Looking at some of the college stats
I had a quick browse of the college football stats after three weeks to see if anything stood out. A couple of things did.
Firstly it’s the company Hunter Bryant (TE, Washington) is keeping when it comes to explosive plays. Bryant is a highly athletic player and has been talked up by Brock Huard on 710 ESPN. In an interview during the summer he noted how he’d been working to become a more complete tight end.
Will Dissly and Drew Sample both heavily improved their stock during the draft process. Could Bryant make it a hat-trick?
It’s possible if he keeps making plays like this:
Here’s a list of some of the big name receivers in college football and the number of +10-yard plays they’ve made so far this season:
Jerry Jeudy — 15
Hunter Bryant — 11
Rondale Moore — 11
Tee Higgins — 10
Binjimen Victor — 10
CeeDee Lamb — 7
Jerry Jeudy is very likely to be a top-10 pick. Tee Higgins could go in the top-20. CeeDee Lamb could be a first rounder. Binjimen Victor is underrated and in 2021, Rondale Moore could easily end up being a high pick.
It’s impressive for a tight end to match their production so far.
What about +20-yard plays?
Rondale Moore — 7
CeeDee Lamb — 6
Tee Higgins — 5
Jerry Jeudy — 5
Binjimen Victor — 5
Hunter Bryant — 3
He’s not quite in check with the top names here but three +20-yard plays is still decent for a tight end.
The final group shows plays of +30 yards:
Rondale Moore — 4
Tee Higgings — 3
Hunter Bryant — 2
Binjimen Victor — 2
Jerry Jeudy — 1
If Bryant continues to make big plays for the Huskies and if he can convince teams he’s a capable blocker — he could significantly boost his draft stock.
The other figure I had a look at was TFL’s. The 2020 draft has a handful of really good, eligible defensive linemen but there’s nowhere near the depth we saw in 2019. With Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah both free agents at the end of the year, it’s possible this could be a key need for Seattle.
The big names haven’t been that productive so far. Here’s four that are near the top of the list for TFL’s after three weeks:
Kenny Willekes — 7.5
Chase Young — 5.5
Jabari Zuniga — 4.5
Yetur Gross-Matos — 3.5
Willekes has done incredibly well to return from a major knee injury and pick up where he left off a year ago. He had 20.5 TFL’s in 2018 and 8.5 sacks. Whether he has the athletic profile Seattle craves remains to be seen (he was not a highly touted recruit). His production, however, is fantastic at Michigan State.
Chase Young is off to a fast start (everyone is at Ohio State). He could land in the top-15 very easily next year. Jabari Zuniga at Florida has also been productive but he left Saturday’s game against Kentucky with an ice-pack on his ankle.
Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos has 3.5 TFL’s but he was virtually anonymous against Pittsburgh. He was frequently spelled and had virtually no impact in the game. It was a disappointing performance from a player capable of going in the top-45.
Thoughts on the practise squad
The Seahawks signed Jachai Polite and Cardale Jones to their practise squad at the start of the season and both were eye-catching additions.
Polite was a third round pick this year but was cut by the Jets after one training camp. It was a major fall from grace for a player once considered a likely top-20 pick. He has the talent and quickness to be a lethal pass rusher but for whatever reason the last few months have been a disaster — from his weight gain to his shambles of a combine and so on.
Jones burst onto the scene when, as a backup, he guided Ohio State to the National Championship. He didn’t follow it up with a great final season in college and eventually fell to the fourth round in 2016 (drafted by Buffalo). He was then traded to the Chargers for a conditional pick, lasted a couple of years and ended up on Seattle’s practise squad. Jones played well in pre-season for LA.
Physically he has it all. Great arm, surprising mobility. So far he hasn’t made full use of his extreme talent. He has the tools to be a starter in the NFL.
With Seattle’s strong history of development under Pete Carroll, both players were eye-catching additions to what looks like a strong practise squad overall:
Jazz Ferguson WR
Kyle Fuller G
Jacob Hollister TE
Cardale Jones QB
Kahlil McKenzie G
Ryan Neal S
Parry Nickerson CB
Jachai Polite OLB
Jordan Roos G
Terry Wright WR
There are several players with real promise on that list.
When they signed Polite and Jones we noted that, while there was hope for both, it was possible they were merely receiving extended try-outs with Seattle. If they lasted more than a couple of weeks it’d be promising.
Today they cut Jones to make room for Elijah Nkansah (a likely hedge against some of their O-line injuries). Evidently his extended try-out didn’t last long.
It’s encouraging for Polite that he’s stuck around. As we’ve seen with Jones’ departure — the practise squad gives you an opportunity to check players out. For now at least they are persevering with Polite.
Has the light switched on? Could the Seahawks potentially end up with a first round talent on the cheap? If he’s showing promise could they stash him to further his development on the 53-man roster?
With the strongest looking practise squad in a number of years, this is a list worth tracking. Several could easily make the jump to the full roster depending on injuries and potential.
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Rob have you seen any WV games? Tony Pauline is rather bullish on WVU OT Colton McKivitz
Also, just out of curiosity, do you think Jeudy is as good or better than Amari Cooper?
I wrote about McKivitz last year. Like Tony I thought he was their best O-liner. Not a spectacular player. Solid though.
Jeudy is different IMO. Cooper was sturdy and stout, incredibly crisp in his routes and just did everything in a textbook fashion except catch the ball. Jeudy is a lot leaner and quicker — more sudden. Better hands.
Thanks I went back and looked at your previous comments about McKivitz. Where does he project at this point? R2-3?
General observation about this year’s CFB:
The level of talent among the nation’s top teams is gobsmacking. Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson, LSU, Georgia, even Oklahoma are not only loaded with individual talent, their team play is stupendous. They are in a different class than almost any other program. I’m not yet convinced of ND, Florida or AUB belonging to that top tier. ND play Georgia this week so we’ll see about them soon.
I think about R3 sounds right for McKivitz. Solid not spectacular.
