The live blog starts today at noon for the first day of combine coverage. In the meantime, here’s a mock before everything begins.
Let’s see how things change by next week…
Round One
#1 Chicago (v/CAR) — Caleb Williams (QB, USC)
Williams will be the top pick and will start for the Bears in 2024.
#2 Washington — Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU)
I think Daniels is the clear QB2 in the draft.
#3 NY Giants (v/NE) — Drake Maye (QB, North Carolina)
I have the Patriots trading the #68 pick to Chicago for Justin Fields, then trading down three spots in a deal with the Giants. New York’s GM and coach, under pressure after a disastrous 2023 season, appease fans by trading up aggressively for a new quarterback.
#4 Arizona — Marvin Harrison Jr (WR, Ohio State)
The Cardinals get a chance to select possibly the best player in the draft.
#5 LA Chargers — Rome Odunze (WR, Washington)
If he tests well at the combine to go with A++ character, hands, body control and ball-tracking, some teams might have Odunze as WR1.
#6 New England (v/NYG) — Joe Alt (T, Notre Dame)
If they make a deal for Justin Fields, Eliot Wolf, son of Ron, could easily look to trade back, get a haul of picks, and draft a left tackle. Some teams won’t be sold on Drake Maye. If the Patriots aren’t, it won’t be a surprise for Wolf junior to shift focus and draft for the trenches. Alt isn’t my personal favourite here but he’s the one best set to start quickly at left tackle.
#7 Tennessee — Malik Nabers (WR, LSU)
I think he’s similar to A.J. Brown. Time to rectify an all-time error by the Titans.
#8 Atlanta — Chop Robinson (DE, Penn State)
Possibly the most underrated player in the draft. His get-off is elite and he has Micah Parsons and Von Miller pass-rushing qualities. He just needs more consistency. In this scenario the Falcons sign Kirk Cousins in free agency.
#9 Chicago — Brock Bowers (TE, Georgia)
He’s a top-six player in the draft but there are reports he might be 6-2. Even so, he can only fall so far.
#10 NY Jets — Taliese Fuaga (T, Oregon State)
He’s a beast. He’ll line-up and hammer you.
#11 Minnesota — JJ McCarthy (QB, Michigan)
The Vikings are very analytically driven in their front office and McCarthy excels on third downs and scrambling completion percentage — areas they’ll like. I have them losing Kirk Cousins in this scenario.
#12 Denver — Jared Verse (DE, Florida State)
He’s a complete pass rusher and the Broncos need an X-factor at this position. They work out a move to get a quarterback later in round one.
#13 Las Vegas — JC Latham (T, Alabama)
Incredible talent. A massive, engulfing tackle with great athleticism for his size.
#14 New Orleans — Tyler Guyton (T, Oklahoma)
There are said to be questions about his maturity but nobody can deny his talent and upside.
#15 Indianapolis — Quinyon Mitchell (CB, Toledo)
A sensational Senior Bowl makes him CB1.
#16 Pittsburgh (v/SEA) — Nate Wiggins (CB, Clemson)
The Steelers move up four spots for a player you can well imagine they’ll like a lot.
#17 Jacksonville — Olu Fashanu (T, Penn State)
He has the physical tools but he’s far from the finished product and needs plenty of technical work.
#18 Cincinnati — Byron Murphy (DT, Texas)
Murphy is expected to test brilliantly and this is a big need for Cincy.
#19 LA Rams — Amarius Mims (T, Georgia)
He has Tyron Smith potential and only lasts this long due to a lack of playing time in college. He has star potential.
#20 Seattle (v/PIT) — Troy Fautanu (T/G, Washington)
The Seahawks trade down and then take a physically imposing, high-character player who is an obvious fit for their offensive staff.
#21 Miami — Graham Barton (T/G/C, Duke)
He could play any one of three need positions on the O-line for Miami.
#22 Philadelphia — Terrion Arnold (CB, Alabama)
A fun person with great character and his coverage skills are very impressive.
