Seahawks Draft Blog

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Are we finally going to take these QB’s seriously?

March 4, 2023 /

Anthony Richardson is a unicorn

On November 22nd last year, I posted my first mock draft.

The top three picks?

#1 Houston — Anthony Richardson (QB, Florida)
#2 Carolina — Will Levis (QB, Kentucky)
#3 Indianapolis (v/Chicago) — CJ Stroud (QB, Ohio State)

I suspect we’ll see a few similar looking mock drafts in the coming weeks.

The combine isn’t the be-all and end-all, especially at quarterback. What today has done, however, is shift the narrative.

There’s been too much talk about what the three players above can’t do and not enough focus on what they can become. The draft is about projection. It’s looking at a player and making a judgement on how they can be developed to reach the highest level possible.

I started writing this blog in 2008. I’ve never seen a quartet of quarterbacks with this level of upside in the same draft. I’ve never seen three players in particular — Richardson, Levis and Stroud — with the physical upside they possess, all at the same combine, throwing on the same field.

Let’s start with Anthony Richardson. A legitimate, bonafide unicorn.

He’s 6-4 and 244lbs with 10 1/2 inch hands.

He ran a 4.43 forty (second only to RGIII for a quarterback since 2003). He had a 40.5 inch vertical and a 10-9 broad jump (both new records).

Nobody watches him at Florida and thinks he’s the finished article. We can all see the misses (high and wide) and the mistakes he made early in his only season as a starter. Yet too many people get bogged down with the errors — many of which can be legitimately blamed on a lack of experience — and not enough people focus on the fact he’s absolutely f*****g incredible physically, doing things that no other human on the planet is capable of.

Richardson might never be a perfect player. He’ll never be Joe Burrow with his accuracy and timing. What he is going to do though is cover a lot of warts on your team due to his sheer talent and ability. He’ll be a threat to score at every snap. He will challenge teams with his legs and arm on a weekly basis. He will have fans arriving to every game excited to watch him play. Opponents are going to need a plan, every week, to handle him.

He can scramble away from pressure and turn back, off-platform, to launch the ball 40-yards downfield on a dime. If he breaks contain, he’s shown he can score 60-80 yard touchdowns as a runner. I’ve seen defenders beat a tackle off the edge, attempt to sack Richardson and he stays on his feet with the pass rusher hanging off him, then throws a completed pass for a first down.

He has ‘face of the league’ potential. He has MVP level physical talent.

And you know what? You might draft him and it doesn’t work out. That’s life. If it does work out, you could be rewarded with the best decade of your footballing fandom.

Tyree Wilson and Will Anderson (I’m not even discussing Jalen Carter any more, especially after this latest development) don’t have anywhere near his impact potential. They are not the next Bosa, Garrett or Miller.

Good players they might be — yet I find it strange that they seem to have taken on a reputation that precedes them, while people rush to diminish the freaky quarterbacks we’re talking about here. It’s almost as if there’s this phobia surrounding the most important position in the sport. A fear of making a bad decision — preventing any level of excitement about the opportunity in this draft to select possible greatness.

There’s almost an over-the-top loyalty to Geno Smith too. He deserves credit for his 2022 season but not necessarily the keys to the franchise with no future planning at quarterback. Plus, last time I checked — he isn’t under contract in Seattle. Not yet anyway.

When you watch Richardson today launching the ball downfield with aplomb, throwing with touch and velocity to the sideline and just looking like he’s living his best life — all after wowing everyone at the podium with his personality — how is he still being looked at with extreme suspicion?

I’ve watched every game he’s played. There’s a clear progression over time. He was carrying Florida at the end, highlighted by their embarrassing 30-3 bowl defeat to Oregon State when he didn’t play. In his final six games against Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Florida State, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt (hardly an easy run) he recorded 16 total touchdowns and two interceptions.

Give him more time — a redshirt year would be ideal — and have patience when he starts in the NFL and imagine what he could become?

There was actually a quarterback who threw the ball better than Richardson today in the second group.

C.J. Stroud is without a doubt the best touch-passer I’ve ever watched in college football. He could throw downfield, towards the sideline, with perfect accuracy and touch. He delivered balls that were akin to 45-yard hand-offs.

He looked in complete control during the throwing session. A natural. His ball placement was mostly spot-on (nobody delivers a perfect session at the combine, throwing to receivers they’ve never met before). He showed off a strong arm launching passes downfield at the end. We again saw a variance in terms of velocity and he delivered a very catchable ball.

Stroud oozed confidence throughout and just looked like he belonged on this stage.

While he might not have Richardson’s staggering traits, he does have good size (6-3, 214lbs) and large hands (10 inches).

He’s a top-five pick in any class. There just aren’t many big-armed QB’s who can throw with his touch and accuracy. The spotlight isn’t going to be too high for him and I wouldn’t put it past Stroud to quickly develop into one of the more productive, competent quarterbacks in the league (in the right system).

Finally there was Will Levis — all 6-4, 229lbs of him. It was staggering watching him around the other quarterbacks in group one. He’s in incredible shape.

It’s not just the muscular, toned frame either that stands out. Levis has 10 5/8 inch hands. Do people realise how advantageous that is? That is rare hand size and it’s no wonder when you watch his throwing session and you see unnatural velocity.

Physically he looks like John Elway if he hit the all-night gym every day. That doesn’t mean he’ll achieve one tenth of Elway’s success — physically though, we are talking about another rare athlete with an arm for the ages. This all matters in the modern NFL. The top QB’s are generally outstanding athletes and they need to be able to drive the ball downfield and into tight windows.

I posted this tweet earlier today. I don’t think people realise that Levis, like Richardson, can do things most quarterbacks can’t:

Yet the narrative is constantly about his lack of success at Kentucky.

Just look, once again, at the ‘sacks per game’ stats for a collection of teams featuring big-name quarterbacks in 2022:

Oregon — 4 sacks in 12 games (0.33 per game)
Georgia — 7 sacks in 13 games (0.54 per game)
Washington — 7 sacks in 12 games (0.58 per game)
Ohio State — 8 sacks in 12 games (0.67 per game)
Florida — 12 sacks in 12 games (1.00 per game)
Alabama — 20 sacks in 12 games (1.67 per game)
Tennessee — 23 sacks in 12 games (1.92 per game)
Kentucky — 42 sacks in 12 games (3.50 per game)

Levis played behind the worst line in the SEC. His right tackle was particularly dreadful. Every game he faced constant pressure, sometimes immediately off the snap.

Playing behind a better line in 2021, he was sacked just 22 times. Kentucky gave up 20 more sacks. Twenty. Yet there are college teams listed above with wide-open schemes capable of avoiding barely any sacks.

He had no receivers or tight ends of note to throw to. His running back missed four games through a suspension. His new offensive coordinator struggled and was fired after one season.

In 2021, however, he was incredible. Only Heisman winner Bryce Young had a higher PFF grade at quarterback in the SEC. This was before losing two offensive linemen to the NFL and Wandale Robinson, his top target, went in the second round. This was before Liam Coen bolted to be offensive coordinator for Sean McVay. It’s a mark of the success Levis enjoyed in 2021 that Coen got that gig.

Playing in a pro-offense, with McVay concepts, he excelled. He drove Kentucky to a fantastic season. He made plays with his legs and arm.

He admits himself that he needs to fix technical aspects of his game and he’s been working with Jordan Palmer, one of the best in the business, to do that.

Yet nobody comes into the NFL as the finished product. Levis is a player with the physical tools to achieve anything he wants in the league.

Today we learned there are three physically stunning, high-upside players at the most important position in the sport in this draft class. It’s very possible they’ll all leapfrog Bryce Young, who opted not to do anything at the combine and wait until pro-day.

Teams are going to look at these three Marvel Superheroes and wonder whether a higher ranking for a 5-10 quarterback, who has gained weight just to try and answer concerns about his actual playing weight of around 190lbs, is the right thing to do.

The size, the arm strength, the athletic talent, the upside.

Richardson, Levis and Stroud could easily be the top-three picks as predicted in November.

So what does all this mean for Seattle?

Firstly, I think the Seahawks will be very fortunate if any of the three last to #5. If they do, they should be selected. Opportunities like this don’t come along very often. They will (hopefully) not be picking in the top-five again any time soon. Even if Geno Smith is re-signed, selecting a potential heir (and security against Smith regressing back to journeyman status) would be the right thing to do.

The top three quarterbacks all present a jackpot opportunity that Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson simply do not.

The make-up of the top-five will determine everything and working out what’ll happen will be the key task in the coming weeks. Teams trading into the top-four will dictate a lot of this. If the Bears and Cardinals trade out of the top-three, we’ll see it go QB-QB-QB.

It could leave the Seahawks in a situation where they have to pick from Bryce Young and whoever is left from Anderson and Wilson. That’s not a terrible place to be, frankly. But it will be a tough pill to swallow if Richardson, Levis and Stroud live up to their potential in the NFL and they just miss out.

If the Bears swap places with the Colts — and if the Cardinals stay put — it stands to reason that only two quarterbacks will be off the board by #5. That, for me, would be an ideal situation. Not, as many are suggesting, because it’d be a trade-down opportunity. Rather, you’d have a chance to draft one of the top three quarterbacks yourself.

Let’s be right here — John Schneider loves traits at QB. Richardson, Levis and Stroud have traits for days. If I had to guess, he will feel very strongly about all three players.

Which begs the question…

Should the Seahawks trade up?

I have pushed back against this because this is a team that needs an injection of talent. Having so many picks is a plus — and we saw the value of a good, deep draft in 2022.

After today? I’m more inclined to consider moving up.

You’re never going to have a chance like this again. You’re never going to own #5 and #20 and have the stock to hand to move up and get a quarterback who you can feel good about delivering glory to this franchise.

It’ll be so much more expensive to move up in the future, without necessarily the quality of players in this class.

Let me stress — I’m not saying the Seahawks should definitely do this.

I do think, however, they should call the Bears (if they haven’t already) and just ask to be kept in the loop. Do the same with the Texans too. Keep the door open.

It might not be necessary if the Bears and Cardinals stick in the top-four. But when you’re so close to the holy grail, you need to keep your options open.

I wouldn’t be unhappy with Young, Anderson or Wilson (if he tests well) at #5. I like the options for Seattle in any scenario — and think they are just in the range where you can feel happy in this top-heavy top-10.

But if Schneider watched those quarterbacks today and feels one or all are going to be the next big thing in the league, he has to go for it. And we, as fans, should trust his judgement if he does.

If he was willing to trade prime Russell Wilson in 2018 to take Josh Allen first overall — with the incredible traits shared by Richardson and Levis — surely he has to have a high opinion of this class too?

I’ve long felt the Russell Wilson trade was made with a plan in mind. They’ll have been studying these quarterbacks for a long time. They have the stock to move up.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens in free agency and how that shapes things. If they can address defensive needs properly in the veteran market, that creates an opportunity to be aggressive.

Some will shudder at the thought of this. They might be more open to the idea when they imagine an offense so dynamic that it features Anthony Richardson, D.K. Metcalf and Ken Walker — three elite, explosive, dynamic weapons.

Jalen Carter’s legal issues and a lack of true blue-chippers at positions such as offensive tackle make it more likely the quarterbacks go early though, meaning if the Seahawks want one of the top-three, they might have to make a move.

Speed matters at receiver

As we noted in our combine preview, the Seahawks generally only draft players who run a 4.4 or faster. Here are the qualifiers this year:

Trey Palmer — 4.33
Derius Davis — 4.36
Matt Landers — 4.37
Bryce Ford-Wheaton — 4.38
Marvin Mims — 4.38
Jalen Moreno-Cropper — 4.40
Jalin Hyatt — 4.40
Tre Tucker — 4.40
Zay Flowers — 4.42
Jacob Copeland — 4.42
Andrei Iosivas — 4.43
Charlie Jones — 4.43
Rakim Jarrett — 4.44
Demario Douglas — 4.44
Tyler Scott — 4.44
Jayden Reed — 4.45
Jonathan Mingo — 4.46
A.T. Perry — 4.47
Antoine Green — 4.47
Josh Downs — 4.48
Jordan Addison — 4.49
Tank Dell — 4.49

That’s a decent list, including blog favourites Josh Downs and Jonathan Mingo.

It was disappointing to see Cedric Tillman run in the 4.5’s. Zay Flowers looked like a first rounder during drills due to his fluid routes, control and suddenness.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn’t run a forty but he delivered a blistering 3.93 short shuttle which raises an eyebrow at 196lbs. We’ll see what he runs at the favourable setting of an Ohio State pro-day.

It’s not an amazing class of receivers but there are options for Seattle to tap into.

Tight end class wows to end the day

The key tests for tight ends, we’ve identified, are the short shuttle and 10-yard split.