Georgia will spank Notre Dame IMO.
Agree about ND, Florida and Auburn. There’s a very clear top tier in CFB this year and it includes Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson and Oklahoma. LSU can compete with them but are probably just outside the top tier for me.
Can’t help but be a fan of Bryant – he’s never been a featured receiver in the Dawgs offense but you gotta like seeing a TE average 20 YPC. He shows really good chemistry with Eason, I think he’s gonna have a big year (especially since our receiver group is suspect).
I think right now, with the questions remaining about his blocking, he has a pretty similar profile to what we saw with Irv Smith Jr., possibly a touch more athleticism.
PFF graded Dissly as the top performing TE last week with a 92.2 grade. I opined previously that I think he’s the best SEA TE since Zach Miller. He’s a class above Vannett, who is a decent receiver but an awful blocker. I think TE is one of the more pressing needs on offense for SEA and I expect them to address it this next offseason.
Agreed – I think tight end is definitely a position we will want to supplement, with the possibility that Vannett and Dickson may not come back. Early on it looks like this year’s tight end class could end up having some good names in it, so it’s definitely worth monitoring. The free agent class isn’t looking to promising on top of it.
This will almost certainly be Dickson’s last season in Seattle and Vannett it’s up in the air whether he returns (could go either way really). I suspect TE will be an area to watch and it’s why I wanted to highlight Bryant to get the ball rolling. He would be a nice compliment to Dissly — bit more athletic but with a mentality to improve his blocking.
Mentioned this below, but Bryant, while being a fantastic talent – has never tested that well athletically. He’s been timed in the 4.8s and posted a 32″ VJ.
My guess is after training for the combine and cutting weight – he will end up running a 4.75s and hit 34″ on VJ. A good athlete but will struggle to play a traditional role in the NFL. I could see him being a guy that plays big slot, move TE, and possibly even fullback looks. I would imagine NE Pats would find interesting ways to use him.
Wow, he really had 44 clean pockets?!
Whoda thunk…?
OL penalties are way up so far this year league wide.
Polite is a Demarcus Lawrence clone! Same physical and athletic traits but unfortunately same attitude Lawrence had. Even if he’s a role model during the season you gotta worry about him getting into trouble in the offseason.
At his best, at Florida, Polite played at about 245lbs. That’s at least 20lbs lighter than Demarcus Lawrence.
Lawrence was 250 lbs at Polite’s age.
And had the frame to add weight and has since added 15lbs and is a top-tier pass rusher.
Polite added weight for the combine and it was a complete disaster.
Lawrence was a disaster too! We’ll see how big Polite gets he’s still growing and Lawrence is full grown.
Polite weighed in at 258lbs at the combine Lawrence weighed 251 lbs at the combine. 32 vert vs 34.5 vert 4.84 40 yard vs 4.8 40 yard.
They are/were very different players. Chill dude. You’ve posted a lot of random stuff today.
Rob, Ryan Neal is listed as a CB on their website. Interested in your thoughts/comparisons.
Also… VERY intrigued by Polite, will be fun to follow this story.
I’ve not seen enough of Ryan to offer a view unfortunately.
I believe the Hawks are converting Neal to CB. Watch his preseason games with Atlanta, especially the last one. The Falcons were obviously trying to convert him to CB too. He looked good in both boundary and slot play.
From his pro day:
6’2″ 187 lbs.
Arm: 31 3/4″
Wingspan: 75 3/8″
40 Yard: 4.47
10 Yard Split: 1.58
Bench: 15 reps
Vertical: 37 1/2″
Broad Jump: 10′ 7″
Shuttle: 4.29
3-Cone: 7.18
DE Curtis Weaver @ Boise State has had a strong start to his season – 6 sacks in 3 games. 6’3 265 lbs. Some pretty interesting names overall atop the sacks and TFL leaderboards. Its unfortunate you can’t always find athletic testing numbers on these guys.
I’m a huge Husky fan. Read everything Husky. Listen to everything Husky. Watch every Husky play at least twice. What strikes me about Hunter Bryant’s stat line so far was how quietly it was done. The stats piled up in relative terms and I hardly noticed. I’m not sure why that is? Maybe it’s because he did it so matter-of-factly, didn’t look spectacular in any way while doing it. Kind of funny to me.
He is working to improve his blocking, no doubt. He’s really trying to make himself a more complete NFL prospect.
Injuries aside, it looks like the NFC playoff picture could already be set after 2 weeks. Would be funny if that plays out. Someone has to win the South but Dallas, GB, LAR, SF & SEA wouldn’t surprise anyone as entrants.
Nice write up on the practice squad, by the way. I don’t know much at all about any of these guys except Ferguson. He did show some real fight for the ball during pre-season, though I don’t know if we’ll see more of him in the future or not.
So if the Seahawks are going to kick the tires on a CB/S addition, Jamal Adams would be well worth the tire kicking. I think he might have been slightly over drafted, but is a hell of a player. Brings the wood when he lines a guy up. I read he was suspect in coverage, but I don’t have evidence to back up that claim or discount that claim.
Just caught that they released Jones for Nkansah. Yikes. Nkansah was bloody awful in the preseason. And that’s even against inferior 2nd/3rd team competition. I don’t know if that speaks more poorly about Jones, or about the possible lack of depth at OL. Fortunately, I’ve read good things about McKenzie, a recent DT to OG convert. Word is he made tremendous progress this offseason, so maybe he’s ready to step up if depth gets thin on the 53 man roster.
Neal is an interesting cat. Good athlete, decent college production (albeit at a smaller program). Decent overall size, but shorter arms/wings than SEA typically like in their CBs (though Griffin isn’t long either).
I’ve been keen on Jazz Ferguson since his nice showing in the first preseason game. He was quiet after, but there’s something about him, his size, physicality and grit that looks entirely Seahawky to me.
