Brent Urban (DT, Virginia)
Sprained his ankle during the drills and won’t play in the game this weekend. Listed between 6-6 and 6-7, 298lbs with close to 34 inch arms. Not a production machine in college but certainly a guy who fits the three-tech role currently accommodated by pending free agent Tony McDaniel. Keep an eye on this guy.
Marcel Jensen (TE, Fresno State)
Underrated tight end with great size and an all-round game. Athletic enough to be a catching threat, but also big enough to develop into a good blocker. Fresno State don’t use the tight ends that much in the passing game, but Jensen could be a late round steal. 6-5 and 250lbs. Lots to like here.
Zack Martin (T, Notre Dame)
Technically one of the best offensive linemen you’ll see entering the league. For me he’s been a top-20 prospect for some time. Arm length might lead to a move inside to guard, but don’t bet against a team giving him a shot at left tackle. If he is projected as a guard, he’s the only one with a shot at going in round one for me. It’s a poor year for the position.
Ra’Shede Hageman (DE, Minnesota)
I think with Hageman you’ve got to expect some rough edges. At times he looks like a big time pass rusher. He just doesn’t do it consistently enough. I expected his stock to sky rocket at the Senior Bowl, but that inconsistency has continued in Mobile. For a team like Seattle, that could be a good thing if he ends up dropping to the late first.
Yeeeesss love these kinds of posts.
I agree on everything said here, I could see both New England and San Diego going guard. Xavier Sua-Filo has a future in the league, for me. Jon Halapio has been rated highly by pundits I respect. I didn’t see much push from him, but he’s got a mean streak.
Brent Urban is definitely one to watch. Has a great motor and bull rush for his slight frame. Not very good hand-use, but Virginia’s not known for their DL. He could be a great addition in early round two. Hope we trade back.
It’d be nice to have a third.
If we get a DT like Hageman or Urban and a WR like Coleman or Robinson in the first two, we should be set for “needs”. Pick up some depth at Corner, get a G/T, maybe a safety. I like Craig Loston fwiw.
If Easley falls to our Fourth do we take him?
We just have to come out of this draft with an athletic freak at a Receiving position. Whether it’s a TE or a WR we have to get a red zone threat.
I’m not sure Benjamin is the guy. He played for Florida State. He has way fewer excuses than Brandon Coleman. I wouldn’t touch Benjamin until the third, really. Might consider him in the late second.
My preliminary bias is to take either Urban or one of Coleman/Beckham (depending on if we re-sign Tate). But I haven’t taken much time to really study the board yet either; I’m so focused on our Super Bowl run and I just can’t be bothered to turn away from it. I’m just trying to enjoy this as much as I can. Hopefully, next year’s team won’t miss a beat from 2013, but we are such lucky fans to have a team like this you guys. Thank you PC/JS/Paul Allen.
I was on the same line of thinking. Until I read this article. And I wrote a mock draft.
I’d love to see Easley get a shot. Fantastic player snake bitten with injuries.
Sorry, but I don’t like Urban, certainly not enough to spend high draft capital on him and I’ll be disappointed if we do. I gave some reasons why in the previous post. If the only supposed impact player left on the board at 32 or 31 is Urban I would rather trade out of the first and pick up as many mid round picks as possible. One of the cornerstones of our organization is depth, and with the 2013 draft being largely a bust we could stand to hit on a lot of mid to late round gems in this draft to compensate. Percy was our swing at the fences last year, and unless a top-10 difference maker falls to us at the bottom of the first I would rather just cash it in on extra picks instead. Besides, it is now looking like my dream of drafting the Warren Sapp of offensive linemen – Billy Turner – may be possible in the mid to late rounds because of what amounts to him being mishandled at the Senior bowl.
I completely agree that 2013 is the “Lost Draft”. With essentially only Bailey and Bowie to redeem it, we need a few hits this year. I still would love to see us nab Carlos Hyde- who is deceptively quick straight line like Lynch- and an impact perimeter player. We need to find someone to replace Michael as he has been entirely useless this year- as RB should be an immediate impact position for rookies and they should not need to be redshirted (Turbin came in a played from game 1)- and Hyde fits our attitude and scheme. Also we need to draft a returner. The loss of Leon Washington was felt throughout, and the returner by commitee has been modestly effective. Tate may not be back so some insurance there would be nice as special teams is a very important compenent to our success.