#23 Houston (V/CLE) — Dallas Turner (DE, Alabama)
I think he’s a bit overrated but plenty of people like him.
#24 Dallas — Jordan Morgan (T/G, Arizona)
Some teams will have him firmly rated in round one.
#25 Green Bay — Cooper DeJean (S, Iowa)
A versatile chess-piece of a defender who would’ve tested well at the combine if he was healthy.
#26 Tampa Bay — Laiatu Latu (DE, UCLA)
Technically excellent as a pass rusher but lacks length and there are some long-term health concerns to be addressed.
#27 Arizona (v/HOU) — T’Vondre Sweat (DT, Texas)
The Senior Bowl convinced me. He’s just too big, powerful and athletic not to go in round one. But he’ll need to reassure teams he can control his weight and conditioning.
#28 Buffalo — Kool-aid McKinstry (CB, Alabama)
This is a big need for the Bills.
#29 Detroit — Kamari Lassiter (CB, Georgia)
This is a big need for the Lions.
#30 Baltimore — Darius Robinson (DE, Missouri)
He just looks and plays like a Raven, doesn’t he?
#31 Denver (v/SF) — Bo Nix (QB, Oregon)
Sean Payton was always happy to trade away future first round picks in New Orleans. He does the same here to get back into round one, giving the Niners a haul for 2025 in the process.
#32 Kansas City — Troy Franklin (WR, Oregon)
Expect a great combine and his long speed and dynamism could be just what the Chiefs need.
Round Two
#33 Carolina — Brian Thomas Jr (WR, LSU)
#34 New England — Ladd McKonkey (WR, Georgia)
#35 Arizona — Cooper Beebe (G, Kansas State)
#36 Washington — Roger Rosengarten (T, Washington)
#37 LA Chargers — Ennis Rakestraw Jr (CB, Missouri)
#38 Tennessee — Jackson Powers-Johnson (C, Oregon)
#39 New England (v/NYG) — T.J. Tampa (CB, Iowa State)
#40 Washington (v/CHI) — Bralen Trice (DE, Washington)
#41 Green Bay (v/NYJ) — Kingsley Suamataia (T, BYU)
#42 Minnesota — Jer’Zhan Newton (DT, Illinois)
#43 Atlanta — Malachi Corley (WR, Western Kentucky)
#44 Las Vegas — Michael Penix Jr (QB, Washington)
#45 New Orleans (v/DEN) — Cade Stover (TE, Ohio State)
#46 Indianapolis — Jalen McMillan (WR, Washington)
#47 NY Giants (v/SEA) — Zak Zinter (G, Michigan)
#48 Jacksonville — Roman Wilson (WR, Michigan)
#49 Cincinnati — Ja’Tavion Sanders (TE, Texas)
#50 Philadelphia (v/NO) — Junior Colson (LB, Michigan)
#51 Pittsburgh — Ja’Lynn Polk (WR, Washington)
#52 LA Rams — Spencer Rattler (QB, South Carolina)
#53 Philadelphia — Jermaine Burton (WR, Alabama)
#54 Cleveland — Keon Coleman (WR, Florida State)
#55 Miami — Xavier Legette (WR, South Carolina)
#56 Dallas — Kris Jenkins (DT, Michigan)
#57 Tampa Bay — Sedrick Van Pran (C, Georgia)
#58 Green Bay — Braden Fiske (DT, Florida State)
#59 Houston — Theo Johnson (TE, Penn State)
#60 Buffalo — McKinley Jackson (DT, Texas A&M)
#61 Detroit — Austin Booker (EDGE, Kansas)
#62 Baltimore — Brandon Coleman (T, TCU)
#63 San Francisco — Zach Frazier (C, West Virginia)
#64 Kansas City — Payton Wilson (LB, NC State)
The trades explained
— The Giants move up from #6 to #3 in a deal with the Patriots. In return, New England gets #39 this year and a 2025 first round pick.
— The Steelers go from #20 to #16, giving the Seahawks the #84 pick (third rounder).