FWIW I think Nickerson will be the first call up from the PR, just as soon as he learns the coverage schemes. He’s got some real quickness. I rather like a big nickel/slot rotation of Amadi, Taylor and Nickerson.
Hunter Bryant is my guy! I hope he lasts to seahawks first round pick, but don’t think he will. Someone will scoop him in top 15. By seasons end he could be better than tj hockinson
I’d slow that roll.
He’s not going to top TJ Hockenson.
Bryant reminds me a bit of Jordan Reed.
Bryant was timed in the 4.8s and has an extensive injury history. My guess is that he will be picked around 75. He’s a fantastic player, but he will not blow anybody away at the combine. Don’t get me wrong – I love the dude and would be ecstatic if he was in Seattle, but he’s not a 1st round guy.
Where are you finding a posted 40 time?
4.82 on ESPN coming out of High School. Also generally reported by UW Insiders (Dawgman, etc). 32″ VJ according to UW Spring Combine, last year.
I have no doubt he has improved on the 4.82 – but he was a specimen coming out of high school, so I doubt he’s radically changed that. I think he will test comfortably in the 4.7s. I will say he does play faster than that.
Right now, maybe 4th round.
😲
Talented receiver. Catches the ball away from his body nicely.
Appropriately-named highlights video:
Henry Ruggs III || “GOGO GADGET HANDS” || Alabama Sophomore Highlights || 2018
https://youtu.be/_l686aAbc28
I’m impressed. It’s almost impossible to take a good angle on tackling him. Too fast, and if you over-commit he gets you with the stop-go.
And here is the clip of the TD vs. South Carolina that was referenced in the above Tweet.
https://youtu.be/UYlsfIuxBH0
Ruggs is awesome. Would like to have a player like him
Ruggs seems like a fantastic “hey, we have an extra 2nd round pick to use” type of selection. I’d be all for that.
With regard to Carroll’s development of players, have you ever analyzed past practice squad rosters to see how they turned out? Looking at last year’s opening day practice squad, I admittedly don’t recognize half the names on the list:
QB Alex McGough
WR Caleb Scott
WR Keenan Reynolds
CB Akeem King
RB Lavon Coleman
LB Antwione Williams
DT Frank Herron
G Jordan Roos
T Elijah Nkansah
TE Marcus Lucas
It would be interesting to know how often Seattle’s practice squad guys become relevant NFL players (whether with Seattle or elsewhere).
Well from that list alone one is on the 53 man roster, two are still with the team and Keenan Reynolds was pretty close to making it.
Btw, about Keenan Reynolds…
https://www.espn.com/blog/seattle-seahawks/post/_/id/33027/seahawks-secret-weapon-keenan-reynolds-and-his-cryptic-job-in-the-navy
Purdue TE Brycen Hopkins.
I still think OK St. WR Tylan Wallace is the most slept on wideout in the country. He can get vertical so incredibly quick.
Leads the nation in receiving yards, tied for first in receiving TDs, 1st in yds after the catch, 1st in YPG, has 3 60+ yd plays.
I am firmly aboard your Tylan Wallace train!
Not sure if you saw this when I last posted, but check this out:
https://youtu.be/y1S-Mx7X6GU?t=125
Stud!
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Former #49ers safety Adrian Colbert signed to the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad, per source. A former 7th-Round pick in 2017, Colbert started 12 games for San Francisco over the last two seasons.
Hawks release Jazz Ferguson to make room for Colbert
So it appears that Taco Charleton is about to be released from DAL. I dont know how true it is, but he was the player that was rumored to be the true player the Hawks wanted in the ’17 draft instead of McDowell. If the rumor is to believed, the hawks had been in communication with the cowboys during the trade backs and DAL had said they weren’t interested in Taco prompting the hawks to trade back again. Then of course, the cowboys took him. (not sure if any of this is to be believed). However, Taco certainly fit the prototype that SEA was looking for. I wonder how much interest SEA would have in him? Also, who could they even cut to bring him in? Jefferson and Jackson have been playing well. Doesn’t seem like theres much room to add sans injury.
There was no evidence the Seahawks were targeting Taco Charlton. Just twitter supposition. McDowell was the kind of special upside talent they’ve often sought and I suspect he was always the guy they were planning to take. If you recall, Schneider said on the phone call after calling the pick, ‘remember our conversation’. That implied they knew who they were going after.
Not sure why we would want to bring him in right now. He’s done hardly anything in the pros (1 sack last year) and has been injured all the time. There’s a reason the Cowboys are giving up on him just two years into his rookie deal.
I know, I know, but rumors are sometimes fun… Anyway, what do you think of the 2nd part of my post? Do you think there is any room for Taco on this team? Seams like he had a good pre-season. Its just hard to imagine cutting any of our current guys for a reclamation project…
Shaquem Griffin?
I don’t think there’s any room to be honest. Who do you cut from the DL?
“Taco Charlton is not on the practice field as the Cowboys begin preparation for Sunday’s game against Miami, which could be a sign the former first-round pick is potentially on the way out via a trade or release.” -ESPN
What is the issue with him in Dallas? Just can’t fit on the roster? An attitude problem? Not in shape? All of the above?
Cowboys traded for Robert Quinn and now he’s healthy, Cowboys are loaded at DE.
Hill SHOULD be no 1.
He’s better than Bridgewater, more dangerous, and gives them a better chance of winning.
Big fan of Bridgewater, and his story/comeback is fantastic.. but Hill is better at this point.
Anyone else watch the Saints QB challenge videos from their training camp?
Based on what? I’ll check out those videos you referenced. He’s had some good plays in the nfl but he hasn’t even played a whole nfl game at qb. Bridgewater has led a team to the playoffs and nearly beat the hawks. I expect to see a lot of Hill with Bridgewater as the primary option but who knows. I think Sean Payton has a pretty good handle on who gives the Saints the best chance to win but maybe Bridgewater just fits their existing scheme better and they need time to create a full offense that fits Hill’s unique game.
