Seahawks trade down to #40, won’t pick until day two

Did the Seahawks just miss out on their guy?

After weeks of suggesting it might be difficult to trade down from #32, that’s exactly what the Seahawks did today. They made a deal with Minnesota to move out of the first round, collecting a fourth rounder (#108 overall) in the process.

They now own the #40 pick.

Was this always destined to happen? Perhaps.

But you could watch the Seahawks war room on a live feed online. And those watching certainly detected an air of deflation when New England selected Dominique Easley at #29.

It felt pretty deflating watching at home too. Easley is a terrific prospect and clearly some teams feel comfortable about the situation with his knees. He’s not just an explosive interior rusher — he has a Seahawks attitude and personality. He would’ve fit like a glove on this defense. Imagine him blowing up the pocket from the interior with Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett working the edge? What a shame.

Ian Rapoport has since confirmed Seattle wanted Easley:

Dan Quinn didn’t join the Gators until 2011 and Easley was part of Florida’s 2010 class — so Quinn didn’t recruit him. But he coached him — and clearly he made an impression.

Only five receivers went in the first round, with several good options remaining in the second frame. Getting Easley at #32 would’ve allowed Seattle to still get a receiver at #64 and feel pretty satisfied with that deuce. Now the best option at #40 could be a wide out, so the complexion of the draft plan potentially shifts in a big way.

Here’s a list of the best players remaining options for Seattle:

Marqise Lee (WR, USC)
He’s extremely competitive and gusty. He’s intense, he fights to succeed. In 2012 he was the ultimate playmaker in college football. So why’s he still on the board? You start to fear if there are unknown health concerns. He’s not the biggest guy. He ran a 4.50 and dropped a few too many passes last year. If the 49ers are willing to take Jimmie Ward at #30 instead of Lee — what does that tell you? Is he a product of other receivers moving up — or is he set for an even bigger fall based on circumstances we don’t know about? Would Seattle even consider him if he’s there at #40 — given so many other teams have already passed?

Cody Latimer (WR, Indiana)
Tall, fast and with strong hands. He’s a top-tier athlete with big potential. Doesn’t drop the football ever. Spent the off-season working his tail off to get better with Brandon Marshall. I’m surprised he lasted beyond the end of round one. He’s also the best run blocking receiver in the class. He’d make a lot of sense at #40 if they want to take a punt on athletic skills. But is he tough enough to make it in Seattle? Marqise Lee will go up against the LOB and demand respect. Latimer’s a little quieter and won’t get in your face. You better come ready to play in camp if you’re playing receiver for this team. Cleveland (#35), Oakland (#36) and Jacksonville (#39) could take him.

Joel Bitonio (T, Nevada)
Solid tackle or guard. Athletic with a great attitude. Had been tipped to go to the Panthers at #28, who instead took Kelvin Benjamin. Not a long-limbed lineman like Okung or Carpenter but will come in and work hard to succeed. Shut down Anthony Barr last year — the #9 overall pick. Is he special enough? I felt coming into today they wanted to add an explosive player and there are more explosive guys available. It really depends how badly the want to fill the depth on the offensive line.

Martavis Bryant (WR, Clemson) or Donte Moncrief (WR, Ole Miss)
If they want explosive, one of these two could be the guy. A pair of 39 inch jumpers, 4.3/4.4 runners with height to match. If you want to swing for the fences this is an option. Bryant is immature but an excellent deep threat who’s well coached. Moncrief needs to play tougher but he has a unique blend of size and speed. Both players really only scratched the surface of their potential in college.

Other options

Ra’Shede Hageman (DT, Minnesota) — more miss than hit in college but a big time athlete with a lot of potential

Davante Adams (WR, Fresno State) — not a great straight line runner but he can jump (39.5 inch vert) and great character

Demarcus Lawrence (DE, Boise State) — fluid pass rusher with a quick get off, Character concerns

Cyrus Kouandjio (T, Alabama) — would be gone by now if not for the knee issues

Morgan Moses (T, Virginia) — another long limbed, massive tackle

Brent Urban (DT, Virginia) — I’m calling him a wild card. Incredibly athletic, huge size. They love length inside.

Jordan Matthews (WR, Vanderbilt) — I’m not a fan personally but he’s competitive and athletic

Second round mock draft up to #40

#33 Houston Texans — Stanley Jean-Baptise (CB, Nebraska)
#34 Washington Redskins — Morgan Moses (T, Virginia)
#35 Cleveland Browns — Cody Latimer (WR, Indiana)
#36 Oakland Raiders — Marqise Lee (WR, USC)
#37 Atlanta Falcons — Demarcus Lawrence (DE, Boise State)
#38 Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Kony Ealy (DE, Missouri)
#39 Jacksonville Jaguars — Donte Moncrief (WR, Ole Miss)
#40 Seattle Seahawks — Joel Bitonio (T, Nevada)

Final thoughts on the first round

— The big shock initially was Blake Bortles to the Jaguars. He’s a high character passer with the charisma to lead that franchise. He carries the drive Blaine Gabbert lacks. He’s a competitor and someone the Jags can build around. I like that pick.

— Cleveland grabbed another first rounder next year to pass on Sammy Watkins. It looks like a good deal on paper now that they have Johnny Manziel, but wouldn’t their offense look even better with Mike Evans catching passes from his former QB? Is Justin Gilbert and an extra pick worth giving that up now that they’re all-in on Manziel? As for Buffalo — they better hope they improve in 2014 or that’s a gift for the Browns next year.

— I was surprised to see only five receivers leave the board. I expected seven. A bad call on my behalf.

— The Rams had a great draft getting Greg Robinson and Aaron Donald. Superb. 10/10. I’m not sure what the 49ers were doing with their pick. They now have three safeties. Arizona also added a safety and further improved their blossoming defense.

It’s now 6am here so I’m going to wrap up for tonight. We’ll be back with more live coverage tomorrow — I hope you’ll join us.

221 Comments

  1. Colin

    Benjamin and Easely were the two really high ceiling guys I was hoping would be available to Seattle. It didn’t work out, unfortunately.

    • Troy

      Perhaps?!

      #40- Bitonio
      #64- Bryant or Moncrief
      #108- Brent Urban or Will Sutton
      #132- Brandon Coleman
      #146- Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
      #172- Jonathan Dowling
      #208- Taylor Martinez
      UDFA-Colt Lyerla

  2. Arias

    DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT I soooo wanted Easley.

    Meanwhile the Rams aren’t making this conference any easier. Our saving grace is that their QB is still Bradford.

    • ET

      The Cardinals DBS are nothing to sneeze at too. Buchannon is a beast.. Nfc west is an arms race..

      • Arias

        Too true. Both the NIners and Cards getting safety reinforcements. I suppose imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that, but it sure doesn’t make me feel comfortable that the Cards got Buchanon.

        • JeffC

          I think both those picks were reaches. SF has two second round picks and I was glad they took a projected second rounder in the first. Same with arizona.

          • Arias

            Really? I saw Buchanon as having a first round grade. He’s a thumper and his coverage skills underrated, Cards are getting a player that will follow in the footsteps of Adrian Wilson and they did flip an extra pick trading back with New Orleans for it. I was surprised with the Niner pick, primarily because I was surprised they would pick a guy with a hairline fracture that will miss OTAs, but his private workouts must have impressed them since he had no combine results due to the same injury.

            • JeffC

              I think since McLoughan has left the niners, their drafts have been so so. Bowman was a great pick, but they’ve had more misses than otherwise. I liked Buchanon but I always think it’s easier for college safeties to dominate than the pros. In college Eric Reid was totally badass but his first year in the pros…meh (which could change of course as he gains experience and adjusts to the speed).

              I still think the Cards oline is subpar and they could have helped themselves.

            • JeffC

              With the niners, I’m just looking at them as not really improving offensively from last year other than having a healthy Crabtree. And their offense really has trouble against us. Although if they get Martavis Bryant…then I’ll be worried…

              • Arias

                The draft is far from over and they still have a boatload of picks.

                In context I think their pick makes sense. With the top 3 corners off the board they thought they could get a better CB prospect out of converting Ward to slot corner than the remaining CBs that graded out a cut below the top 3. They wanted to package up some picks to grab OBJ but when that didn’t happen and it fell to their turn they had to do what they could to address one of their two glaring holes at either WR or CB.

                What I find interesting is that they didn’t think they could grab Ward, who didn’t seem to be on many radars because of his injury, any lower than with a 1st round pick. They must think the world of him as a CB prospect because they thought they had better chance of still grabbing one of their highest graded receivers left at 56 or 61 than they did of Ward still being there at those slots.

