Darius Robinson has an easy bull-rush move. He gets his hands inside, drives through contact and walked the blocker back into the QB on his first Thursday rep off the edge. Then he drove Christian Haynes backwards when lining up inside. Robinson is a beast and I have to say, plays like a Raven. Testing will be key to match up to his performance here but there’s a lot to like.
T’Vondre Sweat’s first rep was lethargic on day three, he couldn’t get off the block and looked sluggish. He had a better effort against Christian Haynes who lined up out of position at center. This is the thing with Sweat. There’s inconsistency to his game where the good moments are ‘wow’ moments and the bad stuff makes you roll your eyes. There’s a definite talent here but he’s not a traditional nose, he’s more of a pass-rush threat who can combine power and quickness. He could be devastating if he shifted 20lbs and gained a bit more mobility.
McKinley Jackson didn’t get many wins with speed or quickness this week but he consistently drove blockers back into the pocket from the interior. He shoved Christian Haynes backwards on his first rep on Thursday. Jackson did a good job working against Charles Turner too, who got out of position and couldn’t recover. Turner started well but faded as the week went on. Jackson pulled off the hat-trick by driving Javion Cohen into the backfield. He’s still my top ranked DT because he’s powerful, can anchor, disrupt and doesn’t just play in fits and starts like the two big name guys from Texas. Testing is key though because the two Texas guys have the potential to make headlines.
Houston left tackle Patrick Paul continues to keep his hands so wide when he engages. It’s not good enough, it’s awful technique. He hasn’t fixed it at any point this week. If you draft him you’ll need to knock this habit out of him or he’ll leave his chest exposed down after down.
Brandon Coleman had a good win against Jordan Jefferson, then came back and won a rep against the dangerous Braden Fiske. This was a better day for Coleman who’s had a mostly underwhelming week, raising questions about his ability to kick inside at guard quickly.
Justin Eboigbe, a blog favourite throughout the college season, capped off a fantastic week by destroying Javion Cohen with a brilliant push-pull move and then flying by him into the backfield. He was also too quick for Oklahoma’s Andrew Raym on a rep. Eboigbe has shorter than ideal arms which is a surprise because his frame is good. He’s underrated in the media.
The NFL Network showed some of the 7-on-7 drills. Spencer Rattler nailed a difficult throw to the right near pylon and it was well caught by Jamari Thrash. Great play by the quarterback and receiver. He threw a fantastic low pass to Ray Davis the running back, who’s shown some skills as a pass-catcher to go with the rugged running style he portrayed at Kentucky. Rattler had an iffy Tuesday practise but grew as the week went on. You could see he looked sharp with his decision making, his release is quick and there’s a lot to like. I don’t think he did enough to elevate into round one — but certainly he warrants serious consideration as a very intriguing day two pick if he can reassure teams over the character issues from his Oklahoma days.
Tyler Guyton didn’t practise on Thursday.
Michael Penix Jr showed tremendous touch on one red zone drill to find Luke McCaffrey in the left corner. He layered the pass nicely over a leaping linebacker and gave the receiver an easy opportunity to make the grab. McCaffrey had a great week — showing excellent hands, body control and he made it look easy. He will be a dynamic WR3 for somebody. He and Ladd McConkey put on a show.
Javon Baker the Missouri receiver made a wonderful, high-pointed catch in a similar redzone drill, doing ever so well to catch the ball cleanly and get his feet in bounds. Baker had a mixed week at times but this was a great rep.
Brenden Rice at times looks like such a dynamic athlete and he left cornerbacks in the dust on some his routes. He’s also had some really nice grabs. Yet there’s a clumsiness and a lack of polish with his body control and tracking. The physical tools are there but he’ll need a fair bit of work to max out his talent.
I was impressed with linebacker Cedric Gray working in coverage. The 1v1 coverage drills for linebackers are often a thankless task, working the whole middle field with no support against much smaller, quicker players. He did a good job staying in the hip-pocket of opponents, keeping low and then tracking where the ball is to make a play. I’m not sure he’s the best athlete in terms of testing but his instincts are good.
Georgia State’s Jontrey Hunter looks big and heavy at linebacker but I was surprised how well he shifted his weight in open space when guarding running backs and stayed in position to make a tackle.