— The Broncos trade back into round one in a mega-deal with the 49ers, giving away their 2025 first and third round picks, plus #76 and Justin Simmons. The Niners roll the dice on Denver’s 2025 pick being better than #31 overall and with the O-line depth available in this class, they believe they can still address their needs.
— The Patriots trade the #68 pick to Chicago for Justin Fields.
Thoughts on the Seahawks
In this mock draft, I have the Seahawks continuing their thought process from the previous two drafts. Let the board come to you, take the best player available, improve the roster without being tied to needs, focus on character.
In this mock scenario, when they’re on the clock at #16 there were four players they had graded similarly, therefore they are receptive to Pittsburgh’s offer to move down to #20. They get an extra third round pick, which is useful given how many needs they have.
They take Troy Fautanu at #20. This isn’t just because he played for Washington, although the fact he clearly fits the blocking scheme that Scott Huff will look to implement is a big plus. People will talk about Pete Carroll not taking Taylor Mays in 2010. Let’s not forget, Mays wasn’t very good. That’s not hindsight either, we wrote about this during the 2010 draft season. Earl Thomas was by far the better prospect. Fautanu is a much better player than Mays ever was.
Why does Fautanu stand out? Firstly, the character. You only have to listen to one interview to realise he’s exactly the type of person the Seahawks have set out to draft over the last two years. He’s everything they look for in terms of personality and attitude. With such a big focus on character, he ticks that box.
Then there’s his playing style. He’s a tone-setter. He wants to beat you up on every play, sometimes to his detriment — but you can live with it because the Seahawks don’t have enough guys like this. To paraphrase Ryan Grubb when he was on KJR last week, he wants an O-line that will hit opponents in the face. That’s Fautanu.
Next, he’s very talented. The reason he wouldn’t go earlier than this is purely down to size — he’s not 6-7 and a monstrous human like Joe Alt, Amarius Mims, JC Latham, Olu Fashanu or Tyler Guyton. Neither does he have the sheer bulk and power of Taliese Fuaga. In terms of physical playing style and range as a blocker, though, he’s right up there. Other tackles will be taken earlier but Fautanu is a first round pick in his own right.
Finally, it’s the versatility he’d bring. He could play right tackle if needed, depending on Abe Lucas’ situation, or he could kick inside and fill the void at left guard.
For a lot of reasons he fits what the Seahawks look for. The question is, how much do the Seahawks want to go with a pick like this for their O-line, compared to a higher upside choice such as the inexperienced Mims who might be available at #16? Either way, after years of bemoaning the lack of quality offensive linemen coming into the league, you can well imagine John Schneider tapping into a class as good as this.
That big horrible void in round two is painful to look at. There are so many players in the range of Seattle’s pick that they gave the Giants (#47) that would help this team.
These are my thoughts before the combine. Let me know yours in the comments section. We’ll reflect on how things might’ve changed after the combine. If you missed it, you’ve still got time to read our big combine preview with all the info you need — just click here.
Giving Zinter to the Giants was just a little added salt ala Creed Humphrey…
And of course the 9ers get the haul.
Yeah that killed me too. As I stated before I’m a big fan of Zinter. I don’t scout or anything like that or watch film, none of that. I just remember watching Michigan and him opening holes left and right. Combine that with the Seahawks last luster guard play over the years and I”ve had a player crush on him for some time now
*lack luster
I think Rob should look at that draft starting with Zinter and probably redo it all.
Rattler to the Rams. Sure I’ve been joking/saying that but come on. If that happens…I’ll feel very unwell.
At least DeJean isn’t a 9er in this universe. That would put me in therapy.
I missed the last pick the first read….
I love the pick of Fautanu in RD1 after a trade back. Ideally you could go back a bit further and pick up a second but either way he is exactly the type of OL they need to add if they want an elite unit similar to say a Detroit or GB. Cross, Lucas and Fautanu would be 3 young high quality building blocks for rhe offense.
I really hope Lucas can get the knee issue figured out becuase he really is the king pin on the OL when healthy.
