A quick note before we get started — tomorrow sees the return of our combine live blogs. During every session I’ll be posting live updates on the workouts as they happen. Then at the end of each day (Friday-to-Monday) I’ll write a review piece. Also this year Brandan Schulze and I will be recording a daily reaction podcast at the end of each workout. There’s loads going on so keep checking the blog and join in via the comments section.
Now for some thoughts on the measurements so far. This includes the QB’s, WR’s, RB’s, TE’s and OL’s.
Several tight ends fit the bill
Will Dissly is 6-4 and 265lbs. The Seahawks drafted him predominantly for his blocking. They also liked Nick Vannett for his ability to act as a Y-TE. Vannett was also listed at 6-6 and 257lbs at his combine.
There’s a chance the Seahawks will draft a tight end at some point this year. Dissly is returning from a serious knee injury, Vannett is a free agent after the 2019 season and Ed Dickson is a veteran stopgap. If they’re looking for more size and power to help with their physical offense — several names stand out.
We noted Trevon Wesco and Drew Sample in our big combine preview earlier this week. Wesco is pushing 6-4 and 267lbs (very similar to Dissly) with 34.5 inch arms and a massive 81.5 inch wingspan. He’s a good blocker on tape and looked the part of a possible Seahawks tight. Everything fits in that regard — tape, size, length. Let’s see if he can add a decent short shuttle (also important) to the list of reasons why he might be on Seattle’s radar.
Sample also measured well at nearly 6-5, 255lbs and 34.5 inch arms. He’s an incredibly well-rounded tight end who boosted his stock at the Senior Bowl with a strong display all week.
Two other names stood out. Kendall Blanton at Missouri is 6-6, 262lbs with big hands, 33.5 inch arms and nearly a 82 inch wingspan. Zach Gentry is even bigger at 6-8, 265 and 34 1/8 inch arms.
I’ve long seen Irv Smith Jr. as basically a ‘big slot receiver’. Nothing changed after his weigh-in today. He’s 6-2 and 242lbs with only 31.5 inch arms and a 75 inch wingspan. These are not impressive numbers if you want to use him as a blocker. He’s not expected to run a particularly good forty time either.
DK Metcalf isn’t quite as big as people thought
The recent photos of Metcalf in the gym made him look like he was auditioning for a part in the next Marvel movie. You’d have been forgiven for mistaking him for a defensive lineman. He actually weighed in at just 228lbs. It’s big for a receiver but maybe suggests the circulated photo was a little misleading.
Metcalf is possibly the most boom-or-bust player in the draft. He’s clearly fantastically gifted in terms of a physical profile. He’s also 6-4 in height, has 35 inch arms and 10 inch hands. He has a frame reminiscent of Calvin Johnson. He’s also expected to have a superb workout.
There are also medical concerns about his neck injury and his tape mixed dynamic downfield grabs with a limited route tree, concentration drops and an inability at times to make the most of his size. He does have a freaky frame though and if he lasts into range for the Seahawks they may consider him. He’ll need to run in the 4.4’s if history is an indicator on what they want in a receiver — big or small.
It’ll also be interesting to see Travis Fulgham and Jazz Ferguson workout. Fulgham is 6-2 and 215lbs with 34 inch arms. Ferguson is nearly 6-5, 227lbs and with an 82.5 inch wingspan. Again — keep an eye on the forty time. If they crack the 4.4’s they could be under consideration for a Seahawks team that has consistently sought speed at receiver.
The running backs to watch out for
The Seahawks have a type at running back. They like explosive traits, they prefer the size to be between 5-10 and 6-0 in height and about 220lbs. Several players fit into the size category — Qadree Ollison, LJ Scott, Alex Barnes, Rodney Anderson, Benny Snell Jr, David Montgomery, Alexander Mattison, Josh Jacobs, Ryquell Armstead, Damien Harris and Elijah Holyfield. Running style also matters and it’s why I think players like Mattison, Anderson and Armstead in particular might be coveted. We’ll see how they test tomorrow (although Anderson isn’t working out as he recovers from a knee injury).
This is a good looking bunch of offensive linemen
Jawann Taylor is 6-5 and 312lbs with 35 1/8 inch arms and nearly an 85-inch wingspan. He was already being touted as a top-10 pick. He’s a good workout away from possibly confirming that.