Here are the numbers for some of the top TE’s:

Rob Gronkowski — 1.58 (10), 4.47 (ss)
Travis Kelce — 1.61 (10), 4.42 (ss)
George Kittle — 1.59 (10), 4.55 (ss)
Mark Andrews — 1.54 (10), 4.38 (ss)
Dallas Goedert — unknown (10), 4.31 (ss)
Zach Erz — 1.64 (10), 4.47 (ss)
T.J. Hockenson — 1.63 (10), 4.18 (ss)

We also know the Seahawks put a lot of emphasis on the short shuttle and three-cone:

Luke Willson — 4.29 (ss), 7.08 (3c)
Will Dissly — 4.40 (ss), 7.07 (3c)
Nick Vannett — 4.20 (ss), 7.05 (3c)
Anthony McCoy — 4.57 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Zach Miller — 4.42 (ss), 7.01 (3c)
Jimmy Graham — 4.45 (ss), 6.90 (3c)
Greg Olsen — 4.48 (ss), 7.04 (3c)
Colby Parkinson — 4.46 (ss), 7.15 (3c)
Gerald Everett — 4.33 (ss), 6.99 (3c)
Noah Fant — 4.22 (ss), 6.81 (3c)

Here are the 10-yard splits from the group this year:

Luke Musgrave — 1.54
Zack Kuntz — 1.57
Darnell Washington — 1.57
Brenton Strange — 1.57
Will Mallory — 1.59
Luke Schoonmaker — 1.59
Tucker Kraft — 1.59
Sam LaPorta — 1.59
Davis Allen — 1.60
Payne Durham — 1.61
Josh Whyle — 1.62
Blake Whiteheart — 1.63
Michael Mayer — 1.66

These are really good times across the board. Even Michael Mayer ran a time comparable to Zach Ertz. His forty yard dash of a 4.70 was also faster than expected.

Seven tight ends ran the short shuttle after drills:

Darnell Washington — 4.08
Zack Kuntz — 4.12
Sam LaPorta — 4.25
Luke Schoonmaker — 4.27
Tucker Kraft — 4.29
Brayden Willis — 4.36
Brenton Strange — 4.46

So what does it mean?

Darnell Washington running a 1.57 10-yard split and a 4.08 short shuttle makes him one of the most intriguing TE’s to enter the league in recent years. None of the elite TE’s currently in the league can match his combination of burst and agility — and yet we know Washington as a blocker predominantly.

When you consider that Noah Fant was the 20th overall pick in 2019 running a 1.55 split and a 4.22 shuttle at 249lbs, I wonder what grade Washington will get running a 1.57 and a 4.08 at 264lbs?

He looked a lot lighter during on-field drills. He’s shifted weight. If he can keep it off and play with this frame, the sky’s the limit for Washington. He’s 6-7 and has 34.5 inch arms. He looked so smooth running the gauntlet and getting into his routes. This was an exciting display and I’ll be hard pushed to not promote him right up my horizontal board given how unexpected this was — and how it’ll be the ideal complement to what we know he can already do with his blocking, which was his main role in college.

It’s not just Washington though — the following players look very interesting and compare well to the best in the league physically:

Zack Kuntz — 1.57 (10), 4.12 (ss)
Brenton Strange — 1.57 (10), 4.46 (ss)
Luke Schoonmaker — 1.59 (10), 4.27 (ss)
Tucker Kraft — 1.59 (10), 4.29 (ss)
Sam LaPorta — 1.59 (10), 4.25 (ss)

Mayer didn’t run a shuttle which is a shame but he showed excellent body control and an ability to catch away from his body. Given he ran a 4.70 I do think he will go earlier than people realise. He’s just so consistent and competitive and he creates subtle, late separation to make up for a lack of blazing speed.

This was believed to be a strong tight end class and so it proved.

I’ll be doing a live-stream with Robbie Williams at 8:30am PT on Sunday discussing day three of the combine. Please join us — I’ll post the video on the blog (or subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification button for a reminder).

If you enjoy the blog and appreciate what we do — why not consider supporting the site via Patreon — (click here)

Live Blog: Combine day three (QB, WR, TE)

March 4, 2023 /

Welcome to the 2023 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog

Today is the day. The ‘box office’ special performance.

The top quarterbacks are going to put on a show.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

The workouts begin at 1pm ET (10am PT).

Just look at the measurements for the top quarterbacks:

Anthony Richardson — 6-4, 244lbs, 10 4/8 inch hands
Will Levis — 6-4, 229lbs, 10 5/8 inch hands
C.J. Stroud — 6-3, 214lbs, 10 inch hands

If you are truly a NFL fan — how can you not be excited about that?

Richardson is a unicorn. Levis has Elway-esque size and traits. Stroud has big mitts and showed against Georgia he can create. They, rather than the undersized (yet talented) Bryce Young could easily be the top-three.

Even Young has 9 3/4 inch hands despite a 5-10 frame.

The Seahawks, in my opinion, will be very lucky if they get a chance to draft one of Richardson, Levis or Stroud at #5. It’ll be a gift, courtesy of Russell Wilson and the Broncos. Whatever happens with Geno Smith, this is a rare opportunity.

This is the best group of quarterbacks, projected to go in the top-10, I’ve covered since starting the blog. There have been players I would rate higher (Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Andrew Luck). There hasn’t, however, been this quantity of quarterbacks I would suggest are well worth taking as early as Seattle is picking.

Being guaranteed one of the four — or Will Anderson — is a special chance for this franchise.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

It’s a shame a tweet like this won’t get anywhere near as much traction as the people tweeting negatives about the QB class:

Quarterback Group 1 — 40 times

Tyson Bagent — 4.81 & 4.79
Stetson Bennett — 4.67 & 4.74
Malik Cunningham — 4.54 & 4.54
Max Duggan — 4.52 & 4.56

Will Levis did not run a forty yard dash.

Wide receiver Group 1 — 40 times

Jordan Addison — 4.55 & 4.49
Ronnie Bell — 4.54 & 4.57
Kayshon Boutte — 4.50 & 4.67
Jalen Brooks — 4.70 & 4.70
Jason Brownlee — 4.60 & 4.69
Jacob Copeland — 4.42 & 4.46
Jalen Moreno-Cropper — 4.40 & 4.41
Derius Davis — 4.37 & 4.37
Tank Dell — 4.50 & 4.52
Dontay Demus Jr — 4.57 & 4.66
Demarios Douglas — 4.44 & 4.45
Josh Downs — 4.48 & 4.50
Grant DuBose — 4.57 & 4.59
Zay Flowers — 4.42 & 4.45
Bryce Ford-Wheaton — 4.38 & 4.42
Antoine Green — 4.48 & 4.49
Jadon Haselwood — 4.67 & 4.67
Malik Heath — 4.64 & 4.67
Elijah Higgins — 4.55 & 4.54
Xavier Hutchinson — 4.53 & 4.58
Jalin Hyatt — 4.41 & 4.42
Andrei Iosivas — 4.43 & 4.44
Kearis Jackson — 4.55 & 4.60
Rakim Jarrett — 4.45 & 4.55
Michael Jefferson — 4.56 & 4.60

I’m not surprised at all by Jordan Addison’s unofficial 4.55/4.49. He didn’t look particularly sudden on tape. A good, not great college receiver.

I’ve been a big fan of the underrated Bryce Ford-Wheaton for a long time. The fact he just ran a 4.38 at his size (6-4, 221lbs) highlights why.

Josh Downs’ time is a bit slower than expected but still good enough (4.4’s).

Throwing session #1

This is the group that will include Will Levis.

Little grip on Bryce Ford-Wheaton’s gauntlet — he’s letting the ball into his body and not using his hands to catch. Zay Flowers looked electric and smooth on his rep.

On Josh Downs’ second run you see his natural ability to catch the ball away from his body from all angles. He is an excellent hands-catcher. Flowers’ second rep was as good as his first. Impressive control.

Jake Haener threw a pass away from Josh Downs’ body and the receiver reached out, without adjusting his stride, and caught the ball away from his body. Exceptional.

Will Levis looks exceptional in terms of his physical shape. He’s on a different level to the other QB’s in group one. The ball pops out of his hand with supreme velocity so easily. Daniel Jeremiah is already nitpicking his footwork. All I can see is a very fluid stroke, no wasting motion or elongated release and a ball flying out of his hands.

Levis just through two perfect in-routes with anticipation and accuracy — plus perfect velocity. He absolutely looks the part here and we’re not even onto the deep throws yet.

Official 40 times (WR group 1)

Derius Davis — 4.36
Bryce Ford-Wheaton — 4.38
Jalen Moreno-Cropper — 4.40
Jalin Hyatt — 4.40
Zay Flowers — 4.42
Jacob Copeland — 4.42
Andrei Iosivas — 4.43
Rakim Jarrett — 4.44
Demario Douglas — 4.44
Antoine Green — 4.47
Josh Downs — 4.48
Jordan Addison — 4.49
Tank Dell — 4.49
Kayshon Boutte — 4.50
Xavier Hutchinson — 4.53
Elijah Higgins — 4.54
Ronnie Bell — 4.54
Kearis Jackson — 4.54
Michael Jefferson — 4.56

Seattle has specifically targeted receivers who run in the 4.4’s or faster.

The way Levis whips the ball with a flick of the wrist and drives it downfield — it’s just a ‘wow’ performance. According to the NFL Network the second group of receivers are stopping their warm-ups to watch Levis throw.

Daniel Jeremiah is waffling on about Levis to Las Vegas at #7. He will not get out of the top-five. No chance. You don’t throw like this and stick around. Not in a Josh Allen world.

Quarterback broad jumps

Anthony Richardson: 10’9″
Will Levis: 10’4″
Tyson Bagent: 10′
Stetson Bennett: 9’10”
Max Duggan: 9’8″
Jake Haener 9’6″

It took until the third rep on the speed-out drill for Levis to throw an ‘off’ pass.

Remember when everyone was droning on about what these quarterbacks supposedly couldn’t do? Why they were raw or no good?

Yeah. That narrative is about to finally change. Shame it’s taken the media months to get here.

Josh Downs just received a ‘perfect’ shout from a coach for his strike-route. Zay Flowers stumbled a bit on his.

There’s definitely a lack of buzz around the non-Levis quarterbacks in group one. Jake Haener is lacking any kind of pop in his passes. Stetson Bennett is making some pretty plays and is getting the ball out but he looks so small when he jogs out compared to the Greek God wearing #08.

Max Duggan, bless him, gave absolutely everything for TCU in 2022. He’s clearly limited in terms of power and arm strength though.

Matt Hasselbeck is now down there coaching the QB’s. I’m sure a call will be going in for his take on the QB’s at some point from the front office.

We’re onto the deeper throws. Now the fun starts.

Stetson Bennett’s arm strength looked really good on his first two attempts. His third was underthrown. He got impressive distance on the first two lobs.

Max Duggan’s arm strength is considerably lacking.

Bad drop from Bryce Ford-Wheaton on a decent throw from Jake Haener. Jaren Hall’s first deep ball was too flat, his second was too lofted. The third was a bit safe.

There’s a noticeable buzz for Will Levis from the crowd when he steps forward. His first throw was a loosener that was ‘safe’. His second was deep and a little flat. His third had easy distance and velocity — beautiful.

Receiver vertical jumps

Bryce Ford-Wheaton: 41″
Rashee Rice: 41″
Quentin Johnston: 40.5″
Jalin Hyatt: 40″
Jason Brownlee: 39.5″
Tyler Scott: 39.5″
Marvin Mins: 39.5″
Demario Douglas: 39.5″
Andrei Iosivas: 39″
Dontayvion Wicks: 39″
Josh Downs: 38.5″
Ronnie Bell: 38.5″
Michael Wilson: 37.5″
Tre Tucker: 37.5″
Cedric Tillman: 37″
Matt Landers: 37″
Jadon Haselwood: 37″
Michael Jefferson: 37″
Charlie Jones: 36.5″
Xavier Hutchinson: 36″
Zay Flowers: 35.5″
Dontay Demus Jr.: 35.5″
Rakim Jarrett: 35.5″
Mitchell Tinsley: 35.5″
Justin Shorter: 35.5″
Elijah Higgins: 35″
Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 35″
Grant DuBose: 35″
Jalen Brooks: 35″
A.T. Perry: 35″
Jalen Wayne: 34.5″
Joseph Ngata: 34.5″
Jordan Addison: 34″
Malik Heath: 34″
Jayden Reed: 33.5″
Antoine Green: 33.5″
Jacob Copeland: 33″
Kayshon Boutte: 29″

QB broad jumps

Anthony Richardson: 10’9″
Will Levis: 10’4″
Tyson Bagent: 10′
Stetson Bennett: 9’10”
Max Duggan: 9’8″
Jake Haener 9’6″
Clayton Tune: 10’2″
Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 10’1″
Tanner McKee: 9’6″

QB vertical jumps

Anthony Richardson: 40.5″ (QB Record)
Dorian Thompson-Robinson: 37.5″
Clayton Tune: 37.5″
Tyson Bagent: 36″
Jake Haener 35″
Will Levis: 34″
Stetson Bennett: 33.5″
Tanner McKee: 33″
Max Duggan: 30.5″

NFL Network coverage — too many adverts, not enough showing the throws, they aren’t letting us know who the receivers are catching the ball, too many crap attempts to be funny, too much wittering on rather than concentrating on the drills.

Bring back Mike Mayock.

I feel like I’ve watched 35% of the throwing session.

If you missed my Will Levis interview last year, check it out here:

Quarterback 40 times — group 2

Anthony Richardson — 4.44 & DNR
Dorian Thompson-Robinson — 4.57 & 4.56
Clayton Tune — 4.66 & 4.64

In November, in my first mock draft, I had Anthony Richardson going first overall. It’s getting closer and closer to a reality.

C.J. Stroud didn’t run a forty. Neither did Tanner McKee.

