Why the Seahawks might not draft a guard early

Here are three facts about this draft class:

1. It’s top heavy at running back
2. It’s thin at EDGE
3. There’s some talent at guard/center in the first two rounds

The Seahawks have the #18 pick and then nothing until #120. It’ll be virtually impossible to draft one of the best running backs, a top guard and a pass rusher before round four. Even if they trade down.

Let’s go through each position.

1. Running back

We could see 6-8 going in the top-60. It’s that kind of class. By the start of round three all eight of the top runners could be gone. Then there’s a drop-off.

The top eight are likely Saquon Barkley, Ronald Jones II, Nick Chubb, Kerryon Johnson, Derrius Guice, Sony Michel, Rashaad Penny and Royce Freeman.

If you want to tap into this great running back group you’re probably going to have to take one in the top-50. And teams know that. Jay Gruden pretty much admitted the Redskins intend to. They won’t be alone.

2. Defensive end

Bradley Chubb and Marcus Davenport will go in the top-15. If you want an impact EDGE rusher with serious potential after that, you’re looking at Harold Landry, Josh Sweat and Kemoko Turay. Some teams might view Uchenna Nwosu, Lorenzo Carter and Leon Jacobs as EDGE options but they’re arguably better suited to SAM/LEO (where Seattle just added Barkevious Mingo). There are inside/out type rushers too (Rasheem Green) but there are some nice DE/DT types available later. That might be a role reserved for Dion Jordan. This could be about finding the next Cliff Avril.

A 1.5 10-yard split is usually a good indicator for a talented EDGE and only Landry (1.59) and Sweat (1.55) managed that. Turay ran a 1.62. Tulane’s Ade Aruna ran a 1.60 and had a very good combine workout but will likely need at least one redshirt year. To compare, Avril ran a 1.50 and Bruce Irvin a 1.55.

The Seahawks need some pass rushers. If Avril retires they’re currently relying on Frank Clark, Jordan and Mingo. They probably need to add a veteran and a rookie. If they don’t take an EDGE early they might miss out.

3. Guard/center

Quenton Nelson will go in the top-10 and then we could see a handful of interior offensive linemen drafted in the late first or early second round. That’s the range where Isaiah Wynn, Will Hernandez and Austin Corbett are slated to go. Iowa center James Daniels will also go quickly plus injured duo Frank Ragnow and Billy Price will probably be top-50 picks. Braden Smith could also go in round two.

As with the running back position, we’ll then see a drop-off.

If you had multiple picks between 20-60 you could address all three areas. The Colts own #6, #35, #36 and #49. They’ll be rubbing their hands looking at this class. Not only can they address DE early (Bradley Chubb) they’ll be in prime range to add a guard and a running back in the value zone and fill another need.

Jealous much?

The Seahawks are in a very different situation. They’re not going to be able to turn #18 into two early second round picks. At best they might be able to take advantage of New England (#31) and Cleveland (#33) owning multiple second round picks. A deal to move down 13-15 spots could net a late second.

They’re going to have to pick their poison.

Only a big trade involving Earl Thomas can change the situation. Even then, you’d be creating a void at safety that might need to be filled by a Jessie Bates III or Justin Reid. And currently, nothing appears imminent on Thomas. It’s over a week since Jason La Canfora’s tweet about interest in a deal.

By trading down significantly from #18 and acquiring a late second rounder or an early third rounder, they might be able to target two of the need positions.

So far they haven’t signed a defensive end. They re-signed Mike Davis today, although that’s likely a deal to provide competition and depth. The addition of D.J. Fluker as a likely starter suggests they won’t be drafting a guard early.

The focus instead could be RB + DE.

Reasons why they might’ve come to that conclusion

The Seahawks are only a year removed from drafting Ethan Pocic in round two. It’d be a big call to determine he isn’t good enough after just one season.

They’ve invested a ton of draft picks into their offensive line:

Duane Brown — 2018 R3 and 2019 R2
Ethan Pocic — 2017 R2
Justin Britt — 2014 R2
Germain Ifedi — 2016 R1
Rees Odhimabo — 2016 R3

Now they’ve signed D.J. Fluker too.

Eventually, you have to back your judgement and challenge the coaches to make the group function. Mike Solari hasn’t come in to blow up the personnel and create a new line. He’s here to work with the bulk of the existing group. The only new starter might be Fluker at right guard.

There could be some shifting around. George Fant might win the job at right tackle. Rees Odhiambo could compete at left guard. The Seahawks have already poured picks into their O-line. Now it’s time to get it working.

It can’t always be about ‘one more high pick’. The success or failure of the line is unlikely to be determined by the left guard alone. It’s one man in a group of five. Solari’s challenge is to improve communication and execution, particularly in the run game.

Time to deliver.

That’s not to say they wouldn’t benefit from having Isaiah Wynn, Austin Corbett or Will Hernandez lining up at left guard. It’d be great. But what’s the proposal? Bench Pocic and call it a wasted pick, while failing to properly address running back or defensive end? Or give Pocic a chance to take a step forward and fill the other two needs?

This is just part of building a roster. Every team has a call to make. Very few come into the draft with only one or two holes to fill. You’re nearly always working out the best combination.

Seattle drafted Pocic. They signed Fluker. They’ve not done anything significant at running back or defensive end. Things can change but right now those two positions seem to be the draft focus.

If nothing else, it’s logical.