    • Emperor_MA

      “Arias says:

      May 8, 2014 at 10:19 pm

      Meanwhile the Rams aren’t making this conference any easier. Our saving grace is that their QB is still Bradford.”

      Not so fast. Derek Carr is still on the board.

      • Arias

        You got a point.

        Damn them.

  3. ET

    It has to be QB for the Texans, right? Carr or Garapolo? That seems to be a much bigger need instead of cb, although Jean-Baptise is intriguing

    • Rob Staton

      I think they’ll work a trade for Ryan Mallett.

      • ben7

        I don’t think they’re going to. Mallett isn’t any more proven than Derek Carr, Jimmy Garopolo, or Zach Mettenberger. And they wouldn’t have to give up anything.

        • Arias

          Yes they would. They’d have to give up the 2nd round pick they’d spend on one of those guys that they could otherwise use on someone else. Also O’Brien was Mallet’s offensive coordinator in New England so he’d have the best idea if Mallet was further along than a raw QB like Carr, Garopolo, or Mettenberger that all have flaws in their game they need to get ironed out.

      • ET

        I wondered if this was going to be the season Mallet was traded, and I see him fitting well in Houston( He played his prep ball in Texas if I remember correctly). Trade for Mallet and maybe draft a McCarron in the 3rd or possibly 4th for competition. That be a good move for them. All I know is that the Texan defense, and especially that DLine, is down right frightening if everyone stays healthy.

    • Emperor_MA

      I don’t think the Texans can take Derek Carr. Because of who his brother is, the first time the kid throws an INT the fans will call for his head.

      No good can come of Derek Carr going to Houston. My guess is they will try to trade for Mallett and maybe try to get another QB in the third or fourth round.

  4. Jon

    any way we trade out all together and pick up a first rounder next year. pick #40 I believe is very close to the pick that we originally traded and ended up getting ET the next year at #14 with that pick.

    I would personally love it if some team that will be likely picking in the top half of round one next year would give us a first rounder. Short term loss for a top 15 pick next year. I would do that

    • Rob Staton

      I’m game especially if it’s a lousy team willing to serve up a potential top-15 pick.

      • Jon

        yep. this is the only way the hawks may be assured a top 15 talent ever.

    • shams

      I’d rather go the other way and trade some of *our* 2015 picks.

      • Michael M.

        Not gonna happen from the #40 spot obviously, but I wouldn’t be opposed to moving up from #64 into the mid-late 40s depending on how things go. It’s a long shot, but I’d be doing backflips if we left this draft with Latimer and Bitonio.

        • Don

          I agree. Trade 64 + 108 for another High 40s and get Latimer and Bitonio.

          • John_S

            The preference for JS is always to accumulate more picks not give them up to trade up.

            I can see them trading down again to get more 4th or 5th rd picks.

            • hawkmeat

              Especially if their guy is picked before them again.

            • Bryan C

              On the flip side to this, the team is also getting a roster that is very difficult for a rookie to make. If there is an elite talent available that they project will fit and do not see that player lasting, I see no reason that they don’t trade up.

              • John_S

                That was said last year too about the roster, but they had 5 on the 53 and also Simon and Williams on IR and Jared Smith on the practice squad.

    • AndrewP

      It’s how they got Thomas, hard to argue with the process

  5. Garrett

    Doug was also reporting that the Cowboys, Bears, and Niners were also interested in Easley. With that in mind i doubt he would have made it past the Niners had the Patriots not taken him. I’d rather the Patriots have Easley than the Niners. But its still too bad we missed him. Looks like there is still some great options at 40 so I’m excited for tomorrow!

    • Rob Staton

      Good point — Easley landing in NE may end up being something of a blessing.

    • Arias

      Wow. That truly is the silver lining then. I don’t feel AS bummed even though I’m still hella bummed.

    • Madmark

      I agree with ya on Easlley the good but we now have to face Donald

      • Michael M.

        Freaking Rams… I really don’t like that they are good at drafting now. It was so much better when they were picking Jason Smith and the such.

    • Cysco

      That’s the second thing I thought as well.

      first was “ugh, that sucks, that was my pick for the Hawks”

      second was “Well, at least the 49rs didn’t get him”

    • JeffC

      Thank you. You’ve healed me from my depression over losing out on him. Even if this weren’t true, I’m going to continue believing that SF wanted him and had to resort to plan C.

  6. Steve Nelsen

    Great choices left at O-Line, WR, D-Line and CB. There are at least 8 guys that were mocked to us as potential 1st rounders.

    • Matt

      We are set to get a really good player at #40. Was hoping we’d trade down, although it lead to an anticlimactic day for sure. Days 2 and 3 are going to be be days in Seahawk country! Go Hawks!

  7. Darnell

    Go heavy-set and run the ball right at the Rams until they want to put some big run defenders out there.

    • Chris

      Unfortunately it looks like we might HAVE to do that.

      That DL is terrifying.

  8. Chris

    Kinda wished they just pulled the trigger. Potentially losing on a Latimer/Lee/etc (whoever they liked best) or Bitonio (are there any other decent swing tackle prospects left that aren’t an injury risk like Cyrus?) for a 4th seems a little sketch. I haven’t forgotten Harper or Durham quite yet (total bust 4th round receivers).

    Apparently they weren’t too high on anyone, which is fine I guess. Sometimes I think they try to be too cute when making WR choices rather than just grabbing the “name” guy. Their overly cute busts of OL picks is also well documented.

    Last year if they had just sit tight and done what a lot of people were expecting of them they could’ve had DeAndre Hopkins for a 1st and barely any money instead of paying a king’s ransom to bring in Percy. I like Percy, but the guy’s got to actually play and be a yearly All-Pro/Pro-Bowler for that trade to have been worth it.

    • Bruce M.

      But Hopkins and Harvin are not the same type of player. They wanted a player to “tilt the field”. They got one. I sure as heck would prefer to be going into next season with a healthy Harvin than a healthy Hopkins, so long as we weren’t horribly cap-strapped. And at this point we aren’t.

      • Chris

        How about a healthy Hopkins, a healthy Tate, AND a healthy Breno/equivalent vs. a healthy Percy?

        • Ed

          Drafting Hopkins does not mean we would have paid Tate. We still have Kearse/Baldwin that are very similar. With so few picks, maybe they had enough players on the board to feel comfortable (Lee/Latimer/Bryant/Bitonio/Sui Filo). You may be unhappy about 2 bad 4th round WR, but what about everything else we have gotten after 4. Wright/Smith/Sherman/Maxwell.

          They have had way more hits than misses. Moving back 8 spots shouldn’t kill us and we won the SB without that #1 WR and no Harvin.

          • Arias

            Not “way more hits than misses”. Of the 39 drafted they’ve hit on 16 with 5 too early to tell. That’s still an outstanding hit ratio considering the caliber of some of their hits and what rounds they came in. But it does offer some perspective, for every hit they just about equally miss on a draftee too.

            • Robert

              Then the winning formula is to swing at more pitches. After today’s trade, they get one more pitch to swing at…

              • Arias

                I’d agree. I think that’s exactly JS’s strategy here.

              • Don

                Not totally accurate. They do get one more pick to swing at, but the ball is harder to hit in the 4th rd than 1st rd. because of fewer “quality ” players to choose from.

                With your example, a 1st rd pick is equal to a 4th rd pick. Not true. My chances of getting an impact player is better with a 1st rd pick.

                • Arias

                  True, it’s hard to remember that sometimes with the last 3 drafts having appeared to turn that whole notion on its head with there seemingly no correlation between the success of the draftee in relation to what round they were drafted; with the best coming from the later rounds.

                  Over a larger sample size I’d expect things to straighten out though with successful players more in line with where they’re drafted.

                  • Geoff U

                    Off the top of my head I think it’s something like a 50% chance of a hit in the first, dropping to a 25% in the second, and then down to +/-10% thereafter.

                    Seattle seems to be about average in the first two rounds, and then better than average in the later rounds. It would be neat to see a study on the Hawks on this.

                • Troy

                  Instead of drawing comparisons between a 1st RD pick and a 4th RD, why dont you put things into perspective. I would challenge you to view in the same light the very last pick of the 1st to a very early pick of the 2nd. Similar quality players and value can be had at both picks! Meaning the pitch is damn near the same exact underhand lob, right down the middle of the plate!! Which in return CONSTITUTES THE 4TH RD PICK AS “AN EXTRA SWING” yes, its probably going to be a change-up or curve but theres still every opportunity to hit a RBI- double in the 4th RD.