This comment might come back to haunt me at the weekend but…. Bridgewater has looked bad in his brief action since returning from the injury (and he was never that good at Minnesota to be fair).
In his one start last season he lost 33-14 at home to the Panthers, throwing 14/22 for 118 yards (one TD, one pick). I watch certain teams in pre-season and the Saints were one this year. Hill was a lot better than Bridgewater based on what I saw.
I suspect we’ll see both players on Sunday mixed in. They do that with Hill and Brees too. But Bridgewater’s reputation at this point is greater than his ability IMO.
Agreed that Bridgewater is a “game manager type. That might be all the saints need with the surrounding talent.
You told me a couple months ago that preseason games mean absolutely nothing and that Rasheem Green playing well in preseason means absolutely nothing and says nothing about him So it’s interesting that you don’t feel that way anymore.
No, I didn’t say any of that about pre-season.
Specifically about Rasheem Green I said he needs to show up in regular season games. Pre-season success was irrelevant for him. He needed to take the next step.
To twist that into me saying nothing about pre-season matters is bollocks to be fair.
Pretty smart. He shouldn’t be telling Seattle who to prepare for.
Jazz released to make room for Adrian Colbert…
I have no evidence to support this, but I’m guessing cutting Jazz means Polite is behaving himself and has shown something since he’s walked in the door.
I dunno. Seems more likely because they had 2 WR on the PS so they cut one of them instead. But it definitely isn’t a bad sign Polite is still on the squad.
We don’t need Jazz, we have Metcalf.
Pure speculation here, but is adding a safety to PS, could this be a sign that TT is going to IR? Perhaps opening a spot for Taco?
I don’t understand why we’re even linking Taco Charlton to Seattle.
He has the athletic profile that the Hawks usually dig. I just noticed your post from above. I was wondering the same thing about who would be out. The usual bubble guys have been contributors thus far. I mentioned a potential TT to IR move as they have Blair and Umadi. Probably nothing but was curious your thoughts
Taco Wednesdays!
Taco flavored kisses! 💋
Watch the Seahawks All Access from Week 2 and pay attention to the sidelines when McDougald gets the INT. T2 sprints over to him to congratulate him. Hammie didn’t seem to be a huge problem there, certainly not enough to go to IR.
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The #Cowboys held out hope of trading 2017 first-rounder Taco Charlton, hanging onto him until the last minute before they needed to add Robert Quinn to the roster. Now, he’s on to a new team, with hopes of building on his solid training camp with someone else.
1:02 PM – 18 Sep 2019
Taco is now released by Cowbow. Seattle should add him?
Cowbow LOL. Intentional or not is hilarious.
I say no. A first round pick cut from the team after they can’t find anyone willing to give up a bag of used jockstraps in trade? I don’t care if they’ve got the 85 bears on the DL. Something aint right.
I can’t seem him as an improvement over anyone on the Hawks DL. And I don’t think he’s got PS eligibility, so hard pass for me.
If nobody claims him he clears waivers then it’s different situation. He was fine this summer getting 2 sacks & a pass block in a game. We are loaded at 5 tech this year but it sure be nice to have him for next year if Jefferson hits free agency.
Head Coach Pete Carroll Week 3 Wednesday Press Conference notes
https://youtu.be/54xhx0fL8eE
On New Orleans:
– Really balanced team. We have a lot of respect for them.
– Lead the league in sacks.
– Best kicking game we’ve seen to date.
– Kamara one of the most exciting weapons in the NFL. Michael Thomas 120 catches…
– Cameron Jordan is a monster. Hendrickson, Davenport.
– Playing against 2 QBs? We haven’t seen enough of Taysum Hill to know. We’ve got to be ready for anything. Have good info on Bridgewater having played against him.
– Looking forward to playing Sean Payton. This is a matchup we have been looking ahead to since preseason.
On injuries:
– Fluker made it through walkthrough and gave PC a thumbs up to practice.
– Dissly is all the way back from injury but continues to rehab each morning in the weight room.
– LJ Collier has a real upside, but he just needs to get going. No issues physically after first game.
– David Moore has a chance to make it back this week.
– TT hamstring is still doubtful this week. If not this week, then next. Same for Thorpe.
– Pocic will miss some time during the week with a stiff neck.
– Poona is practicing and will hopefully play.
On PC’s relationships:
– Has PC changed approach over the years to connect better with young guys? We are a relationship-based organization. To do that, you have to give to the relationship, listen, give be available, build an understanding. Age difference doesn’t matter. I care enough to do whatever I need to do for them.
– PC tries to see each person before they leave when they have to be cut. You work through tough things together, even though it hurts. Just like in any human relationship.
– In our organization, everyone is on the same floor of the building. We just don’t believe in doing it any other way.
Other:
– League responded to inquiry saying Dupree hit was illegal.
– We’ve had our eye on Adrian Colbert for a couple years now. Really fast (4.3s), really tough. Demonstrates the kind of energy we like, hits really hard. Great job by JS and front office of recognizing the opportunity and getting him signed.
– Jazz: hopefully we can get him back. He’s just in a position group that is really doing well for us right now.
– PC has never felt like college players need to be paid. Feels scholarship and benefits are enough to take care of them. But insists that’s just been his take and we’ll see how it goes.
PC is just a good guy and a class act
I sure didn’t feel that way while he was coaching USC or when he was hired here.
But heck! Win us a Super Bowl & it’s all peaches & cream!
Ha ha! DK says he plans to wear a different mouthpiece each game. Just to have fun. The “binky” was because he’s a rookie, a baby in this league.
Also said he wears #14 because his b-day is Dec. 14.
💪
Thought these tweets were a cool visual on DK’s routes thus far
https://twitter.com/Joe_Fann/status/1173593345681240064?s=20
Cool, thanks for sharing.
I think they are just doing what they always say they do with the young guys: put them in a position early on to win with what they are good at, and then look to build on that.