And while some might suggest the Mike Davis signing addresses running back — you’re not passing on the top runners in this draft because of this news. You really aren’t. This is about making sure you’re not going into camp with just a rookie, Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise as your depth.

We should spend some time discussing combinations at running back + EDGE that fit for the Seahawks.

They could find a way to go Ronald Jones II then Josh Sweat. Or it could be Harold Landry and Nick Chubb.

Either scenario makes some sense.

They’d be taking a pass rusher that fits what they’ve gone for in the past (highly athletic, 1.5 10-yard split, good agility/explosive testing). If they want an EDGE with plus athleticism, Landry and Sweat are certainly options.

There are alternatives too. If they wanted to go with an inside/out rusher instead they could consider Rasheem Green. He’s projected in the late first or early second round. Sam Hubbard is another who could go in that range. Andrew Brown is rising quickly and could be a target as early as round two.

Jones II is a little lighter than they’ve drafted at running back but he’s that explosive, sudden, dynamic playmaker they’ve often coveted. He has star potential and looks every bit Jamaal Charles 2.0. That’s hard to ignore. He’s also much tougher and aggressive than some of the bigger backs in this class. If only Bo Scarborough played with Rojo’s intensity. He’d be going a lot earlier in the draft.

Chubb meanwhile is practically the definition of the type of running back they’ve previously drafted. About 5-10 and 225lbs, incredibly explosive and tough. Kerryon Johnson is another alternative.

Address these two needs early and you’re set up for the rest of the draft. You can fill out your D-line depth with the beef at Ohio State (Tyquan Lewis, Jalyn Holmes) and NC State (B.J. Hill, Justin Jones, Kentavius Street). You can look to bring in another blocking tight end (Dalton Schultz, Durham Smythe, Will Dissly). There are plenty of options at linebacker (Leon Jacobs, Fred Warner, Dorian O’Daniel, Oren Burks) and you can add some talent to the secondary (Natrell Jamerson, Nick Nelson, Tre Flowers, Isaac Yiadom, Brandon Facyson, Terrell Edmunds).

If there’s one other thing free agency is telling us, it’s that the Seahawks aren’t enamoured with the draft options at receiver. They’ve already added Marcus Johnson and Jaron Brown. Reportedly they’re still in the hunt for Terrelle Pryor. They might wait until the last round or UDFA although Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimious St. Brown are intriguing options from the combine.

Re-signing Bradley McDougald and adding Maurice Alexander could take strong safety off the board too, especially if Earl Thomas is retained at free safety.

EDIT — The Seahawks also re-signed Marcus Smith today. It’s valuable depth and he can be an EDGE. As with the Davis signing, I’m not sure it changes anything in terms of the overall discussion in this piece.

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523 Comments

  1. Millhouse-serbia

    @AdamSchefter

    Another blockbuster trade: Giants trading DE Jason Pierre-Paul and a 2018 fourth-round pick to Buccaneers for a 2018 third-round pick and a fourth-round pick, source tells ESPN.

    • peter

      Schefty needs to and Frankly most of Twitter on entertainment needs to understand what hyperbole is.

      Jpp and a fourth for basically a third is not a “blockbuster,” trade. It’s just a trade. a block buster trade is what Seattle gave up for Percy harvin.

      • Kenny Sloth

        Any time you move a person and his contract and his family

        You done busted the block

        • peter

          So every trade is a block buster?

          • peter

            Plus you and I both can infer shefter is speaking to the fact that jpp at one point was a true rising talent in one of the most media saturated cities in the free world.

            Not some fourth/fifth round trade of a running back that most of the league had given up on from upstate New york.

          • Kenny Sloth

            I mean yeah. There arent that many

            Why so caught up?

          • Kenny Sloth

            JPP for a third could become JPP for a Russell Wilson

            • Kenny Sloth

              And then its possibly one of the most influential trades in NFL history

              • peter

                Or Roberto aguyao a second round kicker who gets cut on a cable reality show.

                Endless possibilities. for this trade.

    • Sea Mode

      Kimberly Jones
      @KimJonesSports

      Just talked to JPP, who said Dave Gettleman called to tell him he’d been traded to Bucs. JPP said DG told him it was “an offer they couldn’t refuse.” JPP said he is happy he’ll be closer to his son, who lives in S Florida. #NYG

      7:42 AM – 22 Mar 2018

    • EP

      Bucs getting stronger on the Dline, skill players on offence pretty set. See them taking a guard in the first maybe. If nelson is already gone perhaps one of the other guys go pretty early. Or maybe they go defensive back .

      • john_s

        Problem is that they still have Jameis as their QB. Way too many turnovers and way to emotional (see fight he started against NO)

      • Trevor

        I think the take Derwin James or Minkah with thier 1st pick.

        • drewdawg11

          Good for JPP. He was at USF when I lived in Florida and I saw him play live. He was a ball of speed and disruption.

  2. Kenny Sloth

    Nice, our target list is really starting to fill out

    On TE do you not see them targeting a seam threat at all? Would you mind Gesicki and Chubb early? Does Terrelle Pryor assuage the need to find a jump ball specialist?

    I just struggle to see who will fill in the production from Graham and Prich

    That and ST may need a swift kick.

    Ome other thing thats missing from our early days of the OC dynasty is a dominant FB like Mike Rob.

    A lot of people like Jaylen Samuels because of his versatility, but as far as pure FBs go, Nick Bawden at SDSU really was a big part of Penny’s 2000 yard season.