                  • Robert

                    Thank You! Geesh…

    • hawkmeat

      They got a 2nd and a 4th to move out of the first. They way they draft 3rd, 4, 5th rounders I am happy.
      I will be bummed if they don’t get LLatimer or Lee.

  9. Matt

    I think the plan with Ward in SF is to move him to CB. At least that’s what they were saying on ESPN. Curious pick.

  10. Ed

    I don’t mind the trade back. Would have preferred we trade to Oakland, but maybe they didn’t want to.

    I would actually look to trade next years 1st to take a 2nd this year. Browns/Raiders/Bills

    2nd Botinio
    2nd Urban/Lawrence
    2nd Bryant/Moncrief/Matthews

    Starting Oline/Dline and playmaker

    • Michael M.

      I really hate the idea of giving up a 1 for a 2. I truly believe that we’ll be picking 32nd again, but you never know. I’m sure the Texans never imagined they’d be in Clowney range this year.

      • Ralphy

        I hate that idea also. I would love to trade our pick this year for a first next year. That’s how we got Earl. That’s how the Rams just got Robinson. I almost always works out well.

        • Chris

          Now you’re talking. A trade for a future 1st usually involves a 3rd or so thrown in as well.

          We trade down plenty, but don’t trade nearly enough for picks the FOLLOWING year. That’s were the real draft capital is.

  11. Jarhead

    I see your logic Rob but expecting Bitonio to make it past all those teams seems like a real reach. I would also imagine that Washington would covet Bitonio’s high athletic upside to protect Griffin as opposed to an out of shape and inconsistent Moses. Here’s hoping but I’m cautious. Say Bitonio is gone- what’s plan B? Best DE/LEO prospect or take take a flyer on Urban?

    • Colin

      Here’s my take: When we took guys like Kam, Richard and Russell, I don’t think any of us expected them to be great players. They were not the sexy names of the draft. In hindsight, they were fabulous selections, and I take a similar approach here. I would have liked them to take Latimer or Bitonio at 32, but apparently they feel either they can get a similar player at a later spot (along with the other draft pick) or, they can get one of those guys at 40. It is a bit of a long shot, but until I have reason to really dislike a pick, I’m not going to question the judgement. They have a great track record in the mid to late rounds.

      • Michael M.

        I’ve fully prepared myself for the ‘Hawks to pick someone I’ve never heard of with #40

    • williambryan

      It does seem like a reach, but most of us expected him to be gone at 28 to Carolina, so… Maybe it’s not as unlikely as it seems.

  12. Brian

    It definitely seemed like they just gave up after Easley was picked, watching from the draft room cam. That’s incredibly frustrating. Easley’s gone, and there’s no one else at 32 to pick? Really? In an incredibly talented class? There’s a solid chance Bitonio, Lee and Latimer are all gone by our first 2nd round pick, along with other very talented players. It sometimes seems like the front office is masterful at every aspect of the draft, except for first round picks (Earl being the exception).

    • Arias

      I was watching too and the air deflating from the room was unmistakable. I think Easley was the only guy with a first round grade that they still had up on their board.

    • John_S

      I wasn’t frustrated at all. I knew beforehand that JS was most likely going to try and trade out of the pick.

      I expect him to trade the 40th as well to add another 5th rd pick.

      Get one of Lattimer, Bryant, Moncrief with the first 2nd rd pick and Mewhort with the 64th pick and I am happy.

    • Geoff U

      Easley must’ve been that guy they’d feel terrible leaving the draft without. I appears they didn’t feel that way about anyone else left on the board.

  13. williambryan

    With this being my primary source for draft info, I too was surprised by the lack of receivers, and more surprised with all the DB’s taken. One thing you nailed was James to the Dolphins. Mike Mayock was shocked and unprepared for that selection lol.

    • bigDhawk

      Is the run on DBs really shocking, though? I believe our performance against Peyton and the Broncos in the SB left a bunch of NFL front offices literally in awe, and they came away determined to replicate our success to any degree, ergo the run on DBs.

  14. jb

    safeties, plural. sorry, but it is not a possessive. otherwise you rock. and yes, I have no friends.

    • shams

      Damn, dude, Rob was up all night!

  15. Adog

    I think they stay where they set their hopes for this draft …on the defensive line. I expect it to be hagemann , lAwrence , nix, or tuitt at 40. It’s hard to fathom them drafting a wr in rounds 1-2 and putting them alongside udfa’s Baldwin and Kearse . I mean how do you grade grade any wr against those guys?

    • Robert

      I think they quantify where the prospect is now and project where they will be after 1 year in our masterful player development system…

    • hawkmeat

      Different players, especially before their respective drafts. They both developed well, and Baldwin wad a guy they really wanted.

  16. Steve-O

    It seems pretty clear that Bitonio, Latimer, and Lee are the three people that would have suited them most. I can’t see they’d expect any of those three to survive the next seven picks, since the Skins, Raiders, Bucs, and Jags could all use a tackle, and the Browns, Raiders, and Jags all need a WR. So I’m wondering if they have a Bruce Irvin-style rabbit ready to pull out their hat. I hope not, because I’m not too happy about how the first Bruce Irvin worked out. Yeah, he’s a nice player, but just not a first rounder. You can only half-whiff on first rounders (Irvin, Carp) before it catches up with you down the line.

    • Don

      I agree, and it pisses me off that we will not get either of those 1st rd talents because of being greedy for a 4th rd pick.

      Losing top talent for a lousy 4rd pick is not worth it. Damn it, just pick one of the top talents and be glad you got one. Don’t get cute because you will lose out on both!

      • Mo Fafflebap

        Actually, statistics show that not only is trading back preferrable to trading up, but trading back is more successful than staying put. In no way is it “getting cute”.

        Not only do I have confidence in JSPC to assess what constitutes “first-round talent,” but I share their enthusiasm for what they might get out of that fourth-rounder. Just a month ago, Rob was all over the upside of Brandon Coleman–who’s to say that Lee or Latimer are strictly better? If we can get Coleman with that 4th rounder AND add Kouandjio, Hageman, or Lawrence, isn’t that just a huge win? What about Moncrief plus LDT? The combinations are endless. It’s all just playing the percentages, and you really should have more faith in the Seahawk front office. They’ve earned it.

        Also, the fact that San Francisco has the same needs at WR as we do and chose to pass on Lee and Latimer (for a safety-turned-corner!) gives me hope that one or the other will still be there at #40…

      • John_S

        They’re first rd talents to you and some draft guys, but how do you know that the Seahawks have them graded as 1st rd guys?

    • mister bunny

      Carp I’ll give you, but Irvin has been a very good player for us. His transition to linebacker last season was seamless, and he proved very adept in coverage. Maybe not getting the sacks you expected, but a very good player. Don’t forget about Okung, and the fact that these “whiffs” just won a Super Bowl.

      There are many more talented players still on the board than you just listed, I think we’ll get nice players with both our 2nd round picks.

      • Miles

        Yeah, I don’t see all the criticism with Bruce Irvin either. He played pretty well at LB last year (remember that pick against StL?). And he had eight sacks in his rookie season as a LEO. He may not be very good at any one particular thing, but he’s so athletic he can do almost everything on defense. Including get a large amount of sacks if we choose to utilize him that way in 2014.

      • AlaskaHawk

        I like Irvin at linebacker. I don’t think he will ever be back on the defensive line. So lets just use him where he is most useful.

      • Chris

        I wouldn’t say seemless.

        He got pulled in passing situations … which for a guy that was chosen specifically as a pass rushing specialist is not a good sign. We complained about “wasting” a 1st rounder on a SLB when it was Curry, and now we’ve gone and switched Irvin to one as well.

  17. Jim Kelly

    Rob,

    “– So James and Bitonio are off the board. Seven receivers have gone in the first round. Even Dominique Easley has been taken by the Patriots at #29. I think in this situation they would be hammering the phones trying to trade down. I’ve mentioned time and time again that I think it’s unlikely to happen unless the Seahawks are willing to take a cheap deal. In this scenario — I think they probably would take a token gesture trade. Potentially for as little as another 5th round pick or even flipping picks in a round (eg swapping a late 4th for an early 4th). I’ve not included trades in this mock.”

    For the most part, you nailed it. You might not know the rest of the league, there are just too many variables and wild cards out there, but you know the Seahawks. Good job. Thanks for being a Seahawks fan. You’ve made me so much smarter than almost anyone else at work. The only other two that can sound as knowledgeable as myself are Hawk fans that read your blog. Your hard work not only makes us look smarter, but it allows us to enjoy the doldrums of the off season. Thanks, again. Keep up the awesome site.