This was my top-10:

#1 Houston — Anthony Richardson (QB, Florida)
#2 Carolina — Will Levis (QB, Kentucky)
#3 Indianapolis (v/CHI) — CJ Stroud (QB, Ohio State)
#4 Las Vegas — Jalen Carter (DT, Georgia)
#5 Seattle (v/DEN) — Will Anderson (DE, Alabama)
#6 Detroit (v/LAR) — Bijan Robinson (RB, Texas)
#7 Houston (v/CLE) — Tyree Wilson (DE, Texas Tech)
#8 Pittsburgh — Mazi Smith (DT, Michigan)
#9 Jacksonville — Michael Mayer (TE, Notre Dame)
#10 Philadelphia (v/NO) — Myles Murphy (DE, Clemson)

Wide receiver 40 times — group 2

Jaray Jenkins — 4.60 & 4.61
Charlie Jones — 4.44 & 4.44
Matt Landers — 4.39 & 4.37
Marvin Mims — 4.38 & DNR
Jonathan Mingo — 4.46 & 4.46
Joseph Ngata — 4.54 & 4.61
Trey Palmer — 4.33 & 4.36
A.T. Perry — 4.47 & 4.49
Jayden Reed — 4.45 & 4.58
Rashee Rice — 4.51 & 4.53
Tyler Scott — 4.51 & 4.44
Justin Shorter — 4.56 & 4.58
Cedric Tillman — 4.55 & 4.56
Mitchell Tinsley — 4.60 & 4.66
Tre Tucker — 4.41 & 4.42
Jalen Wayne — 4.51 & 4.51
Dontayvion Wicks — 4.62 & 4.68
Michael Wilson — 4.59 & 4.62

That’s a very good time for Marvin Mims — he has some legit slot capability. Jonathan Mingo running in the 4.4’s is fantastic news — he’s massively underrated and a blog favourite.

Quentin Johnston is not running a forty.

Throwing session #2

I’m worried that this is taking so long that none of the tight ends are going to do agility testing.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s gauntlet was tentative. Cedric Tillman glides a lot better when he’s doing this rather than running a forty. Puka Nacua ran his gauntlet at full speed which was good to see. Jonathan Mingo flashes his hands nicely — he cups them to the ball and doesn’t let the ball get into his frame.

The way C.J. Stroud throws is just lovely to watch. Fantastic touch, great feel. Anthony Richardson started the session looking like a tank had driven onto the field, then started unloading with max velocity on the shorter routes.

Aidan O’Connell is a little bit wayward with his throws to the sideline. Richardson threw a little high on his third pass to the left sideline but the two prior reps were text book. Stroud is in complete control here. Daniel Jeremiah says he looks graceful and that’s 100% correct.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson is flashing the arm strength we know he has. It’s a shame he isn’t a little bit bigger.

Stroud is putting on an absolute clinic. It’s crazy how people have assessed this QB class. Richardson is throwing perfectly to the far cone to the sideline. Great velocity and touch.

A miss from Richardson and Stroud on an out-route each. Thompson-Robinson has looked sharp and he has the live arm to excel here. Tanner McKee looks like a unit — big and stocky.

What the hell are they talking about on the NFL Network? Tiresome, wittering banter. Shut up and talk about the drills.

Onto the deep balls. Richardson’s arm is as advertised. Just launching it downfield with velocity and accuracy. He’s showing off. A legit wow moment. Stroud floated his first effort. His second and third throws were an improvement. DTR made a big of a mess of his first and second attempts. Felt like he was trying too hard to drive it downfield. McKee has a good arm and made some nice downfield throws.

Stroud came back for another go around and launched his passes downfield, really flashing that he too can drive it downfield. Richardson also had another go but lofted it a little too much. He still drove it downfield.

The quality of the puns on the NFL Network deserves a seventh round grade. Awful.

Daniel Jeremiah and Rich Eisen starting to say what we have for weeks. Waiting until next year is a pointless view when you have a QB class like this in 2023.

Stroud’s fades were typically well-placed. Nothing wrong with Richardon’s either. They did what they needed to do. DTR had a few iffy throws earlier but he ended putting the ball in the right area. They asked Richardson to have another go and his first attempt was great, his second less so. He finished with a backflip.

That was a lot of fun. And the quarterbacks will leave Indianapolis the talk of the town.

Tight end vertical jumps

Zack Kuntz: 40″
Davis Allen: 38.5″
Will Mallory: 36.5″
Luke Musgrave: 36″
Brenton Strange: 36″
Blake Whiteheart: 35.5″
Sam LaPorta: 35″
Payne Durham: 34.5″
Tucker Kraft: 34″
Luke Schoonmaker: 33.5″
Josh Whyle: 33.5″
Michael Mayer: 32.5″
Brayden Willis: 32″
Darnell Washington: 31″

Tight end broad jumps

Zack Kuntz: 10’8″
Luke Schoonmaker: 10’7″
Luke Musgrave: 10’5″
Davis Allen: 10’5″
Brenton Strange: 10’4″
Sam LaPorta: 10’3″
Tucker Kraft: 10’2″
Darnell Washington: 10’2″
Will Mallory: 10’1″
Michael Mayer: 9’10”
Brayden Willis: 9’9″
Payne Durham: 9’9″
Travis Vokolek: 9’7″
Josh Whyle: 9’7″
Blake Whiteheart: 9’7″

Tight end 40 yard dash times

Davis Allen — 4.86 & 4.84
Payne Durham — 4.91 & 4.86
Tucker Kraft — 4.70 & 4.70
Zack Kuntz — 4.61 & 4.55
Sam LaPorta — 4.59 & 4.61
Will Mallory — 4.57 & 4.54
Michael Mayer — 4.74 & 4.72
Luke Musgrave — 4.62 & 4.63
Luke Schoonmaker — 4.65 & 4.63
Brenton Strange — 4.70 & 4.71
Darnell Washington — 4.65 & 4.68
Blake Whiteheart — 4.70 & 4.72
Josh Whyle — 4.69 & 4.71

The 10-yard splits and short shuttle times are the big numbers for tight ends.

That’s a really good time for Michael Mayer (4.72 unofficially), given there were fears he might run in the 4.8s’.

There’s been a lot of talk about this being a loaded tight end class. It’s top-heavy, not deep. Only twelve ran a forty. It’s not thick like 2019 where you had depth all the way through.

I can’t be dealing with any more Sauce Gardner fawning on NFL Network.

Tight end 10-yard splits

Luke Musgrave — 1.54
Zack Kuntz — 1.57
Darnell Washington — 1.57
Brenton Strange — 1.57
Will Mallory — 1.59
Luke Schoonmaker — 1.59
Tucker Kraft — 1.59
Sam LaPorta — 1.59
Davis Allen — 1.60
Payne Durham — 1.61
Josh Whyle — 1.62
Blake Whiteheart — 1.63
Michael Mayer — 1.66

Mayer’s forty was quicker than expected but his 10-yard split was the slowest of the group.

In the on-field drills, Mayer is praised for his blocking drill on the sled. Testing really matters at the position, I get it. But I’m ready to bang the table for him. He was just so naturally good at everything at Notre Dame. Josh Whyle is also given some good feedback for his sled drill.

Darnell Washington looks a lot leaner than he did at Georgia. He looks like he’s shed a lot of weight for this event.

Official 40 times for the tight ends

Will Mallory — 4.54
Zack Kuntz — 4.55
Sam LaPorta — 4.59
Luke Musgrave — 4.61
Luke Schoonmaker — 4.63
Darnell Washington — 4.64
Tucker Kraft — 4.69
Josh Whyle — 4.69
Michael Mayer — 4.70
Brenton Strange — 4.70
Blake Whiteheart — 4.70
Davis Allen — 4.84
Payne Durham — 4.87

Washington looked so smooth running the gauntlet. He showed none of this mobility on tape so this is good to see. I think he looks renewed with this lighter frame.

Rich Eisen currently banging on about not paying for a meal all week, while drills are ongoing. Just please guys, give us five minutes of analysis. We’ll start with that. Then we can try and build up to six or seven minutes. Now another advert break. I don’t feel like I’m seeing anything on the field.

These commercials are killing me too. If I ever need to do a TikTok video to have a conversation with my kids, you have my permission to kick me up the arse.

Receiver three cone times

Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 6.57s
Andrei Iosivas: 6.85s
Grant DuBose: 6.89s
Marvin Mims: 6.90s
Xavier Hutchinson: 6.91s
Malik Heath: 6.96s
Bryce Ford-Wheaton: 6.97s
Ronnie Bell: 6.98s
Jadon Haselwood: 6.98s
Antoine Green: 6.99s
Jacob Copeland: 7.01s
Elijah Higgins: 7.01s
Michael Jefferson: 7.03s
Jalen Brooks: 7.15s

I’ll have the short shuttle times soon — kudos to the receivers because a lot of them actually did the shuttle. This is encouraging for the TE’s doing it too.

Sam LaPorta is moving better than expected. Very mobile and agile. Mayer just made a wonderful catch at full stretch which is his calling card. Washington looks excellent out there — way more of an athlete than expected. If he can stay at this weight, look out.

The session, which we didn’t see that much of, ends with a fade drill. Darnell Washington finished things off with an incredible one-handed grab that’ll be trending all day on Twitter. Sam LaPorta had the best high-pointing technique but didn’t catch either of his throws.

I’m ending the live blog for today. My recap on day three will be posted shortly so stay tuned.

Defensive backs produce a mixed combine day two

March 3, 2023 /

Deonte Banks had a very good workout

A fast cornerback group and plenty of depth

When the Seahawks tweaked their defensive scheme a year ago we wondered if they would end up using more man-coverage concepts. I looked on PFF and as it turns out, at least according to their statistics, Seattle had Tariq Woolen and Michael Jackson in zone three times as often as man. That was consistent with the 2021 season, too, indicating not much of a change.

I don’t know whether this is likely to continue or not but traditionally the 3-4 uses a lot of man and Clint Hurtt specifically discussed it a year ago. They might want the option to use more man and if so — a fast cornerback class is useful if they want to pair someone across from Tariq Woolen to have two very cheap, athletic cornerbacks. Woolen ran a 4.26 a year ago and with his long frame, he excelled as a rookie.

Here are the top-15 official forty times from the cornerback class today:

DJ Turner — 4.26
Jakorian Bennett — 4.30
Deonte Banks — 4.35
Emmanuel Forbes — 4.35
Kelee Ringo — 4.36
Darius Rush — 4.36
Christian Gonzalez — 4.38
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson — 4.41
Terell Smith — 4.41
Kei’Trel Clark — 4.42
Cam Smith — 4.43
Riley Moss — 4.45
Tyrique Stevenson — 4.45
Joey Porter Jr — 4.46
Darrell Luter Jr — 4.46

It’s a very quick group with plenty of depth. The Seahawks should be able to add a corner in the kind of area they like (day three).

I’d been struggling to get an angle on Deonte Banks. I thought his tape was fine but it was hard to decipher his upside. Running a 4.35 and adding a 42-inch vertical and an 11-4 broad jump answered that question. At the very least his testing profile is first round worthy. I’d like to see him play the ball more on tape but coaches will love the potential he showed here. He looks big and muscular despite his quickness — and he had a gliding quality during drills. Banks was very impressive.

Along with DJ Turner (who matched Woolen’s 4.26) and Christian Gonzalez (4.38) he will probably go too early for Seattle. There’s still no evidence to suggest the Seahawks are going to break from tradition and pick a cornerback early. Especially if they’re still using a lot of zone, where they’ve traditionally been able to fit players in.

I would be intrigued by Joey Porter Jr if he somehow lasted into round two. His length, maturity and tape suggests he’s going to become a very consistent, accomplished pro. I’m less interested in Kelee Ringo. He ran a great forty as expected but I thought he looked stiff during drills, struggling to change direction and react when in transition.

Julius Brents is going to go earlier than people think despite ‘only’ runing a 4.53. That’s typically what you’d suggest would be a classic ‘zone corner’ time — a ‘Seahawks corner’ time. If they’re less inclined to go for raw speed and stick to zone-concepts, Brents would be an ideal fit.

He also did a better than expected job today changing direction (an issue sometimes on tape) and that’s why his stock will shoot up. He was one of the few people to run a short shuttle and three cone and his times are exceptional. He managed a 4.05 shuttle and a 6.63 three-cone. He also had a 41.5 inch vertical and an 11-6 broad jump — both outstanding. I think he’ll definitely be a day-two pick and that might be a bit rich for Seattle. Round three maybe? Does he last that far? I like him a lot though and he really nails the character profile they’re looking for.

Check out my interview with Julius Brents here:

Riley Moss had a good day. I thought he looked great during drills — moving freely, transitioning well and adjusting to the football in the air. He ran a 4.45 which is good enough. His arm length (30 inches) is problematic but he’s a good player on film and he deserves a bit of a bump for how he performed.

I don’t know what to make of Emmanuel Forbes. He looked like a rake in a pair of shorts at 166lbs. I like his college production and you can’t sniff at a 4.35 forty. I’m not sure I’ve seen a player with this body type before though. Will be bullied by bigger receivers? That’s the fear. He’s giving up 60-70lbs on a guy like D.K. Metcalf.

Darius Rush has excellent length (33.5 inch arms) at 6-2 and 198lbs. He probably would appeal to Seattle greatly, especially after a solid Senior Bowl. Yet running a 4.36 likely pushes him too high up the board.