    Chris Warren III will almost certainly have to switch to FB imo as will Ryan Nall.

    Demitri Flowers at Oklahoma was amazing in the passing game. They totally took advantage and he caught 5 TDs this year.

    • peter

      Not trying to be a wide ass but does Seattle employ a jump bal! Specialist? Seems graham was boxing more dudes out and they ran a lot of end zone corner fades.

      for me I would actually like to see more jump balls. But if also like to see throwing receivers into a position to get some yards after…which feels like that’s dried up from the game planning over the last few years.

      I’m not coming to speculate on a fullback but it is an area thanks like to see the team revisit. I wonder if ball would like to change positions again? Seems like a player who wants to contribute any way possible plus regardless of his counting stats did play te and could provide fullback like passing value.

      Samuels to me is not a full back. He’s prosises competition.

      • Kenny Sloth

        Again you don’t have to actually jump for it to be a jump ball.

        50/50 win the red line red zone vertical threat

        Graham Kearse and Prich all fit this category

        • peter

          Okay. sounds good.

          Thought you would have to jump for it to be a thing and that boxing guys out would be another thing but I hear from you that they are the same thing.

          Guess I never thought kearse was a red zone threat with three seasons out of five where he managed one td or less, for seattle.

          • Kenny Sloth

            I mean yeah. They all win the redline

            Why so caught up?

      • Mark Souza

        As for FB, I’d prefer they draft someone who already plays the position rather than a big tailback they would have to convert. Some people have the knack and appetite for that kind of role. It’s not for the timid. To bring in someone who’s not already doing it, you’re rolling the dice hoping they can make a successful conversion.

        Not that the conversion is impossible. Mike Rob went from college QB to fullback, so it’s possible. My point is, he was already a successful fullback before we brought him on to the Seahawks.

    • Ty the Guy

      Nicky V looks to be our “receiving” TE at the moment. Anybody have any thoughts on some late round athletes ala Luke Willson? I don’t see us using precious draft capital early on a TE. Besides Jimmy, TE has never been a high target area during the PCJS era.

      That being said, an above average athlete would be nice to groom and plug into certain situations. What’s the word on Tyrone Swoopes development?

    • Sea Mode

      I definitely want a guy at FB who can both lead block and play a role in the passing game (like Reece). Gonna have to take a look at Flowers.

      Who knows if they like the guys they already have on the roster though? (Tre Madden, Jalston Fowler)

    • Rob Staton

      I don’t see them taking another anti-blocking TE like Gesicki. Maybe they take an Ian Thomas type but not Gesicki. It’d be Graham 2.0.

      • Kenny Sloth

        What about a height weight speed type ala Willlson (he took another L when he left the team).

      • Elmer

        Do you think there is any chance that their WR McEvoy could compete at tight end? He’s 6’6″ and it looks like they will have other options at WR. I believe he played multiple positions at Wisconsin.

        • Rob Staton

          I think it’s doubtful given they haven’t tried it two years into his career. They seem to prefer him at WR.

    • SeahawkeyezSubj80

      +1 on Nick Bawden

      • SeahawkeyezSubj80

        Tolbert anyone?

        • john_s

          Dissly

    • AlaskaHawk

      I would rather see them practice with some of the offensive line backups. What if Odhiambo were to level a defensive end, run 5 yards downfield, turn and make a short catch?? There might be some potential there if they explore it. Just takes practice.

  3. Kenny Sloth

    >Watching Georgia

    >77 pancake
    >27 truck stick

    Wonder why Rob was mocking both to us months ago

  4. Sea Mode

    Hmmm, was just looking over the roster on Seahawks.com. Guess I missed or don’t remember hearing about these additions:

    FS Alex Carter
    DE Noble Nwachukwu
    LB PJ Dawson
    LB Jason Thompson

    Know they were probably just PS/futures guys, but still like to keep tabs of the different names coming through.

    • john_s

      PJ (Paul)J Dawson was signed on to the 53 at the end of the year. Played in 3 games had a couple of tackles.

      I think he’s an ERFA this year

  5. Ty the Guy

    Excellent point, Rob, on the amount of resources already allocated to the OL.

    Guys like Isaiah Wynn and Will Hernandez intrigue me and I feel could help the biggest area of need for the Hawks: The Run Game. Russell Wilson deserves to be better protected too. I still don’t know for sure what was holding our running game back last year. Were there no holes to run through or did our RBs not take advantage of them?

    I think with Fant returning, Fluker coming in, Odi healthy, you have pieces to work with. I still feel like Ifedi would benefit from a move back inside. I am hoping Fant can return to take the RT spot.

    At RB, we have Carson, Davis, and Procise. If healthy, that could be a diverse and productive crew. Adding another for competition is a necessity still. You never know when you may find someone who can give us that edge, that fire that Beast Mode gave us. The juice that pumped up the defense. The back a defense is forced to gameplan for, thus opening up Russell and the play action game. Someone who can consistantly help move the chains and let our defense rest.

    The run game is what we need to fix to have the biggest impact for 2018-19. Yet, we may have the personnel already on the roster. So I would understand if the front office went with a defensive player if the value is there, whenever we pick first.

    • C-Dog

      Ethan Pocic was a pretty solid pass blocker at LSU. The 20 lbs of good weight he has added this offseason is pretty encouraging, IMO, for taking care of RW.