    Arias and Ed were talking about the Hawks having “way more hits than misses.” I have to agree with Ed on this, the Seahawks have had more success than failures. Just like other teams, they’ve had players make the team, only to be replaced the next year. Unlike other teams, the Hawks have been able to coach up most of the players that they’ve taken. Over a five year period, the average is about 45% of drafted players making the team (I’ll have to find the links for this, but for this exercise, it won’t matter much.). Pete Carroll’s unique approach has enabled those that do make it to contribute. How many times do you see a drafted player make a team, only to be depth, or marginal? 2010 was that way, but since then, it’s been key contributors that have made the team. From now on, we’re likely to see more drafted players be fringe players, or be developed to take roster spots of others that are leaving. This is a nice side effect, and it’s so much better than being a fan of a team that has every drafted player make the team because that team basically sucks.

    • Arias

      Minor nitpick. 2010 was actually an outstanding draft from the perspective of how many stuck with team as key contributors:

      First round: OT Russell Okung, S Earl Thomas.
      Second round: WR Golden Tate.
      Fourth found: CB Walter Thurmond, DE E.J. Wilson
      Fifth round: SS Kam Chancellor, TE Anthony McCoy.
      Seventh round: DE Dexter Davis, TE Jameson Konz.

      All the high round picks panned out big time, and Thurmond, Chancellor, and McCoy in the lower rounds.

      Konz is the only one that might be considered marginal that made the team because he was constantly injured.

      Otherwise that was probably the strongest draft out of the 4.

      • Michael M.

        Strongest PC/JS draft is, and always will be 2012. You know why…

        • Jon

          RW

        • Glor

          the core of our LOB came from the 2010 draft, that is the identity of this team. I like RW, but he didn’t win us the SB, our D did.

  18. Rock

    I expect two of the first eight picks tomorrow to be used on QB’s. Houston will take Carr. That should leave even more choices for us. Obviously, from the reaction to Easley coming off the board our guys were not shopping for a WR early. I still expect an offensive linemen although it could be a defensive guy like Hageman. Moses, Kouandjio or XSF would be my guess if we stay at 40. Since Robinson and Matthews went in the top six we should be assured of getting one of these three.

    • Darren

      Easley was better than what was left at WR. We were last in line. Draft value is very important.

      Latimer is not a first round pick. Lee’s not a fist round pick….I can say now in hindsight.

      Would they have taken Benjamin????

      • Rock

        I doubt they would have used #32 on Benjamin. O Line is the priority and they needed a top 15 guy to fall to 32 before they would deviate from their plan. This draft is loaded with tall WR’s. We have 10 guys in line including Chris Matthews. I do not see WR being as big a priority as most do. Where would he play?

        • Miles

          If we go away from WR with this next pick we could take Bitonio. Then at 64 we could potentially trade down and still get that other Seahawk-y player. Jarvis Landry. I would be very happy in this scenario.

    • Arias

      I really can’t see Houston taking Carr. That would be a bit too much like deja vu redux for that city I think, it’d almost be like trading for Schaub.

      • Rock

        True, it will be deja vu. They would have preferred Bridgewater. They have to have a QB, however, and the train is leaving the station.

        • Miles

          I think if you’re the Texans, you need a quarterback and after Carr there is a significant drop-off. You can’t pass on him just because of the quarterback you drafted ten years ago. But it still would be pretty funny, particularly if neo-Carr isn’t very successful. 😛

          • Miles

            Also the value of getting a QB in the second round is pretty good. You already got Clowney (!!!), now go get a quarterback and see where it takes you.

          • Arias

            After the Schaub debacle of last year, could you even imagine if they took baby-Carr and he busted just like his brother while Manziel went on to greatness?

            If anything could cause Houston to riot I think that would have to come pretty close.

  19. ben7

    I actually think those picks are going to go
    Texans: Derek Carr
    Redskins: Morgan Moses
    Cleveland Browns: Carlos Hyde
    Oakland Raiders: Kony Ealy
    Atlanta Falcons: Demarcus Lawrence
    Tampa Bay: Xavier Su’a-Filo
    Jacksonville: Jeremiah Attachou

    • hawkmeat

      Mine isn’t too different

      Texans- Carr
      Skins – Bitonio
      Browns-Latimer
      Raiders- Garoppolo
      Falcons – Ealy
      Bucs- Caviar
      Jags – Lee

      Seahawks- Lawrence/Urban

      • Miles

        My hope is that the Browns will maybe wait on a big receiver for Johnny Manziel to throw to ala Brandon Coleman and not touch Latimer. Or, I’ll hope that the Raiders and Browns and Jags are privy to Mel Kiper’s board and pick Marqise Lee, Bruce Ellington and even Allen Robinson first.

        • hawkmeat

          You and I both my friend.
          I want Latimer, Lee, Bitonio, or Ealy. Any of those four, but Latimer is more desired

    • Jarhead

      Now I pose the question: would any of we fans feel happy with the likes of Lawrence or Urban with our very first pick of this draft? I mean REALLY like get us excited? Or isn’t that more like an, okay he’s an okay guy, type of pick. I want to have someone to get excited about like I was about RW3 and even Bobby Wagner

      • hawkfaninMT

        Lawrence.. A lil excited mainly because I haven’t watched much on him. Urban, not so much…

        I don’t even know who would get me excited. I suppose bitonio, Lee, or Latimore would have me smiling pretty wide

      • hawkmeat

        I would be happy. But excited, no that feeling would be for Latimer or Lee

  20. Darren

    Winning the super bowl was the price paid to miss out on easley. We sat at 32. the talent level dropped off at 29.

    deflating. Easley woulda been a great get, benjamin too.

    The draft is a crap shoot. For every bailey there’s a moffit. For every baldwin, there is a harper. No wonder they like obtaining extra picks late. It improve the odds

    The later you draft em, the less you have to pay them. We just finalized two huge contracts with more to come. Pete said the plan is to stay young, cheap in most spots and coach em up each year. We need those extra picks for when we do miss on players. That’s also why pete said character and competitive drive is an even greater consideration now. It improved the odds.

    Botonio must be plan C or D at this point. Is he going to be better than say bailey at blocking Donald or Brockers. Or Bowie at bloc;in chris long ? Speaking of.. I thought Bailey had a 3rd round grade last year. How’d he fall out?

    I can’t even speculate where they are going from here. Trader John may not be done yet. What if we trade back out of 40 and pick up another 4th… start a collection.

    I am already looking forward to training camp.

    Just please grab either bryant or moncrief ….soon….please……..

    They are probably ordering another round of beers in st. Louis right now. I’m going to bed.

    Thanks again Rob,….always informative. Good night 12’s

  21. Ed

    Of those Rob, I see Lawrence, Moses and Lee and add Carr.

  22. Brian

    What are the chances Jace Amaro lasts until pick 64? I wouldn’t prefer him to Moses or Bitonio at T or Lee or Lattimer at WR. But if we can get him at the end of the second round I’ll be happy.

  23. jake

    Note to Schneiz: More trading down please.

    • Miles

      With a draft this deep and a FO this good, you can’t really complain about having more mid-round picks. We may not get Latimer today, and that would make me sad but at the same time, look what PC/JS have done with 4th/5th rounders. If they pick up more, how exactly is that a bad thing?

      The best cornerback in the game was a fifth rounder. A FIFTH ROUNDER.

      • AlaskaHawk

        I’ll be excited when the Seahawks finally start picking players. After watching the first 39 go ahead of us I just want them to pick someone… anyone …no more trading down…. pick a player already.

  24. EranUngar

    It’s really not that bad Rob and guys.

    I predicted we will trade back out of the 1st. round for a reason. I think the FO has a similar view.

    At the end of the 1st, round you no longer have anything close to a sure thing. Sure things are gone in the top 20. My view of a “sure thing” is one of the following – A player who is good enough right now to be a starter or a player with such a huge upside that you see him as possible perennial pro baller for years to come.

    At the end of round 1 you will find an 80% chance starter or a 60% pro baller at best. It could be that Easley was the only player above those levels left. Once he was gone it was back to the original plane.

    The smart plan would be to get a 70% chance starter plus a 30% chance starter in the 4th. It’s simply a better way to end up with value for your team. I don’t need to remind you all that out of 6 pro ball selections this year only 2 were picked in the 1st. round.

    The writing was always there on the wall for all of us to see. Unless a very special player out of a very small list of possible candidates is there at 32 they will trade back and they did. It’s the smarter call and it should make you happy.