The biggest disappointment by far was Brian Branch. It didn’t help that he worked out with the cornerbacks but he just looked completely average athletically. He ran a 4.58 at 190lbs and during drills appeared sluggish. He struggled to find any of the fluidity you see on tape. His hips were tight in transition and he didn’t look like a first round pick. Sadly, there’s no choice but to drop him down a round based on what he showed here. He played a lot of nickel for Alabama and I need to go back and watch the tape to see if the ‘Bama defense covered him up more than I imagined, allowing him to make the plays we all saw — but did he have limited duties, masking his lack of athletic quality?

Possible later round options for Seattle include Jakorian Bennett — who looks like a very athletic, physical slot-type. He ran a 4.30 and has 32 inch arms on a 188lbs frame. Also Terell Smith — he had a good workout and at 6-0 and 204lbs with 32 7/8 inch arms he could appeal. He ran a 4.41.

Safety class eventually gets going

I think the group were half-asleep to start the day. A boring, unexciting set of forty times fed into a drill session where the coaches had to bark at the players to show more energy. It did the trick because after warming up, this big-looking group changed direction and transitioned better than a lot of the cornerbacks.

The size of the safety class stood out to me. Even the sub-200lbs players looked jacked. They aren’t very fast but there was some size on show.

With Seattle retaining Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams — and with the likelihood of Ryan Neal being tendered, plus their interest in Joey Blount — this might be a position they skip in 2023. Nobody here really jumped out as a ‘must have’.

I like the look of Jartavius Martin and he was the one who maybe caught my eye the most. He has a nice, compact frame. He’s quite muscular and thick for a 194lbs defensive back. He ran a 4.46 but also jumped an amazing 44-inch vertical and an 11-0 broad. I’d like to consider him as a versatile chess-piece in numerous positions because the way he moved was silky today and he looks powerful.

Unsurprisingly Sydney Brown tested well and got into his stride during drills. His change of direction ability was excellent in the late part of the session and his hips in the back-pedal were among the best of any defensive back. He ran a 4.47 and added a 40.5 inch vertical. He’s another high-character player.

Chris Smith had a great year for Georgia but running in the 4.6’s and not looking particularly quick covering the field here will drop his stock on my board. I thought he looked bigger than expected but it took him a while to find any kind of rhythm during the session. He officially ran a 4.62 at 192lbs. To me he looked like he’d added weight and it maybe didn’t suit him.

Ji’Ayir Brown didn’t test as well as expected and he looked a bit stiff in the early on-field workouts. However, he is incredibly well put together — thick and physical. As the session went on he loosened up and started to change direction very well. He was one of the better players at adjusting to the football. If he drops after running a 4.65 I hope the Seahawks are ready to pounce. He’s a heart-and-soul type who has plenty of value, even if he’s not a great tester.

Pittsburgh’s Brandon Hill ran the best forty time (4.43) and he’s said to be a very aggressive, downfield player. I’ll be checking into his tape this week.

Overall it’s not a very impressive safety group — it looks like the weakest position in the draft.

Can we please get someone to run the combine?

The defensive back drills are gaining a reputation for being overlong, tedious and repetitive. It was noticeable a year ago. This time, even Rich Eisen was complaining on the NFL Network about the length of the two sessions.

The problem, according to Daniel Jeremiah, is the assistant coaches leading the drills all want to feature their own individual drill. The problem is, nearly all of them are the same. I feel like I could run a backpedal and transition, I watched so many of them today.

Meanwhile only five cornerbacks ran a short shuttle (nine ran a three-cone). Only three safeties did any agility testing. I can’t blame them. The cornerbacks were on the field for two-and-a-half hours. Yet the short shuttle and three-cone should be a ‘must-do’ test for these players. It’s far more important than watching ‘Teryl Austin drill #2’ — which was very similar to everything else.

The league needs to appoint someone to run the combine. Look at the way the Senior Bowl benefits from having a leader in Jim Nagy. The event has gone from strength to strength. A similar figurehead — who can organise everything from the drills to the timings — can help fix an event which is becoming increasingly weakened.

Lots of players are pulling out with ‘hamstring tweaks’ as an excuse to wait for their pro-days. Hardly anyone does agility testing because of the late starts. The data we get this year, compared to the data we used to get, is limited.

Put someone in charge who can be responsible for getting this organised. And while you’re at it — move it back to an earlier start time. I’m a draft junkie and even I was bored today. If this is a ‘Prime Time’ worthy event, then so is watching someone take out their contact lenses. Let’s get this back to what it is — a data-collection event. Let’s make sure the short shuttle and three-cone are done as a priority, along with the runs and jumps. Let’s cut the length of the defensive back drills. Incentivise the combine so players want to do all of the tests and drills.

Tomorrow’s a big day. Bring on the quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends. Box office.

I’ll be doing a live-stream with Robbie Williams at 8am PT on Saturday discussing day two of the combine (and then quickly moving on to preview day three). Please join me — I’ll post the video on the blog (or subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification button for a reminder).

If you enjoy the blog and appreciate what we do — why not consider supporting the site via Patreon — (click here)

Live Blog: Combine day two (CB, S)

March 3, 2023 /

Welcome to the 2023 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog

Throughout the next few days I’ll be reacting live to everything happening in Indianapolis. I will also post a daily recap article and a daily live stream.

On top of that, Robbie Williams is attending the combine and will provide insight from his perspective inside Lucas Oil Field.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

The workouts begin today at 3pm ET (12pm PT).

If you want measurements for the defensive backs (and all positions so far) click here.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon isn’t testing at the combine. Presumably trying to hide a bad forty.

DB broad jumps

Julius Brents: 11’6″
Deonte Banks: 11’4″
Cam Smith: 11’2″
Jakorian Bennett: 11’1″
Christian Gonzalez: 11’1″
Jay Ward: 11′
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson: 11′
Cory Trice Jr: 11′
DJ Turner: 10’11”
Kyu Blu Kelly: 10’11”
Joey Porter Jr.: 10’9″
Mekhi Garner: 10’8″
Carrington Valentine: 10’8″
Riley Moss: 10’7″
Brian Branch: 10’5″
Mekhi Blackmon: 10’5″
Tyrique Stevenson: 10’5″
Emmanuel Forbes: 10’4″
Lance Boykin: 10’4″
Nic Jones: 10’2″
Jaylon Jones: 10’2″
Keele Ringo: 10’2″
Kei’Trel Clark: 10’2″
Alex Austin: 10’2″
Darius Rush: 10’1″
Terell Smith: 10′
Anthony Johnson: 9’8″
Arquon Bush: 9’7″

DB vertical jumps

Deonte Banks: 42″
Julius Brents: 41.5″
Christian Gonzalez: 41.5″
Jakorian Bennett: 40.5″
Darrell Luter Jr.: 40.5″
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson: 39″
Riley Moss: 39″
DJ Turner: 38.5″
Tyrique Stevenson: 38.5″
Mekhi Garner: 38″
Jaylon Jones: 38″
Cam Smith: 38″
Emmanuel Forbes: 37.5″
Kyu Blu Kelly: 36″
Mekhi Blackmon: 36″
Cory Trice Jr.: 35.5″
Cameron Mitchell: 35″
Joey Porter Jr.: 35″
Darius Rush: 35″
Nic Jones: 34.5″
Kei’Trel Clark: 34.5″
Jay Ward: 34.5″
Brian Branch: 34.5″
Terell Smith: 34″
Arquon Bush: 33.5″
Keelee Ringo: 33.5″
Clark Phillips III: 33″
Alex Austin: 33″
Anthony Johnson: 30.5″

40 yard dash (cornerbacks)

Alex Austin — 4.56 & 4.55
Deonte Banks — 4.36 & 4.35
Jakorian Bennett — 4.31 & 4.32
Mekhi Blackmon — 4.47 & 4.53
Brian Branch — 4.58 & 4.61
Julius Brents — 4.53 & 4.59
Arquon Bush — 4.54 & 4.54
Kei’Trel Clark — 4.42 & 4.43
Emmanuel Forbes — 4.35 & 4.36
Mekhi Garner — 4.55 & 4.63
Christian Gonzalez — 4.44 & 4.38
Anthony Johnson — 4.64 & 4.65
Jaylon Jones — 4.60 & 4.57
Nic Jones — 4.56 & 4.52
Kyu Blu Kelly — 4.52 & 4.54
Darrell Luter Jr — 4.46 & 4.46
Cameron Mitchell — 4.48 & 4.51
Riley Moss — 4.48 & 4.46
Clark Phillips — 4.51 & 4.54
Joey Porter Jr — 4.47 & 4.52
Kelee Ringo — 4.36 & 4.45
Darius Rush — 4.37 & DNR
Cam Smith — 4.45 & 4.44
Terell Smith — 4.42 & 4.42
Tyrique Stevenson — 4.46 & 4.50
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson — 4.42 & 4.48
Cory Trice Jr — 4.51 & 4.47
D.J. Turner — 4.27 & DNR
Jay Ward — 4.57 & 4.56

Sauce Gardner is on the NFL Network, he says the most uncomfortable interview he had at the combine last year was with the Seahawks. He says Pete Carroll got really close up to him in the room and kept interrupting his answers to push him. Gardner was saying it semi-jokingly.

Cornerback on-field drills

The NFL Network, again, isn’t showing a lot of the drills. I thought the initial backpedal ‘line’ drills were sloppy across the board. Players were jogging, they were distracted and dropping the ball, the transition wasn’t good and a lot of players weren’t flipping their hips properly. The coaches need to get this going.

Deonte Banks looks fantastic. Big, muscular but quick. I’ll be interested to see his agility testing with that frame.

I can’t believe who mediocre Brian Branch looks. His testing was poor and in drills he looks nothing like the Rolls Royce we saw at Alabama.

Riley Moss has had the best backpedal and transition so far. Very fluid hips and change of direction. Kelee Ringo looked almost as bad as Brian Branch — stiff and unable to track the ball.

Cam Smith looked almost as smooth as Moss backpedaling.

They’ve now flipped the field to the other side and Ringo looks totally lost in the backpedal and transition. They had to stop his second rep to tell him how to do it. He looks so stiff. Cam Smith looked great again on his rep — he shifts position and flips his hips with ease.

I liked Jakorian Bennett, Julius Brents and Brian Branch in the ‘W’ drill. Quick, decisive moments. The rake in shorts, Emmanuel Forbes, also looked reasonable.

Lots of players are slipping and sliding on the turf.

D.J. Turner is not doing field drills. He says he will wait until pro-day.

I really like what Riley Moss is showing in these drills. Julius Brents had some issues changing direction on tape but I think he’s done an admirable job here for his size. He didn’t have a good rep in the gauntlet. That was Brian Branch’s best drill.

The cornerback drills have gone on far too long again, just like last year. Daniel Jeremiah revealed he asked a GM why. Apparently the assistant coaches running the drills ‘insist’ on doing the drills they’ve picked. It’s ridiculous. The DB sessions are notoriously long and dull and go on forever. The league needs to step in.

Official cornerback 40’s

DJ Turner — 4.26
Jakorian Bennett — 4.30
Deonte Banks — 4.35
Emmanuel Forbes — 4.35
Kelee Ringo — 4.36
Darius Rush — 4.36
Christian Gonzalez — 4.38
Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson — 4.41
Terell Smith — 4.41
Kei’Trel Clark — 4.42
Cam Smith — 4.43
Riley Moss — 4.45
Tyrique Stevenson — 4.45
Joey Porter Jr — 4.46
Darrell Luter Jr — 4.46
Cameron Mitchell — 4.47
Mekhi Blackmon — 4.47
Corey Trice Jr — 4.47
Nic Jones — 4.51
Clark Phillips — 4.51
Kyu Blu Kelly — 4.52
Julius Brents — 4.53
Arquon Bush — 4.54
Mekhi Garner — 4.55
Jay Ward — 4.55
Alex Austin — 4.55
Jaylon Jones — 4.57
Brian Branch — 4.58
Anthony Johnson — 4.63

Safety broad jumps

Sydney Brown: 10’10”
Chamarri Conner: 10’5″
Trey Dean III: 10’4″
DeMarcco Hellams: 10’1″
Ji’Ayir Brown: 9’11”
Anthony Johnson Jr.: 10’5″
Brandon Hill: 10’3″
Jordan Howden: 9’11”
Tyreque Jones: 9’11”
Antonio Johnson: 9’10”

Safety vertical jumps

Jartavius Martin: 44″
Jason Taylor II: 43″
Sydney Brown: 40.5″
Chamarri Conner: 40.5″
Daniel Scott: 39.5″
Gervarrius Owens: 37.5″
Trey Dean III: 36.5″
Kaevon Merriweather: 35.5″
Jammie Robinson: 33.5″
Rashad Torrence II: 33.5″
Christopher Smith II: 33″
Ji’Ayir Brown: 32.5″
Brandon Joseph: 30.5″

Safety 40 yard dash times

Jordan Battle — 4.56 & 4.57
Ji’Ayir Brown — 4.66 & 4.65
Sydney Brown — 4.49 & 4.48
Chamarri Conner — 4.52 & 4.54
Trey Dean — 4.75 & 4.78
DeMarcco Hellams — 4.58 & 4.59
Brandon Hill — 4.44 & 4.44
Jordan Howden — 4.54 & 4.49
Anthony Johnson Jr — 4.56 & 4.54
Antonio Johnson — 4.52 & 4.55
Tyreque Jones — 4.52 & 4.61
Brandon Joseph — 4.62 & 4.67
Jartavius Martin — 4.46 & 4.50
Kaevon Merriweather — 4.69 & 4.62
Jammie Robinson — 4.60 & 4.59
Daniel Scott — 4.45 & 4.49
Chris Smith — 4.66 & 4.62
Jason Taylor — 4.50 & 4.53
Rashad Torrence — 4.74 & 4.72

That was possibly the dullest set of forty times I’ve ever watched.