Cornerback Kalen King has had a dreadful week. I’m not sure what his mindset is. He was slouching during 1v1’s, letting receivers easily get by him. He couldn’t track, he barely ever made a play for the ball and he didn’t make contact most of the time. People were touting him as a high pick but I’ve never seen it. He’s a day three player for me.
Everyone knows I love Payton Wilson as a player but one thing that stood out to me during drills was his frame is not typical for a linebacker. He’s lean and long, not thick. Teams do pay attention to stuff like this. He looks more like an EDGE and I wonder if he might be seen as someone who has to transition into a more specialist role looking like this. As mentioned earlier, these practises are hard for linebackers when they’re doing a lot of coverage work. Wilson needs the game to show what he can do.
None of the quarterbacks really blew the roof off with their performances this week. Even so, I’ll never forget Josh Allen’s performance six years ago. Don’t let anyone say the game is irrelevant, you can still make an impression. It’d be nice to see Penix Jr, Bo Nix and Rattler push the ball downfield, avoid mental mistakes and target the better receivers on their teams on Saturday.
Quick comment on what I think might be happening with the OC position…
I think with the way the reports were framed on Ryan Grubb, plus the way Macdonald talked about getting someone to build an offense who can be here for some time, that he is very much the leading contender
I also think it’s very clear Schneider is a big fan of the Detroit offense, thus the interest in Ben Johnson, and they’d like to speak to his right hand man first before making any firm decision
But if Tanner Engstrand can’t win the gig, I think it’ll be Grubb
My best guess
I’m pretty into the Grubb hire, possible OC talk. This is going to be a weird world soon if college coaches with skills are leaving to the pros for a host of obvious reasons.
Why not bring in Both? One will call the plays OC and the other Engstrand works with Grub to call plays (Asst. OC). That way if one leaves for HC somewhere…….
Be cool to see what they could devise together.
Probably not practical but…
Not sure Engstrand would be that interested in a sideways move
Yeah, especially because the chatter around the Lions was that if they lost Johnson, Engstrand would become the OC, so he knows he will get that promotion if/when Johnson leaves.
People have been commenting for awhile on UW forums about the fact that Grubb has kept his X profile photo conspicuously neutral after all the other new hires at Alabama promptly changed theirs to Alabama photo shop looks, as is customary in our time. People were theorizing it was because of some buyout drama with the huskies, but now it looks more like Schneider might have contacted him a couple weeks ago about the OC job being a possibility. If the hawks want him I bet he comes back to Seattle for sure.
it really is starting to feel like the medicals on Wilson will determine which round he’s available in
The player he reminds me of is Brian Urlacher at New Mexico.
that might be a rich comparison, but not a lazy one
Interesting comp. Was fairly out on football for a few years at that time. Have great respect for Urlacher and his career from safety at nothing college to the bears.
Reminds me a bit of Troy Anderson out of Montana State.
Yeah, I see that one a lot more.
This years Nik Bonitto?
So you’re saying Sweat has too much sand in his pants?
Concrete😂
Sam Monson told me he thinks he weighs more than Daniel Faalele.
The human manatee.
Rewatched the Texas v. Alabama game this year. Couple of thoughts.
1. My early thought is this year it’s late round development type for QB. I can not believe I’m writing this but it actually seems ( I’m dreading typing this) that next year will actually be a better QB class.
Unless it’s Rattler there is no one I see that Seattle can draft early-ish that is going to change anything. I don’t see how Seattle can move up for Daniels. I’m a big fan of Jordan Travis who can be had way late.
Prominent hawk Podcaster last night was talking with friend of the blog Jeff Simmons and comped his favorite college qb to his favorite seahawks qb. Penix =Geno. That’s been my thought for a long time now. If so what’s the point? Cap savings? Some extra years cheaper for the same thing?
2. T’vondre Sweat. Get used to the name folks. It’s going to be just like Carter last year. I actually think Carter played around what I thought he would this year. Good player in limited spots. Not a top ten pick. Not a bust.