Greg Little’s stock has levelled out a bit and I thought he would be best suited moving inside to guard. However, with a 6-5 and 310lbs frame plus an 85-inch wingspan — that’s left tackle size.
Isaiah Prince could be a sleeper to keep an eye on. He’s 6-6 and 305lbs with 35.5 inch arms and an 84.5 inch wingspan. He’s good enough to get a crack to start at the next level. Martez Ivey was a big name recruit back in the day. He’s 6-5 and 315lbs with 36 2/8 inch arms and an 86 2/8 inch wingspan. You can work with a frame like that.
Dalton Risner divides opinion but two things are clear — he seems like a great guy based on interviews and he has decent size at 6-5, 312lbs and 34-inch arms. Oklahoma’s Dru Samia, Ben Powers and Bobby Evans all look the part and as a collective group looked great the last couple of years.
Mike Jordan was impressive at 6-6, 312lbs, 34 2/8 inch arms and an 83-inch wingspan. Mitch Hyatt will get an opportunity to start at tackle or guard at 6-5 3/8, 303lbs and 34 1/8 arms. Chuma Edoga, Elgton Jenkins, Tytus Howard, Connor McGoven, Cody Ford, Chris Lindstrom, Donnell Greene and several others all measured well.
Kaleb McGary surprisingly saw his arm length and wingspan drop considerably from the Senior Bowl. He’s 6-7 and 317lbs but has 32 7/8 inch arms and a 79 6/8 inch wingspan.
Will Grier rated highly by the league?
The two players we’ve focused on at quarterback are Kyler Murray and Will Grier. With good reason. It’s backed up by this article looking at a formula that predicts future NFL success. Russell Wilson is at the top of the leader board. Murray and Grier would come in just behind him.
I thought this was a well put together mock draft from Pete Schrager with only a couple of minor quibbles (eg Nasir Adderley in round one). It’s interesting that he notes the league is higher on Grier than the media and he believes he could be a first round pick.
Pete Carroll sees keeping the O-line together as a priority
This isn’t a surprise. I’m not sure if the Dallas game clouded a few opinions — but the O-line took a major step forward in 2018. Keeping D.J. Fluker and J.R. Sweezy should be a priority and Carroll stated as much today. He also spoke highly of Delano Hill and said he wants to limit the number of explosive plays conceded on defense.
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Nice info! Any official measurements on Issac Nuata? Seems a like abetter version of Vannett
Unfortunately, lacks a bit of length:
Georgia TE Isaac Nauta
Height: 6-3 2/8
Weight: 244
Hand: 9 3/8
Arm: 31 7/8
Wingspan: 76 5/8
You did it again this year…you was the first one who mock Murrey 1st overal, who was so high on all clemson guys…praise about LC Collier before everyone(and now some think he could go late first to raiders)…when everyone was :Deionte Thomas is top -10 talent you didnt see him in first round…we will se what will happen with Jonah…
Just great…and besides that you are great talent evaluator you are great journalist and I know it is tough to judge by your writing and videos(when you were guest at realhawktalk) but it seems like you are really nice guy…
Just one small thing…look again in some of datas for some positions…i saw that on twitter and then look much closer…for example for TE, 3 cone can tell us much better who will seahawks draft then short shuttle…i think all of TE that seahawks draft had 3 cones <7.1 and that is.better than 70% of TE's…and for short shuttle that rate is much much lower…average short shuttle for TE is 4,37…and dissley, miller, mccoy , graham all run slower than that…mccoy was 12%, graham 31%, miller 40%, dissley around 45%…
https://imgur.com/a/CA2678N
You were not “you was”…
And I forgot to mention Grier…you spoke about him before everybody…
Is the average short shuttle for a TE really 4.37? That seems a bit quick to me.
I’m happy to look into the three cone times but I think the short shuttle times are important because what it told me was there was some consistency there. Really that’s what I look for — trends. Not how certain players compare to the league or positional average. Because the Seahawks have very specific preferences at certain positions that don’t always translate to other clubs.
Appreciate the kind words though and for highlighting some of the areas where we’ve been ahead of the curve. I like to think we do a better than most job at cutting through the hype and getting to the truth on certain prospects.