      Not a OL expert, but I think it really might have been down to coaching and scheme as to why the run game failed. Ray Roberts had a ton to say on 710 a while ago, and said that the lack of mixture between man and zone tipped the defenders too easily. You could see it especially when the RBs were getting blown up in the backfield. It feels like Cable had his system and was unwavering. It became too predictable.

      • AlaskaHawk

        I’m on board with the coaching changes. We went through so many running backs while they messed around with the line and blocking schemes. So many times I would watch a play get blown up and I would be thinking = If only each linemen would block one guy! Just block one guy!!! Anyway lets see what these new coaches can do.

        You know it isn’t the running backs. Seahawks went through about six of them last year. The running back they cut, Collins, ended up with more yardage than any of the Seahawks backs. Coincidence? I think not.

        • TCHawk

          Couldn’t agree more.

      • RWIII

        C-Dog: I think you are right on the money.

      • Tecmo Bowl

        ” It feels like Cable had his system and was unwavering. It became too predictable.”

        This 100%

        • drewdawg11

          Which also means that if Carson was being productive in that system then he might just be really good, assuming he’s healthy. He and the new rookie should have a fun time if they get this ironed out.

  6. Georgia Hawk

    Rob,

    I know its hard to project with the draft still to happen, but what is the OL lineup you’d be most optimistic with going into week 1?

    Do you see the failures of the line to this point to be a product of bad scouting/drafting, bad coaching, or both?

    I don’t know that Solari could possibly do a worse job than the last few years have produced, but we can reasonably expect some improvement no matter who is thrown out

    • Rob Staton

      Bad communication, bad execution, scheme issues. Those were the problems IMO

      • drewdawg11

        Its obvious that communication was poor. Why is Britt being extended so early? I realize its not a ton of money, but this has to be partially on him. He’s played this position for 2 years… period.

        • Chris

          He wasn’t ‘extended’ per say. They had an option in his contract to keep him for another year which needed to be decided in 2018, if they didn’t pick the option up I believe his salary in 2018 rose considerably and he’d be a free agent after the 2019 season.

  7. Kyle B

    Lance Zierlein‏Verified account

    “Now heard from more than one team who has been turned off by how “dismissive” Ronald Jones has been during their discussions with him. Caught both teams way off guard.”

    Interesting.

    • Rob Staton

      I’ve tweeted Lance asking for clarification. It’s a bit vague.

      • Kyle B

        Yeah I felt like dismissive was an odd word choice if there is nothing else descriptive in the statement. Hope he provides more info.

        • Rob Staton

          I mean, dismissive of what exactly?

          If it’s “are you too light to carry the ball 25 times a week?” Or “why didn’t you do a full work out at 70% health” I might understand why he was dismissive.

          Context is required here.

          • Trevor

            I agree the context is everything.

            I personally hope some teams are put off by the hammy etc so he falls a little and we can some how get him.

          • Mark Souza

            Or could it be a ploy to get him to drop a little further in the draft? Teams have been known to throw a little disinformation out this time of year.

            • Jujus

              Hey it worked for Malik Mcdowell? I remember the Flat earth tweets lol.

              • drewdawg11

                We should have taken that more seriously.

      • hawkdawg

        Maybe he sees himself going in a certain range in the first round, and was dismissive of teams below that range?

        That would not have been smart, but these are young kids, really.

  8. GerryG

    100% agree with this assessment Rob, it’s what I have been thinking since Fluker.

    I want RB, DE, DT, DT, SAM/LEO.

    If ET goes away probably need a Safety.

  9. lil'stink

    Sometimes I have to wonder if the front office has any real plan for the OL. It almost seems like an afterthought, something they just deal with on a year to year basis. Pocic has never played on the left side, neither has Fluker. Odihambo has been terrible in limited action. You can’t really count too much on Fant at this point, either. They pour a ton of draft capital into the OL group and here we are, yet again.

    This draft seems to have several plug in and play options at interior OL. Wynn, Hernandez, Price… players that seem to have, at a minimum, a very high floor. So of course we will likely pass on any of these guys. I get it, though. We’ve spent a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd on the OL the last 2 years. But this seems like a better year to go OL early due to the talent available. Sigh.

    We will see. I’m just not convinced how much of an impact Mike Solari and DJ Fluker are going to have on the OL.

    • Mark Souza

      Pocic did play LG while Jockel was hurt, then moved to RG when Jockel returned.

      • lil'stink

        Did he? My bad.

    • BobbyK

      I don’t think trading a 3 and then a 2 for Duane Brown was an afterthought. Same with using a 2 on Pocic last year. And 1 on Ifedi the year before (and Rees in the 3rd that same year).

      The plan indicates they have wanted to draft to improve the unit (or trade with Brown), but the players they have taken is more of the problem than the resources used. After a historic 3-year run of drafts, they’ve gone 4 of 5 years with very suspect drafts, imo. That’s the biggest problem – not getting/drafting good players.

      • DCD2

        Yep. I think they’ve actually been pretty proactive in attempting to address the issue, it just hasn’t worked out. You could argue the Brown trade was done BECAUSE we’ve been so bad at drafting and developing OL. They felt that a Pro-Bowl LT would help more than another round 2 & 3 OL of their choosing.

  10. FuzzyLogic

    We have to consider that PC/JS might actually think Carson is our RB for the future. If I’m not mistaken he checks all the boxes when healthy and with his short amount of games last year he pretty much delivered what we want as our RB. I think if we do get a RB with our first pick it will be Chubb but personally I think we go D-line. There are several D-linemen that I would be happy with taking in the top 35 of the draft….