Re: Sweat. I think he needs lots and lots of work. He’s huge. Has some great athleticism. That’s it. I don’t see any plan. I see a guy who is “in on,” a lot of plays. Agree or disagree but just like I want to see completion percent go up year over year, Allen basically the outlier here, as a dline player I’ve seen there is a case that counting stats (production) has a correlation to the pros. And Sweat doesn’t have it. Suh, Oliver, Donald, Payne….many more have at least one blow up year.
3. Maybe we just clear the fat, clean the team, build the trenches, whatever catch phrase and get Ewers next year. His arm, processing, etc, is awesome.
Trouble is, if the team improves this year (which we hope it will under Mike MacDonald) and so does Quinn Ewers, we could be quite some distance from picking him in 2024? I don’t think we can assume we’ll be within range of picking Quinn Ewers next year.
Julian…..
I don’t like it at all. And I have big doubts that we will ever be in striking range of Ewers.
We aren’t getting Williams. We aren’t getting Daniels. I don’t know how people view Maye.
Mccarthy is not a league starter unless there is some super secret talent no one , including his college coach who chose to return to the pros with a team that has a real qb, has ever seen. Penix is a great college qb. When he faced stiffer defenses he got lost. We already have that.
I think there’s a very good chance that this qb draft will be not unlike 2012. Where a ton of qbs get drafted and many of them weren’t good at all.
Ritters the one.
I’m getting a bad feeling about qb’s this draft too. Other than Rattler, no one else is going to make me feel too well. Penix, I would “deal with,” but that’s all that I can do. I just don’t see his intangibles showing up: processing, accuracy, dealing with pressure. I don’t like the torque delivery and the injury history doesn’t help. And then there is the whole “local hero connection.” And he just feels like Geno: meaning we might be coming back to “is he good enough to win it all?”
No one else I even see as a threat against Geno. I think Rattler would beat him out by the end of the season. And I still think that teams will regret passing on him.
Jordan Travis as a late rounder I would be ok with, but it wouldn’t be a long-term plan. It would be more of an “in case of emergency, break glass.”
It’s a huge worry for me. But with the class becoming lacking… I think next year will be pretty deep. I just hope John isn’t planning on Ewers no matter what the situation (including waiting another year).
Waiting on Ewers can not be the plan.
Jordan Travis….when I say I’m a big fan of him I liken it to DTR. Just a who knows level player. This is not a Lock post but I’m pretty opposed to paying backups 4 million dollars. I’m more into four million dollars for 4yrs territory.
I’m already seeing 4d chess level commentary about “pro,” concepts for Penix. Look he throws pout routes! Digs! I get it’s not super duper gimmicky like Nix. But you can’t be throwing to spots on a look left, throw right ( or vice versa) in the pros. You’ll get destroyed doing that.
Pout routes…haha!!
Pout routes feels more accurate hahaha.
With Penix, it just feels like there are too many things that are…simple. How he plays just feels like there isn’t any challenges for him. I always thought that the offense did that work for him. I don’t want my NFL qb to be that way. He’ll get destroyed by a good coach.
I would be fine with him, but not him and Grubb both. Or vice versa.
Any year is not a good year to have lost our 2nd round pick to a rental, but it’s particularly unfortunate in a year you want to strengthen an O line because you want a rookie QB, all at the same time you have a new Head Coach.
I think we can get a 2nd round pick back however, my preference would be to be trade a player like Tariq Woolen, who might command a 2nd round pick if we throw in a mid day 3 pick as well? Woolen has great upside on a rookie contract. He’s already a proven, consistent cover corner and finalist for DROY in 2022, but unfortunately showed some character concerns last season. Most definitely didn’t play like a ‘Raven’. Some teams, may well be enamoured by his upside however, at a super cheap price.
A Woolen trade, with consequently a Troy Fautanu / Spencer Rattler 1st and 2nd round, would be special, in my view.
I think you can get those two names by trading back and keep woolen.
He needs to not be around Diggs and Adams and have a coach, coach him up. It’s pretty hard to find a defensive rookie of the year candidate at any position.
Why on earth would we trade Woolen for a second rounder? He is a starting-caliber at worst, elite at best, dirt cheap player at a premium position. Absolute non-starter. You’re not going to improve a team by trading away our few talented, cost-controlled players to get a couple extra lottery tickets. I cannot even comprehend how quickly this fanbase has turned on Woolen.