I wonder how far teams will be able to trade back this year. A lot is said about lack of talent very late.
Additionally I worry with trades back how likely or how much teams will give up if h talent from 11-50 is around the same quality.
Alternatively, how many teams will even want those late round picks in trades? Everyone’s going to be trying to get rid of them. Could make trade up very difficult this year.
Not alternatively but right on the nose and a point I skipped.
Agreed it seems it will be hard to package picks like teams usually do.
Hey Arizona, you’re protesting a little too much by flooding your twitter feed with memes and pics of how awesome Kyler Murray is.
They’re strongly competing with the Seahawks for the “weirdest QB PR in the NFL” award.
Is this some kind of reverse smokescreen to drive up interest in #4?
It’s very strange, but so is Kyler. It wouldn’t surprise me if his agent was strong-arming their social team to randomly celebrate him.
For the football (soccer) fans out there, it reminds me of Yaya Toure’s agent criticising Man City cause they didn’t post a Happy Birthday message.
Can’t believe this all stems from giving that stupid ‘NFL Rums’ account oxygen
Ugh I physically cringe at the word “smokescreen” after last year.
I would be quite happy with this.
BPA. I suspect this draft will unfold in the way the Seahawks need it to unfold. Players on their big board will be available at each pick AND fill needs.
People might bemoan not picking up a 2nd with a trade. However, they will be surprised by the amount of good talent left, when they start picking in the mid-third. Three picks within such a short span can do wonders for a fan’s discontent.
Herbert throwing to Odunze in the Harbaugh offense kinda scares the crap out of me.
This is a very likely scenario and I’m not sure it’s a good thing. Losing that 2nd was a killer. It’s really sad for John to say last year that we needed more draft capital for this year, only to trade away our 2nd for a guy who didn’t push the needle an inch.
We can always wait till next year to get a QB, like we did last year…only to watch the best three go off the board immediately and the top six gone before our second pick. Most likely, same thing’s gonna happen next year, and John gonna bemoan again how we only took 2 QB’s in 16 years but, you know, the time just wasn’t right or something. At some point the chips will fall our way perhaps, or John’s going to make a very desperate move for a player not much better than Whitehurst.
I’m staying positive this year ( as long as I can haha!)
But….
John has said some real stupid stuff over the years. Also John has me completely off 100% all the time, everytime, trading picks for players. He/the team suck at it. Even the reverse. That “wilson haul,” is going to be a fart in the wind pretty soon if Seattle doesn’t start pressing forward. Harris? We hardly knew ya. Fant? Later on crouton. Lock? Please resign we pinky promise this time we will really give you a fair shot.
I can’t help thinking we really blew it. We got a top corner and traded a 2nd for a stud DL only for our defense to get even worse, to near bottom of the league. Bad use of draft capital.
I am very hopeful of the coaching hires though, I like who they are, what they’re doing, and their approach. I really want it to work out and I hope how they evaluate players makes John better at picking free agents. But I worry without a franchise QB, we’re still just going to be spinning our wheels — only pointed a different direction. That’s really going to put a lot of pressure on coaching and the rest of the team. I highly doubt they’re going to be able to Trent Dilfer it with Geno/Lock. We only win a SB if the other team has their own Dilfer (remember Dilfer’s opponent was Kerry frickin Collins), but if it’s against Mahomes/Burrow/Allen we’re screwed. The entire NFC is screwed for awhile now, really.
I’m right there with you. Ready to focus on guys next year, but…is this a problem? We are running out of chances. Last was soooo close to getting a legit qb. This year I’ve really soured on (and am wondering if Schneider is the same way) the class.
Something HAS to be done. There is some bad faith there with how the quarterback position has been handled to make me worry. We’ve had chances and passed, and I hope we don’t finally make a choice when Seattle literally has to, with bad options.
Until they get someone, we’re more or less twiddling our fingers.
Thankfully Witherspoon looks fantastic. And JSN is trending well.