Almost born on the same day as me 🙂 (dec 18 here) but we have a 9-10 year age difference 🙁 😀
12-12 for me…
Holy macaroni… who is that?
https://twitter.com/JimNagy_SB/status/1174455736107196416
WR Jaylond Adams
He’s got wheels
Sounds like he is more a punt/kick returner than a WR / RB prospect apparently.
Jason LaCanfora said the Chiefs, Seahawks, and Eagles have been the 3 most linked teams to the Jalen Ramsey sweepstakes.
https://mobile.twitter.com/CBSSportsNet/status/1174450822542962688
Not surprised they’re supposedly in on it. Arguably the best cornerback in the league. At the very least second to Gilmore. And as we’ve discussed already this year — an off-season priority is likely going to be continuing to add talent in the secondary. If you can add a top, top player now — great.
But can’t see any situation where they spend two first rounders and then pay him.
Suspect they’re hanging about in case the price comes down.
Yeah. Like he said, Seattle and Philly are always active when it comes to trades. I would love, love for Seattle to get him because I don’t think he’s even reached his full potential, but not for 2 first rounders.
What price do you guys think we should be willing to consider?
And current most-recent/highest-paid CB is Xavien Howard at $15,050,000/apy. 😬
Who would you rather offer a new contract Ramsey or Griffith? It’s possible they could be thinking about offering Griffith & a 2020 &/ or 2021 pick?
They need talent & depth at corner. They can’t trade Griffin.
If they were serious then I think a round one plus. The fact they have two second rounders next year buys them flexibility. Adding a top-25 player in the league would provide a major immediate boost and it eliminates a longer term problem of needing to add genuine talent to the secondary. For me the top two biggest draft needs for Seattle are looking like pass rush (depending on what happens with Clowney/Ansah) and increased talent in the secondary. Right tackle becomes a bigger priority if they don’t address it either by re-signing someone or going veteran (but I think they’re more inclined to sign a veteran, experienced O-line these days). Ramsey for a R1 and a R3 plus some change would be a bargain as long as you’re comfortable paying him. But there’s absolutely no reason for Jacksonville to accept an offer like that given Laremy Tunsil just brought home two first rounders.
So I think Seattle will loiter to see if the price comes to them but eventually I think someone — eg Kansas City — will go big for him.
Cap hell sucks I cant imagine us going back to it.
The teams that are supposedly interested will pick late round 1. We already know Seattle believed Sherman was worth 2 high picks 1st & 2nd. We won’t lose to Philly or KC we have the better GM and the most draft capital. Raiders are stupid if they don’t go after Ramsey even though they want to save picks for a QB. I would say if Quill can move to slot & Ramsey commits to our culture we must win this trade. If Flowers has a mediocre game against the Saints we must win this trade. However if both CB’s prove to be dominant & Quill can’t play slot I’d rather have pics & cap space.
Not sure I would ever hang this trade based on how flowers does in one game. This for sure will be a complicated situation to navigate if they are truly interested in Ramsey. The biggest question is what do we do with Flowers or Griffin if Ramsey text one of the corners spots. Not sure if we necessarily force one of those two guys into the slot position, but they are probably worse suggestions we could entertain. Given the secondary is one of our few weakness is now, as long as we can deal with the cap Implications, I’d love to see our secondary upgraded.
Go Hawks
Saw that, but idk. Seems like another one of those deals we will have been “in on”.
Plus, it’s easy to link us as a possible contender looking to take the next step with a big splash. Weren’t these same 3 teams also immediately linked with Fitzpatrick as well?
Unless the cost drastically falls somehow, I’m about ready to ignore any rumors on him moving forward as far as the Hawks are concerned.
Tbh I can’t really imagine:
1, We don’t have money now
2, We won’t have money next year after re-signing some of our FAs
3, I doubt PCJS would give up anything more than like a single 1st or 2nd+3rd+player (Flowers/Griffin) or maybe 2 first round picks for Ramsey + 3rd + 4th round of JAX (which is basically a bad tradeback and a 1st round for a player)
4, Not a match to our defense
5, They wanted to get rid of distractors (Sherm, Bennett, late ETIII)
They wanna build a Patriots-like mentality (do your job), but while still having fun and not feel like a military camp.
Ramsey is a diva and I don’t think they want that even if he’s really talented.
If they add him, I’ll be fine with it (unless it’s 2 first round pick), but I think it has 1% or less chance
They have plenty of money. Cap next year is rich — an estimated $80m. His salary this year is tiny.
But Rob, that cap number is without new contracts for Reed, Clowney, Ansah, Ifedi, Fant, Kendricks, Iupati, Jefferson, Woods, and several more of our own free agents. That $80m will go in a hurry if they intend to sign these guys back next year. It’s hard to say the Hawks are flush with cap space when you consider all those key free agents.
There’s no question Ramsey is a very talented player, but in 2020 and beyond he’s going to be extremely expensive. It just doesn’t seem like Pete’s style to pay top dollar for a CB, even one as good as Ramsey. We’ll see soon!
Why assume they’re going to try to — or be able to — sign most of those names?
They can easily fit Ramsey in there if they want to. They have $80m.
I’m not saying they’ll do it but money isn’t a problem.
Even OTC has them at 75m, sportac has them at 80, but i’d trust OTC more.
But here’s this article which probably accounts for more things:
https://www.fieldgulls.com/2019/9/14/20865556/looking-at-seattle-seahawks-salary-cap-beyond-2019-2020-ifedi-reed-kendricks-clowney-fant
I’ll say it again… they have the money to make it happen.
None of this stuff matters. If they want Ramsey they’re not going to say, “well shoot… we can’t make it happen because we’ve got to re-sign Germain Ifedi”.
Ramsey is an elite talent and they have about $75-80m to spend PLUS the cap could rise again.
Money is not a problem. Zero problem.