It took forever with very little intrigue.

This is not a good safety class. And now we get to watch them do two whole hours of pretty much the same drill over and over again.

In the initial line drills, the coaches had to again get on the group (as with the cornerbacks) to actually run. They were consistently asking for more speed.

Ji’Ayir Brown has not tested as well as expected and he looks a bit stiff in drills. However, he is incredibly well put together — thick and physical.

It’s a low-energy workout again this year with the DB’s. This is always my least favourite combine day. Charles Davis just said the coaches got on the group because they’re too quiet. There’s a distinct lack of speed and swag on the field currently.

The TV team are just rambling on about nonsense, making this a harder watch than it even was before.

I like the look of Jartavius Martin. Nice compact frame. Quick and tested well. Looks like a good option for the nickel.

Chris Smith had a great year for Georgia but running in the 4.6’s and not looking particularly quick covering the field here will drop his stock on my board. He needs to be dynamic as his size.

Is it more possible for the NFL Network to stop pissing around for five minutes and give us some analysis on the drills?

Jartavius Martin continues to be the standout athlete for me. Very fluid with his movements. Great body type. Just looks made to play in the league.

In what is being called the Teryl Austin drill #2, we’ve seen a number of safeties show great change of direction as they’re getting warmed up. Chris Smith, Sydney Brown, Ji’Ayir Brown and Jartavius Martin all transitioned brilliantly.

Sydney Brown really warmed into his drills and started to flash his obvious athleticism — moving freely and showing loose hips.

Official 40’s for the safety class

Brandon Hill — 4.44
Daniel Scott — 4.45
Jartavius Martin — 4.46
Sydney Brown — 4.47
Jordan Howden — 4.49
Jason Taylor — 4.50
Chamarri Conner — 4.51
Tyreque Jones — 4.52
Antonio Johnson — 4.52
Anthony Johnson — 4.54
Jordan Battle — 4.55
DeMarcco Hellams — 4.57
Jammie Robinson — 4.59
Chris Smith — 4.62
Brandon Joseph — 4.62
Kaevon Merriweather — 4.62
Ji’Ayir Brown — 4.65
Rashad Torrence — 4.72
Trey Dean — 4.75

They’re only doing the gauntlet now so I’m going to end the live blog and begin writing my daily round-up piece. Stay tuned.

My thoughts on day one of the combine

March 2, 2023 /

Calijah Kancey lived up to expectations

Here are my day-one thoughts on the defensive line and linebacker workouts…

Adetomiwa Adebwarore is the star of the day

The concept of a 6-2, 282lbs defensive lineman running in the 4.4’s is preposterous, yet that is what ‘Ade Ade’ achieved today. His official 4.49 is a staggering result, paired with a 1.61 10-yard split. He combined this with a set of explosive tests — jumping a 37.5 inch vertical and a 10-5 broad.

This is a rare performance.

You’re left wondering what to make of it. On tape, there are plenty of flashes from Adebwarore and there was enough to warrant a question pre-Senior Bowl to Jim Nagy about his potential. However, unlike the Calijah Kancey’s out there — he didn’t consistently produce and perform.

Was it down to Northwestern struggling? Or will the tape lead teams to ask why he excelled so much at the Senior Bowl — and tested so brilliantly — yet didn’t cause havoc on the field in college?

The fact he has 34-inch arms negates some of the height concerns and could actually create a perfect combo of leverage and an ability to keep his frame clean. I wish he would’ve done the shuttle and three-cone but the ‘prime time’ nature of the combine continues to put players off doing the agility drills (more on that later). The expectation was he could run a shuttle in the 4.00’s.

In Mobile he was the defender who had his team-mates shouting and calling out as he dominated in the 1v1’s. Now he’s tested brilliantly. Could he make for a dynamic inside/out rusher — or at worst a specialist pass rusher?

If you can reason away the lack of great tape — he could easily justify a first round placing. I’ve been thinking he’d be ideal for the Chiefs at the end of day one. They love to draft big-time athletes. Adebwarore has a connection to Kansas City and would like to play for them. I think this performance confirms that range for him, rather than bumping him up much further.

If you missed my interview with Adebwarore you can watch it here:

How does Calijah Kancey compare to Aaron Donald?

This was a big question because the two former Pitt Panthers are so similar physically. While Kancey will never live up to the comparison, his tape did show big-time flashes of pass-rushing quality.

He ran an official 4.67 with a 1.64 split at 281lbs. Aaron Donald ran a 4.68 at 285lbs with a 1.63 split. So, they are very similar in that regard. Their body types, just to look at them, are also very similar. However, Kancey has 30 5/8 inch arms while Donald’s are 32 5/8 inches. There’s a big difference there.

Donald ran a 4.39 short shuttle but sadly Kancey didn’t do one.

Someone will roll the dice on him being even remotely close to Donald and take him in round one. There will always be a fear that at the next level he’ll be washed out at his size and the length is pretty concerning. However — if he works out, even as a rotational rusher — the upside potential is strong.

The Seahawks have made a pretty big deal about length for their defensive linemen, as noted in our big combine preview. I wouldn’t expect them to draft him for that reason. However, Donald excelled for Brandon Staley in LA and they are lacking a disruptive presence up front.

Nolan Smith’s big day

It was hardly a surprise that Smith put on a show. As one of the all-time great SPARQ testers in High School, it was a formality he was going to excel at the combine.

He jumped a 41.5 inch vertical, a 10-8 broad and ran a 4.39 forty (with a 1.52 split).

The big question now is — where do you play him?

It’s doing the rounds online that he’s the heaviest player with a +40 inch vertical and a sub-4.4 forty since 2003. He’s one of only three who weighed more than 215lbs along with D.K. Metcalf and Breece Hall.

Of course this is intriguing but the problem with Smith has always been his tweener status. He’s only 6-2, 238lbs and he has 32 5/8 inch arms. I thought he was unimpressive and ill-suited to play as a pass-rusher at Georgia. He doesn’t scream off the edge that often and at his size there’s no concept of speed-to-power. He didn’t have a counter-move on tape and while he did a better-than-expected job against the run — will that translate to the pro’s?

Ideally you’d play him as an off-the-ball linebacker and then have him rush occasionally. There’s some projection there though for that switch. Plus, what range are you prepared to take a player like that?

The 3-4 teams (like Seattle) could try him at OLB because he’d be playing a lot in space. I’m not sure we’re looking at a sack-dynamo here though, rather he’s someone who will give you everything including the occasional splash.

I’m sure some mocks are going to go over the top after the combine but nothing really changes for me. Anyone aware of SPARQ and Smith’s game knew he was a fantastic athlete and a world class character before the combine. We also knew he was a tweener.

I had him in round two and still feel that way to an extent. I might bump him to a fringe first rounder because there is some separation there with his workout compared to someone like Trenton Simpson. Yet I wouldn’t expect Smith to become a leading pass-rusher in the NFL and I do think teams will need to create a role for him.

10-yard splits are key

Anything in the 1.5’s is considered ‘elite’ for an edge rusher. Last year there was a dearth of players who ran a 1.5 — there were only three (including Boye Mafe).

This year the numbers were better. Here’s a list of players who ran between a 1.5 and a 1.62:

Nolan Smith 1.52
YaYa Diaby 1.56
Derick Hall 1.59
Nick Herbig 1.59
D.J. Johnson 1.59
Tyrus Wheat 1.59
Will Anderson 1.61
Adetomiwa Adebawore 1.61
Byron Young (TEN) 1.61
Lonnie Phelps 1.62
Robert Beal 1.62

It’s particularly impressive for someone like Derick Hall who is a big, nasty, physical edge-setter. He’s a bit stiff bending the arc but a 1.59 split is a big positive you can work with. He can clearly get off the ball and when he initiates contact he’s a powerful, driven competitor.

Tyrus Wheat has flown under the radar for too long. He has an unorthodox frame but running a 1.59 split at 263lbs is impressive. He was used to drop into coverage a lot in college and he could be of interest — especially after he was shown to have 33-inch arms (32 7/8 inches officially).

Adebawore’s 1.61 split at 281lbs is barely believable as we’ve discussed. YaYa Diaby had a good Senior Bowl and followed it up with an excellent combine. He’s a very interesting player with major upside. That’s a brilliant 1.56 split and it’ll do wonders for his stock at 263lbs. D.J. Johnson is a reasonable day-three project as a pass rusher and a good athlete.

Here are the top defensive tackle splits:

Calijah Kancey 1.64
Bryan Bresee 1.71
Jalen Redmond 1.71
Dante Stills 1.72
Zacch Pickens 1.74
Moro Ojomo 1.77
Nesta Jade Solverà 1.77

The Seahawks have tended to show more interest in length (+33 inch arms) and agility (short shuttle) here.

The NFL continues to fumble the combine

The move to ‘Prime Time’ has had no discernible benefit. The plan to move the combine around the country is in the trash, with the event seemingly set to stay in Indianapolis because that’s what the teams want.

We also continue to have players skipping the important agility tests because it’s too late in the day to do them. It’s also high-time the NFL found a way to incentivise a full workout so that the players are encouraged to do everything. Loads of players sat out drills or runs or jumps. Give them a greater reason to compete here and not rely on a pro-day.

Only 11 pass-rushers ran a shuttle:

Jose Ramirez — 4.30
Lukas Van Ness — 4.32
Andre Carter — 4.36
Ochaun Mathis — 4.36
Isaiah Foskey — 4.41
Habakkuk Baldonado — 4.44
Caleb Murphy — 4.45
Colby Wooden — 4.52
Tyrus Wheat — 4.54
Isaiah Land — 4.56
Tavius Robinson — 4.62

The shuttle is vital for defensive tackles but only nine ran one:

Jalen Redmond — 4.51
Dante Stills — 4.61
Zacch Pickens — 4.62
Keeanu Benton — 4.65
D.J. Dale — 4.80
Jerrod Clark — 4.83
Siaki Ika — 4.99
Jaquelin Roy — 5.00
PJ Mustipher — 5.03

Long gone are the days of logging on to NFL.com and pouring over critical short shuttle times. I miss those days. Why on earth has the NFL ruined the combine?

Lukas Van Ness could be a Seahawks target

Well done to Van Ness for actually running a short shuttle. It means we have a reasonable idea that he’ll be on Seattle’s radar. He has good size (272lbs) and he could play as a five-technique.

I suggested this week that the Seahawks might show interest in Zach Allen as a free agent. Van Ness is a very similar tester:

Zach Allen
281lbs
4.36 ss
7.34 3c
32 inch vertical
1.74 split

Lukas Van Ness
272lbs
4.32 ss
7.02 3c
31 inch vertical
1.64 split

Obviously Van Ness is lighter and quicker — but they share very similar agility and explosive testing numbers. They could both interest the Seahawks — could it even be a possible either/or situation?

They have liked players with this kind of profile before. Rasheem Green ran a 4.39 short shuttle at 275lbs and also a 1.65 10-yard split. That’s very similar to Van Ness.

I think some of the top-10 projections are a bit much but in the second half of round one, Van Ness has the profile of a potential Seahawks target. He also looked silky during drills — making most of the tests look easy.

Are there any obvious defensive tackle targets?

With so few people running a short shuttle it’s hard to say. They drafted the following players in the first four rounds (all had +33 inch arms):

Naz Jones — 4.63 ss
Jaye Howard — 4.47 ss
Jordan Hill — 4.55 ss
Jarran Reed — 4.75 ss

Of the group, these two players fit the bill:

Zacch Pickens — 4.62
Keeanu Benton — 4.65

Pickens had an excellent day — looking extremely smooth during drills and adding some explosive jumps (9-8 broad, 30.5-inch vertical) to his résumé. Benton also looked very sharp during drills with little wasted movement or stiffness at his size. Both players could be potential day-two options.

What can we make of Will Anderson?

With Jalen Carter’s ongoing issues and Tyree Wilson not doing anything at the combine, this was a big opportunity for Anderson to create some separation as the top defender in the draft.

Did he manage it? Not really.

He might’ve done to the extent that he’s possibly the best talker you’ll ever hear. His interviews are world class, he hits all the right notes and teams will fall in love with his personality. That is worth a few extra points in grading.

His on-field drill performance was fine. He didn’t ‘wow’ at any point but he didn’t look bad. It was unspectacular for a 253lbs pass-rusher.

In terms of testing, a 4.60 is perfectly fine. Given he’s 30lbs lighter than Adetomiwa Adebwarore, who ran a 4.49, it’s hard not to be left wanting a bit more. He didn’t do any jumps or agility testing either. With a 1.61 10-yard split, he didn’t crack the elite 1.5’s.

I think he’s left the door open to not be the top D-liner taken. Can Tyree Wilson put on a show at his pro-day? If so, he could threaten Anderson.