Because otherwise what Carolina paid to move up looks terrible unless you frame UT this way:
-Witherspoon
-Hall
-Pick #16
-Leonard Williams player trade for a free agent.
I’m not counting Moore because #5 is higher than #9.
I don’t know if I agree. I think Pete would have almost certainly shot down a trade-up for a QB while Russ was on the roster and likely vetoed taking a project pick any earlier than day 3.
The first year after he was dealt was the Kenny Pickett draft of 2022. Doesn’t feel like we missed out on anyone there. Last year was the big 3 (good chance that those teams were unwilling to move off of their pick) and Levis.
Levis is the only QB I think we can earnestly say they ‘passed on’ and even that was barely a month after giving Geno his new deal.
This year feels different, at least in terms of set-up going into the draft. They don’t have to take a QB this year, but it sure seems JS wants to.
I’m more thinking that if you look at when we drafted Russ to today, no other team has done as little with qb as us. No one is close. This could have been mediated along the way (but that’s on Pete).
And with last year, I believe they were going to draft Richardson (could be wrong, but if so, then…a lot of faith in our gm is gone for me; whether or not that is right or wrong). More-so meant that we were so close to getting to pick someone, not trade up to ensure that we did.
I think with this year, Schneider has hedged his bets to either take someone or wait another year and improve at other spots. Might be wishful thinking, but I wonder if he won’t prefer to wait another year.
“Fart in the wind” pretty accurately sums up the Wilson trade. I was saying from day 1 that trade will be a waste if they don’t get a QBoTF, and here we are 2 yrs later and still no long term answer at the most important position….. Until JS actually drafts a damn QB, all that talk about him wanting Mahomes, Allen, and wanting to draft a QB is meaningless rhetoric. It’s time for JS to put up or shut up about drafting a QB.
It seems all but certain that the top seven Quarterback prospects will be off the board before the end of round 2.. The only reason that I believe one could last into round 3 would be for serious character or medical issues.
I have seen some fans speculate that the Seahawks could draft a Quarterback in Round 3, but there won’t be anything left by then.
But what’s to stop them from leap fogging teams by trading away a couple of third round picks?
I understand the concern, but if there is a player John wants, regardless of the position, he does have some ammo to go after him. Especially if he is sitting on 3 third round picks.
I don’t know the trade chart valuations, but I would assume two would be enough to go up and grab a QB at the top end of the 2nd round.
Our two thirds would get us to ~49, where in this scenario our only option would be Spencer Rattler.
Then I would wonder if Schneider values the QB prospect enough to dip into 2025 picks?
I think that if JS had three third round picks he would use some of that to target someone still available in the second that he thought was high value for the draft position.
The price of #78 and #81 is 385 points
That could get you to #52
But then you only pick twice in the first two days of a draft where the strength drops off big time on day three
But after the trade the Hawks have #78, #81 and #84. I don’t understand “But then you only pick twice in the first two days of a draft where the strength drops off big time on day three.” Wouldn’t we still be able to pick 3 times if we traded #78 and #81?
That’s a hypothetical in the mock though. We don’t actually have pick 81.
If we can’t trade down we’d be giving up our two 3’s for a 2 and only picking twice.
Donald — that’s this scenario though where they’ve already acquired a third
So if you want to take this scenario at face value, all of the QB’s are gone by 52 anyway
There is nothing really to prevent the Seahawks from trading up or down to get a 2nd round pick to draft a Quarterback there if they wanted to. My only point is that I do not expect one of the seven top prospects to be available after round 2.
It is still early, but many are expecting 5 or maybe 6 Quarterbacks to go in round 1. If that happens, I would anticipate the other 1 or 2 Quarterbacks won’t stay undrafted very long.
Try playing matchmaker, I did a 2 round mock and it wasn’t as cut and dry as that.
I think the first 4 are Williams, Daniels, McCarthy and Maye in that order.
After that it gets harder…Penix, Rattler and Nix are harder to project to a team.
