ll be a surprise if the Seahawks don’t tap into the supply at some point.

Big receiver has a big day

Courtland Sutton (6-3, 218lbs) ran a faster short shuttle (4.11) than 5-10, 180lbs Keke Coutee (4.15). Coutee was quicker in the forty (4.43 vs 4.54) but in terms of agility and change of direction, that’s a nice comparison for Courtland Sutton. Essentially he’s as quick-footed as a much smaller back and he was more explosive in the vertical and broad. Sutton also managed the 11th best three-cone time by a receiver in the last 10 years.

Lauletta and Gesicki stand out

Here are the top-15 performers in the short shuttle at the 2018 combine. It’s a weird group. I’ve included position and weight in brackets:

Grant Haley (CB, 5-9, 190) — 3.94
Jordan Thomas (CB, 6-0, 187) — 3.94
Jaire Alexander (CB, 5-10, 196) — 3.98
Avonte Maddox (CB, 5-9, 184) — 4.00
Troy Akpe (S, 6-1, 200) — 4.01
Dylan Cantrell (WR, 6-2, 226) — 4.03
Josh Jackson (CB, 6-0, 196 — 4.03
J’Mon Moore (WR, 6-2, 205) — 4.04
Andre Chachere (CB, 5-11, 197) — 4.07
Chase Edmonds (RB, 5-9, 205) — 4.07
Justin Jackson (RB, 6-0, 193) — 4.07
Kyle Lauletta (QB, 6-2, 222) — 4.07
D.J. Moore (WR, 6-0, 210) — 4.07
Dorian O’Daniel (LB, 6-0, 223) — 4.07
Mike Gesicki (TE, 6-5, 247) — 4.10

Kyle Lauretta of all people is the one mixing it with nimble, smaller running backs and cornerbacks. The list also highlights Mike Gesicki’s freaky athleticism. He’s 21lbs heavier than the next biggest player on the list (Dyan Cantrell).

How important is the vertical and broad for running backs?

Here are some of the notable testers over the years:

David Johnson — 41.5 vertical, 10-7 broad
Christian McCaffrey — 37.5 vertical, 10-1 broad
Kareem Hunt — 36.5 vertical, 9-11 broad
Alvin Kamara — 39.5 vertical, 10-11 broad
Jay Ajayi — 39 vertical, 10-1 broad
Jordan Howard — 34 vertical, 10-2 broad
Melvin Gordon — 35 vertical, 10-6 broad
Jerick McKinnon — 40.5 vertical, 11-0 broad
DeMarco Murray — 34 vertical, 10-4 broad
Adrian Peterson — 38.5 vertical, 10-7 broad
Jonathan Stewart — 36.5 vertical, 10-8 broad

The historical average for a RB at the combine is:

Vertical: 35 inches
Broad: 9-11

As we can see, many of the top runners in the league exceeded the league average in both tests. There are recent exceptions though:

Ezekiel Elliott — 32.5 vertical, 9-10 broad
Leonard Fournette — 28.5 vertical, DNP
Le’Veon Bell — 31.5 vertical, 9-10 broad
Mark Ingram — 31.5 vertical, 9-10 broad

LeSean McCoy and Todd Gurley didn’t work out at the combine.

Here are some of Seattle’s notable running backs and how they tested:

Marshawn Lynch — 35.5 vertical, 10-5 broad
Chris Carson —37 vertical, 10-10 broad
C.J. Prosise — 35.5 vertical, 10-1 broad
Thomas Rawls — 35.5 vertical, 9-8 broad
Christine Michael — 43 vertical, 10-5 broad
Robert Turbin — 36 vertical, 10-2 broad

And here’s a reminder of some of the big names from the 2018 combine:

Saquon Barkley — 41 vertical, DNP
Ronald Jones II — 36.5 vertical, DNP
Nick Chubb — 38.5 vertical, 10-8 broad
Kerryon Johnson — 40 vertical, 10-6 broad
Sony Michel — DNP, DNP
Derrius Guice — 31.5 vertical, DNP
Rashaad Penny — 32.5 vertical, 10-0 broad
Royce Freeman — 34 vertical, 9-10
John Kelly — 35 vertical, 10-0 broad
Bo Scarborough — 40 vertical, 10-9 broad

How do the vertical jumps stack up?

Here are the top-15 testers this year:

Terrell Edmunds — 41.5
Mike Gesicki — 41.5
Joshua Kalu — 41.5
Matthew Thomas — 41.5
Troy Akpe — 41
Saquon Barkley — 41
Siran Neal — 40.5
Chandon Sullivan — 40.5
D.J. Chark — 40
Derwin James — 40
Kerryon Johnson — 40
Bo Scarborough — 40
Oren Burks — 39.5
D.J. Moore — 39.5
Josh Sweat — 39.5

Now here are the top three jumps from the last three years:

2017

Obi Melifonwu — 44
Speedy Noil — 43.5
Marcus Williams — 43.5

2016

Daniel Lasco — 41.5
Jalen Ramsey — 41.5
Josh Doctson — 41
DeAndre Elliott — 41
Dadi Nicolas — 41
Sterling Shephard — 41

2015

Chris Conley — 45
Byron Jones — 44.5
Ameer Abdullah — 42.5
Davis Tull — 42.5

Denzel Ward is rising for a reason

And it’s not just because this is an ugly looking cornerback class overall. Aside from running an excellent 4.32 and jumping a 39 inch vertical, Ward also managed an astonishing 11-4 broad jump.

Only five players have achieved a superior jump in the last ten years:

Byron Jones — 12-3
Obi Melifonwu — 11-9
Jamie Collins — 11-7
Chris Conley — 11-7
Bud Dupree — 11-6

Ward’s effort is identical to Julio Jones’ 11-4 and an inch longer than Jalen Ramsey’s 11-3. Clearly he’s a highly explosive and sudden athlete. He appears destined to be taken very early in round one.

Jaire Alexander also rising?

He’s started to appear in the first round of a few high profile mock drafts. It’s absolutely fair. Alexander was one of the very few cornerbacks to come out of the combine drills with any credit. He looked incredibly smooth, sudden and focused. It’s not a stretch at all to think he’s the second best corner in this class.

He also tested exceptionally well at the combine. He ran a 4.38, jumped a 35 inch vertical and a 10-7 broad. His best feat was possibly a sub-4.00 short shuttle (3.98). Alexander doesn’t fit Seattle (5-10, 196lbs, 31 inch arms) but he’ll certainly interest other teams.

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Here it goes: Seahawks are trading DE Michael Bennett and a seventh-round pick to Eagles for a fifth-round pick and WR Marcus Johnson, sources tell ESPN.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 7, 2018

The end of an era is forthcoming.

Michael Bennett is being traded to the Eagles. Richard Sherman has reportedly ‘said goodbye’ to team mates. With Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor unlikely to play for the Seahawks again too, a legendary defense is moving on.

And none of this should be a surprise.

Michael Silver called this weeks ago. Following the 42-7 blowout against the Rams, Silver (who was in Seattle for the game) reported a very detailed breakdown of what was going to happen in the off-season.

“…reality bites — and next year, in all likelihood, the Seahawks will look very, very different. It’s something the front office has refrained from referring to as a rebuild, instead preferring the word transition. Yet given the Seahawks’ salary-cap situation (the team is currently pressed up against the spending limit) and the wear and tear on so many of their defensive stalwarts, big changes could indeed be coming, including a death blow to the Legion of Boom.

“Of the four Pro Bowl defenders who missed Sunday’s game, only outside linebacker K.J. Wright is likely to return in 2018. Safety Kam Chancellor’s season-ending neck injury, suffered last month, could be career-threatening; if he does try to keep playing, it likely wouldn’t be in Seattle.