I meant to say that we should ALSO draft an impact perimeter player in addition to Hyde. Not that he is an impact perimeter player. I’m not THAT diluded. 😐
I don’t see how you can say the 2013 draft was useless. Michael will be a star when he gets his chance to play. Willson was a steal IMO. Bowie/Bailey are both excellent. I think Hill will play a big role next year and Williams sounds like he’s getting his knee back together finally. Obviously Harper is a loss, but still there is plenty of potential in that draft.
I don’t know what is going on with Michael, but when you don’t play a second round pick it has to be considered a draft loss. Will he be a star in the future? There are 20+ running backs a year coming out with similar talent, so why save him when you can get a new running back on any given year?
I don’t think either of us used the word ‘useless’ to describe the 2013 draft. I called it a bust and Jarhead called it lost, both of which are appropriate. Sure we got a couple players that have added marginal production, but none of them can be characterized as ‘steals’ or ‘excellent’ as you said, at least not yet. I agree with Jarhead on CMike. You do not use a second round pick on a redshirt player no matter how good he might be in the future. A second round pick needs to be a starter that year (QBs excepted). If your second rounder does not start, or worse does not play at all, then it should have been used on a player that could have significantly contributed that year then pick up a similar player in a later draft to the one that redshirted.
I think we could get three of these guys if we played our cards right. Either Hageman or Martin in round one, Urban in round two and Jensen in round four (although I think we’d need to move up in round four to get him).
I like all of these players quite a bit and could see them wearing Wolf Gray.
The Hageman reports I’m hearing are making me smile a wee bit. You see the upside. People tend to be so impatient with big guys. You very rarely get consistent production from high upside big guys.
Another guy you made me wonder about is Stephen Tuitt. You listed Urban as a guy who could move inside. What about Tuitt? As an end he seems easy to neutralize. As a big 3-tech is he Tony McDaniel with some pass rush?
I think Hageman would benefit greatly from a system like ours where there is heavy rotation on the D line and he can be utilized primarily in situations that maximize what he does best. In Minnesota I think the fact that he disappears for long stretches can be attributed to little or no rotation and frequently getting double teamed. I think he would be an absolute monster in our system and Quinn would be the perfect coach to develop him and get the most out of him.
Minnesota does rotate him–a lot. There have been questions as to why he doesn’t play more. He will be out for entire drives at a time.
I saw about 30 secs of Senior Bowl action on NFLN today. A TE I’d forgotten was a senior is Arthur Lynch out of UGa. He’s another guy that could be on Seattle’s radar late.
I have a feeling that Jensen is no secret, and may not make it as late as we’d like.
Yeah, I dig Artie Lynch in the fourth and later.
Rob, what do you think about McCoy coming back? He was playing pretty well before he got hurt. I’m just wondering if he still has any upside? Thanks
I think McCoy will come back on another one-year vet minimum deal. Coming off an ACL tear, no team will be willing to give him anything more than that, so we should be getting him back no problem. I hope his rehab went well because he’s going to need to come back like the injury never happened, and make sure he lands that roster spot. Willson and McCoy would compliment each other well if McCoy returns to form, with McCoy being a jack-of-all-trades tight end and Willson being the move tight end. I think it would be an effective combination. But if you’re McCoy, you’re really hoping you don’t see us draft a TE early. If that happens, McCoy is really going to be challenged for a roster spot.
i though he hurt his acheellies (however you spell it) east year was the best year I’ve seen out of him, i think if he can come back healthy (hopefully like crabtree did from same injury) he has a good chance of signing a 1-2 year contract. i like his size and play style. and i think he will just improve as a player. figure, the first several years of his contact, he had no good QB’s throwing his way…
Thanks guys – I’m guessing we’ll draft another TE, but he blocked and could catch, so if he can come back healthy, I like the competition at that spot. For me, I see getting excited about TE and WR options, but it seems it is tough for those guys to be on the field early one due to the route running and blocking. So many are one or the other. Sort of why I think ASJ could be a good player if he got his act together.