    – Vea
    – Davenport
    – Landry
    – Bryan
    – Key
    – Hubbard
    – Sweat
    – Payne
    – Hurst

    Arden Key might be a mistake but then again…..

    • Rob Staton

      Clearly they like Carson. But he’s a seventh round pick with minimal college playing time and he lasted four games before getting injured last year. You’re not banking on that. You can’t. And this is too good a RB class not to tap into the talent. Not when your admitted priority is fixing the run.

    • Trevor

      I think Pete’s view of Carson is the definite wildcard along with how they view Pocic going forward. If Carson is 100% healthy and Pocic has shown he can get bigger / stronger then it opens them up to go Edge rusher early. If not then RB almost has to be the first or second pick the Hawks make I think.

      • Rob Staton

        Whatever their view of Carson, he’s not shown he can last a full season. They simply can not afford another mess of a year at RB. Imagine passing on the top RB’s this year and having another repeat of 16/17. Would be unforgivable.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          Yeah, I don’t see why this point is even in debate.

          Restoring the running game is PC’s #1 priority. They’ve been searching for an adequate replacement for Lynch for several seasons now. They have on the roster a R3, a R7 & a UDFA — none of which have played a complete season. They spent a R2 last year on OL, a R1 the year before.

          • Rob Staton

            If there was ever a class to take a RB early, this is it.

    • cha

      Carson will have a chance to win the job and be the feature back in 2018 but there’s no reason they won’t draft competition. That’s how Carson got the chance in the first place – the Hawks stockpiling RBs.

      Lynch spoiled us and deviated from the PC model of having multiple backs because he was so good and (quite possibly more importantly) so durable. The offense PC has run is physical and demands a lot of its RBs. And even when Lynch was in his prime, they still drafted Michael very high and gave Rawls some snaps.

  11. Trevor

    Isaiah Wynn is my favourite OL prospect for the Hawks since I have be participating on the Blog and Hernandez is the type of OL bully this team could really use but it is hard to argue with your logic in this article that the Hawks have spent a ton on the OL already.

    If we pass on a LG early then sign me up for Sweat and Rojo. Two potential stars at positions of major need for this team.

    if JS can get these two guys on Day #2 after some trade backs then I think it would be awesome and set this team up nicely going forward.

    I personally would still prefer Wynn and Sweat then add RB competition on Day #3 but I understand completely why the Hawks could choose RB over LG early. I guess it depends how much Pete really does like Carson and if they believe he can stay healthy.

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      It’s more than just how much they like Carson. They simply cannot go into the 2018 season relying on a R7 surprise, a R3 who can’t stay healthy, and a collection of sundry UDFAs.

      One OL (even one like Wynn) won’t dramatically change the running game. One RB (especially one like RoJo) absolutely can change the running game.

      On a side note, I prefer Rasheem Green to Sweat. For me, he has a higher ceiling and is more versatile.

      • Trevor

        Disagree completely about Green and Sweat. If Sweat stays healthy he is a 10+ sack per year guy IMO. I am not even sure where Green plays on the DL yet. Green has lots of upside but he can’t hold up in the run game at DT and is not fast enough to be an elite edge rusher. I see him as an interior 3rd down pass rusher at least to start. Who knows maybe he develops into MB 2.0 but I don’t see it on tape yet.

        Guess we will find out in a couple of years and that is what makes the draft so much fun.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          Fair points. But Sweat has to stay healthy.

          Right now Green is a 5T. He’s similar to Clark and Jordan in that respect, but more of a cross between them physically – athletic like Dion, powerful like Clark. But I don’t draft him for what he is. I draft him for what he can be. If he can add 10-15lbs lean weight, he could be another Leonard Williams.

      • Michigan 12th

        I disagree with your comment a bit @Trevor if you can’t block no running back can run. The only running back that ever did anything with a questionable line was Barry Sanders. Plus let’s not forget that O-Line helps pass pro as well, which keeps our franchise QB alive and well. I am done hammering O-line early, but at the same time, you take any back in this draft and without competent blocking in front of them, they will look like Chubb in the title game.

  12. HawksBill

    I agree, signing Fluker probably signals a draft shift away from OL.
    If they stay in the 1st round, the Hawks will almost certainly pick a big body, that’s what they usually do, so it would probably be a DL guy.

    They would then look later for RB help. It really seems like PC thinks Carson will be the main RB so they might look for a complimentary Back.

    RB JORDAN CHUNN from Troy might just be the Power Back they thought Lacey would be:

    He runs better than you might think for a 6′-350lb back
    47 career touchdowns, Played well in big games, 191 yards in a win at LSU in 2017,
    catches the ball well especially for his size, 2800 total yards in 2017.

    He should be there in the 5th round.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr7sxbrkWiM

    • Rob Staton

      They’re not going to miss out on the top RB’s this year.

      • FuzzyLogic

        That’s a pretty definitive statement Rob. Just don’t be shocked if they don’t go RB in the first 60 picks.

        • Rob Staton

          Definitive because I firmly believe it to be true. I won’t just be shocked, I’ll be stunned, staggered and mystified if they don’t take a running back in the top-60.

          They’ve stated fixing the run is their priority. It’s the best running back class in a long time and the top prospects are going to go very early (top-60) before a substantial drop off.