“Fellow Legion of Boom stalwart Sherman, who tore his Achilles tendon in November, will be 30 next spring and is due to make $11 million (with a $13.2 million salary-cap number). The Seahawks shopped him in trades a year ago and are expected to move forward without him in 2018.

“Avril, who turns 32 in April, suffered a season-ending neck and spinal injury in early October which may end his career; either way, his time in Seattle is probably done. Improbable as it sounds, it’s possible the Seahawks would also move on from another accomplished defensive end: 32-year-old Michael Bennett, a versatile player who signed a three-year, $31.5-million contract extension last Dec. 30.”

This wasn’t hearsay or a hunch. It was clarity.

So why is this happening? Here’s my best guess:

1. The Seahawks need to get cheaper on defense. As noted in early January, they spent $93,714,666 on their defense last season, more than any team in the NFL. The split between offense and defense was 36.37% vs 55.98%.

Of the 12 biggest cap hits on the roster, nine were defensive players. The three offensive players were Russell Wilson, Jimmy Graham and Luke Joeckel. Graham and Joeckel are both free agents.

There needs to be more balance in the spending. It’s probably no surprise that while there’s been this huge difference in offensive vs defensive spending, the running game has collapsed and the offensive line continues to struggle.

2. As we’ve talked about a lot during this crucial off-season, some of these moves are not being made for 2018 financial gain. Many talked about the likelihood of Michael Bennett staying in Seattle because the potential saving this year was minimal. This was never really the point.

By trading Bennett now, the saving in 2019 is much more significant. And at the end of the day, Pete Carroll’s mantra is ‘win forever’ not ‘win for one more year’. Especially when the likelihood is Seattle wouldn’t be a top contender in 2018. Those days, sadly, seemed to have passed. The 2017 season wasn’t a mirage.

Now they can accelerate the churn. They will always be competitive with players like Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright on the roster. Wilson is one of the very best players in the league, let alone quarterbacks. The Seahawks might not be a top-10 favourite for the Super Bowl in 2018 and, realistically, probably won’t win it.

But by 2019 and 2020, they might be back at the top. It didn’t take the Philadelphia Eagles or Atlanta Falcons very long to change their fortunes, after all. Both of those teams reloaded with an injection of youth at key positions. Seattle can do the same.

3. The Seahawks need to get younger. Former writer for this blog Kip Earlywine recently suggested during a conversation that we might be experiencing a repeat of Pete Carroll’s time with the Patriots. An older, veteran locker room where the message didn’t quite resonate. Carroll has enjoyed incredible success working with younger players at USC and predominantly younger players in Seattle. Perhaps the message of competition, buying in and playing fast requires an element of youth?

Here’s a quote from Richard Sherman from December 2016:

“It’s always Pete. It’s always Pete,” he said. “We going into the Kumbaya meeting room and sit there and, ‘Kumbaya.’

“They are effective. It’s a different element for the younger guys. Older guys, we kind of see it every year, so the younger guys, give them something different.”

At the time it sounded like Sherman was being dismissive of the type of meeting that might’ve resonated when he was an outspoken young corner blazing a trail during his second season in the league.

It’s immensely difficult to keep a core group of players for such a long time. It’s a challenge to keep winning and keep the message fresh. There’s a reason why the Patriots consistently churn and work around the two focal points (QB and HC).

4. Injuries destroyed the team last year. Not just the players missing games — the sheer number of players on the injury report or not practising. It’s very difficult to preach ‘always compete’ when what you’re really doing is ‘always managing the health of the roster’. Age plays a part in this. Seattle acquired a bunch of warriors who gave everything for this team. After nearly a decade together, it’s no surprise the injuries started to stack up.

Those are just my initial thoughts. Whatever the reasons, one thing is clear. This defense, along with Marshawn Lynch, gave Seahawks fans an era of football we could only dream about. What a journey. I’ll never forget the growth in 2012, the march to a Championship in 2013, the ‘tip’, the comeback against Green Bay, the agony of that New England Super Bowl loss.

From a personal point of view, all of this happened at a time in my life when I got married (2010) and had two kids (2013 & 2017). I’ll never forget the amazing comeback in 2013 against Houston. My son was born and I didn’t think anything could make that day any more perfect. As Richard Sherman returned that pick six and eventually Steven Hauschka kicked the winning Field Goal, I thought to myself, ‘now I know this is the best day of my life’.

What a ride it has been. We’ll likely never experience anything like it again. And we should all be eternally grateful for experiencing this amazing run.

Meanwhile Ian Rapoport is also reporting the Seahawks are meeting with Brian Cushing today.

I’m going to push everything back a day in terms of the blog. I’ll still do the Google Hangout later at about 3:30pm PST. The piece on the combine details we haven’t discussed will be published tomorrow and the Seahawks seven round mock will wait to Friday. After all, they might have some more picks by then.

As things stand they have this haul: 1, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 7, 7

If you have any questions for the Q&A, post them in the comments section. I’ll be uploading a new article later today and the video will appear at the top of the piece so you can listen live or later in the day.

Got some very interesting info to share in the Hangout.

I’ve also got two articles ready to roll for this week. A seven-round Seahawks mock draft (two scenarios, likely posted Thursday) and some details from the combine that haven’t been touched on so far.

Plus don’t forget to check out the new mock draft (click here) and the latest podcast appearance (below):

Today is the final day of combine workouts. These are the cornerbacks to keep an eye on (because they all have +32 inch arms):

Chris Campbell — 33 4/8 (79)
Carlton Davis — 32 6/8 (79 3/8)
Brandon Facyson — 32 5/8 (78 4/8)
Holton Hill — 32 (77 2/8)
Chris Jones — 32 6/8 (78 2/8)
Jamarcus King — 32 7/8 (78 3/8)
Tarvarus McFadden — 32 4/8 (78)
Isaiah Oliver — 33 4/8 (80 5/8)
Chandon Sullivan — 32 3/8 (76 6/8)
Jordan Thomas — 32 (77 6/8)
D’Montre Wade — 32 3/8 (76 7/8)
Levi Wallace — 32 6/8 (77 3/8)
Isaac Yiadom — 32 3/8 (75 6/8)

It’s also worth keeping an eye on three safety’s in particular — Jessie Bates III from Wake Forest, Justin Reid from Stanford and Kameron Kelly from San Diego State.

(Players with 32 inch arms in bold)

Jaire Alexander — 4.43 & 4.38
Anthony Averett — 4.40 & 4.36
Tony Brown — 4.37 & 4.35
Chris Campbell — DNP
Andre Chachere — 4.61 & 4.50
Carlton Davis — 4.53 & 4.55
Duke Dawson — 4.49 & 4.46
Dee Delaney — 4.47 & 4.50
Brandon Facyson — 4.55 & 4.54
Rashard Fant — DNP
Rashaan Gaulden — 4.64 & 4.61
Grant Haley — 4.49 & 4.44
Davontae Harris — 4.44 & 4.47
Holton Hill — 4.50 & 4.54
Mike Hughes — 4.53 & 4.54
Donte Jackson — 4.32 & 4.37
J.C. Jackson — 4.49 & 4.47
Joshua Jackson — 4.49 & 4.60
Danny Johnson — 4.49 & 4.44
Taron Johnson — 4.51 & 4.52
Chris Jones — 4.58 & 4.63
Michael Joseph — DNP
Jamarcus King — 4.70 & DNP
Avonte Maddox — 4.40 & 4.42
Tavarus McFadden — 4.67 & 4.76
Quenton Meeks — DNP
Kamren Moore — DNP
Nick Nelson — 4.52 & 4.56
Parry Nickerson — 4.32 & dnp
Isaiah Oliver — 4.51 & 4.59
Darius Phillips — 4.60 & 4.55
D.J. Reed — 4.51 & 4.53
M.J. Stewart — 4.54 & 4.55
Greg Stroman — 4.52 & 4.49
Chandon Sullivan — 4.61 & 4.61
Jordan Thomas — 4.66 & 4.65
Henre Toliver — 4.64 & 4.65
Kevin Toliver — DNP
D’Montre Wade — 4.58 & 4.62
Levi Wallace — 4.48 & 4.68
Denzel Ward — 4.32 & 4.36
Isaac Yiadom — 4.53 & 4.54

Another day, another hamstring injury. Parry Nickerson pulled up after running a 4.32. Donte Jackson cramped up too after his run. This has been a major problem over the four days.