First off, I feel much better going up against Denver than I did against San Fran. Peyton is known to get flustered with good D. I really think Sherman and Maxwell can keep in check Thomas and Decker. I also think if KJ plays, that allows him to take care of J Thomas (like he did to Graham). That leaves Thurmond to take Welker. That still frees up Chancellor to hit anyone and make them second guess catching the ball (ie Boldin and Crabtree).
Resign Bennett and Giacomini. As much as I like Tate, with Harvin Baldwin and Kearse I would be happy. Restructure/cut Rice and Miller.
Rob, what would be your thoughts on getting J. Gordon. Cleveland is not going anywhere, even if they get J. Manzeil. I know he has suspension issues, but would trading our 1st and 3rd be well worth it (for both teams)?
1st WR/TE
2nd WR/TE
3rd OL/DL
I kind of wish Bevell would go (drives me crazy at times), I was real happy to see Quinn stay (thanks Browns for continuing to baffle the entire league).
The only challenge is right now we don’t have a third round pick – it went to MINN – I wouldn’t be surprised if we slide down to the top of the second round because someone jumps up to get a player they want. That way we’d get the third rounder back. I hope Bennett has enjoyed this enough so he would rather play here for maybe a little less than a team like TB for more. I think these guys are realizing what a difference it is to play for Petey than some of the other coaches and organizations.
I think we’d only get a 4th rounder for trading back into the 2nd….unless it was late 2nd and we might get a 3rd. I want Hageman on our D realllly bad but I doubt he makes it to us.
After watching his 2 redzone TD catches in the Orange Bowl I researched Martavis Bryant, (6-4, 200, Clemson, 4.38/40, ranked #74 overall, projected 2-nd round pick). I liked his ability to high point the ball, but found his speed referenced on most sites as being in the high 4.5 range. Then I came across an interesting quote from his college coaches that said he was the fastest receiver on the team, even faster than Sammy Watkins. http://espn.go.com/blog/acc/post/_/id/60192/tigers-looking-for-more-from-wr-martavis-bryant?ex_cid=espnapi_public
Next, I find his speed listed as: 4.28-low, 4.38-time, 4.50-high (not sure how that works) on this site: http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=105770&draftyear=2014&genpos=WR
4.38 would be an excellent time for any 6′-4″ wide receiver, but I don’t know what to make of the 4.28-low number. If Martavis Bryant can run a 4.28, that puts him in vary elite company.
I suppose it could be a typo, but I will be watching this kid closely at the combine. I’m not saying Bryant is “the guy” at this point, but I think we need alternatives if Brandon Coleman is gone when we pick. I’m also somewhat impressed with WR-Donte Moncrief, 6-2, 226 from Mississippi and Cody Hoffman, 6-4, 218, BYU, among others. I gotta do something while waiting for the BIG game, so the research is ongoing.
Martavis Bryant is raw and has some off-field issues. Plus, we already have a very similar player in Ricardo Lockette on the roster. and our Rocket makes big plays on special teams!
WR-Ricardo Lockette, 6-2, 211, UDFA, ran pretty darn fast at his combine (4.37?). He came out of Fort Valley State (class of 2011) with the notation that he was extremely raw and inexperienced thus the reason he went undrafted. His college production in his last year? He caught all of 23 passes. As a raw, very much inexperienced receiver it is no wonder that he went undrafted. I’m not sure he’ll remain a Seahawk if they draft a couple of WR’s in the upcoming draft.
Martavis Bryant, is a couple of inches taller and for comparison purposes, is perhaps as fast as, or faster than, Lockette -and- he comes from Clemson rather than a tiny college. (There is a big difference in level of competition-IMO). Bryant had 828 yards (19.71-ypc) on 42 receptions in 2013, his first year starting as a junior. He’s being projected as a player likely to be drafted in rounds 2-4, probably based on his big upside, which IMO is significantly higher than Lockette’s. Bryant may need a year or so to learn and get up to speed with the NFL game, but to me, he looks like he’s at least worthy of consideration as a Seahawk round 2-3-4-5 draft possibility at this time.