          There’s no reason to hedge here or mix our words. They’re going to take a RB early. Might not be the first pick. Might be the second. But they’re taking one. And it could easily be their top pick.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          What part of “fixing the running game is our #1 priority” isn’t clear?

          There’s two ways to improve the running game: draft an OL or draft a RB.

          In 2016 they spend a R1 on the OL. In 2017 they spent a R2 on the OL. They’ve spent high picks on OL but the running game is still anemic.

          Time to draft a RB. And they aren’t going to wait until Day 3 and miss out on the first tier of talent at that position.

    • HawksBill

      *6′-335lbs*

      • AlaskaHawk

        Wait – what? I want to watch that link when I get home tonight! Sounds like a great late rounder. I wonder if he could also play tight end???

        • HawksBill

          Definitely an H-back prospect.

      • Thomas Wells

        The prospect of a 335 pound, legitimate running back excited me so much that I had to look him up. Lost my rager when I found out he was actually 235. I so wanted the Jarred Lorenzen of running backs to be real!

        • HawksBill

          Sorry about that, i was a dyslexic typist yesterday.

          • Thomas Wells

            All good Hawks Bill, I figured as much 🙂 I just love me a good power back!

    • JimQ

      RB-Jordan Chunn, Troy(FCS), 6-1/235. (Not knocking the player but stats are one of my things.)
      2017: 10-games, 154 rushes for 774-yds. 5.0-ypc, 10-TD’s; 28/204/0-receiving = Total yards rushing and receiving in 2017: ***978-yards*** a very long ways away from the 2800 total yards mentioned. Stats may be found at this site, just enter the CFB player name & there are their current stats, I’m also a big fan of cfbstats.com for researching stats.

      Perhaps you mixed up the Chunn & Penny stats? Rashaad Penny (the Rodney Dangerfield of this draft class) in 2017: 289/2248/23-TD’s + 19/132/2-TD’s receiving + 17/521/2-TD’s on KO returns + 2/70/1-TD on punt returns for a grand total of: 2971-yards. (#1 in FBS.) I’ve always heard that a good RB needs to have good special teams value & Penney is one that meets that criteria more than any other RB in this draft & that is very often overlooked/dismissed. I’m obviously a big Rodney Dangerfield & Rashaad Penny fan.

      • HawksBill

        Yeah, I made a mistake on the total yards, I am often too quick with the submit button. More than once I have wished for an edit comment option on this site.

        • HawksBill

          I like Rashaad Penny also, but I don’t think he will be there in the 4th round we they get to their 2nd pick. Would rely on some sort of trade to get him.

          • HawksBill

            *when* not we. Damn, I did it again

  13. Mark Souza

    I would like to see Pocic get a shot at the RT position. He has the skills, aptitude and feet for it. My only question is did he get slower by adding weight and strength?

    • Alex6674

      Let Ifedi play. He will come good.

      • Mark Souza

        Let Ifedi earn it by winning a competition for the job. He’s look not close to ready for prime time in his last two seasons. I will say he looked more competent at guard than he did at tackle.

    • SeahawkeyezSubj80

      Hmm..Brown(LT)Infedi(LG)Britt(C)Fluker(RG)Pocic(RT)…Fant Swing Tackle

      • SeahawkeyezSubj80

        Ifedi

      • Overtime

        That’s what I would do. Fluker should own the RG spot after boosting the run game for the Giants last season. I don’t see them moving him to the left side. That gives us three positions that are set. Pocic has the athleticism to play RT. They started him inside to gain experience. I think the move him to RT and let Ifedi compete at LG. Ifedi has the power to be a good run blocker and could benefit from playing next to Brown,

    • Tecmo Bowl

      Agreed Pocic should get a shot at RT. Hes better suited to be on an ‘island’, at RT, than Ifedi or Fluker.

      My main issue with Ifedi, going into the 2016 draft, was I thought he would be better slated at RG. Didn’t want to spend a 1st on an OG. His first 2 years in Seattle has confirmed that issue. Hopefully Solari and Duane Brown get him up to speed.

      • Mark Souza

        +1

        He gets one more shot in camp to show what he can do.

  14. Millhouse-serbia

    Live on @SportsRadioKJR, @JasonLaCanfora tells me #Seahawks have talked to “multiple” teams about Earl Thomas trade scenarios, that multiple teams incl DAL remain interested in possible deal. Thinks it may not be like last yr, when SEA kept Richard Sherman after shopping him

    • FresnoHawk

      Obviously

  15. Millhouse-serbia

    I think the only question mark is who is LG and who is C. I think that Solari could make our OL look like this: Brown, Britt, Pocic, Fluker, Ifedi.

    • Mark Souza

      Britt really didn’t succeed at guard, which is why they switched him to center. I don’t know why some are so eager to move him out of a position where he’s excelled the last two years into a position where he arguably failed.

      It also bugs me that so many have Ifedi’s name locked in ink at RT. To me he should be competing for that position and guard. And if he can win a straight up competition for the tackle spot, should compete for a guard spot. I’m tired of seeing him trotted out at tackle hoping he’ll someday pick up skills and technique to succeed with more starting reps. Winning is about putting your best people out there, and earning your way onto the field.

      • DC

        Everyone should be competing. If Pocic beats out Britt at Center so be it. LG, RG, RT, whatever. Win the job or sit your butt down until you win your job back. Every roster spot should be up for grabs.