The key will be his short shuttle, assuming he runs one. The elite pass-rushers all ran brilliant shuttles — regardless of size. See below — and I’ve included the forty times and 10-yard splits too:

Von Miller — 4.53 (1.62) at 246lbs (4.06 ss)
Myles Garrett — 4.64 (1.63) at 272lbs (DNR ss)
Nick Bosa — 4.79 (1.62) at 266lbs (4.14 ss)
Khalil Mack — 4.65 (1.53) at 251lbs (4.18 ss)
Will Anderson — 4.60 (1.61) at 253 (DNR ss)

If he can run in the 4.0’s or 4.1’s in the shuttle — then that will be a big thing for Anderson if wants to be compared to the best.

Linebacker shuttle times are worth paying attention to

As noted in our big combine preview, this is an area Seattle pays a lot of attention to — along with overall outstanding athleticism.

Only six linebackers ran a shuttle. Again, how disappointing:

Jack Campbell — 4.24
Charlie Thomas — 4.34
Jeremy Banks — 4.38
Henry To’oTo’o — 4.40
Shaka Heyward — 4.40
Anfernee Orji — 4.43

Nobody ran in the elite 4.0’s or 4.1’s. It’s still an impressive time for Jack Campbell though. He’s an old-school linebacker and on tape looks a bit stiff. However, this agility testing warrants another look — especially given he also ran a 1.59 10-yard split and a 6.74 three-cone at 249lbs. His 4.65 forty was also better than I expected. I think he’s an early day three type but I might have to bump him up after these numbers. He does lack length though (31 7/8 inch arms on a 6-5 frame).

Other highlights

I thought Moro Ojomo looked great. He had no bad weight on his frame and he looked like a Terminator running drills. He’s explosive (33-inch vertical, 9-4 broad) and ran a good 5.04 forty at 292lbs. With his 34.5 inch arms he’s ideal for the five-technique role and should be someone to monitor at the Texas pro-day, where he’ll hopefully do agility drills.

Bryan Bresee & Keeanu Benton both looked great in the defensive tackle drills, with Bresee in particular giving maximum effort. His short arms will be an issue for Seattle you’d think.

I wish Gervon Dexter played as well as he performed drills because he showed a lot of potential and moved superbly today. His frame looks great. His play is just so maddeningly average though.

Tuli Tuipulotu didn’t run or jump and his short arms and stubby frame make it difficult to know where he plays at the next level. However, I loved the way he attacked drills and flashed power, quickness and effort.

I was very underwhelmed watching Tennessee’s Byron Young on tape. However, a 4.43 forty at 250lbs catches your eye. He added a 38-inch vertical and an 11-0 broad jump. Those are some good numbers but he’s an older player (25) without many ‘wow’ moments in games.

Will McDonald didn’t look 100% as he has been suffering with illness. Teams will love the fact he competed out there despite this and he still managed to look more athletic than most in the on-field section. He didn’t run a forty.

Mazi Smith was among a handful of ‘expected top testers’ who didn’t work out (including Myles Murphy and Zach Harrison — while Keion White only did on-field drills). It’s a shame because Smith was set to put on a big show. However, his biggest win might be that he measured with nearly 34-inch arms. He’ll get his numbers at the Michigan pro-day to boost his stock significantly. Having this kind of length to go with his size (6-3, 323lbs) and traits makes for a very interesting player.

Final thought

Within the first 20 minutes of the NFL Network broadcast today, John Schneider appeared on set to be interviewed. He was the first live guest.

It’s a curious situation. Schneider has barely done any media since being appointed as GM. In the last few weeks we’ve had two long-form radio interviews, this combine interview and the start of a new weekly show on 710 Seattle Sports every Thursday.

What’s the reason behind this? I suspect he’s well aware that the team is going to be sold in the near future and is probably trying to raise his profile. This is still very much seen as Pete Carroll’s team. With Carroll’s career getting close to the end, it seems like Schneider wants to take on a more public profile ahead of new owners coming in.

Of course the best way to draw attention to himself will be to keep having drafts like the 2022 class. Perhaps even hit on a quarterback at #5. Nothing will propel his stock more than being the guy who drafted Russell Wilson, traded Russell Wilson and replaced Russell Wilson with a star.

I’ll be doing a live-stream at 8am PT on Friday discussing day one of the combine. Please join me — I’ll post the video on the blog (or subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification button for a reminder).

If you enjoy the blog and appreciate what we do — why not consider supporting the site via Patreon — (click here)

Live Blog: Combine day one (DL, LB)

March 2, 2023 /

Welcome to the 2023 NFL combine coverage on Seahawks Draft Blog

Throughout the next few days I’ll be reacting live to everything happening in Indianapolis. I will also post a daily recap article and a daily live stream.

On top of that, Robbie Williams is attending the combine and will provide insight from his perspective inside Lucas Oil Field.

Keep refreshing this page for updates

The workouts begin today at 3pm ET (12pm PT).

Some things to note — Will Anderson is working out with the linebackers (which, frustratingly, means we won’t learn his 10-yard split time as they don’t show it for LB’s). Tyree Wilson isn’t testing as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

This is a critical day for the Seahawks with a big focus on the front seven expected in the draft, even if they go in a different direction at #5.

Feel free to use the comments section as an open thread as the community discusses day one at the combine!

For a handy combine guide on who or what to look for, check out our ‘ultimate combine preview’ by clicking here.

On a quarterback note…

Measurements

These are starting to trickle in…

Drew Sanders
Height: 6040
Weight: 235
Arm: 32 1/8
Hand: 9 3/4

Trenton Simpson
Height: 6020
Weight: 235
Arm: 32 3/8
Hand: 10 1/4

Jack Campbell
Height: 6050
Weight: 249
Arm: 31 7/8
Hand: 10 1/4

Tyree Wilson
Height: 6060
Weight: 271
Arm: 35 3/8
Hand: 9 5/8

Myles Murphy
Height: 6050
Weight: 268
Arm: 33 3/4
Hand: 8 1/2

Nolan Smith
Height: 6020
Weight: 238
Arm: 32 5/8
Hand: 9

Mike Morris
Height: 6050
Weight: 275
Arm: 33 1/2
Hand: 10

Will Anderson
Height: 6034
Weight: 253
Arm: 33 7/8
Hand: 9 7/8

Calijah Kancey
Height: 6010
Weight: 281
Arm: 30 5/8
Hand: 9 1/8

Gervon Dexter
Height: 6060
Weight: 310
Arm: 32 1/4
Hand: 9 1/2

Mazi Smith
Height: 6030
Weight: 323
Arm: 33 3/4
Hand: 9 3/4

Jalen Carter
Height: 6030
Weight: 314
Arm: 33 1/2
Hand: 10 1/4

Bryan Bresee
Height: 6054
Weight: 298
Arm: 32 1/2
Hand: 10 1/4

Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Height: 6031
Weight: 255
Arm: 33 1/2
Hand: 9 5/8

Will McDonald
Height: 6035
Weight: 239
Arm: 34 7/8
Hand: 9 1/2

Zach Harrison
Height: 6054
Weight: 274
Arm: 36 1/4
Hand: 10

Jalen Redmond
Height: 6-2
Weight: 291
Arm: 32 5/8
Hand: 10 1/8

Ivan Pace Jr.
Height: 5-10
Weight: 231
Arm: 30 1/4
Hand: 9 1/2

Owen Pappoe
Height: 6-0
Weight: 225
Arm Length: 31 3/4
Hand Size: 9 1/8

Noah Sewell
Height: 6-1
Weight: 246
Arm Length: 31 5/8
Hand Size: 10

DeMarvion Overshown
Height: 6-3
Weight: 229
Arm Length: 32 1/4
Hand Size: 9 1/2

Ventrell Miller
Height: 6-0
Weight: 232
Arm Length: 32 1/2
Hand Size: 9 1/8

Daiyan Henley
Height: 6-2
Weight: 225
Arm Length: 33
Hand Size: 9 1/2

Tyrus Wheat
Height: 6-2
Weight: 263
Arm Length: 32 7/8
Hand Size: 9

Dylan Horton
Height: 6-4
Weight: 257
Arm Length: 33 1/8
Hand Size: 9 1/2

Nick Hampton
Height: 6-2
Weight: 236
Arm Length: 33 5/8
Hand Size: 9 1/2

Adetomiwa Adebawore
Height: 6-2
Weight: 282
Arm Length: 33 7/8
Hand Size: 10 1/2

Andre Carter II
Height: 6-6
Weight: 256
Arm Length: 33 3/8
Hand Size: 9 3/8

Keion White
Height: 6-5
Weight: 285
Arm Length: 34
Hand Size: 10 1/8

KJ Henry
Height: 6-4
Weight: 251
Arm Length: 33
Hand Size: 10

Lukas Van Ness
Height: 6-5
Weight: 272
Arm Length: 34
Hand Size: 11

Tuli Tuipulotu
Height: 6-3
Weight: 266
Arm Length: 32 1/4
Hand Size: 10 1/8

Derick Hall
Height: 6-3
Weight: 254
Arm Length: 34 1/2
Hand Size: 10

BJ Ojulari
Height: 6-2
Weight: 248
Arm Length: 34 1/4
Hand Size: 10 1/2

Moro Ojomo
Height: 6-3
Weight: 292
Arm Length: 34 1/2
Hand Size: 10 3/8

Byron Young (Alabama)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 294
Arm Length: 34 3/8
Hand Size: 11

Keeanu Benton
Height: 6-4
Weight: 309
Arm Length: 33 7/8
Hand Size: 9 3/4

Zacch Pickens
Height: 6-4
Weight: 291
Arm Length: 34 3/8
Hand Size: 10 3/8

The main note here for me is Mazi Smith’s near 34-inch arms. That is a huge plus and given how he’s expected to test, could easily put him on Seattle’s radar (plus other teams).

I feared Bryan Bresee would have sub-33 inch arms at that is proven to be true.

40 yard dash (defensive tackles)

10-yard splits in brackets

Keeanu Benton (1.79) 5.13 & (1.79) 5.16
Bryan Bresee (1.71) 4.93 & (1.72) 4.93
Jerrod Clark (1.82) 5.34 & (1.84) 5.30
Keondre Coburn (1.82) 5.26 & (1.82) 5.27
D.J. Dale (1.81) 5.30 & (1.83) 5.34
Gervon Dexter (1.81) 5.00 & (1.75) 4.93
Siaki Ika (1.88) 5.45 & (1.90) 5.49
Calijah Kancey (1.64) 4.78 & (1.64) 4.73
P.J. Mustipher (1.88) 5.45 & (1.90) 5.48
Moro Ojomo (1.77) 5.12 & (1.79) 5.23
Zacch Pickens (1.74) 4.96 & (1.75) 4.98
Jalen Redmond (1.72) 4.85 & (1.71) 4.86
Nesta Jade Silvera (1.77) 5.21 & (1.77) 5.20
Dante Stills (1.72) 4.92 & (1.72) 4.94
Cameron Young (1.80) 5.18 & (1.81) 5.20

These are also trickling in…

Vertical jumps

Jalen Redmond: 34.5
Moro Ojomo: 33
Gervon Dexter: 31
Zacch Pickens: 30.5
Keeanu Benton:: 29.5
Nesta Jade Silvera: 29.5
Bryan Bresee: 29
Dante Stills: 28.5
Jerrod Clark: 27.5
Keondre Coburn: 27.5
PJ Mustipher: 27.5
Byron Young (Alabama): 26
DJ Dale: 25.5

Broad Jumps

Jalen Redmond: 9-8
Zacch Pickens: 9-8
Dante Stills: 9-5
Moro Ojomo: 9-4
Keeanu Benton: 9-3
Gervon Dexter Sr.: 9-2
Nesta Jade Silvera: 9-2
Byron Young: 9-0
Jerrod Clark: 8-6
Keondre Coburn: 8-5
DJ Dale: 8-2
PJ Mustipher: 8

Moro Ojomo is showing some good testing numbers. There’s a possibility I will have a chance to interview him in the coming weeks.

John Schneider is live on the NFL Network within the first hour of it starting. He really is increasing his media work this year. He has never done any of these interviews before during the combine.

He says they adjusted their approach to grading changed slightly last year because they had new defensive staff and a scheme tweak. He spoke confidently about getting something done with Geno Smith. Aside from that, nothing major was discussed.

How does Calijah Kancey compare to Aaron Donald?

Kancey ran an official 4.67 with a 1.64 split at 281lbs. Aaron Donald ran a 4.68 at 285lbs with a 1.63 split. So, they are very similar physically.

However, Kancey has 30 5/8 inch arms. Donald’s are 32 5/8 inches. There’s a big difference there.

Notes on the drills

First it’s the wave drill which I really enjoy because you get a sense of movement and athleticism.

Moro Ojomo just looks fantastic. His drill wasn’t anything special because he was hesitant but just look at the guy. He looks like a machine. His body has barely any bad weight. He’s long, athletic, quick and explosive. He is very interesting.

Zacch Pickens looked as smooth as silk running his wave drill.

I thought Alabama’s Byron Young, who didn’t run a 40, did a good job with his effort. He moved across the field quickly. Cameron Young also impressed.

Now onto the four-bag drills. Bryan Bresee looked tremendous going in and out of the bags. That’s not a surprise — he’s a quick, agile, natural athlete. Siaki Ika did a good job for his size and Gervon Dexter looked good in this drill.