The only question is whether you want to pay a haul of high draft picks AND make him the second highest paid player on the team at a position you’ve never truly invested in apart from one deserved contract extension to Richard Sherman. And whether you want to move away from calculated trades and building through the draft to make a gigantic splash.
Those are the facts of the situation.
It’s been awhile since a CB has set a new CB contract record vs DE’s CB’s are a bargain right now. If he wants a new contract now we should give it to him, after thinking it out this move will squash any highest paid CB talk in the future from Quill & Trey.
Man, you’re just saying that again and again. Did you checked the article? Do you say Gilbert miscalculated something? To me it seems like a pretty solid calculation and thorough too. He wrote 50m max. Prove him wrong or tell me what did he miss.
I know, if they wanna have Ramsey they will and they can easily make that happen. But not without serious sacrifices
A practise squad and a draft does NOT cost $20-30m.
If OTC says $75m then I believe them. Spotrac says $80m. They have money. And who cares if they lose some of the names on your list? They can replace some of these players in the draft.
Realistically, Reed and Clowney are the only two players in that group that’ll get a deal worth more than $10+ million annually. At this juncture its too early to say that Ansah will be re-signed and any deal he does sign is probably gonna be heavy on per-game bonuses.
Fant isn’t a starter so I don’t see him getting a substantial raise. We declined the 5th-year option on Ifedi so its clear the front office doesn’t value him at that price figure. Iupati is a year to year $4-$5 million type at this point in his career. Same with Woods.
We have more than enough dough to sign Ramsey if we wanted to.
You gotta love Pete…He’s a genuinely great coach and mentor for his players. Seattle is very fortunate. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54xhx0fL8eE
Just for eff’s sake, would we have to make CAP moves if we trade for Ramsey? What would be our CAP ramifications next off-season? Who might have to be cut loose if we plan on locking him in longer term? Who might we not be able to re-up if we extend him? What position groups might suffer putting such money into Ramsey?
Just curious.
Ramey’s cap number for next year is $13.7m on the 5th year option. Hawks could lower that with an extension and spread some bonus $ out, but probably wouldn’t want to significantly.
With Reed, Clowney, and Ansah FA’s in 2020 there was probably already a chance they couldn’t keep all 3 before Ramsey. Adding Ramsey would likely make it a definite chance. Maybe they can only keep 1.
RT would probably be an open question as well.
Thanks. I was kind of figuring KJ Wright and Ansah and Ifedi would almost certainly be gone. I was wondering about Reed. The money is limited, and there are consequences. My guess is that they want to try to keep Clowney.
Anyway…
Next year we’ll have 45-50M before re-signing any UFA (https://www.fieldgulls.com/2019/9/14/20865556/looking-at-seattle-seahawks-salary-cap-beyond-2019-2020-ifedi-reed-kendricks-clowney-fant)
Re-signing all of our (bigger name) UFAs would probably mean ~90m.
So yeah, I think if we wanna have some space under the CAP and have some options in FA we’ll only re-sign Reed, Fant, QJeff, Kendricks, Woods (?), Ifedi (?), Thorpe (?)
That could be done for ~35-40m
Pretty slim chance they could fit in Ramsey
They can easily slip in Ramsey if they want to.
The likes of the names above aren’t preventing them from doing that.
The cap isn’t the issue.
Their desire to spend major draft stock AND pay him is.
No, I don’t think they’re going to do the Percy Harvin thing here (yes, I know there are differences). It’s a HUGE commitment that leads to all sorts of ramifications. Do they really want to put such a THUD of a step forward that could potentially disrupt the kind of culture they are trying to build?
I don’t know. We’ll see.
Ramsey is a true generational talent turning 25 in a month. You only get shots at guys like this in the top 5 picks, IF a player of that caliber even exists at the time. Doesnt happen very often. If PC decides to mix in more man schemes with Ramsey on an island I wouldnt be surprised. With the speed on our defense, we could even run Ramsey in man with the rest of the D in zone sometimes. We have the talent to pull it off and Pete has shown that he will run different defenses. After the LOB left I’ve noticed a trend of letting the personnel influence scheme a bit. Ramsey could warrant that in their eyes.
It’s actually a good way to create turnovers. Ramsey is right when he says hes a lockdown man to man corner. Playing him in zone is a waste.
That said I doubt they do it. Price is high in compensation and salary, fit isnt great, personality could be problematic even though hes mostly a guy youd want. I dont think it happens, but I wouldnt be surprised.
I’ll say that I would want them to extend him right away and lock him down for his prime and the rest of his 20s. (Same with Clowney, they need to extend him).
There’s no way they don’t extend Ramsey after trading for him. In fact depending on the trade package, the Hawks would likely insist on an extension be reached before consummating a trade.
Houston neglected to do that after trading 2 first round picks for Tunsil, and they’re going to pay dearly for that blunder. He’s got all the leverage. He could just just play out 2020 and walk away in FA. Tunsil’s agent has cartoon dollar signs in his eyes.
Would be legit!
I think Clowney would have gotten extended if they could have. They probably said all the “this is a trial period to see if hes a fit” stuff just go motivate Clowney. Even though hes a FA anyway. I just think Clown will not be going anywhere anytime soon.
I’m just gonna say it: I would trade SEA’s top two 2020 draft picks (native R1 and the higher of their two R2) for Ramsey + long term contract.
There aren’t many DBs of his caliber period, let alone in any particular draft, and they always go top 5-10. SEA will never have a poor enough season under PC to get a top 10 pick, so they’re never gonna get an opportunity to obtain a prospect like Ramsey. At least not unless they sell out to move up and they’re never gonna do that. If they can get him for a 2020 R1 + R2, do it. Do it now.
Add in the fact that Ramsey’s already proven his worth in the pros — he’s a guaranteed commodity at a premium position — it’s a solid move. He’s probably the ONE player they could obtain at this point that could materially alter the arc of this season. And beyond.
I agree completely, would love to have him and love his game.