Same. Lots of bad tackling and bad angles this year but it’s shocking how many people now think he belongs to the trash heap. He might be one of the top benefactors of MacDonald coming to town.
I think plenty of NFL teams would be happy to swap a Day 2 pick for Woolen with years left on his rookie deal, which ought to tell you all you need to know.
er… top benefiters.
You guys are saying nothing I don’t agree with. I don’t see how anyone has ‘turned’ against Wollen with comments like mine, just some of his antics this last season and some of his soft tackling and play was concerning. You’ll see I pointed out how he has great qualities. It’s why I think he has value in a trade.
The Seahawks have depth at the Cornerback position, probably stronger in that position than the Ravens, even without Woolen. Should the Seahawks swop Woolen for a QB of the future in a trade, if the team are locked in on the QB. Yes I think they should.
I think MM will help clean up a lot of what you don’t like with Woolen, he still has star potential, and there are better methods to getting into R2 than that. I like Rattler in R2, but would rather trade down in R1 to pick up the R2, trade one of the R3 picks w/ R4 or R5 pick, future picks, etc.
Same. This trade makes no sense to me. Have year 3 be a bounce-back year. See if MM can highlight his strengths and hide his weaknesses, as well as help him grow in maturity now that the guy at the top has already made clear he is going to be holding everyone accountable.
You don’t trade a good corner, you collect them.
Even if it nets you your QB of the future?
I love Woolen, too, and *do not* want to trade him.
But I would do it for Rattler… if JS rates him as the real deal.
Agreed.
Here’s what I was thinking about Engstrand.
We don’t know how much JS actually wanted Ben Johnson or not. We know he fell head over heels for MM, who perhaps was even his main target all along.
Well, let’s say that heading into the 2nd meeting with Ben Johnson, JS knew or at least had a strong sense that he wasn’t going to budge off his absurd salary demands, or even that his personality just wasn’t going to be the right fit.
But JS decides to make the trip and carry out the interview anyway. He asks him if he were to come to Seattle as HC, who would he want to bring with him as his staff? Maybe he says Engstrand is his right-hand man, with real potential to take over play-calling duties in the future, and he would like to bring him with him to Seattle as OC. Perhaps he also drops other names on the Detroit offensive staff he considers top talent. That would be valuable information we can use now to try and poach the real talent from his staff.
If that’s anywhere close to how it went down, well played by JS to use the process to collect information like that.
I guarantee that he was taking notes and learning everything that he could. They do the same thing with the draft: plan ahead. If you don’t draft the kid, you know and have met with him for free agency.
I’d bet that is why they are meeting with Engstrand. And I’m happy about it.
Engstrand worked withJim Harbaugh at University of San Diego and Michigan.
That was definitely a feature of JS’s first post-Pete press conference. He was asked about this is his first hiring, and he specifically said the process is for ‘gathering information.’
Most took it as he wanted to cast a wide net in his search, but I think it’s a rare chance to gather the intel you mentioned Sea Mode.
There is simply no way Engstrom’s name was NOT mentioned in that Ben Johnson interview. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if BJ told them he was staying in Detroit before the appetizers even came out at the restaurant, and JS pivoted to ‘you realize your staff is going to get pillaged, who would be your top recommendation?’ or some such questions.
In the same vein of info gathering, interviewing Grubb would likely gain insider info on Penix, particularly the mental side. I can see a question like “if we let you pick the next QB to draft, would it be Penix? Why/why not? Who else do you like?”
I think you have to decide your OC regardless of QB first.
Then as the draft comes obviously talk more in depth about them. I get where you are going but there’s no guarantee that they draft him can even draft him.
You can get that info on Penix from Grubb (or KD) without interviewing him to be the OC though. I think it’s really common for GMs to ask college coaches about their players. But I think last year JS specifically mentioned he’s tried to limit that because he felt they told him what he wanted to hear and it was better to rely on his area scouts who hang around the programs to get the real info (at least about character).