Pete Carroll here, looking like your dad trying to work a Microsoft Surface:

Overall that was a forty yard dash session lacking in headlines. Denzel Ward ran well but had to given his size. There aren’t many first round options here.

Deion Sanders just called Mike Hughes’ backpedal ‘horrible’ during the first set of drills and then went over to ‘coach him up’. He trotted back over after and said, amusingly, ‘it won’t happen again’.

Levi Wallace is light (179lbs) but looked quite polished and smooth in his backpedal. Louisville’s Jaire Alexander hasn’t got 32 inch arms but he’s arguably been the most impressive looking corner in the early drills. Quick, loose hips, good transition and he ran a good forty earlier.

Tarvarus McFadden hasn’t looked good. He ran poorly in the forty and just doesn’t look quick in transition or backpedal. ‘Laboured’ is the best way to describe his workout.

Isaiah Oliver is a little bit tight hipped but his transition was really good. He looks big too and ran a decent 4.51. Shame but he’ll probably rise a little bit in this underwhelming corner class. Would be a good option for Seattle albeit from round three onwards. Not early.

According to Tony Pauline, Roquan Smith and Lorenzo Carter have been medically red flagged by some teams:

Lorenzo Carter and Roquan Smith of Georgia both had terrific combine workouts. Carter, who I’ve always believed was a first-round talent, ran under 4.5 in the 40, bested everyone in his group with a broad jump of 10-feet-10-inches and posted a vertical jump of 39.5 inches. Roquan Smith ran 4.51 and will do the rest of the drills at his pro day. I have been informed both players were red-flagged medically by a number of teams due to past injury history. While I don’t expect the medical evaluations to be a drag on the draft stock of Carter and Smith, it is something likely to be part of the debate on draft day when each player is being considered.

Josh Jackson gets a few words for a sloppy start to a backpedal and find the ball drill. He was quite lethargic. The coaches also remind the DB’s they want them to high point the football. Chris Jones and Quenton Meeks just mistimed their jumps trying to go up and get the football.

Tarvarus McFadden didn’t even try to high point the ball, just ran under it and caught it in his arms. For all the hype McFadden had after the 2016 season for all the picks, there’s very little to get excited about here (and it was the same for his 2017 season in general).

Levi Wallace is putting on a bit of a show. Lovely backpedal, high pointed the football better than any of the other DB’s. Of all the players here so far that fit the Seahawks, he’s the one who stands out. He just needs to add some weight.

The NFL Network has now switched to an interview with Bill Belichick who is standing in the booth, telling Rich Eisen and Mike Mayock that they do an amazing job. Which is great for them. Not so entertaining for those wanting to watch the drills. Fair play to Belichick though, he just handed what appeared to be a substantial cheque to Eisen for his charity. And to be honest, Belichick is as relaxed as he ever is here. The mask has come off, he’s positively engaging and telling anecdotes. It was enjoyable to see him in a different light.

For the second time, the coaches aren’t happy with Josh Jackson. He had to re-start a drill twice because they wanted to see him working faster. It’s a backpedal, change of direction, flip-your-hips and run downfield drill.

Here are some of the official forty yard dashes:

Anthony Averett was forced to re-start his ‘W’ drill twice. A bit like yesterday, some of the execution on the drills has been off.

Mike Hughes hasn’t looked much like a first round prospect. Holton Hill was good moving through the motion of the ‘W’ drill but lacked explosion at the end.

Unbelievably, for a third time Josh Jackson was stopped by the coaches because they weren’t happy with the way he was conducting the drill. Jackson has been absolutely atrocious.

Deion Sanders summed up this cornerback session well: “We’re missing the energy givers, the guys who know, man, I am the guy. I’m not seeing that yet in the corners.”

Some of the safety jump results are coming in. Minkah Fitzpatrick had a 10-1 broad and Derwin James a 40-inch vertical.

Mike Mayock: “I think I’ve seen more guys get stopped in these drills than I’ve ever seen. Which is not a good thing.”

Denzel Ward didn’t do any of the drills after running the forty.

This has been nearly a three hour session. Similar to the QB/WR drills on Saturday, it’s just too long. We’ve had a long series of gauntlet drills and it all feels a bit unnecessary.

Safety broad jumps:

Minkah Fitzpatrick — 10-1
Joshua Kalu — 11-2
Derwin James — 11
Terrell Edmunds — 11-2

Safety vertical jumps:

Minkah Fitzpatrick — 33
Joshua Kalu — 41.5
Derwin James — 40
Terrell Edmunds — 41.5

Terrell Edmunds with an incredibly explosive performance there.

Here are the safety forty yard dash times:

Troy Apke — 4.35 & 4.39
Jessie Bates III — 4.51 & 4.56
Quin Blanding — 4.64 & 4.65
Sean Chandler — 4.67 & 4.66
Dane Cruikshank — 4.44 & 4.42
Terrell Edmunds — 4.48 & 4.50
Deshon Elliott — 4.58 & 4.62
Minkah Fitzpatrick — 4.47 & 4.51
Tre Flowers — 4.45 & 4.50
Marcell Harris — DNP
Ronnie Harrison — DNP
Godwin Idwebuike — 4.45 & 4.47
Natrell Jamerson — 4.40 & 4.46
Derwin James — 4.48 & 4.48
Joshua Kalu — 4.59 & 4.58
Kameron Kelly — 4.66 & 4.67
Siran Neal — 4.57 & 4.60
Max Redfield — 4.69 & 4.74
Justin Reid — 4.44 & 4.40
Stephen Roberts — 4.54 & 4.58
Dominick Sanders — DNP
Van Smith — 4.61 & 4.63
Trey Walker — 4.52 & 4.54
Armani Watts — DNP
Damon Webb — 4.63 & 4.69
Kyzir White — DNP
Jordan Whitehead — DNP

Troy Apke from Penn State is 6-1 and 200lbs with 32 2/8 inch arms. He just ran a 4.35. Trey Flowers is 6-3 and 202lbs with 33 7/8 inch arms. He ran a 4.45. Two very interesting guys there.

The safety times have been a lot more impressive than the cornerback times. It’s not even close. There’s a few guys here we’ll need to go back and look at.

Justin Reid’s 4.40 could easily push him into first round range.

Terrell Edmunds is the latest player to hurt himself running the forty.

That was a very impressive group. Troy Akpe, Terrell Edmunds, Dane Cruikshank, Tre Flowers, Justin Reid, Natrell Jamerson. There’s some tape to watch after the combine.

Derwin James looked really good with his backpedal and transition. Very smooth for a player of his size. Tre Flowers is long, athletic and lean. He looks like a Seahawks corner. There’s a name to keep an eye on.