Moro Ojomo is going at his own pace getting into position for these drills but he still looks good to me. Zacch Pickens is putting on a show and flashing the athleticism that was very evident on tape. Pickens’ conditioning meant he got a bit gassed during games so let’s see if he can keep up the pace here.

There’s some tightness in Byron Young’s hips but he’s a 294lbs brute-force attacking linemen. So it doesn’t bother me too much.

Keeanu Benton and Bryan Bresee on the pass rush bag-drills were quick, aggressive and powerful. I wish Gervon Dexter played as well as he’s looking in these bag drills. Moro Ojomo continues to impress with a powerful, sudden rep. Zacch Pickens is just making it look easy with such clear natural athleticism and fluidity.

I really like the run-and-club drill through the bags. Keeanu Benton and Bryan Bresee are launching into every drill and setting the tone. Tremendous effort, power and mobility from both. As with most of the other drills, Moro Ojomo and Zacch Pickens then carry it on. I have a man crush on Ojomo with his length, athleticism and power.

Cameron Young was asked to open his hips during his rep and he and Byron Young do have a bit more stiffness compared to the big-time athletes impressing here. However, they just look powerful and sturdy. Byron Young in particular just looks like the BAMF we know him to be.

Now it’s the figure-eight drill which the NFL Network is calling ‘run the hoop’. I love this drill for ankle-flexion and agility. Keeanu Benton was incredibly smooth on his rep and he’s having a great workout. Gervon Dexter looked very athletic again and Siaki Ika was very impressive with the calmness and fluidity of his effort at his size.

Moro Ojomo looked like a terminator on his rep. Again, Zacch Pickens looks in complete control. Byron Young dropped the towel at the end of his rep but otherwise leaned well around the hoop and looked very quick. Cameron Young again looked stiff — I’m not anticipating a great short shuttle but we’ll see.

Mazi Smith isn’t testing

Apparently he has tweaked a hamstring injury. That’s a real shame because he was set to be one of the stars of the combine.

Official 40 times (DT)

Calijah Kancey — 4.67
Jalen Redmond — 4.81
Dante Stills — 4.85
Bryan Bresee — 4.86
Gervon Dexter — 4.88
Zacch Pickens — 4.89
Moro Ojomo — 5.04
Keeanu Benton — 5.08
Cameron Young — 5.10
Nesa Jade Silvera — 5.16

10-yard splits (DT)

Calijah Kancey — 1.64
Bryan Bresee — 1.71
Jalen Redmond — 1.71
Dante Stills — 1.72
Zacch Pickens — 1.74
Gervon Dexter — 1.75
Moro Ojomo — 1.77
Nesa Jade Silvera — 1.77
Keeanu Benton — 1.79
Cameron Young — 1.80

I always say anything in the 1.5’s is ‘elite’ for an edge rusher. So Kancey’s 1.64 is a special time — and those early 1.7’s are very impressive too for the bigger guys.

Could the Cardinals trade down from #3?

Looks like Arizona wants to move down with a QB hungry team. If the Bears trade down to #4, with the top-three QB’s going off the board then potentially Will Anderson, that would possibly be a worst case scenario for Seattle.

DE/Edge forty yard dash times

The 10-yard splits are in brackets. Remember — anything in the 1.5’s is an elite split for an edge rusher in the 250-260 range.

Adetomiwa Adebwarore (1.61) 4.54 & DNR
Habakkuk Baldonado (1.67) 4.78 & (1.68) 4.83
Robert Beal (1.64) 4.58 & (1.62) 4.53
Brenton Cox Jr (1.65) 4.85 & (1.77) 4.88
YaYa Diaby (1.56) 4.56 & DNR
Ikenna Enechukwu (1.66) 4.77 & (1.67) 4.84
Isaiah Foskey (1.67) 4.64 & (1.66) 4.68
Nick Hampton (1.66) 4.68 & (1.65) 4.71
KJ Henry (1.65) 4.71 & pulled up injured during second run
Thomas Incoom (1.65) 4.75 & (1.68) 4.81
Tyler Lacy (1.72) 5.15 & (1.75) 5.19
Isaiah Land (1.67) 4.70 & (1.65) 4.66
Isaiah McGuire (1.73) 4.84 & (1.72) 4.86
Mike Morris (1.72) 5.04 & (1.77) 5.11
Caleb Murphy (1.65) 4.82 & (1.72) 4.86
Jose Ramirez (1.65) 4.80 & (1.63) 4.79
Tavius Robinson (1.64) 4.72 & (1.63) 4.72
Nolan Smith (1.52) 4.44 & DNR
Lukas Van Ness (1.64) 4.64 & (1.65) 4.66
Colby Wooden (1.71) 4.84 & (1.68) 4.86
Byron Young-Tennessee (1.63) 4.51 & (1.62) 4.48

Adetomiwa Adebwarore is heavier than Calijah Kancey, has none of the length issues and just ran a faster forty and split. He’s already jumped a 37.5 inch vertical and a 10-5 broad as well.

In cased you missed it, here’s my interview with ‘Ade Ade’:

I liked YaYa Diaby at the Senior Bowl and he ran in the 1.5’s.

Why is Nolan Smith working out with the D-liners and Will Anderson working out with the linebackers? A nonsense.

It’s a really good time for Lukas Van Ness at +270lbs.

A lot of the pass rush group didn’t run, which is a shame. We’ll see how many of these show up in the linebacker runs but Will McDonald, Myles Murphy, Keion White, B.J. Ojulari, Zach Harrison, Derrick Hall, Andre Carter, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Dylan Horton, Tyrus Wheat and Ali Gaye didn’t run here.

EDGE drills

It’s the wave drill up first with Ade Ade kicking things off. He ran around well enough, little bit tighter than some of these guys but he’s +280lbs.

Despite the NFL Network hyping this class up — I don’t think this group has run particularly well and they don’t look like that athletic in the initial wave drills.

Will McDonald is the first person to do the wave and look somewhat electric. He’s been suffering with illness. Tuli Tuipulotu looked sharp and Lukas Van Ness was incredibly smooth. He just looked like a natural athlete. Keion White looked a bit stiff but again he’s a bigger guy.

Onto the four-bag drill. Ade Ade moved in and out quickly enough to keep his momentum going.

The NFL Network are talking about Nolan Smith like his performance was a big surprise. He’s one of the best SPARQ testers ever. Why is it such a big deal? He’s a tweener — that’s the more pressing issue.

Ali Gaye did an excellent job on the four-bag drill. Will McDonald was very quick and athletic as expected.

Myles Murphy apparently tweaked a hamstring and isn’t doing anything today.

I don’t want to be mean but Mike Morris just looks like a big lump out there today.

Tuli Tuipulotu just looks like a ball of power and quickness. Keion White was good in the four-bag and flashed athleticism. Byron Young’s rep was very hesitant and the coaches yelled at him to be quicker.

Will McDonald doesn’t look 100% but the fact he’s out there working despite being ill is going to impress teams more than the players ‘protecting themselves’ this week by not doing anything.

Tuli Tuipulotu showed great power slapping the bags in the pass rush bag drill. He is looking sharp here. Keion White also had an impressive rep, as did Lukas Van Ness and Byron Young.

Onto the run and club through the bags. Another good rep from Ade Ade who is having a day. Yaya Diaby — who again, had a very good Senior Bowl — looked great in this drill.

Isaiah McGuire had a really good rep. He’s an underrated player who showed well in the SEC. Another fantastic rep from Tuli Tuipulotu who has been one of the stars of the on-field drills.

Keion White, like Moro Ojomo earlier, just looks like an absolute beast. Big but with no bad weight. The coaches liked Byron Young’s rep.

Ade Ade did the linebacker drills at +280lbs and didn’t look out of place. Incredible.

D-line broad jumps

Byron Young (TEN): 11-0
Will McDonald IV: 11-0
Nolan Smith: 10-8
Derick Hall: 10-7
Isaiah Land: 10-6
BJ Ojulari: 10-6
Adetomiwa Adebawore: 10-5
Isaiah Foskey: 10-5
Robert Beal Jr.: 10-3
Isaiah McGuire: 10-2
Habakkuk Baldonado: 10-0
YaYa Diaby: 10-0
Ikenna Enechukwu: 10-0
Dylan Horton: 10-0
Lukas Van Ness: 9-10
Keion White: 9-9
Tyrus Wheat: 9-5
K.J. Henry: 9-4
Mike Morris: 9-2
Andre Carter: 9-1

D-line vertical jumps

Nolan Smith — 41.5
Byron Young — 38
Adetomiwa Adebawore — 37.5
Yaya Diaby — 37
Isaiah McGuire — 36.5
Will McDonald — 36
Nick Hampton — 35.5
Habakkuk Baldonado — 35
Jose Ramirez — 34.5
Isaiah Land — 34.5
Isaiah Foskey — 34
Keion White — 34
Dylan Horton — 34
Derick Hall — 33.5
Ochaun Mathis — 33.5
Tavius Robinson — 33.5
Brenton Cox — 33
BJ Ojulari — 32.5
DJ Johnson — 32
KJ Henry — 31.5
Lukas Van Ness — 31
Andre Carter — 30
Robert Beal — 30
Mike Morris — 28.5
Tyrus Wheat — 28.5

D-line official forty times

Nolan Smith — 4.39
Byron Young — 4.43
Robert Beal — 4.48
Adetomiwa Adebawore — 4.49
Yaya Diaby — 4.51
Isaiah Foskey — 4.58
Nick Hampton — 4.58
Lukas Van Ness — 4.58
Isaiah Land — 4.62
KJ Henry — 4.63

Adetomiwa Adebawore running in the 4.4’s is an absolute joke.

Linebacker broad jumps

Yasir Abdullah: 10-9
Jack Campbell: 10-8
Owen Pappoe: 10-6
Jeremy Banks: 10-6
Daiyan Henley: 10-5
Charlie Thomas: 10-4
DeMarvion Overshown: 10-4
Anfernee Orji: 10-2
Dorian Williams: 10
Dee Winters: 9-9
Henry To’oTo’o: 9-8
Shaka Heyward: 9-8
Noah Sewell: 9-7
Micah Baskerville: 9-7
Jalen Graham: 9-4

Linebacker vertical jumps

Anfernee Orji: 38.5
Jack Campbell: 37.5
Jeremy Banks: 37.5
Yasir Abdullah: 36.5
Owen Pappoe: 35.5
Daiyan Henley: 35
Dorian Williams: 33.5
Cam Jones: 33
Noah Sewell: 33
Charlie Thomas: 32.5
Henry To’oTo’o: 32
Micah Baskerville: 31
Shaka Heyward: 31
Dee Winters: 30.5
Jalen Graham 30.5

Linebacker forty times

Same complaint every year. They put edge rushers in the linebacker group and then don’t show the 10-yard splits on the TV. Thankfully, the NFL Network read out Will Anderson’s split and NFL.com are updating with the times.

Yasir Abdullah (1.62) 4.57 & (1.56) 4.53
Will Anderson (1.61) 4.69 & DNR
Jeremy Banks (1.56) 4.74 & 4.59
Jack Campbell (1.59) 4.71 & 4.74
Jalen Graham (1.68) 4.69 & 4.71
Derick Hall (1.62) 4.57 & (1.59) 4.61
Daiyan Henley (1.56) 4.63 & (1.55) 4.67
Nick Herbig (1.59) 4.71 & 4.83
Shaka Heyward (1.60) 4.57 & (1.54) 4.58
D.J. Johnson (1.60) 4.60 & (1.59) 4.55
Andre Jones Jr — pulled up injured
Cam Jones (1.64) 4.76 & (1.62) 4.76
Ochaun Mathis (1.66) 4.87 & (1.64) 4.78
Anfernee Orji (1.57) 4.61 & 4.58
DeMarvion Overshown (1.59) 4.59 & DNR
Owen Pappoe (1.56) 4.50 & 4.46
Lonnie Phelps (1.62) 4.62 & DNR
Drew Sanders DNR
Noah Sewell (1.57) 4.72 & 4.74
Trenton Simpson (1.57) 4.50 & (1.55) 4.53
Charlie Thomas (1.55) 4.58 & 4.57
Henry To’oTo’o (1.61) 4.69 & (1.57) 4.57
Tyrus Wheat (1.62) 4.68 & (1.59) 4.70
Dorian Williams (1.57) 4.54 & (1.54) 4.56
Dee Winters (1.56) 4.58 & 4.57

Drew Sanders did not run a forty which is disappointing. Neither did Andre Carter.

Short shuttle times

Once again, a disappointing number of players took part in the shuttles. Fair play to those who did — but we’re not getting much info here.

EDGE

Jose Ramirez — 4.30
Lukas Van Ness — 4.32
Isaiah Foskey — 4.41
Habakkuk Baldonado — 4.44
Caleb Murphy — 4.45
Colby Wooden — 4.52
Isaiah Land — 4.56
Tavius Robinson — 4.62

DT

Jalen Redmond — 4.51
Dante Stills — 4.61
Zacch Pickens — 4.62
Keeanu Benton — 4.65
D.J. Dale — 4.80
Jerrod Clark — 4.83
Siaki Ika — 4.99
Jaquelin Roy — 5.00
PJ Mustipher — 5.03

Three cone times

Jose Ramirez — 6.95
Lukas Van Ness — 7.02
Habakkuk Baldonado — 7.11
Byron Young (TEN) — 7.19
Isaiah Land — 7.20
Isaiah Foskey — 7.28
Caleb Murphy — 7.28
Isaiah McGuire — 7.39
Colby Wooden — 4.52

Tavius Robinson — 4.62

DT

Jalen Redmond — 7.30
Keeanu Benton — 7.34
Dante Stills — 7.38
Zacch Pickens — 7.45
Gervon Dexter — 7.50
Jerrod Clark — 7.60
Tyler Lacy — 7.60
Byron Young (ALA) — 7.68
D.J. Dale — 7.69
Siaki Ika — 7.80
PJ Mustipher — 8.01
Jaquelin Roy — 8.01

Linebacker drills

I haven’t seen anything yet to make Will Anderson standout athletically.