Hey Rob,
I’m the resident Aaron Donald fan on the board, and I am super high on him. You have mentioned a number of times that you are not very high on him because of his game film. I’m wondering if there is a game in particular that gives you concerns or is it a more “overall” thing? The reason I ask is because from the youtube videos I’ve seen, the guy is relentless, and his production has been quite consistent over the course of his career (unlike Will Sutton, who I think will end up in the 4th round). The only thing for me that is a turn off is that he is a bit short for a 3 tech.
Is there some game tape or an overall tendency that you could point out that makes you skeptical?
Aaron Donald looks a lot lighter than Brent Urban. He’s probably like 280. played at 275.
Besides Harvin, Willson, and Bowie, last years draft could be looked at like a Red-Shirt year for most of the players. We do have a lot of talent there. With the depth we had it was pretty tough for those rookies to get a shot at any playing time during the regular season. That and those darn injuries…
Injured and what not, players who can play ball that will get long looks at playing time next season;
RB Michael
DT Hill
CB Thayer
DT/DE YOLO
FB Coleman
RB LSU guy, but recent DUI
DE Manawa (sp)
OT/OG Bailey
Who did I forget? I am excited about those players coming back.
LSU guy – Tharold Simon (cb) – if memory serves me correct we traded up in the 5th for him ….something like 6’2″ 215
DUI guy was Spencer Ware drafted from LSU I believe.
If I may add one thing here. I am a daily listener of the Opie and Anthony Show (And a HUGE fan of Jim Norton, a stand up comedian who also hosts the show), and Richard Sherman’s post game rant turned Opie (a Jets fan), and Jimmy (A Cowboys fan) into Richard Sherman fans.
The language in the clip is NSFW, but I just love their take on the whole thing. Gaining new fans every day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUEPKoL5NB0
1st- Houston Texans: Teddy Bridgewater. I struggle to put Teddy Bridge“over-troubled”water here, because Manziel has really proven himself to me these last couple of weeks. He played tough through injury, but Bridgewater simply has not lost the job. Bill O’Brien has been known to prefer a more classic, in-the-pocket QB. Bridgewater has mobility on-par with Aaron Rodgers and a similar skillset with a quick release and great vision. I think Texans play it safe if they don’t trade-down, which is increasingly becoming a probability.
Rams- Sammy Watkins. Watkins should post great numbers at the combine. The Rams need an amazing receiving threat and Watkins is the best of a great group. He can take over games and that’s what the St. Louis Rams need. He’s a polished, athletic receiver and will help solidify a strong corps for whomever they bring in next year to replace Bradford. A trade is far from out of the question.
Jaguars- Jadeveon Clowney. This could end up being the rare steal at #3. It’s all about the board and if no-one trades up (*cough* Atlanta *cough*) Gus Bradley could have a blue chip player at DE. His seemingly illusionary effort-inconsistencies could materialize in a losing environment, something to watch out for. He’d go be the best player on that team, essentially.
Browns- Johnny Manziel. He could be the savior of the Browns franchise. Josh Gordon would be the type of big-bodied receiver with which he has thrived. Manziel’s really impressed lately and could make magic in a suffering city.
Raiders- Greg Robinson. The Raiders could use an addition to the defense here, but they snap up the best pure blocker in the draft. Robinson could be a cornerstone on this defense for the next decade. He and Veldheer give them bookends, an under-rated aid when you have a mobile QB like Terelle Pryor, who should be the starter right now.
Falcons- Jake Matthews. If the Falcons don’t trade the house for Jadeveon Clowney, I don’t think the talent matches with the position for Anthony Barr. For me, he has to blow up the combine to be considered this high, same with Khalil Mack. Jake Matthews had a great year for A&M and could play either tackle position for the Falcons. Safer to pick Matthews whom has been consistent, versatile, and, at times, brilliant the last couple of years.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Cyrus Kouandjio. The Buccaneers don’t have a lot of holes, but Donald Penn is not a very good RT and could definitely stand moving inside. This pick could turn the Buccaneers into a premier OL. Kouandjio plays with good leverage and keeps his legs under him, but could have benefitted from a quick passing offense and dominant partners on the line. They have weapons and, frankly, a loaded defense.