For those interested in injury stats and possible rule changes, here’s a read:
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-s-prioritization-of-player-safety-leads-to-promising-injury-data-for-2023-season
TLDR for those who don’t care about the stats but are interested in possible new rules likely resulting from them:
– New kickoff rules to bring back the excitement without added injury risk (only 22% of kickoffs were returned this year)
– A rule that will ban the hip-drop tackle (20-25% more likely to cause injury than a typical tackle). The league looked at banning the hip-drop tackle last offseason but struggled to write a rule in a way that it could be officiated.
Great article, with lots of info to chew on.
This, however, stood out as the best part to me…
“I don’t think he (Rattler) did enough to elevate into round one — but certainly he warrants serious consideration as a very intriguing day two pick…”
This is the best we can hope for… that Rattler is available to us on day 2.
If he has the potential that we think he does, you do what it takes to get him there.
Would we trade our 1st next year for a 2nd this year, potentially?
As for Sweat… he is intruguing, but it sounds like his motor runs hot/cold.
Perhaps that would change if he lost the suggested 20lbs?
Either way, I think we should be focusing on guys who play with their hair on fire, down after down.
Guys who just have that edge to beat the man across from them… Every. Time.
Sweat just needs work and who knows how he takes to it. When he wins its impressive. In a few games I’ve watched of Texas he’s just kind of bouncing around. I see very positive effort but it seems he gets lost trying to decide if he should drop back, engage, or go forward. Leaving him just sort of “there,” doing not much.
He’s a special size-speed athlete.
Sweat has round 2 “draft steal” all over him.
I think Sweat goes round one. The NFL is pretty obsessed with big freaks with athleticism.
Very early days but I think Sweat basically be dontari Poe. Like Poe he’s not really done much in college.
If this is true…that he is underrated in R2 and won’t make it to R3, why not take him in Round 1? Especially if a trade down will get you a R2 pick and still pull it off?
Can trade back in R1 plus we have two R3 picks. We should be able to get into R2 without sacrificing 2025.
The Geno fans are in full denial mode. “There’s no other QB I want leading this team outside of Geno. His deal is a bargain compared to most guys!”
Yep…
Hawkblogger is tweeting stats that present Geno as a top 5 QB in the league.
(but he’s *not* cherry-picking)
Of course, one has to wonder how much his new HC believes in the stats after facing Geno and destroying his offense.
Honestly, MacDonald might laugh when he thinks of Geno as a quarterback for a team that he’s running.
I’m guessing he would love to face Geno Smith, every week.
I want a QB that the opposing defense actually has to worry about.
Geno is fine.
Fine is not good enough.
The sweetest cherries picked by the best cherry picker. If you use every stat you can find and exclude td to int ratio and wins….well thats just good picking.
Dude has a tweet from 2020 talking about how many wins carrol had in the playoffs vs the entire history. I know he’s a smart dude but it’s such a bad take.
From ’89 to ’98 the team was a garbage team run by garbage people who spent more time trying to move the team than winning. In hindsight one wonders if they were trying to sink the team on purpose to ruin the fans and make the move easier. Knox was an okay coach is a time when football was actually hard. Turns out you get a winning owner you start finding winning coaches starting with Holmgren then Pete.
I can’t decide what’s my favorite rationalization:
* His OL was horrible (it wasn’t any worse than 2022)
* The OC play calling was awful (same crew from 2022 top to bottom)
* Give him a perfect pocket and WRs open and he’ll execute (actually this one might be my favorite)
* Let’s look at him spin a gorgeous pass from 5 different angles! How many other QBs can do that? (Highlight from a game they lost / were not particularly effective on offense in)
* Game-winning drives! (How did they get put in a position where they needed those drives so often? Why is that never asked?)
* Continuity / he’s a savvy vet! (who apparently doesn’t know that it’s not ok to take a sack on 4th down, or calling a run play with :24 left in the game isn’t a good idea, or burns timeouts because the team can’t get set with :45 seconds to get a play called)
* Old guy team leader! (KJ Wright’s eyes roll out of his head)
* He’s a standup guy! (Who just kept telling the press that he holds himself accountable for his poor play in the clutch…week after week after week….)
Cha, I agree with everything except your note that the Offensive coaches/play callers were the same 2022-23. Yes, but Canales left, and it’s screaming obvious so did their aggressiveness, as well as Pete and Tater meddled with the offense more in 23, and ruined the Red Zone Offense.