To me it’s a simple question without a simple answer: Will he play within our scheme? Or will PC alter the scheme to maximize Ramsey’s best traits? I have no idea if either would be willing but I dont think it’s a bad idea. If they did tweak the defense I dont think it would be like putting spikes in the road. We wouldnt be running anything new most likely, just running different stuff more often. We have the personnel to play Man. Especially in run heavy sets with our base defense (3 LBs) matching up on TEs and RBs with Ramsey locking down the top guy with Clowney Reed Ford Ansah all being able to play the run and pass very effectively at the same time.
The fit isnt even bad, we just would need to tweak the D a bit.
I’m fine with dealing 1s for Ramsey for the simple fact that our recent 1st round picks have been atrocious. I’d rather overpay for a sure thing as we seem to do better Post R1, anyways.
Seattle’s first two picks 2014-17:
Paul Richardson & Justin Britt
Frank Clark & Tyler Lockett
Germain Ifedi & Jarran Reed
Malik McDowell & Ethan Pocic
It’s overrated that Seattle’s first picks have been atrocious. The only year they flopped in this group is McDowell & Pocic and who knows how good McDowell would’ve been if he hadn’t had the accident. He had all the talent in the world.
It’s way too earl to judge the 2018 and 2019 drafts.
And when they’ve traded for proven talent previously with high picks (Harvin, Graham, Richardson) the results haven’t been as good as hoped.
Context is important.
It seems Matt was referring to poor R1 picks made recently by the Hawks. The only R1 guy you mentioned is Ifedi, and its debatable how good he has been. He’s four years in now and still has huge issues with penalties and pass protection. The Hawks didn’t even pick up his fifth year option!
I agree with Matt, that we’ve arguably had more success in R2 and beyond, without considering the 2018/19 drafts just yet.
I took Matt’s point as Ramsey is a generational talent, whereas Ifedi is not!
The point I was making is that it’s overstated that the Seahawks have been ‘atrocious’ with their early picks. My list backs up my point.
I specifically said 1st round picks (“our recent 1st round picks have been atrocious.”)
It’s really unfair to pretend I said early round picks. We have 2 second rounders next year. We seem to do better in that range which is why I’m fine sending the 1st for Ramsey.
Last point of clarification – atrocious doesn’t necessarily mean “terrible player.” Atrocious has more to do with value than anything. I think we have done very poorly when it comes to the value of that R1 pick. Just my opinion.
I didn’t pretend you said early round picks. I expanded to include their two earliest picks. Because to me it proves this often voiced assumption that Seattle has drafted poorly is incorrect.
I’d also argue against the value comment. Have they really got poor value from a four year starter at right tackle or guard? Because that’s the only first round pick they’ve made since Bruce in 2012 that we can judge.
Ifedi’s career AV of 19 is surpassed by 24 other fellow 2016 NFL draft picks. Considering that he was selected #31 overall that seems like a pretty decent value.
Again – you are assigning an argument that I didn’t make. There is a reason I specifically said R1 – not early picks. In fact, I made the point that because “we have two round 2 picks,” this organization does an incredible job in the middle rounds.
And I’ll give you the point about value from the surface statement of “a 4 year starter.” Dig deeper and you will see that he was a 4 year starter on one of the worst OL units in the NFL and he’s arguably the worst member of that unit.
A Ramsey trade absolutely needs to factor in both draft capital and the salary cap. My simple point is that we can secure a for-sure stud player at a position of need for the price of a big hit towards the salary cap (room we have) and the forfeiture of a pick in a range that we have consistently not turned into anything other than replaceable/upgradable talent. Furthermore, we have extra ammo in the rounds that this team consistently does well in.
Didn’t mean for this to become contentious – but the stars seem aligned to acquire a young talent at a position of need utilizing capital that we haven’t done a lot of positive things with (R1 picks). It’s a borderline no-brainer, IMO.
So was Ifedi personally responsible for the bad line? Or was he on to a hiding to nothing, playing on a line with Bradley Sowell at left tackle?
Would he have benefited having a Duane Brown to guide him from day one instead?
Was he very solid last year when the O-line resembled something akin to NFL caliber? And is he being unfairly criticized this week when DJ Fluker was the bigger culprit for the early issues (that were, funnily enough, seemingly righted after he left the game with an ankle injury)?
I expanded the debate because as I said — there’s only one first round pick since Bruce in 2012 to fairly judge. It’s too soon to say anything about Collier or Penny. So it’s unfair to call their R1 picks ‘atrocious’ — unless we also want to include the Graham and Harvin trades (and who’s to say a Ramsey trade won’t end up the same way?).
I’m not really for or against the trade for Ramsey BTW. If it happens I’ll celebrate the addition of a top player. If they don’t trade for him I won’t lose any sleep. But I think it’s wrong to label Seattle’s first round picks as atrocious in recent years when they haven’t barely used any.
You have to measure Ifedi vs OL not other positions. Chemistry, communication, and durability are everything for OL. Ifedi has played a lot of games for us compared to the other OL in his class.
That was exactly my point, which is why I said “R1,” specifically.
To me, it’s a no brainer when we have that extra 2nd round pick and the money to extend him.
Since 2010 the Seahawks have had 30 picks that were under pick 100. Out of those 30 only 3 were top 15. And out of those 30 picks I would say they had about an 80% success rate. That’s pretty darn good. Since the Seahawks draft so well in the first 3 rounds, those later first rounders aren’t that much more valuable than the second rounders. So I’m fine with even giving up 2 first rounders but not for the same reason as Matt. But the other top picks need to be considered as well as you have stated.
Good post.
Than again, who wants this to be Ramsey’s team?
I will 100% guarantee a flea flicker or trick play involving both QBs will happen in the game.
They are going to test the Seahawks secondary on keeping their assignments in-front of them. As for which QB the Saints start, I can see either one having about the same success. IF Seattle generates pass rush, then it won’t matter much. Home crowd + a more complete DL should bode well…. now to shut down Kamara : /
I see a lot of getting Taysom in the open field as an eligible passer. Ultimate Play action. They can just run jet sweeps and have him stop and throw. Dude is a weapon and I expect Sean Payton to go all out to use him any way he can while Brees is out.