Minnesota Vikings- Kony Ealy. They could be looking at the Corners here, but there’s just not much talent at the top of this draft. The Corners have a lot of questions to answer at the draft before I put any in the top ten. Ealy has been a terror after a relatively slow start. Protections were geared to stop him early on and it impacted both his and teammate Michael Sam’s stats. There was some talk late in the year about Jared Allen wanting out. I’m not sure just how substantial these claims were, but Ealy is a similar player and could play at a high level elsewhere if Allen isn’t out.
Buffalo Bills- Eric Ebron. It’s a copycat league. The Bills might want a Gronkowski of their own. I have faith that Ebron can be that for the Bills. He’s a hands catcher that has the very occassional mental lapse. Some may question taking a TE in the top 10, but he’s the best blocker out of the top tight ends and is an elite receiving prospect. Why wouldn’t you take him if you had the chance.
Detroit Lions- Marqise Lee. Lee would look great next to Megatron. Lee will break their ankles and Calvin Johnson Jr. will jump over them. Lee’s an intense player and gave Ekpre-Olomu fits when they played.
Tennessee Titans- Mike Evans. Kenny Britt is on his way out. They clearly aren’t fans of him in Tennessee. Evans is a similarly bodied receiver and would be a big boost to whomever they put under center.
New York Giants- Anthony Barr. The Giants have to do something. Having Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck, and Barr on the field will give the Giants an insane NASCAR package. Barr could easily go higher, but based on the drop-off between last year and this, he is a work in progress. If he runs a 4.5, though, he’s a top ten lock.
St. Louis Rams- Calvin Pryor. Pryor is a fast rising name and can play sideline to sideline. He reminds me a lot of Earl Thomas and goes in the same range. Compact, blazing fast, confident tackler. The Rams want to play physical on the outside. The Rams have the second best free safety in the NFC West in this scenario.
Chicago Bears- Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. Henry Melton will be back and the offense is playing well. Not a lot of obvious holes for the Bears. The Bears corners are getting old and Ekpre-Olomu is a turnover machine when he’s tried. If they can hit on a Safety later in the draft, they could be looking at a return to the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers- Taylor Lewan. The Steelers OL had Roethlisberger hobbling all year. They’ve got weapons and a running back. They could be back to a grinding team soon. Lewan had a quiet year, but helped Mizzou to a great year in the SEC. He can play both sides and is a total bulldozer in the run game. Lewan might end up being the best out of this OL group.
Baltimore Ravens- C.J. Mosley. The Ravens need someone in the middle that can take on blocks and get to the ball carrier in traffic. Arthur Brown Jr. is not a natural 3-4 OLB even though they are a one gapping scheme. This will free up Brown to play with a little more depth and play sideline-to-sideline.
Dallas Cowboys- Ra’Shede Hageman. The Cowboys switched to a 4-3 scheme this last year. With Ware, Hatcher, and Hageman, they can get consistent interior push and have an outside threat. Hageman has played inconsistently, but when his motor’s going, the athleticism is on full display.
New York Jets- Odell Beckham Jr. The Jets have nothing outside of Holmes (who has been inconsistent the last two years). They use this pick to take an immediate starter and punt returner. Dynamic playmaker that can return punts. Great route-runner, big strong hands, wins jump balls. Could go higher after the combine.
Miami Dolphins- Zack Martin. “Bullygate” was a huge blow for a developing OL. They get a potential steal here if Martin can pan out at Tackle. Has shortish arms and might end up at guard, but mirrors well and had decent hand placement from what I’ve seen.