Jack Campbell looks about my age but moved in and out opf the bags nicely. Derick Hall looks like a beast but there’s some stiffness. Daiyan Henley was very quick around the bags — no wasted movement, shifted around the drill nicely.

In the change of direction drills, I don’t really know why they’ve got Will Anderson doing all this. Why is he doing linebacker drills and Nolan Smith was with the edge rushers? It’s ridiculous. We need to see Anderson doing the pass rush drills, not running around in space. Daiyan Henley looks like a natural moving around and changing direction.

The NFL Network is barely showing any of the LB drills. And when they finally get to the pass rush bags, they go to commercial when Will Anderson does his rep. They eventually showed his two reps. He looks fine. Nothing more, nothing less.

Drew Sanders showed quickness and aggression on his reps. He looked fantastic on the change of direction drill — shifting around the field with ease.

Official linebacker forty times

Owen Pappoe — 4.39
Trenton Simpson — 4.43
Will Anderson — 4.60
Yasir Abdullah — 4.47
Dorian Williams — 4.49
Dee Winters — 4.49
D.J. Johnson — 4.49
Charlie Thomas — 4.53
Anfernee Orji — 4.53
Jeremy Banks — 4.53
Shaka Heyward — 4.53
Daiyan Henley — 4.54
Derick Hall — 4.55
Lonnie Phelps — 4.55
DeMarvion Overshown — 4.56
Henry To’oTo’o — 4.62
Noah Sewell — 4.62
Jalen Graham — 4.64
Jack Campbell — 4.65
Tyrus Wheat — 4.65
Cam Jones — 4.69

I’m ending the live blog now with the NFL Network no longer showing drills.

I will have some thoughts in a recap post coming shortly. Stay tuned.

Identifying the ‘character studs’ in this draft class

March 1, 2023 /

In my final piece before the combine begins (and please do check out our extensive combine preview and ‘mock off-season‘ if you haven’t already) — I wanted to once again return to the topic of character.

If you’ve been reading my articles over the last couple of weeks, you’ll know we’ve raised the regularity with which John Schneider and Pete Carroll are hailing the attitude of the 2022 class, noting it was integral to their early success. We’ve also come to learn Kayvon Thibodeaux wasn’t a consideration for the Seahawks, presumably due to his obsession with his personal brand.

There will be a big emphasis on character in this draft. I’m going to run through who I think are the ‘character studs’ in the class. But first, I want to draw your attention to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

People reacted angrily to Todd McShay questioning Jalen Carter’s character. Those same people seemingly didn’t notice Lance Zierlein raised similar concerns in his draft report for Carter stating, ‘his maturity will need to be vetted by each team as they make their evaluations’ before adding, ‘scouts say maturity has been an issue for him at times’.

Now, there’s this report on the car accident that led to the recent deaths of a Georgia player and a football staffer:

“At first, Jalen Carter told the police he was nearly a mile away when a University of Georgia teammate and a football staff member died in a car crash.
Later, Carter said he had been following the car when it wrecked, close enough to see its taillights.

And, at one point, he acknowledged he was alongside the other car, whose speedometer stuck on impact at 83 mph — double the speed limit.
Carter, a defensive star for Georgia who is projected as a top pick in this year’s NFL draft, left the crash scene, apparently before the police or emergency medical workers arrived. When he returned an hour and a half later, he gave shifting accounts of the wreck as an Athens police officer questioned him about whether he had been racing the car that crashed, according to documents reviewed by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Carter denied he was racing before the Jan. 15 crash, which killed recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy, 24, and offensive lineman Devin Willock, 20. Another recruiting staff member, Tory Bowles, 26, and offensive lineman Warren McClendon, 21, were injured.

Carter’s presence at the moment of the crash, previously unreported, alters the narrative that Athens police officials offered publicly from the beginning. It was, officials said, simply a single-car accident, caused by LeCroy’s driving too fast.
But the police had reason to suspect almost from the moment of the crash that other cars had been at the scene, and they soon learned at least two of those vehicles were driven by Georgia football players. Seeking evidence of possible racing, officers have obtained surveillance video from city-owned cameras along the route the players took out of downtown Athens. They also obtained footage from at least one business owner. The police have declined to release these videos, saying they are evidence in an open case.”

It’s now been revealed that an arrest warrant has been issued for Carter for reckless and dangerous driving:

Details of the investigation, released Wednesday, cited evidence that Carter and LeCroy were “operating their vehicles in a manner consistent with racing” shortly before the fatal crash.

“The evidence demonstrated that both vehicles switched between lanes, drove in the center turn lane, drove in opposite lanes of travel, overtook other motorists, and drove at high rates of speed, in an apparent attempt to outdistance each other,” the police statement said.

Police investigators have determined that “alcohol impairment, racing, reckless driving, and speed were significant contributing factors to the crash.”

A toxicology report indicated that LeCroy’s blood alcohol concentration was .197 — more than twice the legal limit in Georgia — at the time of the crash, according to police. The 2021 Ford Expedition driven by LeCroy was travelling at about 104 mph shortly before the crash.

This article was published on January 23rd, with the headline:

REVEALED: Chilling image of Georgia football players and staff leaving a strip club just minutes before the fatal car crash that killed OL Devin Willock and recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy

Georgia offensive lineman Devin Willock and some of his teammates were pictured leaving an Athens strip club just minutes before a fatal car crash that killed him and a recruiting analyst.

Images from the Athens-Clarke County Police showed Willock and teammate Warren McLendon leaving Toppers International Showbar around 2:30 in the morning, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Also pictured with them were, ‘two women who strongly resemble the UGA employees involved in the fatal crash,’ the paper reported.

Quite a few people owe Todd McShay an apology for the vitriol they posted in response to his comments on ESPN.

This is a very concerning development. If this situation is unresolved before the draft, how can any team draft Carter? They can’t. That’s how serious this is.

And it seems a virtual certainty at this point that he won’t be on Seattle’s board.

I do have some thoughts on who they might desire, however, due to a combination of character and talent.

It’s long been understood that Will Anderson has exceptional character. Nick Saban has gone above and beyond to praise Anderson and quarterback Bryce Young. When I say he’s gone above and beyond — I don’t mean throwaway remarks in a press conference for two important players. I legitimately mean he has delivered emotional speeches, specifically detailing why these two players are incredible team-mates and individuals.

Watch this interview with Anderson. It is the most impressive sit-down interview I’ve ever seen from a college football player:

I’m going to make a prediction. I think, based on Seattle’s need on the defensive line, that Anderson will be the player they possibly covet the most in round one. I think he’s possibly the one player they’ll bypass a quarterback for.

I wrote about his play on the field here so won’t rehash all of that. Given he fills a vital need for an impact rusher and has 10/10, elite level character — I think they’ll want him. I suspect they’ll view him as a potential cornerstone for the next decade — someone who will carry the team emotionally much like Kam Chancellor used to do.

The direction of Seattle’s draft could go through Anderson and whether he lasts to #5.

We recently discussed the sliding doors effect of a draft. Anderson could provide the biggest jolt to the different scenarios facing Seattle.

Scenario #1

a.) If Anderson is there at #5, draft him
b.) In order to draft a QB, take Hendon Hooker on day two
c.) BPA at #20, possibly including an offensive weapon (Mayer? Downs? Robinson?)

Scenario #2

a.) Anderson isn’t there at #5, so they pivot to quarterback
b.) This forces them to go D-line at #20 instead of necessarily BPA

These are just a couple of examples. I wouldn’t rule out Tyree Wilson at #5. There are no obvious character flaws with Wilson, I just don’t get the sense he’s in the top echelon. That’s no different to Charles Cross, though.

The top-three QB’s are bonafide character studs. Young, like Anderson, has been hailed by Saban. Will Levis is beloved at Kentucky, is incredibly intelligent and dedicated to his craft. C.J. Stroud is seen as a fantastic person who is well liked at Ohio State. I don’t have enough information on Anthony Richardson to pass judgement but haven’t heard anything negative and he interviews well.

Watching interviews is something I’ve done more and more over the years. It’s the only insight we have into personality and character. It was reassuring, therefore, to hear both Schneider and Jim Nagy say watching interviews online is something the pro’s do to get an angle on character. It’s a useful exercise.

I haven’t watched every player speak to the media because that’s a big ask. However, these are the players I have listened to who I believe are ‘character studs’:

Will Anderson (EDGE, Alabama)
Josh Downs (WR, North Carolina)
Will Levis (QB, Kentucky)
Bryce Young (QB, Alabama)
Kenny McIntosh (RB, Georgia)
Ji’Ayir Brown (S, Penn State)
Byron Young (DE, Alabama)
Hendon Hooker (QB, Tennessee)
C.J. Stroud (QB, Ohio State)
DeMarvion Overshown (LB, Texas)
Michael Mayer (TE, Notre Dame)
Julius Brents (CB, Kansas State)
K.J. Henry (EDGE, Clemson)
B.J. Ojulari (EDGE, LSU)
Nolan Smith (LB, Georgia)
Ventrell Miller (LB, Florida)
Derick Hall (EDGE, Auburn)

This list of players wowed when speaking to the media and/or are celebrated publicly for their character. I would recommend digging out their interviews to see for yourself. May I recommend Kenny McIntosh’s cigar-smoking post-National Championship victory press conference as a starting point.

I think the following players also deserve a mention for their maturity, drive and thoughtfulness:

Joey Porter Jr (CB, Penn State)
J.L. Skinner (S, Boise State)
Brian Branch (S, Alabama)
Cody Mauch (OL, North Dakota State)
Alex Forsyth (C, Oregon)
John Michael Schmitz (C, Minnesota)
Max Duggan (QB, TCU)
Sydney Brown (S, Illinois)
Chase Brown (RB, Illinois)

Like I said, I’ve not watched every player and I’m open to suggestions so I can add to the lists.

I think this will be a huge factor at #5. You have three quarterbacks and Will Anderson who I’d put in the top category for character. It wouldn’t surprise me if they ended up being the top-four picks in round one. If Jalen Carter is no longer a consideration, it does make it a little bit more frustrating that Seattle dropped from #3 to #5. The teams everyone should blame are Houston and Indianapolis for the farcical way their week-17 encounter ended. I don’t blame the Chargers for losing to Denver — they played their starters way longer than anyone could’ve expected for a meaningless game.

So what should Seahawks fans be hoping for if a.) I’m right about Seattle’s thought process here and b.) they want the team to get what they want.

I would suggest hoping Tyree Wilson has an amazing pro-day. He isn’t doing drills at the combine as he recovers from injury. There’s no negative to Wilson having an amazing pro-day. He could usurp Anderson as the top-defender taken, pushing the Alabama pass-rusher closer to Seattle. He could be taken in the top-four, pushing a top-three QB to Seattle. Or he’ll simply be interesting enough to warrant taking at #5.

Currently I can’t see any way Anderson gets by Arizona at #3.

Could the Seahawks trade up? Either for Anderson or a quarterback?

The problem is price. It cost the Jets three second round picks to go from #6 to #3 to select Sam Darnold in 2018. Chicago gave up third and fourth round picks, plus a third the following year, to go from #3 to #2 in 2017 to select Mitchell Trubisky.

I can’t imagine there’s a price Seattle would feel comfortable spending to get to the #1 or #2 pick. They can’t afford to turn three high picks into one player.

It would probably require the Bears getting no offers for #1 and becoming a bit desperate. They would also need to decide trading down at all costs is better than taking a player themselves at #1. That doesn’t feel likely.

That said, they had Adam Schefter announce this week that they’re ‘leaning towards trading the #1 pick’. That was a come-and-get-me plea if ever there was one.

It’s possible the Colts call their bluff if the asking price is too high. Indianapolis is guaranteed one of the top-four quarterbacks at #4. Do they rate one significantly higher than the others? If not, why trade up? And if at least one defender is destined to go in the top-four, they’re guaranteed one of Stroud, Young or Levis.

If the Bears can’t work a deal with Houston at #2 — and the Texans appear totally unprepared to trade up — they might be more inclined to drop way down to #7 with Las Vegas or #9 with Carolina to get a haul of picks. That’s their aim — a haul.

The Seahawks won’t be willing to offer a haul.

Regardless, I suspect Anderson could be the apple of Seattle’s eye at #5 — followed by the top-three quarterbacks. If they end up being the top-four picks, it could come down to a decision between Tyree Wilson and Anthony Richardson, the two most likely alternatives.

The Seahawks might be disappointed to see Anderson taken within the top-three. Don’t rule out the Bears taking him if the right offer doesn’t materialise. Don’t rule out the Texans taking him either. That’s why Seattle might be preparing to spend #5 on a quarterback — even if they re-sign Geno Smith. Or, ultimately, trading down themselves.

Let’s see if the combine changes things.

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