I might actually pick him up in fantasy. Hes a stud!
Rob (and the gang) so this is a game tailor made to play 4-3… and keep the LB on the field. Make the Saints QB beat you via many short throws,,,, dare them to throw I assume is the game plan. Do you guys read this game the same way?
I do, agreed. But I also want to see some blitzing to unsettle Bridgewater.
I’m not much of a bettor, but I mostly agree and think the over/under will be in the low-mid 40’s. I could easily see a 24-21 or 27-20 scoreline.
Yup. They’re talented with a genius HC so they’ll make their plays, but we should be able to exploit their defense. If we can keep RW at least somewhat clean we should be able to just make them 1 dimensional and trust that we’ll outscore their QB.
It’s a ground and pound game. A PC game. Just wear them down slowly and turn the lights out. No need to get fancy. Just beat them at the point of attack. Conservative.
I want a boring victory where we win the TO game, control the ball, run a lot. RW only throws when needed, we concentrate on shutting down their running game, we punt well, win the field position game…you get the idea…
I see this game as a slogfest with the home team winning. We have RW and they don’t have Brees and in the end our rushing attack is too much for a whole game for them.
Regarding Ramsey. Here’s a guy demanding to be traded from zone coverage which is what the Hawks play the majority of the time.
I think that’s a bit of a red herring. Ramsey will go to any team, any scheme, that is willing to pay him what he wants and contend.
If that’s the case then I say pass. Let another team take the diva and his salary and the Hawks keep developing their young players.
Metcalf & our WR’s will get better practicing against Ramsey. Ramsey should be humbled by Lockett & Metcalf. MarShawn was way worse than Ramsey. The biggest problem I have with Ramsey is his Agent, same guy that set ET off, & same guy Bobby fired!
I know we will have a big cap next year. Still, there are many quality starters who will either need to be paid or want to be paid with 1 year left on their contracts. I feel confident that if we did get Ramsey it would come at the expense of of a couple other guys we can’t keep but otherwise would without him. Cap savings probably come from the O-line. I am undecided to what the right choice would be. Nevertheless, I like our core and have seen enough quality play from our CBs to have faith that they’ll continue developing into at least above average corners with the coaching of Pete to ride on without major changes.
Jax was the envy of the NFL but they screwed it up resigning Bortles when they should have dumped him. Ramsey screamed he wants to win that is the real issue, he can’t say some of my team mates, coaches, & management suck when they clearly do. This is a new trend in the NFL and I love it because all of them will choose Seattle where those issues do not exist.
Here you go, Trevor!
Was about to write about that dude the other day. Great dude, gifted rout runner and vertical target. He fits into the same scheme as Metcalf, so Seattle will pass.
My current draft crushes are Ashtyn Davis, S and Evan Weaver, LB/Edge from Cal.
Both are violent tacklers, as bamf as you can get as a college player. Davis is also a prolific kickoff returner.
After gifting Taylor Rapp to the Rams, I would be really pissed if we loose out on day 1 starters again.
Me too! Taylor Rapp should have been Seahawks target and the fact they failed to nab him was incredibly frustrating. It’s failures like that, that get me the most frustrated with this FO. Not to mention he was in our OWN BACKYARD.
Hopefully JSPC are taking a long look at Bryant and Eason. If Eason falls just a little, they HAVE to be salivating at the opportunity.
Rams can’t stop the run neither can Rapp?
They held NO to 57 yd.
But his 40 time
I like Adrian Colbert better bigger, faster and lays lots of wood in preseason. Pete bragging about a practice squad guy? What’s up with that? I’ll assume he’s moving to the 53 soon!
Hoping Thorpedo is healthy… someone will need to be dropped (T2?).
You like a 7th round pick who barely started in college more than a 2nd round pick who was a two-time All-American?
Yup
Thanks Seamode! This is awesome got my Canadian kid to study and talk about again this year. Great thing is this kid looks legit. Will have to start digging in and doing some research on him.
Miami claimed Taco Charlton per Rapsheet
Went from a top NFC contender to a sinking ship in Miami. Ouch.
He has everything to proove, and to Miami, it’s just another first round pick.
Colorado DT Mustafa Johnson. I like this big guy. Not sure about his length, but hes got a good motor and there’s a lot of potential here for a guy that’s only played 2 years at this level (JUCO transfer).
Mustafa Johnson vs Nebraska (2018):
https://youtu.be/CLc-Z6ShHqc
Man…graphics, hairstyles and end zone celebrations sure have changed over the past 10 years…!
2010 Seahawks All Access vs Saints Beastquake | Seahawks Video Vault
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=–zwxmchy3c
PC? Still the same…
Just watched the game on Youtube (fast-forwarding to the good bits).
Feels like a lifetime ago now!
I remember scaring my dog (RIP) celebrating the Beast Quake and my wife yelling at me about it… as I brushed her off saying we’d just scored the greatest ever touchdown.
One of those moments where you remember every detail of where you were when it happened.
Rob, I had my now deceased dog and wife barking at me too.
If Jacksonville prefers sending Ramsey to an NFC team instead a team like KC or Baltimore, the 3 top suitors should be considered Seattle, Philly and Minnesota at this point.
Apologies for being off topic.
J Reed is out for the first 6 games. Correct me if I’m wrong, but as I understand it he can’t practice with the team during that time. Given conditioning needs and getting back into game shape, can it reasonably be expected we won’t see him playing much of a role until game 8?
He’ll be back for the seventh game for sure. Whether he reaches peak performance quickly is up to how he’s looking after himself behind the scenes. I suspect, however, that Carroll and the staff have set him up to succeed in that instance. Plus he’s in a contract year. He needs to max out those last 10 games so he’ll be ready.