Arizona Cardinals- David Carr. The Cardinals can’t think Carson Palmer is the answer going forward. He could take them to the playoffs next year, but it would probably be a one and done. And then what? Carr’s been a step ahead of the other Qbs at the Senior Bowl and put up eye-popping numbers in his career at Fresno State. He’s got great pocket awareness and is mobile enough to keep plays alive against some ferocious defenses in the NFC West. If he can’t wrestle the starting job from Palmer, all the better. They could sit on his talent this year, let Palmer have one last hurrah and let him learn a little bit under a savvy veteran. Blake Bortles is an option here if they rate him higher than I do.
Green Bay Packers- Louichez Purifoy. The Packers defense doesn’t scare anybody. They can pick up an ILB later in the draft. They have some developing talent in the front seven, but their secondary has been suspect for years. Purifoy is a physical corner and would be a nice fit on the outside for Green Bay.
Philadelphia Eagles- Allen Robinson. That secondary and interior D-line could use an addition, but I have the Eagles taking another YAC specialist. This Eagles offense is getting scary. Pair Robinson with Jackson and Shady McCoy and you’ve got three threats to take it the distance on any play. Factor in a QB who isn’t afraid to take shots in Nick Foles and you could have a match made in heaven.
Kansas City Chiefs- Jarvis Landry. Again we could see a safety here, but the need doesn’t match up with the board. Landry is a great option for a team that needs another weapon on the outside. The LSU tiger is a great route-runner that made a lot of spectacular catches this year.
Cincinatti Bengals- Bradley Roby. The talented Corner from Ohio State falls in this mock due to fit and preference, honestly. It’s my mock. The Bengals got torched late against the Chargers in the playoffs. Roby could help ease the eventual loss of Pacman Jones across from Leon Hall.
San Diego Chargers- Jordan Matthews. The Chargers got lucky with Keenan Allen, but could use a boost to their receiving corps. Matthews looked chiseled and athletic at the Senior Bowl. A player with a lot of guts who could go far with a smart QB like Rivers.
Cleveland Browns- Jace Amaro. The Browns have Josh Gordon, but there aren’t many weapons beyond that for Manziel’s new team. Jace Amaro has put up great numbers in a prolific passing offense and is soft handed. The weapon has a great body and gets open consistently by using his huge frame to his advantage. An under-rated blocker, he is eager to get out in front, especially on screens. He and Manziel could be a great fit together.
New Orleans Saints- Darqueze Dennard. The Saints corners have been historically bad in recent memory and haven’t gotten much better. This position is holding back a creative scheme and a talented front seven that they should add to later on in the draft. Dennard has a lot of length and plenty of recovery speed. Should be a nice addition to an upstart defense.
Carolina Panthers- Brandon Coleman. Carolina takes a potential riser in Brandon Coleman. The Panthers were starved for receivers all year, leading Cam to take off more often than his coach probably wants. The hyper-athletic Coleman’s RS Junior year was derailed by an inconsistent offense and probably an inconsistent effort. People in the Rutgers facility seem to trust him as a leader and weapon. This could be a steal.
San Francisco Portly ‘Giners- Brent Urban. In a total 49ers move, Trent Baalken swallows up one of the best remaining prospects for the Seahawks. Brent Urban is an incredibly raw, athletic, interior pass-rusher, perfect for the Seahawks scheme. Has an obviously powerful, potentially overwhelming bull-rush, but really struggles to disengage due to poor technique. Urban can play 5tech opposite Justin Smith. Just a moveable chess piece for this defense. Other teams can coach up raw players, too.
New England Patriots- Cody Hoffman. New England desperately needs weapons for Tom Brady. Hoffman, Thompkins, Danny Amendola, Gronkowski, Blount, and Vereen, on paper make a pretty talented and diverse skill position set. New England’s window is closing.
Seattle Seahawks- I call for a vote.
Vic Beasley.
Dee Ford.
Austin Sefarian-Jenkins.
Antonio Richardson.
Will Sutton.
Kyle Van Noy.
Trade-down??
Anyone you can think of really. Just throw out some prospects, please. There aren’t anymore weapons, really.
Denver Broncos- Guess the Broncos won the Superbowl in this mock. They take whoever they want, then. It’ll probably be lauded.