BUT ROB! WHERE’S FIRST ROUNDER WE GET FOR TRADING GENO? 😂
In this scenario of moving down only four spots to nab a third, I’d think we’d have to flip two of our three third rounders to move back up into Round 2, no? Especially if Jackson, Jenkins, Colson, Wilson and Rattler are still on the board….
Anywho, a happy first day of Combine, for those that celebrate!!!!
#42 Minnesota — Jer’Zhan Newton (DT, Illinois)
This jumped out to me. Hasn’t he been mocked as early as mid-round 1? Is something going on long-term with the foot fracture?
Not sure Rob’s reasoning but I have two friends that had foot fractures and they took forever to heal. Both nearly a year for them to get back to athletic endeavors.
I had a small break in my foot years ago. Was still feeling it a few years later. And I had a desk job.
It’s wild how different some of the healing is. I had a brutal work accident and it took forever to heal my femur. But 6 years on its the broken ankle ( from same accident) that still causes me problems and gives me old man energy when the weather changes.
Size — not the biggest or longest
Not testing at the combine
Currently recovering from an injury
Might end up high R2 instead of R1
I’ve watched Newton. He isn’t the Alpha without a big body next to him absorbing double teams.
Shades of Mazi from last year
Anyone have any sense for what Lockett would get in a trade?
Looks like in a trade we would have to eat a lot of his salary. And would be palatable 2 years $15m to the team trading for him.
My thought is lower 3rd round to early 4th??
That trade along with trading back in 1st for a 3rd. Would allow us to have the picks to really build depth in our defensive front 7 after getting a solid o lineman in the first round.
He’s 32 this year
You’d be lucky to get much at all at this stage
Tvondre Sweat 366lbs. It is amazing how well he moves at that size.
Our DL would look a lot different with him in the middle that’s for sure.
It worries me a bit though that he’s nearly 370lbs… for the combine
What happens when he’s earning a fortune in the NFL and not going through a job interview?
Great point! If he is 366 now he was probably around 400 at points over the last couple of years and there are not many 400lbs playing DL in the NFL.
If they could get him down to 350 and maintain it then have to think he could be special .
It is funny watching film where the Lineman, sometimes even Linemen, push into him and he doesn’t give an inch. Just a stump in the ground with deep roots.
Byron Murphy, in an interview, stating that Cooper Beebe was his toughest lineman to face.
Strong praise.
Love all that stuff.
Like when Penix said Murphy was a DT that stood out to him.
I don’t think Schneider will miss out entirely on R2 if he can avoid it. And with three R3 picks in this scenario, 78, 81 and 84, I think he’d make a move for someone like Penix, or maybe McKinley Jackson, Roman Wilson/Jalen McMillan/Ja’lynn Polk, depending on what happens with Leonard Willams and Tyler Lockett.
Not clear cut to look at the past as prologue given the Carroll factor, but they have successfully traded up in R2 previously.
Agreed. I don’t suspect they’ll reach for anyone but gaining an additional third and not making a move to regain a mid/late 2nd, especially when the last few rounds are considered chaff this year, would be irresponsible.
Who do you follow on Twitter for weigh in and other information?
Chop Robinson lacking ideal length/wingspan
6027
254
32 1/2 arm = 13th percentile
76 1/4 wing = 5th percentile
Time to change his name to Crop Robinson.
and with that, I will now show myself out. 🙂
See Parsons, Micah
I think its the wingspan that is more important than arm length
Micah Parsons:
31 4/8
78 7/8 = 68th percentile
Maxx Crosby:
32 7/8 Arm
81 0/8 Wing = 67th percentile
IDK if it’s an eliminating factor, but is a concern
Yeah IDK if wingspan matters or not here if he’s twitchy, can bend, get home. Suppose it could impact wrapping ability and arm tackling perhaps.