Justin Reid is built like a tank. He looks incredible. Troy Akpe has really good hips. The guy can move. Loved seeing his range in the deep drop. Interesting prospect. Akpe’s official forty time is a 4.34 and he managed a 41 inch vertical.

Tre Flowers looks so much like a corner. Great big, long, lean guy.

Here are some of the official DB forty times:

The NFL Network has now cut away from the drills in order to show ‘Run Rich Run’ — Rich Eisen’s forty yard dash attempt. They might’ve had time for this and the drills had the cornerback session not dragged on for three hours.

He ran a 5.97.

I’m going to finish the live blog for now. The Network is finishing up with the Rich Eisen simulcam clips. Thanks to anyone who stuck with the live blogs over the last few days, really appreciate it. Review piece on the way shortly looking at the day and the combine overall.

This promised to be one of the most intriguing days at the combine. In the end, it proved to be a little underwhelming.

I’ve detailed the reasons below but here’s the CliffNotes version — this isn’t a particularly fast group of front seven defensive prospects and the number of explosive testers is down from the previous two years.

Why are explosive physical traits important?

Pat Kirwan — a confidant of Pete Carroll — tells us why in this piece:

Every time a ball is snapped to start a play there is a critical element of explosiveness that takes place. When two players collide in an attempt to physically dominate each other, the athlete with the edge in explosiveness has the best chance to win the confrontation. It could be a blocker vs. a tackler, a tackler vs. a ball carrier, or many other examples of winning at the point of contact.

Explosiveness is defined in the dictionary as a violent release of energy, a sudden outburst. Football is a series of explosions. How do you measure it in athletes trying to play NFL football?

Take the vertical jump, standing broad jump and the bench press test results and add them together. If the combined score is over 70 there is a reason to consider the candidate at some point in the draft process for his explosiveness.

Kirwan’s formula is flawed because it diminishes the impact of the broad jump. A superb 9-7 only achieves a 1.2 point advantage over a below par 8-5. That’s why we developed our own formula (TEF) to essentially do what Kirwan intended — measure explosive traits equally and emphasise their combined importance.

For the last two years we’ve used TEF to measure offensive and defensive linemen and compare the results.

Explosive offensive linemen at the combine:

2016 — 6
2017 — 3

Explosive defensive linemen at the combine:

2016 — 26
2017 — 30

In total, that’s 56-9 in favour of the defense.

So what did we learn this year? It’s not what you might expect.

At the 2018 combine there were seven truly explosive offensive linemen:

Braden Smith — 3.52
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Wyatt Teller — 3.22
Scott Quessenberry — 3.22
Connor Williams — 3.18
Quenton Nelson — 3.07
Will Hernandez — 3.04

In comparison there are officially fourteen explosive testers in the defensive line class:

Taven Bryan — 3.58
Ade Aruna — 3.57
Kylie Fitts — 3.47
Bradley Chubb — 3.46
Harrison Phillips — 3.46
Marcus Davenport — 3.41
Harold Landry — 3.39
Marquis Haynes — 3.36
James Looney — 3.33
Foley Fatukasi — 3.31
John Franklin — 3.17
Trevon Young — 3.17
Da’Shawn Hand — 3.14
Dorance Armstrong — 3.01
Herclues Mata’afa — 2.98
B.J. Hill — 2.97
Olu Rotimi — 2.96
Deadrin Senat — 2.93
Da’Ron Payne — 2.89
Andrew Brown — 2.87
Reginald McKenzie — 2.83
JoJo Wicker — 2.81
Justin Jones — 2.72
Zay Henderson — 2.61
Derrick Nnadi — 2.50
Taylor Stallworth — 2.24

Quite a high number of the D-line class didn’t do the bench press, meaning we’re unable to give them a complete score. However, we can calculate a projection based on the historical average of reps for the position (24).

Josh Sweat — 3.68
Tyquan Lewis — 3.48
Sam Hubbard — 3.26
Rasheem Green — 3.24
Arden Key — 3.16
Chad Thomas — 3.06
Trenton Thompson — 3.02
Nathan Shepherd — 3.00
Breeland Speaks — 2.99
Tim Settle — 2.35
John Atkins — 2.22

All of these scores need to come with an asterisk. However, you get a general feel for how they might’ve performed.

Even if you include those who didn’t compete in the bench press, the total of explosive defensive linemen is down on the last two years:

2016: 26
2017: 30
2018: 22

Here are the 20 most explosive defensive linemen from 2016-18 (2018 prospects in bold):

Myles Garrett — 4.21
Haason Reddick — 3.93
Solomon Thomas — 3.83
Jordan Willis — 3.70
Ife Odenigbo — 3.61
Taven Bryan — 3.58
Ade Aruna — 3.57
Derek Rivers — 3.57
Carl Lawson — 3.54
Dean Lowry — 3.54
Sheldon Rankins — 3.52
Kylie Fitts — 3.47
Robert Nkemdiche — 3.47
Bradley Chubb — 3.46
Harrison Phillips — 3.46
Noah Spence — 3.46
Yannick Ngakoue — 3.44
Marcus Davenport — 3.41
Harold Landry — 3.39
Marquis Haynes — 3.36

Here are some other big-name NFL defensive linemen and their pre-draft TEF scores:

Mario Williams — 3.97
J.J. Watt — 3.82
Khalil Mack — 3.81
Aaron Donald — 3.53
Jadeveon Clowney — 3.50

10-yard splits are important

So it’s not the most explosive defensive line class. What about the 10-yard splits? These are especially important for pass rushers.

A 10-yard split in the 1.5’s is considered ‘elite’. Cliff Avril ran a 1.50 at his combine while Bruce Irvin managed a 1.55. For an interior rusher or inside/out rusher, anything in the 1.6’s is a solid time.

EDGE rushers with a 1.5 10-yard split

Harold Landry — 1.59
Josh Sweat — 1.55

Ade Aruna ran a 1.60, Kylie Fitts a 1.61, Trevon Young a 1.62 and Anthony Winbush a 1.62. Bradley Chubb and Marcus Davenport both ran 1.63’s. The NFL Network frustratingly didn’t show 10-yard split times for the linebackers, despite a number of EDGE rushers competing in that group. Considering Lorenzo Carter ran a 4.46 it’s highly possible he ran a 1.5 split. Hopefully the 10-yard numbers will be released for the whole group and we can add some names to the list.

Defensive linemen with a 1.6 10-yard split

Taven Bryan (291lbs) — 1.68
Rasheem Green (275lbs) — 1.66
Da’Ron Payne (311lbs) — 1.67
Jalyn Holmes (283lbs) — 1.67
Kentavius Street (280lbs) — 1.67
Breeland Speaks (283lbs) — 1.67

For a point of comparison, a year ago Malik McDowell was praised for running a 1.69 at 295lbs. So the likes of Bryan and Payne really helped themselves here.

Agility drills

The three cone and the short shuttle are very important for defensive linemen and edge rushers.

Bruce Irvin (4.03) and Frank Clark (4.05) both ran incredible short shuttles. Cassius Marsh’s 4.25 and Obum Gwacham’s 4.28 were also really good.

Quinton Jefferson, Jordan Hill, Jaye Howard and Malik McDowell all tested superbly in the short shuttle too (4.37, 4.51, 4.47 and 4.53 respectively).

Anything under 7.00 is considered a strong test in the three cone. Here is the list of defensive linemen that ran a sub-7.00 three cone:

Sam Hubbard — 6.84
Harold Landry — 6.88
Kylie Fitts — 6.88
Trevon Young — 6.99

Hubbard’s time is the sixth fastest in the last 10 years of the combine.