And for all you…this is just my opinio but…if you want to know everything about seahawks draft…read this blog, read matty brown’s articles and follow his twitter account (he is really really great) and follow James Thomas on twitter (that is where i saw datas for 3 cone for TE’s)
Does JT still lurk around here? I really liked the Seahawks draft athletic testing spreadsheet he shared a couple years ago. Maybe he has an updated version.
Gotta combine his approach with the tape work though.
I don’t know. I am here since 2016 and didn’t even know that he was here.
How could McGary’s measurements be so different?
Jim Nagy tweeted about this yesterday:
Great work, Rob – as comprehensive as we’ve come to expect.
Wanted to share: on 710 today, Clayton said Will Dissly is ahead of Jimmy Graham’s recovery schedule, which would suggest he might be available for the season opener.
Doesn’t shock me at all that the league might well higher on Will Grier than the draftniks are. The guy just has an it-factor, and arm strength is probably fourth or fifth down the list of importance for a lot of coordinators. I can see New England, LAC, Cincy all taking a shining on him.
It’s a bit amusing that the metric list has Jake Browning well ahead of Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Jarrett Stidham in terms of success probability. I don’t know what to make of that.
On a separate note, does the news on Doug Baldwin’s health situation raise the probability that Seattle might go WR with their first pick? Kinda raised my eyebrows a bit more.
Pete Carrol said he would be back by the start of the season but who’s to say where he had shoulder and knee surgery already. Although i have no idea in terms of the severity those surgeries were. The Seahawks dont have a reliable #3 receiver so i say go for it and spend a pick on a young receiver. There are a few options on free agents.
The most important measurement…..
Murray at 5’10 and a 1/8th or so….
Not saying a lock for top 10, but… a lock for top 10 now. 😉
Schneider was on jon Clayton on Wednesday and said this draft has balance overall, not many cliffs, and good offensive players as well as a stacked d line class. Wants to turn the four picks into eight. Wonder if they are thinking offense with the first pick?
Thanks for this
I have just listened Pete Carroll on Jon Clayton show.
Once again (1st time was Pete’s last presser after season), I have strong feeling that Pete is much higher on Delano than T2 at the moment. Delano and Mcdougal would be starting safeties if season starts tomorrow.
Wii Dissly will be ready for the season if there is no setbacks.
Pete expect big jump from Shaquill.
And the biggest surprise for me is it sounds to me that George Fant is TE now. I think he will change his jersey number and will be full time TE.
Whaaa? I find that hard to believe after the work he put in to transform his body into a OT.
Maybe it’s just a question of changing the jersey number so he doesn’t have to report as eligible every time he checks into the game?
It’s my opinion that he will change number, PC didn’t say that. But try to listen PC at Clayton. He really sounds to me as he plans to use Fant as full time TE.
Yeah probably has to do more with the eligible thing than he’ll have 30+ catches for the season. But I hope they’ll work him as a receiver too. If he run some really basic routes they can throw to him 5-8 times in a season and really surprise opponents with it
I completely agree with you. I maybe see them using him in certain situations but definitely not the #1 TE. Will Dissly will be ready to go by the start of the season.
They played Fant a little bit at tight end last year. They like his blocking ability, and if he is on the team then why not use him? I’m curious about any catching exercises he is doing? If I were him I would practice daily this summer.
We’ll have to hold off on Cody Ford’s final TEF score until he benches at pro day. He had 19 reps yesterday, but:
Jim Nagy about seahawks corner’s lenght when hosh norris asked him how important that was…
“It was talked about less than you think in meetings. But, as a scout, you were always cognizant of the prototype in the fall when you graded players so there usually weren’t too many on the board that didn’t have good length. If they were on the board it was as a nickel.”
That mock by Peter Schrager was the most logical one I have seen to date. The picks up to and including the Hawks at 21 seemed to make sense.
Agreed. It’s probably the best ‘national’ mock I’ve read. My only serious quibble was Adderley in round one.
Dexter Lawrence is huuge.
6-4 4/8 height
342 weight
10 4/8 hand
34 6/8 arm
84 wing
Wilkins has 32 4/8 arms.
End Oliver is 287lbs with 31 6/8arms. 6-1 7/8 height.
Finally, like I proposed a month ago, Will Grier to the Bolts… one heck of a fit.
I don’t think I’ve seen Grier take a snap under centre. Every vid I’ve seen has him in the shotgun. I know it’s the way with college football these days but would this be a valid concern?
Not with the way the league (and even the Seahawks) have gone.