Doesn’t bother me at all to be honest
Just from Seahawks perspective, I think it makes it less likely the Hawks will go after him over other guys. John typically likes longer athletes at EDGE
https://ibb.co/SVmTXxc
I think we wait and see on the testing. If he puts in a show then I’d say he’s one to watch. If his testing is less freaky then one imagines I’d bump him down.
oh he’s going to put on a show. Dude is freaky freaky
Maybe. It’s not the first time I’ve been told an athlete was one thing and they ended up something else.
I assume he will.
Ummm, I want that.
Did you put that together yourself or find it online somewhere?
If that’s your work, well done. Love it (though I don’t think Derick Hall broad jumped 127 ft). Have you done it for every position and can you add a column for “acquired” to show round drafted/udfa/trade/FA?
Does he? Or was that Pete?
Beat me to it
Good point
How does that stack up with Avril?
If Chop falls, that is a win I will take.
Avril arm length was 2″ longer.
Doesn’t matter as much if you can just blow by tackles like he can.
I don’t see New Orleans doing anything at #14 other than trading down. They are still $40 million over the cap even after restructuring Carr and McCoy. They have 24 free agents according to OTC.
https://overthecap.com/free-agency/new-orleans-saints
They don’t pick again until #45 and have no third-round pick. They have four 5th-round picks. They have got to move down to get a 3rd.
No offense Palatypus but it’s a fools errand to look at NO’s cap numbers and assume anything.
They’re always off the deep end.
Yeah, well they interviewed Jayden Daniels yesterday. Thinking he’s going to fall that far is off the deep.
They’ll need a QB in 3-4 years. Never too soon to start scouting.
All I’m saying is that I agree with Rob. We will be on the phone asking what $hitsburger is willing to offer “In case our guy isn’t there.” While we are on the phone with them, they may get a competing offer from New Orleans.
There are a lot of O-Linemen in that range that they would like, too.
And at this point, is there anything that New Orleans doesn’t know about the Heimann trophy-winning quarterback who lives a parish away? They know as much about Jayden Daniels as the Seahawks do about Michael Penix Jr. They probably know how many hairs are on his butt.
It’s a bit like me going into my backyard and interviewing my dog Daisey.
May, Payton Wilson to the Chiefs hurts. Tired of them getting the players that are on my wish list. And then seeing that yes, they are as good as we thought they were going to be.
Absent the second-round pick, this mock, which is very realistic, leaves me feeling as if I’ve just attended a buffet with only a toothpick and a tea cup with which to serve myself. I’m starving with only Cheetos to satisfy my gnawing hunger. Fautanu is an attractive appetizer, yet barely whets my appetite. Having to watch as patron after patron partakes of some five-dozen main-course servings before I can next fill my tea cup leaves me disconsolate and unfulfilled. This is a difficult scenario for one whose two favorite words are “more” and “now”.
💯💯💯
Agree with the overall feeling. Especially as it relates to a QB.
With that said, there would still be some good talent at positions of current need in this scenario for our 3 impending picks:
ILB: Cedric Gray, Edgerrin Cooper, Jeremiah Trotter, Curtis Jacobs
DT: Ruke Orhorhoro, Dwayne Carter, Tyler Davis, Michael Hall
OL: I’m sure there are some, but I don’t know the names well enough to spot who’s missing
Maybe trade one of the 3’s for a day 3 pick & 2025 R2, so we don’t end up in this position again?
I do think it’s good to look at the ‘what if’ scenarios on the bad side.
What if we can’t get a decent value in a trade down?
What if we can’t move back up into the 2nd?
What if all of the QB’s are gone by pick 52?
Every team goes through these scenarios, and I’d imagine they would figure out their worst-case (and how to avoid it).
That’s a great post, Unio. Now I feel hungry too!
If the Seahawks don’t get Leonard Williams back, then that yawning gap in the 2nd round is going to feel like all the good food is gone & we are left with the lettuce that was used to decorate the plates! If they do get him back then at least we can claim that we had a slice of cake yesterday so we are not really that hungry today.
Watching the Sweat interview at the podium.
The guy is getting question after question about his weight and managing it. He spoke how he loves playing at 365. He doesn’t see a need to lose much more weight. He talked about guys like him can’t sit around for more than a day. Has to be moving, or the weight will start piling on.