A year ago five defensive linemen ran a sub-7.00 — Jordan Willis, Pita Taumoepenu, Derek Rivers, Solomon Thomas and Derek Barnett. Three players managed it in 2016 — James Cowser, Joey Bosa and Shilique Calhoun.

Here are the top-15 times this year:

Sam Hubbard — 6.84
Harold Landry — 6.88
Kylie Fitts — 6.88
Trevon Young — 6.99
Dorance Armstrong — 7.12
Taven Bryan — 7.12
Marquis Haynes — 7.14
Arden Key — 7.16
Marcus Davenport — 7.20
Ola Adeniyi — 7.21
Hercules Mata’afa — 7.24
Rasheem Green — 7.24
Harrison Phillips — 7.28
B.J. Hill — 7.28
James Looney — 7.32

Here’s the top-15 in the short shuttle:

Harold Landry — 4.19
Kylie Fitts — 4.19
Dorance Armstrong — 4.23
Arden Key — 4.25
Josh Sweat — 4.28
Ola Adeniyi — 4.28
Sam Hubbard — 4.32
James Looney — 4.37
Hercules Mata’afa — 4.37
Rasheem Green — 4.39
Trevon Young — 4.40
Bradley Chubb — 4.41
Marcus Davenport — 4.41
Marquis Haynes — 4.45
Taven Bryan — 4.48

Landry and Fitts’ times are only the 12th fastest in the last 10 years. There’s nothing particularly outstanding about these numbers for the EDGE rushers.

Anything in the 4.3-4.5 range for bigger defensive linemen or inside/out rushers is pretty good. Here are the names that standout:

Rasheem Green — 4.39
Bradley Chubb — 4.41
Taven Bryan — 4.48
Andrew Brown — 4.48
Harrison Phillips — 4.50
B.J. Hill — 4.53
Nathan Shepherd — 4.53
Foley Fatukasi — 4.53

Again, it’s not an extensive list. The first three names will likely be first round picks. Shepherd looked very good today but the Seahawks have never drafted a defensive lineman with sub-33 inch arms.

Speed is important

After the 42-7 defeat to the Rams, Pete Carroll mentioned LA just looked faster than Seattle. It was a frank admission from Carroll, considering his Seahawks outfit has regularly been both tougher and faster than most opponents over the years.

The Seahawks need some speed — particularly at linebacker to play next to Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright.

There wasn’t much of it on show today.

Jerome Baker ran a 4.53 which is fine but not eye catching at 229lbs. Tremaine Edmunds ran a solid 4.55 but will be long gone before the Seahawks pick. Malik Jefferson’s 4.53 was solid but not spectacular.

The two names that stood out were obvious. Lorenzo Carter has always been an explosive athlete but now we know he’s extremely quick too. Shaquem Griffin stole the show, however, with a 4.38 that had Pete Carroll practically jumping out of his seat:

Pete Carroll’s reaction to Shaquem Griffin’s 4.38 forty is priceless #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/Ivor3CBIm9

— Rob Staton (@robstaton) March 4, 2018

Griffin is an intriguing option for many reasons. There isn’t a grittier player in the draft. He has an incredible personality that just makes you feel good about yourself any time you watch one of his interviews. He plays with passion and tenacity and a clear love for the game.

Running a 4.38 at 227lbs is incredible. Now teams will have to have a think about where he plays at the next level. Is he an off-the ball linebacker? Do you let him run and cover in space? Do you try him at safety?

It’s important not to overreact to his great run. If you head onto social media you’ll already see people projecting him in round one or two. That isn’t very likely. However, it’s entirely possible he’ll be drafted in the middle rounds like his twin brother. And if the Seahawks want to add someone who can play some snaps at linebacker, add some legit speed to the defense and contribute in a big way on special teams — Griffin could be the man.

Linebacker explosive & agility testing

Some quick notes here:

— Lorenzo Carter followed up his 4.50 forty with a 36-inch vertical and a 10-10 broad jump. He’s an exciting player.

— Jeff Holland didn’t run particularly well but a 9-8 broad jump hints at some explosive traits. In comparison, Tremaine Edmunds jumped a 9-9.

— Malik Jefferson unsurprisingly tested well in the jumps with a 36 inch vertical and a 10-10 broad but it was interesting to see Micah Kiser also manage a 35.5 inch vertical and a 10-1 broad.

— Matthew Thomas might be a name to monitor. He’s 6-2 and 232lbs and will be worth a look post-combine. He ran a 4.57 and jumped a 41.5 inch vertical plus a 10-11 broad. Perhaps more importantly, however, he ran a 4.28 short shuttle. We’ve discussed in the past the importance of the short shuttle at linebacker. Oren Burks, Micah Kiser, Christian Sam and Fred Warner could be options for the same reason.

— Leighton Vander Esch ran a 6.88 three-cone and a 4.15 short shuttle. Both are really good for his size. His short shuttle time is the same as Vic Beasley’s. He’s going to go a lot earlier than many people realise. T.J. Watt ran a 6.79 and a 4.13 last year.

— Dorian O’Daniel made some plays for Clemson and a 4.07 short shuttle is the sixth best by a linebacker in the last five years (although you would’ve hoped for a better forty time — 4.61).

What does it all mean?

Here are some takeaways and predictions:

— Taven Bryan solidified his position in round one with an explosive workout coupled with some solid numbers in the speed/agility testing.

— Sam Hubbard, despite not running a forty yard dash, showed he has some quickness and explosion and probably boosted his stock.

— Da’Ron Payne didn’t have the most explosive performance but he performed well in drills and tested quickly across the board. He likely secured a place in the first round.

— The testing numbers won’t highlight it but Tim Settle, Nathan Shepherd, Justin Jones, B.J. Hill, Derrick Nnadi and Andrew Brown all flashed during drills. Settle showed great mobility for his size, Shepherd just had an all-round solid outing and Brown attacked the club/rip drill like a man possessed.

— Josh Sweat is an incredible athlete with unique length and size. He has an injury record to be wary of but he could be an option for a team like Seattle looking for a project in the middle rounds. He ran a 1.5 10-yard dash and has 34 5/8 inch arms and a wingspan of 84 1/8 inches. That’s special.

— The NFL needs to review why there’s been so many hamstring injuries at the combine this year. It started with Ronald Jones II on Friday and Vita Vea, Roquan Smith and several others hurt themselves running the forty yard dash. Is it preparation? Are they asking too much of the players in the build-up to the workout? They need to look into this.

— The best way to describe this front seven class for the Seahawks is this — there are appealing options from the middle rounds onwards. Today has reinforced, however, that the better value in the early rounds will probably come in repairing the running game. The interior O-line (Will Hernandez, Isaiah Wynn, Billy Price) and running back (Kerryon Johnson, Nick Chubb, Ronald Jones II) options are better than the defensive options. And the reverse is true from the mid-point onwards. If they acquire extra picks in the top-75 they might consider adding someone like Lorenzo Carter but this draft is set up for Seattle to address their much-maligned running attack.

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Welcome to our coverage of the 2018 NFL combine. Every day we’ll be updating events as they happen in Indianapolis, posting workout numbers and information.

This post will be updated consistently so keep hitting refresh.

Today is a big day. Along with interior O-line and running back, linebacker is one of the strongest positions in the draft. There are multiple first round prospects and plenty of depth. With change expected on Seattle’s defense, it’s quite possible they’ll be looking for front-seven defenders among the players working out today.

What do you need to look for? If it’s an EDGE rusher, focus on the 10-yard splits. Anything in the 1.5 range is considered elite. I’ll post the splits below.