Seattles gameplanning, play calling, in game adjustments were a joke last year, far worse than in 22.
I’m not giving Geno a free pass, but it disingenuous to say his staff was the same so the struggles on offense were his fault. I’d say Carrol and Tater had just as much if not more blame coming: they ruined Geno in 1 year.
Said it before, I’ll say it again.
If Geno cannot adjust to his QB coach moving on and some new playcalling ideas without a drastic dropoff in effectiveness, he needs to be cut right now.
It just goes to show the ‘savvy vet’ trope does not properly apply to him.
I pretty much agree cha. I like Lock more than Geno anyhow. I’d resign Lock, trade/cut Geno, and draft a QB.
I just feel Geno without Carrol/Tater would be closer to 22 Geno than 23 Geno. Yet not good enough to get excited about.
My most satisfying inhale of this smoke is to discuss (the very real) likelihood that Geno is dealt in the next 14 day, and what they think the return should be…
Either all engagement stops or they say they don’t know, but would have to be similar to Wilson deal…but really no team would trade for him and why would we want to trade him?
“You just pointed out how our roster was devoid of talent, let’s give Geno a chance to get a ring while we Kickstart a rebuild”
It’s an interesting puzzle. If no team would want your qb is he the guy who should be your qb?
When no one offered him money after being a probowler and having a very solid to almost good season….the flashing lights should have caught fans’ eyes.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on Brandon Dorlus as I know he’s one of those guys who I see in a lot of 2nd Round mocks but isn’t on your Board. I see him as one of those DL you can move around and provide interior pressure in the McDonald scheme, especially since some have speculated moving on from Dre’mont Jones.
Not a second rounder
I’ll chime in too. I thought Dorlus played a lot better this year than last. Last year he was frustrating in that he seemed to be taking plays off and either too gassed or just not giving effort quite often.
I thought 2023 was better and didn’t notice that. He’s definitely not a game wrecker, but he could be a solid rotational guy. He seems to get a few pressures every game, but rarely gets home. I don’t think any part of his game is amazing, but is a better rusher than run-stopper.
I would guess round 3.
He might be a poor-man’s Dre’mont (circa 2022), so redundant for the Hawks unless we did move on from him.
The Grubb/Penix fan fodder feels like peak Seattle sports. No Dan Quinn so this would be the next most obvious move to elate fans.
No disrespect to Grubb/Penix or even the legitimacy to the reporting on Grubb, but the provincialism is unrelenting.
Yeah, I don’t like it. It’s too reminiscent of the LOB days: it was amazing at Washington (the past) so we need to ride the parts of it that we can into the ground (can’t move on).
I’d be worried for Penix either way, being a local hero. Adding Grubb also is just too much for that those fans.
Kenny Pickett and the stealers aren’t loving the local hero concerns.
Btw I like penix better, duh. But not so much more that I’m stoked on it.
Yep. I love the city but the fans…..very (unintentionally) funny generally.
It’s rampant with M’s fans too. If they got a diploma in WA state, M’s should want him.
I’m not into Grubb. Penix being streaky shouldn’t take the the responsibility off him for fits and starts during the season for a team that was more talented during most games. I personally believe a lot of offense came from Deboer. Did not like hucking down field and hoping for a PI plays either. That’s a PC special.
Hoping/praying Fuaga drops to 16. I know we need DL but hopefully our new HC can work some magic there. Fuaga is an attitude and matches what we want to be. Hopefully Rattler is in range day 2
I am definitely an outlier (me and Mel Kiper) but I think JJ McCarthy is gonna be a really good NFL QB if he gets in the right situation. I put him above Penix.
Situation makes all the difference for most guys. There will be the outlier players who elevate their teams of course.
It’s likely that one of the top 3 (Caleb, Drake, Jayden) will fail because of their environment and one of the next 3 (JJ, Bo, Penix) will have success because of it.
Imagine Brock Purdy in Carolina or Bryce Young on the 49ers. Very different career arcs, I’d guess.
Cough*or Brocky Purdy anywhere else*cough
In fairness Mel Kiper often says he’s not a huge McCarthy fan
Liam Coen to the Bucs as OC. That tells me that they are signing Baker since he was is OC for his year with the Rams.