Nice to hear him acknowledge the issue he faces with a humble statement like that.
I thought I heard him state he will be doing all the drills. Joked about people being stunned when he does the 40. Very, very comfortable at the podium and has genuine interactions with the reporters.
This is a guy I could see becoming a big favorite in the locker room of any NFL team.
Here is the link to the weigh-in tracker.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/nfl-combine-measurements-tracker-2024-hand-size-height-weight-more-for-brock-bowers-other-notables/ar-BB1j5F6C
Stating the obvious, but that sure is a cluster of Offensive Tackles in the first round. In this scenario the trade down makes sense, and the target is excellent.
Starting at 16 there are five OT off the board in 8 picks. Go up to 13 and there are seven OT in eleven picks.
While I usually agree with Jim Moore who often says ” I do not want versatility, I want an Offensive Lineman who is really good at one position!”, in this case, Troy’s ability to play both guard and tackle covers the injury risk at right tackle while offering an upgrade at guard.
And also makes him very attractive to New Orleans who have Trevor Penning (remember him?) at left and Ryan Ramzcyk at right, who is recovering from a significant injury.
https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/saints-feel-much-better-about-ryan-ramczyks-injured-knee/article_30846686-d67e-11ee-9ac9-eb63b28338a1.html
Hey Cha! You were right. New Orleans is now at $25 million according to this article.
Never doubt Curtis the Salary Captain
Incoming broadcast to NASA from Vega…
Sporting News with weigh-in information.
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-combine-measurement-tracker-2024-hand-size-height-weight/3abe67d14c86472275b8bc0a
Sweat weighed in at 366.
There is a certain momentum that goes along with the passing of one era and the baptism of a new regime. Imagine the intensity that comes with the gathering of all those new coaches into one room; it raises the awareness of everyone involved. There is an excitement and energy that is palpable; a perception that anything is possible.
These are the types of beginnings that break down barriers and give birth to new cognitions and powerful intentions. At the very least one wants to maintain that momentum, if not create more. By all means, any potential obstacles to that momentum must be avoided. The last thing we want is to bog down due to a failure to feed the machine. It requires much less effort to increase one’s pace while already at a cruising speed, than it does to commence from a dead stop. Anyone who has peddled a bicycle knows this.
For the SeaHawks, finding additional draft capital is like “milking a mouse” – it takes a lot of effort, but very little to show for it.
While I’m not generally a proponent of drawing upon future resources to fund today’s expenses, i.e. “buy now/pay later”, might this not be the proper time to do so, or at least consider such, if ever one were to do so?
“That big horrible void in round two is painful to look at”. The closer it gets to the draft the more angry I find myself at the sheer stupidity of the Williams trade. There are a number of free agent moves, draft picks and trades that I wish we knew who was the ‘one behind them’ but given the unmitigated disaster of the Jamal Adams saga it’s extremely hard for me to see how they could again make such a flabbergasting move so I would really really like to know who spearheaded the Williams deal because if it was mostly John. . . . . !
It also makes one wonder – if our defense looked markedly worse after LW arrived and he played arguably the best of anybody on the d-line during his 11 games then what if we had’nt traded for him? Maybe our defense is all time epically bad for the remainder of the season and we lose 2 to 3 more games during those 11 and now we still have a second round pick and our first rounder is more like pick 7-11 range. Just another dumbfounding move that this franchise will pay for over the long run and brings into question if John should have also been let go with Pete. But we are left to hope Pete ran things with an iron fist and that most all of the moronic moves were by his misguided will.
Two things come to mind.
1. Pats passing on Maye’s ceiling and rookie contract and trading a _pick_ and _paying_money_ for Fields is nuts. This is the type of move that gets a GM fired. I don’t understand this.
2. I think JS will go for a high upside pick in R1 like Mims. They probably know that this is at least a two year rebuild and their ultimate goal would be to find guys that can be difference makers in two years if not sooner.