Quinton Jefferson, Jordan Hill, Jaye Howard and Malik McDowell all tested superbly in the short shuttle (4.37, 4.51, 4.47 and 4.53 respectively). This appears to be an important test for interior pass rushers.

Dynamic quickness is also a trend for EDGE players. Bruce Irvin (4.03) and Frank Clark (4.05) both ran incredible short shuttles. Cassius Marsh’s 4.25 and Obum Gwacham’s 4.28 were also really good.

It’s also worth noting they haven’t drafted a defensive lineman with sub-33 inch arms.

Keep an eye on the following players: DL — Josh Sweat, Rasheem Green, Dorrance Armstrong, Jeff Holland, Da’Shawn Hand, Andrew Brown, Kentavius Street and Marquis Haynes. LB — Lorenzo Carter, Darius Leonard, Malik Jefferson and Kemoko Turay.

Later today I’ll post the TEF scores for all the defensive linemen and EDGE rushers.

Forty yard dash — DL Group One

(10-yard splits in brackets)

John Atkins — 5.42 & 5.39 (1.92)
Taven Bryan — 5.08 & 4.98 (1.68)
Foley Fatukasi — 5.30 & 5.33 (1.76)
Joshua Frazier — DNP
Rasheem Green — 4.83 & 4.74 (1.66)
Zay Henderson — 5.20 & 5.17 (1.76)
B.J. Hill — 4.99 & 5.00 (1.74)
Maurice Hurst — DNP
Justin Jones — 5.11 & 5.10 (1.76)
Lowell Lotulelei — DNP
Reginald McKenzie Jr — 5.17 & 5.15 (1.78)
Bilal Nichols — 4.96 & DNP (1.73)
Derrick Nnadi — 5.44 & 5.34 (1.81)
Kendrick Norton — 5.26 & 5.52 (1.79)
Da’Ron Payne — 5.02 & 4.91 (1.67)
Harrison Phillips — 5.21 & 5.22 (1.79)
Deadrin Senat — 5.16 & 5.24 (1.77)
Tim Settle — 5.41 & 5.38 (1.90)
Nathan Shepherd — 5.10 & 5.15 (1.77)
Taylor Stallworth — 5.29 & 5.33 (1.83)
Trenton Thompson — 5.06 & 5.11 (1.74)
Vita Vea — 5.11 & 5.11 (1.77)
Eddy Wilson — 5.55 & 5.38 (1.86)

The combine, this year, have separated the interior defensive linemen and the EDGE rushers. It’s a good move.

Here’s some news on Josh Sweat per Tony Pauline:

Despite his long injury history, Florida State defensive end Josh Sweat has not been given any failing medical grades at combine exams. Sweat has well-documented knee issues which go back several years, but I’ve been informed he’s been stamped with a middle-of-the-road medical grade, which is not a major red flag.

Pauline also says this about the Seahawks:

The Seattle Seahawks traded down in the 2017 NFL Draft, and I’m told they will look to do the same this year. The team has just a single pick in the first three rounds, and though it owns a cluster of selections over the entire draft, the Seahawks would prefer to trade down and gather more ammunition in the top 100.

In the initial change of direction drills, Taven Bryan, Rasheem Green and B.J. Green had trouble keeping their pants up. Under Armour didn’t do a very good job dressing these guys. A wardrobe malfunction is imminent.

Da’Ron Payne and Taven Bryan moved very well. Impressive. Fluid change of direction, quickness. Both look athletic. Tim Settle is an incredible mover for his size. It’s unreal and doesn’t get talked about as much. He looked so fluid in the change of direction aside from an unfortunate slip near the end.

Here’s Bryan’s performance:

Taven Bryan lateral movement pic.twitter.com/dVr90zBQrI

— Billy Marshall (@BillyM_91) March 4, 2018

The linemen are now going over and around the bags. Derrick Nnadi looked quick for his size. It was another good drill for Payne. Harrison Phillips looks a bit stiff. Tim Settle struggled in this drill and tripped over the bags. Nathan Shepherd had an incredible drill here — wow. Flew around the bags like he was dancing on a cloud. Very impressive.

They’re on to the club/rip drill now. Rich Eisen is very excited about the first sighting of this bad boy:

Vita Vea has injured his hamstring and isn’t competing in drills. Shame.

In the stack and shed drill, this is a drill that every year the players don’t seem to execute properly. Taven Bryan barely tickled the pads, let alone punch. B.J. Hill executed it fairly well. Derrick Nnadi got it completely wrong. He treated it as a speed drill and barely touched the pad.

Harrison Phillips, thank you! Someone who did it truly properly. Belted all the pads and shed. Really good. Da’Ron Payne did well too, as did Nathan Shepherd.

It has to be said, Shepherd is looking good. He’s sub-33 inch arms and Seattle hasn’t taken a sub-33 inch armed defensive linemen before but he’s putting on a good workout performance today.

Jim Tomsula is now operating a change of direction drill. Justin Jones moved well and just looks like a powerful dude. Really well put together dude. Jones will provide some value for someone. Da’Ron Payne is having a wow performance and excelled again in this drill. He’s so light on his feet for 311lbs. Of all the recent defensive linemen from Alabama to enter the draft, Payne looks the most athletic.

Tim Settle arguably looked even better considering he’s 329lbs. It’s unnatural to see a guy move as well as Settle does at his size.

Here are the official forty yard dash times:

Rich Eisen is currently interviewing the football on a stick…

The defensive tackle drills are complete. Time for the EDGE rushers.

Forty yard dash — DL Group Two

(10-yard splits in brackets)

Ola Adeniyi — 4.83 & DNP (1.68)
Dorance Armstrong — 4.88 & 4.96 (1.70)
Ade Aruna — 4.61 & 4.64 (1.60)
Andrew Brown — 5.11 & 5.04 (1.73)
Bradley Chubb — 4.66 & 4.71 (1.63)
Marcus Davenport — 4.61 & 4.59 (1.63)
Matt Dickerson — 5.07 & 5.14 (1.81)
Duke Ejiofor — DNP
Kylie Fitts — 4.69 & 4.69 (1.61)
John Franklin — 4.79 & 4.76 (1.70)
Da’shawn Hand — 4.84 & 4.92 (1.71)
Marquis Haynes — 4.68 & 4.70 (1.67)
Jalyn Holmes — 4.84 & 4.83 (1.67)
Sam Hubbard — DNP
Arden Key — DNP
Harold Landry — 4.65 & 4.70 (1.59)
Tyquan Lewis — DNP
James Looney — 4.90 & 4.94 (1.67)
Hercules Mata’afa — 4.78 & 4.77 (1.64)
R.J. McIntosh — DNP
Ja’von Rolland-Jones — 4.89 & DNP (1.72)
Olubunmi Rotimi — DNP
Breeland Speaks — 4.87 & 4.95 (1.65)
Kentavius Street — 4.88 & DNP (1.67)
Josh Sweat — 4.57 & 4.53 (1.55)
Chad Thomas — 4.93 & 4.95 (1.70)
Jojo Wicker — 5.16 & 5.20 (1.80)
Anthony Winbush — 4.78 & DNP (1.62)
Trevon Young — 4.78 & 4.79 (1.62)

Josh Sweat and Harold Landry were the only two EDGE rushers to crack the 1.5 10-yard splits. Sweat looks in incredible shape.

Hopefully some of the EDGE rushers working out with the linebackers will run in the 1.5’s. Fingers crossed for Kemoko Turay.

Kentavius Street had his leg wrapped after his first forty yard dash. Not good news. Street had the potential to have a sensational workout.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the league has anything to say about the number of injuries picked up this morning — and at the combine overall. Lots of players seem to be hurting themselves running the forty (Street, Ronald Jones II, Vita Vea).