        Would Pocic make better line calls than Britt?
        How much of Britt’s horrific first 2 years were attributable to coaching?
        Can Ifedi be taught to stand his ground instead of backing into RW’s face?
        Will Odi’s most standout play remain stepping on RW’s foot for a safety?
        How many quality years/games can we get from D Brown?
        Will Fant be ready when Brown exits?
        What will Fluker add? Can he stay healthy? Is he one and done?
        How big a difference will Solari make?
        What happens if 1, 2 or 3 of our supposed starting 5 gets hurt again?
        Where is the depth?

        Just some of the OL questions I’m curious about.

  16. C-Dog

    Is it starting to feel like if Seattle trades ETIII, it may go up to draft day?

    Teams know Seattle probably wants to move him, so why offer a R1 pick right off the bat? Seattle probably knows this well, but maybe feels like when it gets closer to the draft, some team (ie Jacksonville) might blink when Derwin James comes off the board.

    Is this just a big game of chicken right now?

    • Millhouse-serbia

      I will.copy Rob’s tweet.

      Hard to deal veterans during the draft, especially ones in a contract year threatening to hold out. Would imagine any team would want to negotiate a deal before trading.

      • Mark Souza

        +1

        • FuzzyLogic

          It seems Earl will be staying. I hope he does.

    • AlaskaHawk

      Any trades will happen next season when some contender loses their starting safety!

    • Overtime

      Earl is still young and the best FS in the game. Unless someone makes a good offer I think they keep him. We should have plenty of cap room next season to resign him. He could play another 5 years at a high level. Plenty of top safeties have played more than 10 years.

  17. Logan Lynch

    This speaks to a point I made a few months back about cliffs in the draft, something we know SEA likes to study. If there is a DE/Edge cliff early, it makes sense that SEA will want to try and tap into it since it’s an area of need. Interior OL has depth this year, so you can let that slide a while and focus on other positions early.

    Since this is arguably a strong RB class as well, maybe they focus on DL first and get RB second?

    • HawksBill

      I believe they will. If the Hawks can trade down a little in the 1st and still get the super-athletic but raw DL TAVEN BRYAN, I think they would jump at it.

      • Patrick Toler

        I think a couple of good RBs will fall into the 3rd. For me the top backs are: Barkley, Jones, Chubb, Michel, Guice, Kelly, Johnson, Penny. Are 8 RBs going to go in the first two rounds? I think two of those guys could fall into the mid third or so. Things start to fall off pretty quick after that though. I hope the spend a pick in the first three rounds on one of those backs.

        • HawksBill

          Unfortunately as it stands now they don’t have a 3rd round pick. I would be very surprised if they draft a RB at #18.

          • Patrick Toler

            For sure. I think it is a pretty safe bet that we will trade down to acquire a day two pick or two.

    • Rob Staton

      Possibly — but there is a cliff at RB too.

      • cha

        Who is on your radar for a late round / UDFA pickup at RB? Wouldn’t shock me if they drafted in R1/R2 and went back to the well late in the draft. Competition.

        • Rob Staton

          Coleman?

      • Logan Lynch

        Definitely, I agree with that too. It may depend on how the draft shakes out and which cliff will hit first.

        I think it still points to a trade back and grab some combination of RB and DL with the first two picks.

    • 12th chuck

      The history that JS drafts, the higher draft picks have been on the line on scrimmage. Both Richardson and Micheal were exceptions, but one had another pick that round, and next 2 picks in the next round. I have debated which is more critical another LB or pass rusher. I would be happy with either.

      • Rob Staton

        They’ve spent two second round picks on a receiver, a second round pick on a running back, traded a first and third for Percy Harvin and a first rounder for Jimmy Graham. I think they’re very willing to draft skill players early.

        • 12th chuck

          I had not taken into consideration the 1st round trades. When they drafted Richardson,they had multiple 2nd round pick and went o lineman. Micheal was the exception with the 1st picks. I don’t think they will trade any early picks for players this year, but never say never I suppose

  18. no frickin' clue

    Rob – if you were going to rank these top 6-8 RBs in terms of their ability to get yards after contact, how would that look? My faith in the OL enabling a RB to get through the LOS cleanly is, uh, challenged.

    • Rob Staton

      Jones II, Kerryon, Guice, Chubb probably the best at yards after contact. There’s no Marshawn in this class but there’s evidence of broken tackles and extended runs as a consequence from all four.

      • Del tre

        76 of Kerryon’s 104 yards came after contact against Alabama, i think he’s got the best mix of elusiveness and power in the class outside of Barkley. Not saying he’s the best back but he makes guys miss, in that same game against Bama he forced 7 missed tackles.

  19. bbsplitter

    I am one of the few who is not a fan of Josh Sweat. All the tape I have seen has not been good in my opinion. Almost every sack is because of either an absolute failure of the O-line, or a coverage sack. None of his combine athleticism seems to come through on tape. He is very slow off the snap and doesn’t show much effort once he is pushed away from the play.

    • Rob Staton

      A fair position to take. I do wonder how the knee brace possibly impacted him.

      • Mark Souza

        Yeah, I’d like to know more about his “brace” situation too. It’s one thing to be cleared to take it off for non-contact drills at the Combine, and quite another to be cleared not to wear it during games. Where exactly is he on this?