Worst case, Coen will just go back to Kentucky next year if it doesn’t work out.
That’s sensible. They love Baker and he loves them. Baker said at the Pro Bowl stuff that he won’t sign until he knows who Tampa’s OC is.
When I realized the Rams connection, I thought the same thing.
Rob, considering what you said about Rattler, do you think a great senior bowl performance, combine, and pro day will be good enough to sneak into the 1st?
He’s been better than Nix and Penix so far and they’re looked at as potential 1st rounders.
There could be a run on QBs at the *end* of round 1.
take him at 16, don’t overthink it (especially considering the advantages of having club control in that 5th year)
Man, you guys seem convinced that Rattler is a slam dunk.
Personally, I’d cringe at that pick (at this point in the process) and would rather they address the lines or trade up/down.
It’s early so maybe my mind will change, but I’m not seeing it yet. TBH I don’t see it in Drake Maye much either. From what I’ve watched, he looked better last year.
I’m not convinced.
I just see a blend of range we can draft him and skills he has shown.
Robs talked about Penix from round 1 to 3. Seems right. There’s a lot of qb needy teams.
It’s just a weird spot with pick 16 and local hero.
Just me (I might be the highest on Rattler), but I wouldn’t bat an eye at taking him at 16. I honestly don’t think that there is another player who will have a bigger impact than him for the team.
I think he’s good enough to get by until the rest of the line comes around, because he’s already done it. He’s the opportunity that you hope you get in the first round when you have a middling pick. Has the top end talent and plays in control on the field.
I’m more worried about learning to deal with the team not drafting him hahaha.
I’m not sure
Rob,
Echoing many here.
If you didn’t think Rattler would get past say, 45 or so, would you pull the trigger at 16? If not, what players would you take ahead of him?
Also, what round would you be legitimately excited to get Penix? It’s ok if it’s late. I wouldn’t mind if they passed on a QB as long as they got a really great player like the Oregon State tackle.
I don’t really know how to answer either question, Thomas. Not sure there’s a round I’d be legitimately excited to get Penix. I like him but not to the point I’d be giddy about it. Rattler, it would depend on how far I could trade down
Rattler’s going to have to show me something to feel comfortable with him in the first round.
In the third I would be fine, he is reminding more of Drew Lock than Mahomes so far, which isn’t a dig, because I like Lock.
After him, a flyer on Travis to have him compete with a 2025 first rounder feels good
This is where I am at the moment as well.
Or round 2 🙁
See, for me, nothing that happens this week with the quarterbacks is going to change my perception. They have a full year of tape that shows what I need to know.
The linemen, lb’s, etc., are getting put into situations that showcase just them. Linemen usually can’t stand out during actual games.
Coach Smith (Mike Mcdonald’s high school coach) on kjr just let out that he thinks one of top priorities is finding a QB… hmm. Perhaps once again not a ringing endorsement for Geno…
This is easy for me.
If he’s as smart about football as everyone says then I highly doubt he’s a classic defensive coach who just thinks running the rock 50x a game with anyone back there is a winning formula.
You are absolutely right about Payton Wilson, thanks to Blitzy for bringing it up. He is “The Mad Stork.”
Also, thanks to Brodie for having the sense to scan the QR code on the metrics video I uploaded, and because of him, and the New York Jets guys at the Senior Bowl this year, I learned a secret.
That QR code is on all the press badges they give out. This year they put it on the jumbotron.
Also, I will be interested in Payton Wilson’s “Jingle Jangle.”
Let me explain. In Lou Tepper’s book Complete Linebacking He cites a player of his named Dave Rimington, who we old guys remember, was a slow tall linebacker who excelled in pursuit. He ran a slow forty. He ran a slow short shuttle. But the difference between his forty and short shuttle was minimal, and that is the important stat because it identifies guys with great change of direction.
Wilson is not slow. He is shot out of a cannon. If there is a disparity here, he might be a guy who runs himself out of plays.
Rob,
Your tireless work is so very much appreciated. Don’t think for a minute it’s not. Dude, there’s nowhere else anyone needs to go for Hawks/Draft news, civil discussion and the massive amount of content.