Onto the drills. No surprise here but Bradley Chubb and Marcus Davenport are moving well. Arden Key and Sam Hubbard snubbed the forty yard dash for no real reason but are now doing drills.

Da’shawn Hand looks the part in the drill going over and through the bags. Just a ‘first of the bus’ type of physical talent. Looks the part. Mobile. Arden Key also looks quick. Still not sure why he didn’t run the forty.

In the club/rip drill, Andrew Brown looked really violent. Really tore into the bags. Looked the part. Intriguing prospect. Chubb and Davenport were silky smooth getting around the bags with fluidity. Jalyn Holmes looked a little tight but still hit the bags with intensity. Chad Thomas also excelled.

Quite a few of the prospects struggled with this drill. Several took a wide berth to the bags and tried to avoid them. A couple just slapped the bag. Mata’afa slipped over.

In the second go-through, again Andrew Brown had a terrific rep. Violent, intense. Bradley Chubb followed with another incredibly smooth run through.

In the stack and shed, Ola Adeniyi had a good rep. Powerful, in control. Andrew Brown’s rep was REALLY good. Brown did what he’s supposed to do. Hit the bag, shed, move along the line. Brilliant. Chubb also looked really good. They’ve been the two standout performers during workouts for me.

Da’Shawn Hand’s rep was pretty weak. Tickled the bags and treated it like a speed drill. The coach leading the drill shouted shortly after to ‘slow it down’. Every year the same thing happens. The players don’t understand the stack and shed drill. They rush through it.

Here are the official forty yard dash times for the second group of defensive linemen:

A quick reminder about Josh Sweat’s physical potential:

HT: 6-foot-4 3/4
WT: 251lbs
Hand: 10 1/4″
Arm: 34 5/8″
Wingspan: 84 1/8”

Look at that arm length and wingspan. Plus he ran a 1.5 10-yard split. He has an injury history but we’re talking about huge athletic talent and size here.

We’re now onto the change of direction drills. Hercules Mata’afa just tripped up again on his rep. He’s had some footwork issues today. Marcus Davenport continues to impress and look the part. Very smooth change of direction and acceleration.

I didn’t see Josh Sweat doing any of the on-field drills.

Some of the EDGE rushers are now being asked to do the linebacker drills. It seemed like everyone was getting a go for some reason. When 281lbs Chad Thomas is running linebacker drills, maybe someone should’ve had a tighter grip on who was doing what.

Some of the explosive tests are coming in. Taven Bryan had a 35 inch vertical and a 9-11 broad jump. He’s an incredible 3.58 TEF tester and one of the most explosive pass rushers we’ve seen in a while. At 291lbs those numbers are incredible.

Da’Ron Payne looked quick during the drills but he’s not the most explosive player. He had an 8-11 broad broad and he only had a 28.5 inch vertical.

Forty yard dash — LB

The NFL Network isn’t showing the 10-yard splits for the linebackers for some reason. So we won’t get a 10-time for people like Lorenzo Carter or Kemoko Turay.

Genard Avery — 4.60 & 4.63
Jerome Baker — 4.53 & 4.60
Davin Bellamy — DNP
Keishawn Bierria — 4.80 & 4.94
Oren Burks — 4.60 & 4.60
Jason Cabinda — DNP
Lorenzo Carter — 4.46 & 4.54
Jack Cichy — DNP
Chris Covington — 4.80 & 4.79
Nick DeLuca — 4.85 & 4.86
Garret Dooley — 4.92 & 4.81
Tremaine Edmunds — 4.55 & 4.56
Rashaan Evans — DNP
Shaquem Griffin — 4.38 & 4.58
Shaun Dion Hamilton — DNP
James Hearns — 4.90 & 4.89
Jeff Holland — 4.80 & 4.86
Joel Iyiegbuniwe — 4.62 & 4.61
Darius Jackson — 4.87 & 4.87
Leon Jacobs — 4.49 & 4.55
Malik Jefferson — 4.53 & 4.58
Josey Jewell — 4.83 & 4.84
Peter Kalambayi — 4.57 & 4.60
Micah Kiser — 4.67 & 4.73
Darius Leonard — 4.70 & DNP
Mike McCray — 4.76 & 4.77
Skai Moore — 4.74 & 4.74
Uchenna Nwosu — 4.65 & 4.72
Dorian O’Daniel — 4.62 & 4.61
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo — 4.89 & 4.77
Jacob Pugh — 4.66 & 4.69
Christian Sam — 4.76 & 4.79
Tegray Scales — 4.84 & 4.78
Andre Smith — 4.64 & DNP
Roquan Smith — 4.52 & DNP
Matthew Thomas — 4.58 & 4.65
Kemoko Turay — 4.66 & 4.70
Leighton Vander Esch — 4.66 & 4.67
Azeem Victor — 4.73 & 4.74
Fred Warner — 4.66 & 4.64
Chris Worley — 4.86 & 4.87
Kenny Young — 4.66 & 4.60

Incredible time for Lorenzo Carter. We know he’s explosive — he jumped a 40 inch vertical at the SPARQ combine but ran in the 4.6’s. Now he just ran a 4.46. He’ll be pushing round one with a time like that.

Shaquem Griffin ran a very similar time to his twin brother, making a 4.38. He is 227lbs so a little lighter than some of the other players here — but that’s still an incredible time at that size. A fantastic run. With this size, speed and grit he won’t be lasting to the later rounds.

Pete Carroll’s reaction to Shaquem Griffin’s 4.38 forty is priceless #Seahawks pic.twitter.com/Ivor3CBIm9

— Rob Staton (@robstaton) March 4, 2018

North Carolina’s Andre Smith is the latest player to pull up during a forty with a hamstring injury. There have been way too many injuries at the combine this year and there needs to be a serious review as to why.

Now Roquan Smith is feeling a hamstring problem too and is done for the day. Something isn’t right here. Way too many hamstring injuries. Darius Leonard didn’t run a second forty. Tegray Scales pulled up in his second attempt. Kemoko Turay pulled up with an injury. What’s going on?

The NFL Network is currently interviewing Ryan Shazier instead of focusing on the linebacker drills.

Now they’re back on the drills. The coaches praised Leighton Vander Esch for his work in space.

We talked about a need for speed and how Seattle has looked for very quick linebackers. There weren’t many spectacular runners in the LB group which was a surprise. Griffin and Carter aside, of course.

Now Griffin is hurt too! During the drills. This is ridiculous.

Vander Esch again is the standout in the agility drill going over and around the bags. He looks incredibly smooth, quick and dynamic. He’ll be a high pick.

One of the coaches (from the Rams) is calling out the linebackers now. He says they aren’t finishing the drills, strictly told them he doesn’t care about their forty yard dashes and wants them to do the drills properly. I hate to say it again but this has been a relatively underwhelming session again.

The Rams coach is still criticising the players. He’s not happy with the way they’re dropping in an open-field drill. He wants to see them backpedal to each hash and deliver a deep drop each time. They aren’t. Very few of them are catching the football at the end either. “Catch the damn ball finish the drill” yells the coach.

Malik Jefferson had a good rep but very few looked sharp here.

I’m going to finish the live blog for today because the D-line broad and vertical jump numbers are out. I’m going to calculate the TEF scores. Review post on the way shortly.