    For months we were mainly talking about those great players they could take with that 1st. pick. We fell in love with Bitonio and Latimer and others. The cold hard fact was that picking at 32 means that all but one of the players available are 2nd round picks or later. Now, it’s clear that whatever we may think about Moses, Bitonio, Lee, Latimer, Lawrence or Bryant and all the others – They are 2nd round talent or worse. The good thing is that we are picking 7 times in the 2nd round or worse range.

    My lesson from years of drafts is that you avoid falling in love with your potential picks for two reasons – It’s rare that they do pick the one you love and….It’s painful to watch what happens to those talented players at the next level.

    Sorry Rob for your frustration with some of your predictions missing the mark. As a dedicated student of the game you know it’s cruel task with a small chance of success. Fortunately for you and us, you are not just a draft expert, you are a Seahawks draft expert. Tonight, the game continues. By the end of tomorrow night we’ll have at least 7 new Seahawks hand picked by JS himself. They will represent the combines highest chance of success for the team. Considering his record so far i look forwards to be surprised and very pleased with them.

    P.S. – Nice of you to add “he who should not be named” to your list of candidates even if you are not a fan. If he will be picked by us (fat chance…) please give it the benefit of the doubt just because this old Israeli dog saw something special in him.

    • hawkfaninMT

      “He who should not be named” ? Who? Voldemort?

      • Arias

        lol. That’s what I thought off the top of my head too. Didn’t know Voldemort had filed the paperwork and put himself out for the draft, but I guess someone was at least paying attention. 🙂

        • Troy

          Whats a “pro baller”?

          • Arias

            lololol. i think that’s Eran’s pimp way of saying ‘pro bowler’. ;D

            • EranUngar

              LOL…sorry for my English and my fast careless typing 🙂

              And “he who should not be named” is a Voldermort ref. – Whenever i expressed a name i was interested in – they would NEVER be drafted so this year if i like someone i will not use his name in a prediction etc. (Just check Rob’s list for someone he is not a fan of…)

              • hawkfaninMT

                I did… Still not sure who you are talking about

                • Chris

                  Jordan Matthews

                  • hawkfaninMT

                    Oh! I had thought maybe Tim Jernnigan

                  • EranUngar

                    ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

                  • Arias

                    I kind of suspected that’s who you were talking about.

                    But look what you did. Rob actually talked about him in his latest entry. 🙂

  25. hawkmeat

    I look the trade out a good thing. Our first round picks have been not exactly exemplary. Trading back to the 2nd and getting a 4th are rounds with better success. History usually repeats it self.
    Latimer or Hageman with 40, and maybe Moncrief at 64 if WR isn’t taken.
    They are good at TE, but some prospects left are intriguing

    • Glor

      agreed, which is why I wouldn’t mind continuing to trade down. I really like the idea of trading 40 for a #1 next year. we have only hit in the 1st with a high 1st (with this regime) and we haven’t hit in the 2nd in a long while.

      • Jarhead

        Yikes, Bobby Wagner is a beast. He as nd ET run this defense…

      • Jon

        We have had 3 2nd round picks in this JSPC era. Tate, Wagner, Michael. I would say that looks pretty good to me.

        • hawkmeat

          Yeah, now that you mentioned them I am even more excited for the two picks.

          I am happy they have two more picks, good ones.

  26. Austin

    Maybe I’m in the minority but I would of rather taken a high end talent like Lee, Latimer etc. Maybe we still get one but I will be bummed if we get to 40 and have to trade down again because we missed another guy. We have done a great job late in drafts but I don;t think you can always count on that. Take a high end talent when you can. But they do deserve the benefit of the doubt.

    • CC

      I think getting that extra high pick in the fourth was worth the trade down – no 3rd rounder this year – with all the talent was important for depth.

      • Austin

        I agree but I also don’t think you can always bank on your late round picks turning out as well as they have. Seattle wont be in a position to draft an impact guy for years potentially so I just hope we didn’t miss on one just for the sake of an extra 4th rounder. It will be extremely hard for a 4th rounder to have an impact on this team now. If they didn’t see an impact guy then it was obviously a smart move. New England has traded down a ton only to miss out on a bunch of guys so it doesn’t always work out for the best

        • AlaskaHawk

          It is the second year in a row that we didn’t pick in the first round. Also we hardly used last years second round running back. It is frustrating to watch when you are a fan.

          • Glor

            yup and before that we had a draft with Carpenter taken in the 1st and Moffit in the 2nd or 3rd?…

          • Michael (CLT)

            I rather enjoyed watching our talented players win the Super Bowl.

            Sometimes I think people watch sports as a GM wannabe than a fan.

            Win the game. We are doing that.

            • Ed

              I agree Michael, as much as I love the draft, I loved winning the Super Bowl even more. I think maybe our love for the draft may be due to having such a terrible team for so long and the draft being our “hope”; but we are not in that situation any longer!

              With our success rate of hitting on players outside of the first round, I feel very good about our trade. I feel good about our trade despite my habit of loving early round picks.

  27. CC

    I’m really happy about the trade down – MSmith and Easley was hard to see, but there are some Seahawky guys left. I’m not a fan of Tuitt and Hageman. I could see Kareem Martin going at 64.

    I thought the Bortles pick made sense for the Jags – Khan can fill some seats with a bunch of UCF fans. That looked like an owner pick rather than a Caldwell/Gus pick – they would have picked Mack.

    Happy that Clowney and Easley in the AFC. I also thought SF’s pick was interesting – they want their own Earl, but sorry SF, only one of those guys

  28. David M

    They would have picked a player @32 if they wanted to. It’s obvious there wasn’t one they wanted… Leaves me to think the WR they want will be there at 40 or 64 ( Bryant, Coleman, moncrief)

    I’m not sure on other positions

    • Cysco

      I don’t think the front office fixates on singular players like us fans do. They fixate on value of the pick compared to value of the player.

      It is obvious they really liked Easley, but I’m positive that they had a group of players in their highest tier and Easley was one of them. I imagine Aaron Donald was another and that had Donald gotten that close to them they would have been equally disappointed.

      My point is that we shouldn’t look at them trading as a sign that they didn’t like any player available to them at 32 or that they have a singular WR target they think will be there at 40. Them trading means that none of their highest tier players were available to them so the value just wan’t there. There are probably a ton of players in their next tier still on the board and they saw an opportunity to pick up more value later in the draft.

      • me

        I don’t know if that’s true. I just think their list is smaller. If Easely was there I think they would have picked him (and Rob, GREAT work on their potential interest in him).

        Buy if they’ve got 10 guys graded similarly (and I’ve seen at least a dozen names tossed around now) why not pick up a fourth rounder to lick one of the guys you see as having a similar impact in the team?

        I think people will like this move a lot better after 40 is in the books and we’re back on the clock early in the fourth.

  29. Cysco

    High probability that they trade back even further into round 2 IMO.

    If you watch JS’s press conference from last night I think it’s apparent that he’s looking to move #40. He says something along the lines of

    “We’re sitting at #40 right now and if someone someone comes tomorrow with something we can’t turn down, we’ll look at that as well.”

    He also made some reference to how their 2nd and 3rd rounds were looking. He just came across as a guy who was looking to grab more picks.

    I think the ideal scenario might be to trade back to #22 with the Eagles and pick up one of their 3rd round picks (they have two now)

    Or perhaps even give the vikings their 2nd round pick back in favor of both their 3rds and a 2nd next year.

    I suspect the Hawks have a massive pool of guys they have 2nd and 3rd round grades on and they’ll be looking to do what they can to maximize their picks in that range.

    • Arias

      I don’t know that it’d be worth trading a 2nd back for a 2nd and 3rd next year. That seems an awful low return considering 1) like currency and interest, picks now are always considered a round more valuable than future picks 2) this is an usually deep draft class

      That means any trade for picks from next year should be able to fetch a premium. A 2nd round pick should net a 1st from next year at least. They could really use the pick to replenish coming free agents this year, and for the cost of deferring development on a 2nd round player this year until next year with only a return of a 3rd round pick next year which would have equivalent talent to a 4th this year doesn’t seem worth it. Deferring that 2nd round pick this year if it could be a 1st next year does make it worth it.

      • Jon

        he said both the thirds of this year and next years second

        • CD

          We will have 4 comp picks next year, no reason to believe we need more than those plus the 7 given.

  30. asdf

    Chances of Will Sutton getting drafted?

    • bigDhawk

      I really like his 2012 tape. It reminds me of Donald’s tape from this year. He might not get past Dallas at 47 because of this to be there for us at 64. Anyone who thinks they can get him back into 2012 shape and actually succeeds will have probably the biggest steal of the 2014 draft.