-Three Quarterbacks taken overall. I’m sure a lot of people will disagree with me putting Carr in there over Blake Bortles. I like Carr’s zip and feel that his skills translate better.
-Five Tackles in the first round. There’s a lot of talent in the second round for Tackles and the Guard value goes way up.
-An amazing 12 receiving types went in the first round, 2 including TE’s. There’s a lot of talent at WR and TE this year. Little at DT and DE.
I ultimately think the Seahawks will have to move up to get someone they really want. They’d do well to move down and pick up a third. That’s a healthy decision. They need some picks. There was a run on the things the Seahawks needed. This is a pretty awful scenario for the Seahawks.
This is more like a big board than anything.
My vote is for wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin, 6’5″ tall and good jumping ability, or Davante Adams 6’2″ tall with soft hands and able to make one handed catches.
I gave Benjamin to the Eagles.
Pretty sure Beasley said hes going back to school. That said out of those players listed id take ASJ or Richardson, both could help cap implications by taking over for Miller or Breno and still be expected to play at a high level.
You gave the eagles Robinson.
It just shows how many receivers are available this year. Whether PC will take one in the first? He did take Harvin and gave away a first. So maybe he is willing to do it now. I would also like to see him get 2-4 offensive linemen. We need lots of blockers for our heavy running formation.
Oh crap. That was a smart pick!!
If you want to exchange Benjamin for Robinson, either one would be a good pick for the Eagles or the Seahawks. We birds flock together until the playoffs!!!
I love Adams. The dude is a Beast. Think Marshawn Lynch with great hands and a 42″ vertical leap!
Martavis Bryant, 6’4 wR Clemson. Fast with good hands.
http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=105770&draftyear=2014&genpos=WR
The AZ Cardinals may want to select DEREK Carr rather than DAVID Carr. Dave is getting a bit long in the tooth. 🙂
If the Cardinals had a job it would be old quarterback recycling. 🙂
Goddamn it. I thought for an inordinate amount of time about that.
If nothing else, this illustrates that we should be able to get a really good player at our pick, potentially enabling a slight move down to get some more picks.
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is returning to Oregon this year. Kind of stupid for Chicago to draft him when he is not available
@ Kenny Sloth
I’m a firm believer that the 2nd round of the draft starts in the 1st round, right around pick #25. This is where you see early 2nds become late 1st rounders and 2nd rounders end up in the 1st . It’s that 25-45 range where things get really interesting.
I’m all in for a Zack Martin OG/T in round 1.
I think that Brandon Coleman could fall to us in round 2
My sleeper pick that I really like is Justin Ellis DT LATech Like him as Red Bryants replacement and could backup Mebane. He;s powerful and actually pushes dbl teams backwards grab him in round 6.
One of my favorite players. Not a sleeper any more. Gettin
a lot of attention in Mobile.
Blake Bortles will go number 1 to Houston
That’s been my thinking since the minute O’Brien was hired. Bortles is his prototypical QB to a T, not a Bridgewater or a Manziel.
The one player that really intrigues me coming out of the Senior Bowl is Justin Ellis. He was a pretty freak athlete at La Tech, and there was speculation he’d be a mid day 3 selection. Big Jelly is a massive dude who has shown definitively that he can play with the top echelon college talent and succeed.
He really separated himself at the Shrine game, to the point of getting a late Senior Bowl invite. And in Mobile, he’s continued to show consistent quality at that level as well. He is a player who looks like he’ll be more than a situational player. He looks solid as a base defense guy who is rotated out for NASCAR packages.
We selected Jesse Williams in the 5th last year. He’s not flashed quality or availability. Could have been related to lingering knee issues he suffered late in his college career. It’s unknown and there is no reason to expect he’ll suddenly be more than he showed.
Ellis has shown the ability to stone double teams as well as the quickness/power and agility to beat single blocking. I would put him firmly behind Hageman in terms of unique physical quality, albeit for different reasons. He does look like a great successor to Mebane. I’d expect San Francisco to consider him in the 2nd and 3rd rounds.