Some notes following the second day of workouts at the combine…

— It’s no secret that this is a mostly underwhelming wide receiver class. There’s a lack of top-tier talent and we might only see one or two receivers go in the first round. That said, Maryland’s D.J. Moore felt like the big winner based on the testing results today. A highly competitive player, Moore has some Golden Tate to his game. He plays above his size and he’s no slouch as an athlete either. That said — I’m not sure many people expected a 4.42 forty, a 39.5 inch vertical and an 11-0 broad jump. These are incredible results. He could easily be the second receiver off the board and he’s a clear top-50 talent.

— Florida’s Antonio Callaway has a laundry list of character flags. Here’s an exert from his NFL.com bio:

He faced a sexual assault trial between his freshman and sophomore year but was cleared of those charges before the 2016 season by admitting during the hearing he was “so stoned” he did not want to have sex with anyone. He was also cited for marijuana possession in May 2017 as a passenger in a car stopped because the driver wasn’t wearing his seat belt; he pled no contest to possession of paraphernalia in July 2017. Calloway never played in 2017 because of his involvement in a credit card fraud scheme with other teammates. Instead of looking for reinstatement or a transfer, he decided to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Callaway might be undraftable. In the same NFL.com bio an unnamed AFC personnel director says, “Our owner will say no and I don’t even think we would put him on our board to be honest.” That said, he was possibly the most natural receiver on the field competing today aside from perhaps Calvin Ridley. He looked crisp in his routes and he caught the ball very well with good technique. He ran a 4.41 and then jumped a 38.5 inch vertical plus a 10-1 broad. Callaway has immense talent and if he focused on his career for once, he could be extremely good in the NFL. Whether that ever happens though is likely too big a question mark for many if not most teams.

— Another receiver who excelled was LSU’s D.J. Chark. He also had a very productive Senior Bowl and he likely solidified his enhanced stock today with a 4.34 forty at nearly 6-3 and 200lbs. It’s important to note, however, just how inconsistent his tape is. At the Senior Bowl he was practically unstoppable. In some games in 2017 (eg Alabama) he was very frustrating to watch. LSU haven’t had a good passing game for a long time so that might be a solid excuse. Chark has exceptional physical qualities but I’m not sure it’ll be enough to push him into the top-30 or 40 picks. He’s possibly a solid second rounder in this draft.

— For some time I’ve been suggesting we won’t see a tight end drafted in the first two rounds. I think that’s less likely now after Mike Gesicki’s combine performance. With the league desperate for TE’s masquerading as ‘big slot receivers’, Gesicki clearly fits the bill with the way he tested today. He ran a 4.54 forty, a 6.76 three-cone, a short shuttle of 4.10 seconds and jumped a 41-inch vertical and a 10-9 broad jump. He did all this at 6-5 and 247lbs. He even has decent length (+34 inch arms) and hand size (10 1/4 inches). In comparison, Evan Engram a year ago — despite weighing 13lbs less than Gesicki — jumped a 36 inch vertical, a 10-1 broad, ran a 6.92 three cone and a 4.23 short shuttle. Gesicki’s numbers are superior in every way apart from the forty (4.42 vs 4.54). I have no idea where to place Gesicki now. He’s probably helped by the fact it’s such a middling receiver class. As a big target with sensational athletic talent, who knows where he’ll land? One point is worth making however. He showed absolutely zero blocking at Penn State. If the Seahawks were going to consider Gesicki, they’d be doing exactly what they did with Jimmy Graham. Adding a highly athletic pass-catcher and then likely trying to turn him into the complete tight end. Do they want to try that again? I’m not sure they do. Gesicki lit up the combine today though.

— Dalton Schultz and Durham Smythe had middling performances. Both players are short armed tight ends (sub-32 inches) and their testing results were pretty mediocre. Schultz ran a 4.76, Smythe a 4.86. Neither jumped a vertical but they had a 10-0 and a 9-2 broad respectively. On tape they’re both really good blockers and that might be the most important thing. Their main responsibility in college was to block — so they’d be coming to Seattle well versed in what they need to do. These testing results could keep them on the board into day three. Nick Vannett wasn’t an amazing athlete but he had long arms (34 1/4 inches) and ran a 4.20 short shuttle. Smythe managed a 4.23 but Schultz ran a 4.40. If they want a blocking tight end, these two seem to be the best options. But they might not be intriguing enough. Quite a few previously overlooked blocking tight ends could become big earners in free agency.

— The quarterback passing drills seemed to last forever. If you ever needed confirmation on the most important position in football, this was it. Well over five hours after the day started, the tight ends got their turn. Josh Allen showed again why he gets talked up as a top-five pick despite his pretty wretched college statistics. He’s simply an incredible, prototype physical talent. Height, mobility and he throws a beautiful football. Some of his passes downfield during drills were unreal. Nobody is going to argue his tape at Wyoming is worth shouting about — yet any NFL coach worth his salt surely has to back himself to work on Allen’s flaws and bring out the positives? Saquon Barkley might end up being the #1 pick but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Allen was the next off the board — either to the Giants or, perhaps, the Browns will move up from #4 to secure him?

— Jaylen Samuels worked out with the tight ends today but he’s a versatile player with running back size. At 5-11 and 225lbs he fits Seattle’s prototype for the position and with a 4.55 forty, 34.5 inch vertical and 10-1 broad he’s also explosive enough for them. He might be a name to monitor as someone they can use in many different roles, including full back.

— Tomorrow is always a very entertaining day with the D-liners and linebackers working out. We’ll see another boat load of explosive linemen (we’ll publish TEF results for the group) and linebacker is one of the deepest and most talented positional groups in the draft this year. The Seahawks could easily look to add another front seven player or two in the draft, so tomorrow is a big day.

— Finally, the cornerback measurements were posted. The Seahawks haven’t drafted a cornerback with sub-32 inch arms so it’s a list worth paying attention to. The players with +32 inch arms are highlighted in bold:

Denzel Ward — 31 2/8 (74 6/8)
Josh Jackson — 31 1/8 (74 2/8)
Mike Hughes — 31 1/8 (73)
Isaiah Oliver — 33 4/8 (80 5/8)
Jaire Alexander — 31 1/8 (74 6/8)
Anthony Averett — 30 2/8 (71 5/8)
Chris Campbell — 33 4/8 (79)
Tony Brown — 31 4/8 (74 6/8)
Andre Chachere — 31 3/8 (75 6/8)
Carlton Davis — 32 6/8 (79 3/8)
Duke Dawson — 31 4/8 (74 4/8)
Dee Delaney — 30 4/8 (74 3/8)
Brandon Facyson — 32 5/8 (78 4/8)
Rashard Fant — 30 (72)
Rashaan Gaulden — 30 6/8 (73 1/8)
Grant Haley — 29 6/8 (72 2/8)
Davontae Harris — 31 1/8 (75 6/8)
Holton Hill — 32 (77 2/8)
Donte Jackson — 29 4/8 (71 5/8)
J.C. Jackson — 31 4/8 (75 2/8)
Danny Johnson — 31 1/8 (74 1/8)
Taron Johnson — 30 7/8 (74)
Chris Jones — 32 6/8 (78 2/8)
Michael Joseph — 30 2/8 (73 1/8)
Jamarcus King — 32 7/8 (78 3/8)
Avonte Maddox — 29 4/8 (71 3/8)
Tarvarus McFadden — 32 4/8 (78)
Quenton Meeks — 31 6/8 (76 2/8)
Kam Moore — 31 3/8 (75 7/8)
Chandon Sullivan — 32 3/8 (76 6/8)
J.T. Thomas — 32 (77 6/8)
D’Montre Wade — 32 3/8 (76 7/8)
Levi Wallace — 32 6/8 (77 3/8)
Isaac Yiadom — 32 3/8 (75 6/8)

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