  31. misc

    Question for the gallery: why is chatter/enthusiasm for Cody Latimer 100x that for Allen Robinson? Seem like very similar profiles for athletic measurables and collegiate productivity; if anything, Robinson (who’s 10 months younger) might have the edge.

    I’m not saying Latimer sucks or anything. They just seem like they probably have a similar distribution of outcome probabilities on the curve from bust to superstar, but one dude doesn’t get a word in edgewise. What am I missing?

    • Michael (CLT)

      Speed

    • mister bunny

      I’m just repeating the opinions of others here, but Cody apparently has amazing hands, doesn’t drop balls. May be a factor over Robinson. But it also may be that you’re picking up on a group-think phenomenon, and the NFL GMs aren’t persuaded that they are that distinct from each other.

    • bigDhawk

      Latimer is a basketball athlete that, unlike some notable basketball to football conversions, actually loves the contact element of football. He is a highpointing specialist with superior speed and agility coupled with a willingness to throw nasty blocks in the run game downfield. He is my favorite reciever for the Seahawks in this draft not named Watkins or Lee.

    • Arias

      I like Robinson too. I think Latimer is the more physical receiver though and his hands are better. More of a finished product, Robinson liked to catch it against his body too often when the ball was delivered between the numbers and needs to refine that aspect and learn to use his hands to catch everything.

      Also Latimer is a far better blocker. Absolutely ferocious against the run where that’s an area Robinson could improve. They’re both outstanding possession receivers though. Robinson does appear to have an edge in creating better separation getting off the line.

      But I think it’s Latimer’s psych profile that kind of separates him as the type of Seahawk mentality JS and PC are looking for. His tenacity to block so level on the 2nd and 3rd levels reveals his grit and determination much in the same mold as the players on the team. Although to be fair I’m really not familiar with Robinson’s psych pro either.

      • Matt

        Great points on Latimer. I agree with all these assessments. They are very similar athletes in size and measureables. The one thing that Robinson has over Latimer is making plays with the ball. He’s got the great vision in the open field, and I don’t see that nearly as much with Latimer. There’s a 6-8 WR’s I’d be happy with today…there’s a few 4-5 round options I’d like too, if we don’t get 1 today.

    • Chris

      Personally I like A.Rob as a “natural” WR talent better. Latimer has the SPARQ upside though.

  32. OHawk

    Only way I would trade out of the #40 spot is it if it’s only a few spots back and gets us at least two more picks in the 4-6 ranges or if a team gives up next year’s first. You can usually bet that a team that gives up a first for a second is usually going to be picking in the top 15.

    I’m really hoping that Houston picks Carr just for the history with his older brother being the first pick in the franchises history and a bust. With how epic the fans meltdown was with Schaub it might just be better than if the Cowboys picked Johnny.

    I’m liking the options at #40 and would rather go offense early and then go defense at #64.

  33. Rock

    NEWS FLASH: “Russell Okung just tore his ACL in workouts. James Carpenter is starting at left tackle.”

    Think about it, guys!

    • Arias

      Seriously dude, even joking around like that really isn’t funny at all. I almost had an aneurysm.

    • Michael (CLT)

      Part of the game. Next man up.

      • mister bunny

        Yeah…which is his point. We want a better next man than Carp.

        • Arias

          Especially a Carp trying to hold down the fort on the blind side who needs to be rotated out every other series to catch his breath.

          Who exactly is expected to rotate in for him at left tackle when he’s too gassed to play? It just gets ugly thinking about it.

        • EranUngar

          Wooow…this was a real eye opener….

          Now try it with RW too. I’d rather have RW with Bowie at LT then Jackson with Okung…

          At least 10 teams in the league have a problem with thier starting LT and you are worried about our backup?

          We won the SB with Okung missing half the regular season. It wasn’t nice or easy but we did. Can’t have a starter quality backup on every position.

    • Glor

      I would believe this if you said Okung tore it getting up from his couch, and that carp was holding out

    • Colin

      Pretty sure Bowie or Bailey get the nod at LT before Carp.

    • MJ

      And like 31 other teams in the league, we don’t have an elite backup LT.

      • Arias

        I’m pretty sure the point is that whoever is the backup left tackle is ideally going to be starting somewhere else on the line when Okung’s healthy because having such a good player capable of backup up a LT shouldn’t be wasting away on the bench.

  34. Jeff M.

    Jets (with old buddy John Idzik) have an extra pick at the top of the 4th from the Revis deal and could use an impact wideout. Depending on how things go tonight, I wouldn’t mind sliding back from #40 to #49 in exchange for #104 and getting another crack at the mid-round value sweet spot. Plus with three fourth- and two fifth-rounders we would have a lot of ammunition to go grab any guy we liked that fell to the third or so.

    • Steve Nelsen

      That sounds good. The Jets were high on Marquise Lee and would probably jump if he slips to 40.

  35. Austin

    I think getting a lot of 3-5th round talent was something this team needed to get to where we are at. Not sure those guys have much of a chance to contributing with the current talent on the roster. I know I’m alone but I want a guy or two who can contribute immediately and this draft seems to have some guys who can in the 2nd round.

    • David M

      Same, I think both second round picks can get us an immediate starting caliber player, I hope WR and OL.

      Also rob, how would you rate WR blocking from these 3 players.

      Latimer, Bryant, Moncrief ?

  36. David M

    Also, I honestly think PC/JS have there eye on Martavis Bryant in the 2nd round. He has the speed needed to stretch the field, and has crazy upside. Thoughts?

    • Chris

      Maybe. I think the FO has a bit of a Raider’s drafting strategy in terms of favoring physical freaks. They just do it a lot better than Al Davis could.

    • Steve Nelsen

      Bryant,and Latimer have similar speed/athleticism profiles. Latimer has a rep for great hands and solid run blocking. Moncrief is another possibility and while Brandon Coleman doesn’t have the same speed, he has elite size and makes for a very interesting prospect.

  37. Hawkfin

    Just checking in here. I have not been here much this year after winning the SB! Awesome! 🙂

    Here’s my rankings: (I loved Kelvin Benjamin/WR who is gone. I think he could be a B.Marshall or Fitz)

    1. M. Lee. (Happy we traded down, but passing on him hurt) – He could be the best WR in this class. He’s not the perfect fit as it would be nice to get a taller wide, but he’s really good and would replace G. Tate with a better player. Concerned that he might not be on our board since we didn’t take him in the first. Pete should know him the best.

    2. Cyrus K/LT – I really love the tape. Shows me EVERYTHING Carpenter didn’t. He could be a great LT and Okung might not get that payday from us. Or he’s a great RT. I’m researching him further and might down grade him because of the knee issues. That is scary I guess. I need more research, but if he checked out healthy (And I don’t care about the combine) then he’s a perfect fit. I have him rated as the #2 OLine guy on my board based solely off his game tapes, and info I can get.

    3. Scot Crichton/DE – I have him maybe higher then most on my board. In fact, he’s #2-#3 right behind Clowney and with Dee Ford for me. I felt he was safer then D. Ford and his injury concerns. Scott is a true DE who can hold up against the run (Unlike Irvin) and has some nice rush ability. He reminds me a lot of M. Bennett completley. DE might be a big need if we lose Avril next year. Plus we drafted 2 DT’s last year so DE is still a need. Bennett can also play inside and we lost Clemmons.

    4. Allen Robinson/WR – Tall WR and looks really good. He’s one of my favorits and at times I thought about putting him higher then Lee. Reminds me a little of R. Wayne. Speed is maybe a concern, but he looks fast on tape. Big WR and fits a need, S. Rice replacement. I like him.

    5. David Yankee/Guard – Love this kid. He’s not ranked real high and maybe we could get him with the late 2nd round instead. But, he would be great in zone blocking, lots of power and high motor. He’s actually my #3 rated Oline guy overall.

    6. Joel Bitonio/LT – Very solid pick. I won’t mind this pick at all. He fits the bill for us. He could make it as a LT for sure, or an awesome guard too.

    7. J. Matthews/WR – I worry about injuries with him. Reminds me of Colston though. another big WR and times a better speed then Robinson I believe. But, something seems a bit off with him. But, he seems like a injury liabilty or to thin, I don’t know. But, he fits the tall WR bill.

    ———————-

    8. Cyril Richardson/Guard – I thought his overall tape looked good. I heard he’s not a good zone blocker, but for overall guard ability I kind of liked him. More so later in the draft.

    9. Gabe Jackson/LT – Same as Richardson. Ok, so so. 2-3 range.

    10. S. Tuitt/DT – Solid. I’m not sure we should go DT though if he’s not a sack crazed guy.

    Enjoy the draft guy’s.
    GO HAWKS! SB #2 😀

    P.S. – Offseason free angecy = PERFECT

    • Chris

      I like Cyrus too. Unfortunately I don’t think we have enough information as fans to know how much to worry about his knees.