Quite frankly, I can hardly keep up reading, let alone writing/watching.
BRAVO sir.
Thanks man, I really do appreciate that. I’ve poured so much work into this since the season ended, it takes up all of my spare time. I love doing it — but it’s nice to hear that people get something out of it
I tried waiting (as is the Seahawks way) on QB and used Rob’s big board w/ no trades:
16. Taliese Fuaga OT-OSU
78. Cedrick Van Pran OC-UGA
81. Mckinnley Jackson DT – TAMU
118. Curtis Jacobs ILB – Linebacker U
150. Beau Brade S – Maryland
193. Eric All TE – TE U
232. Sam Hartman – Notre Dame
Conclusions:
– The top 7 QB’s were gone by #78, so that 62 pick gap makes QBOTF tricky
– Some of our need positions (LB, S, TE) had good depth later
– I can already tell that I will be spending way too much time on mock drafts
That’ll work.
I’m in. Build the trenches!
Glad you did a no trade mock. Saw a comment about how the value of the draft is the same from #11 to #50 and without skipping a beat….it should be easy to trade back.
I think a trade is in the cards. But I don’t guarantee it. If the value is the sane for 40 spots why would aby one give you an extra pick?
I was going to stop at Buccees yesterday and get a Buccees Beaver plush toy for Rob’s daughter’s birthday and name it Fuaga.
But now that I know what shipping is by weight I am glad that I missed the exit.
I appreciate the school that you put for Eric All!
“An NFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that Russell Wilson could be traded to the Raiders this offseason.”
The above is from NBC sports (rotoworld)… story behind espn’s paywall.
If true, would the Raiders be interested in Geno?
Who has more trade value right now, Geno or Russ?
I would think that Geno rates higher at this point, and he is cheaper… though I don’t know what kind of money the Raiders would be taking on of Russ’s contract.
Considering the league knows that Denver will cut RW if they can’t trade him, I’d put his ‘value’ as a 6th rounder at best and a crummy pick swap at worst.
Now for the most important post of the day. How do I ship this hat to Rob?
It weighs just under three ounces so I’m thinking a first-class international USPS padded envelope which is just under $50. (Yikes!)
Does anybody have experience with this?
Also, Rob, check your Email.
I suggest going to SeaTac and handing it to someone about to board a flight to London.
I am in Pensacola.
And……
I would have to fly to Seatac.
But you’d be at SeaTac right?
Then the plan all comes together
Yeah, i was kidding…kind of.
I work for USPS, and I wouldn’t trust it in a padded envelope…. unless you want to risk the high likelihood that it is crushed beyond saving when it arrives.
Getting a cap over there safely would require putting it in a box to ensure keeping it uncrushed…. which will add to the cost, no matter who you use (UPS, USPS, FedEx).
Well, then, I will pay the iron price.
Which is crazy because my hoodie, which came from there, the shipping was like $30.00
Palatypus,
You’re in Pensacola… do you know anybody in the US Military, specifically the USAF? If so do they know anybody stationed in England… if so see if they will be your intermediary and ship it to the via the APO address to the military base. You will pay US rates to get it to England. Then have them mail it via British Post from the base to Rob!
(Retired AF)
My family is Navy.
Just let me know whatever you pay on shipping and I’ll Paypal you the amount
Nope. You’ve wrote about a dozen articles this week. You’re not paying a cent.
And I don’t send money through Elon Musk.
Prior to the senior bowl Jim nagy was in an interview and rattler was brought up. Nagy said that the league had a lot higher grade on him than the fans and the media. If he can have a big game this weekend followed with good interviews I wouldn’t be shocked to see him sneak into the first round.
One thing to note with regards to T’Vondre Sweat and McKinnley Jackson: I’ve watched a lot of Ravens defensive tape the last few days since the hire and they will drop DT’s into short middle coverage a ton.
So they need to be somewhat athletic moving backwards. MacDonald even was dropping Michael Pierce at NT back into coverage.
I feel McKinnley Jackson could be an ideal NT. He weighed in at 330 lbs at the senior bowl, he has great strength but he is also very very athletic. I’m not sure I see the same “all directions” athleticism from T’Vondre Sweat.