I’m very high on him even if he may not be an immediate need for us. Although realistically, we don’t have a lot of immediate needs to begin with. If we’re looking at successor/reload type talents out of this draft, then Ellis should be high on that list.
Slightly off-topic, but a little note as to why I expect DL to be a priority (higher than the oft-discussed WR/TE) at the top of the draft.
The defense faced about 1000 snaps this year, and we had 7 DL each play between 480-600 (Bennett, Clemons, Avril, Mebane, McDonald, McDaniel, Bryant, from most to least). No one else played an appreciable amount (except for Irvin in the nickel, but I can’t separate his LB snaps from DL), and I would expect this to be the plan for next season as well (rotation of 7 guys each getting ~50% of snaps).
In what I consider the reasonable best-case scenario (re-sign Bennett, keep one of Clemons/Avril, one of Mebane/Bryant, and one of McDonald/McDaniel)
(oops, comment submitted before I was ready)
…, we’d need to add a 500 snap LEO, a 500 snap 3-tech, and a 500 snap early-down run-stuffer (1-tech/5-tech). It could easily be worse if Bennett gets too expensive and both McDonald/McDaniel cash in elsewhere.
Realistically we could probably hope for one of these holes to be filled from in-house options (a healthy Scruggs, Hill, maybe Mayowa shows a bunch of development, Williams gets healthy…), but that still leaves two major contributors that we need to add (and need to add in a cost-controlled manner, not through free agency). To me that says look for at least one of the top 2 picks to be spent on DL (maybe both, and if not, then probably again in the 4th).
I agree with your assessment. This team wins with defense and going D-Line early makes all kinds of sense. However, we do need to let the draft come to us. If there is value on the D-Line at our draft spot, then I say, “Go for it!” If not, then we need to look at other positions of need.
I’d love to see a DT in round 1, WR in round 2, TE in round 4, CB and DE in round 5, OL in round 6 and a safety or WR in round 7.
Sorry to belabor the point, but just to compare to other areas more frequently discussed as needs:
At WR we have Harvin, Baldwin (don’t see any scenario in which he leaves as RFA), Kearse in place even if Rice is cut and we fail to re-sign Tate. I think we do manage to bring Tate back, but even if not Harvin just takes all of his snaps (and Kearse has already taken all of Rice’s post-injury), so we’d still just be looking for depth.
At TE we likely keep Miller as our in-line guy, have a developing Willson as a flex type, and bring back McCoy on the cheap to replace Davis in 3-TE sets. If Miller is let go we probably would need one more piece here, but would probably look to the middle rounds of the draft to find one.
On the OL we are fairly likely to lose one/both of McQuistan/Giacomini, but here (as opposed to on the DL) we know we have young replacements the staff like that are already getting significant time (in Bowie/Bailey). Since those guys are cheap and since spots like RT or backup G/T are places we will want to save money, again expect these to be mid-to-late round depth picks.
I would like to see McCoy come back next season, in 2012, he had his best season, they started using his as a receiving TE and he is damn fast. watch some of the videos on this page:
http://www.seahawks.com/team/roster/Anthony-McCoy/dcae0b11-9cb3-4a4c-857f-02a3d3a55436
having to good receiving TE’s (McCoy and Willson) would be great, and then add a good blocking TE we would be set. Because McCoy and Willson can both block well also.
Rob,
do you think Zack Martin’s skills are significantly more polished than a player like Wesley Johnson of Vanderbilt, who could probably be had in the fourth round? The two look like identical players to me with Johnson maybe having a slight tick more athleticism and speed.
I can’t say I’ve looked at Johnson but I will try and take a look. I’ve been a big fan of Martin’s for some time though.
I think there is a video on draftbreakdown of Vandy vs South Carolina where Johnson completely shuts down Clowney. Johnson is just a really solid looking lineman – my second favorite to Billy Turner in this draft who is realistically obtainable – that won’t require high draft capital to acquire. His only knock might be that he is a tad undersized at 298lb but that is Sweezey’s size, and right now Johnson looks like a heckuva lot better player than Sweezey.
Martin has look dang good sa far today, too bad everyone else blocking isn’t doing to hot