      Also like A.Rob and Jordan. I wouldn’t mind either of those guys with #40 assuming Lee gets picked … although Bitonio might be more practical. A good RT that can swing would be awesome.

  38. Dan

    This is an interesting development. I also heard Schneider say they were “more than likely” trading out of the first. But that was before pick #1 was made. Maybe they thought they had no chance in taking Easely..

  39. Chad S

    It’s hard for me to get really worked up over missing out on Easley, because I just don’t see any way he would have made it past SF, and I MUCH prefer them getting Ward. With how many picks they have, and Tank Carradine coming off of his medical redshirt, they could have easily afforded the risk. If we wanted Easley that bad, we should have traded up. So yeah, it is kind of disappointing, but the odds he would be sitting there at #32 seems almost non-existent.

  40. James

    – John expressed in interviews prior to the draft that it was their plan and intent to trade down out of the first round, which is exactly what they did, so they must view this as a success. He knows not to fall too much in love with a player….he knows that there is about a 50% fail rate….so adding a pick doubles your odds. John and Pete’s great gift is to identify players with a special talent, and when they hit on enough of those…..Super Bowl.
    – If John and Pete had Latimer and Bitonio as high on their board as many of this blog have them on theirs, then they would have stayed at 32 and picked one of them. John knows not to assume that either of them will be there 8 picks later, in fact he can safety assume that they will both be gone by 40. His board has to be far larger than those two, and there must be at least 5 or 6 equally rated to trade down to 40.
    – Lee is an excellent player, but again, if they wanted him, they would have taken him. John knows he will almost certainly be picked before 40. Lee is too similar to Harvin, Baldwin and Kearse, all of whom are likely to be on the team for years to come.
    – The Seahawks need a SE only, 6-3 at least. I think it will be Bryant, but if John is planning to go SE at 40, he would have several guys rated equal….Latimer, Matthews, Moncrief, Robinson, Bryant…otherwise he would not have traded down, but have just taken their guy at 32.
    – Afterwards, John basically said that the first 31 picks had several surprises, leaving their board with more guys on it than they expected, so they can go down to 40 and still get an equally-rated guy off their board. If their board had been down to just a couple of guys, they would have taken one of them at 32.
    – My feeling about Easley is somewhat like Jared Allen…a luxury that tempts you, but you breathe a sigh of relief afterwards and realize you nearly went away from your needs at SE and OL.
    – I feel that Rob was uncannily accurate. Remember, he is basically ranking players from the Seahawks perspective. He was right that WR and OL had more talent, and would go R1 in droves, but what he did not spend his time determining was the extent to which so many teams were desperate for DBs. I view Rob’s projections as superior.

    • Ed

      With how many DBs were taken, it shows the increased perception of their value, which makes me even happier about extending Richard Sherman!

      • James

        ….and shows that the league is trying to copy the Seahawks formula.

        • hawkmeat

          I don’t know of it is copying since they drafted them in the first instead of the 5th or later. The passing game is huge piece to majority of the offenses, so DB is a position of need for many. Thank goodness we don’t have that issue.

    • dawgma

      This is a great post and I agree pretty much completely.

    • JeffC

      Well if hypothetically we had taken Easley, and he plays at the 3 tech, and you slip McDaniel to Red’s spot, I think that defense is better than last years’. And that would have been pretty awesome to play with.

  41. smitty1547

    reading about all the past round misses and frustration about not having a first RD pick again. You people do realize the guys in the FO did just show Seattle a parade in downtown right? They always seem to have a plan, have faith.

  42. Emperor_MA

    I see no way in hell the Texans take Carr. The question is, do they take Garoppolo or McCarron?

    Derek Carr will almost certainly go to the Raiders. In the very slim chance that he doesn’t, then the Seahawks may have a bargaining chip to trade down yet again with someone like TB, Dallas or Tennessee who may be looking to snatch up the draft’s best QB on the cheap. Heck, even NE and NO and SD would be in play, as well. Maybe even the vanquished Denver Broncos!

    • James

      It would be like the Seahawks signing Charlie Whitehurst’s little brother.

      • Arias

        Actually it’d be a great deal worse. We only dealt with the the Whitehurst debacle for one shitty game in Cleveland. Houston had David Carr as their starting QB for five fucking years. Think about that.

        • hawkmeat

          Well he did win us a game vs. The rams. That got us to the playoffs, and the playoffs gave us beast quake!

          • Arias

            That’s a great point. I almost forgot about that.

      • JedEye

        Worse. Carr was a #1. Think Mirer’s brother.

        • Arias

          Now we’re talking. That’s getting a lot closer to pinpointing what a dreadful shit mood people would be in about it. It still doesn’t quite get it though since Mirer was 20 years ago and David Carr only 12, so the mortal wound is much fresher.

    • James

      The ideal scenario for the Seahawks are for 2 QBs to go 33-39: Houston, Mettenburger or Garoppolo; Oakland, Carr? This would push 2 extra guys on the Seahawks board down to 40.

      • Emperor_MA

        Houston will probably shop the #33 pick for someone looking to take Carr. They can get Garoppolo or Mettenberger later and can pick up a little something for their effort. It might even be the Raiders who move up a few spots to make sure they get Carr.

        Two QBs off the board would help the Seahawks, for sure. They may also be able to make a trade if Carr is somehow still available at #40 but I think the odds of that happening are very, very slim.

        Wouldn’t it be something if we could move down around 7-8 spots again and net another 4th or maybe even a 3rd?

  43. James

    As John said, R1 left more players on their board than they expected, when #32 came around. After #23, the following players were selected that had R2 grades on many boards: Ford, Smith, Bucannon, Benjamin, Easley, Ward, Bridgewater. This drove into R2 the following players who often had R1 grades: Moses, Lee, Tuitt, Hageman, Bitonio, Latimer, Kouandjio, XSF, Nix and Jurnigan. Most of this batch of guys will go 33-39, where 3 teams might go WR: Browns, Raiders and Jags; Redskins will probably go OT (Kouandjio, Moses or Bitonio); Falcons probably DE; Houston maybe QB and Bucs, who knows?

    If the Seahawks board lists the following SEs fairly equally, then one or two of them will be there at 40, if that is the way they go: Latimer, Lee, Matthews, Robinson and Bryant.

    If the Seahawks board lists the following OLs fairly equally, then one or two of them will be there at 40: Kouandjio, Moses, XSF and Bitonio. My own view is that they should go RT at 64, where at least two of the following should be there: Mewhort, Richardson, Turner, Fleming or LDT.

    Therefore, if the Seahawks don’t go SE at 40, I suspect it will be an “outlier” D player, such as Lawrence or Jean-Baptiste. I will stick with my predictions of yesterday: Bryant and Mewhort.

  44. Emperor_MA

    I would love to see the Seahawks stand pat and come away with Davante Adams at #40 (24 freakin’ TDs last year!) and Billy Turner at #64.

    Turner can be their “crazy upside” guy they like to take every year and Adams can simply start being the Seahawks’ red zone threat and starting SE from day one.

    • James

      Adams should definitely be included in the list, and he could even go to one of the 3 teams ahead of Seattle who may go WR: Browns, Raiders and Jags.

      Adams has elite natural receiver skills, but I think of him like I think of Lee….that the Seahawks already have 3 guys with the Adams/Lee skill set (Harvin, Baldwin and Kearse) who should be around for several years. I think we need the tall SE to stretch the field. That’s why I project Bryant at 40.

      • Emperor_MA

        Neither Harvin, Baldwin or Kearse has the high-point ability of Adams. The dude can jump out of the stadium and come down with a ball in his hands.

        • Madmark

          Did you see Harvin leap for a 17yd pass in the Minnesota game last year for a 1st down.

          • Emperor_MA

            I did see Harvin’s catch. It was awesome!

            Adams is over 6’1″ and has HUGE ups. They claim he can actually get his eyes over the rim and LOOK DOWN INTO THE BASKET as he is dunking. That is a huge catch radius.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Turner doesn’t really have crazy upside. He has a decent ceiling, but a crazy low floor.

  45. David Ess

    Filed to ESPN: 49ers trading a conditoonal 2015 4th-round pick to Buffalo for WR Stevie Johnson, per sources. Pick can become a 3rd.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 9, 2014

    huh? i liked stevie johnsons field play, thought he was pretty good, someone got any other tidbits?

    • hawkfaninMT

      The only tidbit I have is “Crap!” I was kinda hoping the Hawks would acquire him with the 6th this year. When healthy and focused he is a man on the field. He can get deep, and also run the shorter stuff. We will see how he reacts to a good hit by the LOB, but that just made the Niners better.

      • hawkmeat

        Stevie beat Sherm when they played. Stevie, “why so serious”, is a speedster with good routes. I’m pissed 49ers scored him for so little. What is the bills deal+!

    • Matt

      Solid 3rd WR option for SF. The 49ers still don’t have a vertical threat though. I think this move makes it less likely that SF drafts a WR early, which I like.

      • hawkmeat

        I would rather they risked a wr in the draft than someone proven good. Personally.

  46. Cysco

    Lee/Latimer/Montcrief/Bryant/Adams/Coleman

    Just have to wonder if they’ll see too much depth to take a WR at 40. Maybe trade back even further and pick up a 3rd?

    The eagles are at 2/22 and have two 3rd round picks. Maybe try working with them to grab their 2nd and one of their 3rds.

    Chances are at 2/22 one of those receivers is still there I would think.

    • Rock

      I expect they are targeting OL but if it is WR then I believe you are right. We were told to expect nine WR’s in round one. Only five were drafted. There is plenty of WR depth left in the draft. We can certainly get a good one with #64.

  47. Madmark

    I like the trade. Seattle is quietly going about their business and for a Superbowl Champions that pretty hard thing to do. To me , its like the team has acquired a quiet swagger much like Lynch’s interview with Dein Sanders, “Its all about that action Boss,” “No talking ever won me anything.” and “If you want it you go get it ain’t no need to talk about it.” There was no splash this year and they quietly did what they wanted by bringing back most of there own and extend guys for our future.
    I don’t think anyone is upset because the majority of the guys we talked about on this website are still on the board and we are going to get one. Who knows with the 108th pick Rob may just get his Brent Urban because I didn’t really think he would be there at 132. I have faith in PC/JS to work the value of the draft and its not there fault that Easley left the board before they picked so on to option A and I’m sure they will probably be doing doing option J before this draft is over .

    • AlaskaHawk

      I like the first trade back. I just hope they will start picking players now. It would make me physically ill to trade back further and have San Francisco start stealing our picks. We know we need a wide receiver and Latimer is right there for us. Likewise with Bitonio. We know they won’t be there in the third round. So lets get some players!

      • Steve Nelsen

        Easy Alaska. You are experiencing a psychological effect called the “confidence bias” which means you are more certain that a particular player (Latimer or Bitonio) will succeed than the statistics show they are. It is a deep draft and the Hawks are proven evaluators of talent. If they pass on Latimer and Bitonio, it is probably because they know those guys better than we think we do.

        Don’t get ill my friend. Do what I do when I get anxious, replay the NFC Championship game or the SuperBowl. Aaahhh. That’s better.

  48. Matt

    Thinking that Oline is the pick at #40. The draft board dries up in the 2nd round for a couple rounds. While WR value is steady throughout the entire draft. Want to see us get Bitonio, Cyrus K or Moses at #40, and either Bryant, Matthews, Robinson, or Moncreif at #64(both in that order). At least 1 of those 4 could drop to us at the end of round 2.

    • hawkfaninMT

      I firmly believe that we do not get Cyrus. If he is healthy, there is no reason the Redskins do not take him. If they pass him, then he is not healthy enough in my opinion. Their doctor is his doctor. they would know better than anybody.

    • AlaskaHawk

      Unfortunately all the receivers you mentioned will probably be gone by #64. Prepare yourself to watch San Francisco pick your favorite receiver left with their two picks in the second round.

      • Matt

        SF might draft 1 today, but not 2. They just traded for Stevie Johnson. If all the WR’s are gone trade down or pick BPA.

  49. Jim Q

    I’d like to see: LEO, WR, OT, DL in the next 4 picks.

    #40-DE/LEO-Trent Murphy, led the Nation in sacks in 2013 with 15. Some will dismiss him for his 4.8+ combine 40, however he did 4.72-4.75 at his pro day. He also sheds blocks like few others can. Also of big significance was his 4.78/3-cone drill which shows extreme flexibility. His 4.78 3-cone time was the best of any DL guys in this draft. 31.5 sacks in 3 years at Stanford is pretty darn good production. With Clemmons gone and Avril on the last year of his contract, a good LEO (with Marcus Smith now gone) is a BIG NEED. Nobody is talking about Murphy at all, Why? Kareem Martin might fit the bill if Murphy is gone?
    #64-WR-Martavis Bryant, the big, fast WR that the Seahawks need to find a way to draft. The vast upside is hard to ignore. If he’s gone? Coleman, Moncrief? Ellington?
    #108-OT-“Larry”, If he should be gone, OT/OG-Brandon Thomas, even with his injury would be a great pick. It would be nice to land one of these guys as OT is also a very big NEED.
    #132-DL-Brent Urban, OLB-Kahari Fortt, OG-Trai Turner, among several other decent choices are among those that possibly could still be there.

    • Rob Staton

      Can’t get behind Trent Murphy at #40. Looks like almost the anti-Seahawks pick — just a trier.

      • hawkfaninMT

        Me too… Something about him just screams “Meh” to me.

        I know he has the “Plays like Jane” label around here, but Kareem Martin is looking brighter and brighter to me. He has the SPARQ and length the Seahawks tend to like, and we are in a good position to grab him at 40 or even 64 IMO

    • Troy

      #40- Bitonio
      #64- Bryant or Moncrief
      #108- Brent Urban or Will Sutton
      #132- Brandon Coleman
      #146- Laurent Duvernay-Tardif
      #172- Jonathan Dowling
      #208- Taylor Martinez
      UDFA-Colt Lyerla

  50. James

    Enough with playing around…..I’m ready to watch the masters at work! I’m like the guy who writes a poem to his wife on her birthday, and then picks up Wordsworth to see how it is supposed to be done. I have read scouting reports until I practically have them memorized, watched the combine beginning to end (which is only tolerable with the sound turned off), watched highlight tape, watched player-specific game tape, listened to Rob and others, and had a blast forming my own opinions and talking about them on this blog. Some even go so far as to watch all-22 coaches tape. But do all that and you still don’t know what the play call was, whether the player executed his assignment properly or whether the play was a fluke, what their weight room ethic is like, locker room ethic, leadership, character, personal habits, etc, etc. Now, it is time to watch the masters, Pete and John, who are already in the drafting pantheon with Landry/Brandt, Noll, Davis (early version) Walsh and Johnson, as far as I’m concerned. John and Pete know all the things I could never know, and then know what to do with that information. ….The curtain rises!

    • hawkfaninMT

      2 more hours!

  51. John

    Hey Rob, first off, I really enjoy your analysis …. second off, any thoughts on Kareem Martin? He’s a long guy with good speed. Had some production in the ACC (11 sacks I think?). He looks like he can rush from the inside or outside.

    I know you don’t like as Attaochu as much as I did, but I’d keep an eye on him and Martin for the Hawks. Just my guess though.

    Thanks.

    • Rob Staton

      Martin’s tape is really bad. He never gets off blocks. Technique all over the place. Looks like Tarzan plays like Jane. But the potential is there. Someone may take a chance early.

      • John

        lol, i’m going to keep trying until i find a prospect you like. I like Attaochu and Martin though.

  52. Kip Earlywine

    Marcus Martin is the guy I am watching today. Best interior run blocker in this draft. USC connection. Seattle ranked 4th in rushing last year but was horrible (31st) in success rate for power run situations. IMO Seattle’s biggest need in this draft is getting more muscle in the running game, particularly inside.

    I also like Turner a ton but am not sure where he comes off the board.

    Regarding WRs, there are so many to choose from. Even guys like Moncrief and Bryant, who are more likely to bust than succeed, are really interesting players that fit Seattle and I wouldn’t complain about getting either of them.

  53. Steve

    Keep trading back until we have a good 10 picks in the 5th round. 🙂

    • Chris

      I want the entire 7th round to be Seahawk picks.

    • Chris

      Just out of curiosity I pulled up one of those trade value charts. Seems the value of having EVERY pick in the 7th round (according to the chart) is roughly equivalent to having one pick at the very top of the 3rd round.

      Color me crazy but it seems like those 7th round picks are a bit undervalued.

      • Arias

        How many 7th round picks end up making the teams that draft them on average? I bet the percentage is pretty miniscule. So I don’t think they’re undervalued, but they might be undervalued for THIS team because this FO has had a better than average track record with 7th round picks. But even they have had only had a couple notable hits (Anthony McCoy, Malcolm Smith) with the rest misses.

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