        • JimQ

          Perhaps the Seahawks -could- be a little “gun shy” about drafting a big DL guy with a significant injury history (and/or attitude problems) after having lost the “availability” trait from last years 1-st round pick. Do they really go back into that rabbit hole and ignore that history? The Seahawks have already had their share of injuries to key players, do they want to add another questionable decision to that pile? IMO- they need to, at a minimum, proceed with caution in drafting players with injury (& attitude problems), because player availability really is a big asset to any team.

        • drewdawg11

          I thought I was the only one. I want to be impressed with a player when I watch him play. I don’t want to try and justify taking him based on a workout. He’s NOT the type of player in the same class as his testing numbers.

    • SoCal12

      Yeah I watched some of his tape after seeing his name here a few times and I’m not a fan. My problem with Sweat is that he doesn’t play with much fire in his eyes. Seems to go through the motions and let his athleticism do the work. Much rather pick up someone like Kemoko Turay or Duke Ejiofor who show more intensity in their game. If we want to rebuild into bullies again we should be drafting bullies.

  20. Aaron

    We’ve got eight guys who can start/compete on the o line…

    Brown, Fant, Pocic, Britt, Fluker, Ifedi, Odhiambo, and Roos

    That could translate into a depth chart like this…

    LT: Brown, Fant
    LG: Pocic, Odhiambo
    C: Britt, Pocic
    RG: Fluker, Roos
    RT: Ifedi, Fant

    I’d still love them to find a way to get both a G and RB in the first 3 rounds, but maybe the Fluker signing changed that. If they go DE and RB they’ll need to select DE first because that talent level crashes earlier than RB. The wild card is Earl though. Dallas is freeing up cap room right now. Maybe they’re getting ready for Earl’s contract.

    • AlaskaHawk

      I think I counted their offensive linemen last year and they were carrying 13 of them. So they have a little room for more players.

      • j

        If you are drafting a player in the first two rounds he should at least be on the two deeps. Our two deeps now look pretty good, so there might be other positions that need more attention.

      • AlaskaHawk

        Maybe, based on last year both Odiambo and Roos need more training, and so does Fant. Of the three, Fant is the only one that started for a season – and he has the least experience of the bunch. I would say that the Seahawks have secured five starters with a possible starter out of the three I mentioned.

  21. Trevor

    I am really happy with the Hawks Off Season so far. They are clearly following the plan of getting younger on D and adding some veteran talent to fix the Offense and run game. They have not made any splash signings or over paid any big name free agents but the signings they have made are quality and for good value.

    Remaining Free Agency
    -Sign Terrell Prior as a big WR / Red Zone threat.
    -Resign Maxwell at CB
    -Sign (2) Veteran DL ideally after they don’t count towards comp picks
    -Sign Duane Brown to a 2yr extension
    -Sign Frank Clark to a 4yr extension
    -Sign Eric Reid (only if Earl is traded)

    Trade of Earl

    I think the Hawks will trade Earl on or before draft day to Dallas, SD or Jags. Perhaps they already have the framework of a deal done and are letting Earl work on an extension before finalizing the deal. Seems like things have gotten really quiet on that front all of a sudden.

    My guess is with the draft being in Dallas that Jerry will not trade the first pick but wants to make a splash so at the draft they announce the trade for Earl giving the Hawks a 2nd and 3rd round picks. They have the draft capital after getting a bunch of comp picks and just need to clear some cap space to sign Earl. This trade would basically allow the Hawks to recoup the draft capital lost in the Richardson and Brown trades.

    Draft
    Hawks trade #18 to Browns for #33 and #64

    #33 (Cle) Isaiah Wynn (LG / Georgia)
    #50 (Dal) Josh Sweat (DL/ FSU)
    #64 (Cle) Kerryon Johnson (RB/ Auburn)
    #81(Dal) Andrew Brown (DT/ Virgina)
    #116 Leon Jacobs (LB / Wisc)
    #132 Holton Hill (CB / Tex)
    #137 John Kelly (RB / Tenn)
    #147 Shaqueem Griffin (LB / UCF)
    #159 Nate Jameson (FS/ Wisc)
    #200 Will Dissly (TE / Wash)
    #222 Michael Dickson (P / Texas)

    • Mark Souza

      What’s not to love about that draft?

      • Trevor

        Tried to be realistic about where the guys were projected to go but you never know some of them like Sweat could go before I have them coming off the board.

        • Thy Hawk is Howling

          Great draft Trevor except somehow you forget Dante Pettis?

          Oh, I did it again!

          Go Hawks

      • drewdawg11

        Sweat.

        • SheHawk

          Don’t want to see Earl leave but if its happening than I LOVE that draft ….. Maybe its the husky in me but something about Rojo doesn’t quite sit right — to hollywood for Hawks. Give me solid starters to help in the trenches and an SEC back Also love Griffin and your DBs — lots of grit and upside!

    • KingRajesh

      I’d hope we could get more than ~600 points in draft value for Earl Thomas, but alas.

      Maybe they could trade us Datone Jones as well?

      • Pugs1

        Maybe a 2nd & 3rd this year and a 2 next year because we don’t have one.

    • Sea Mode

      Really well thought out. I’m not much of a Holton Hill fan myself, but that would fill out our needs really nice.

      On the trade, I would definitely press them to throw in R2 next year as well in that package if we are not getting a R1 this year.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Not a big Kerryon fan AND want a top tier RB this draft as job #1

      33 RoJo II (can we please just let the big dog out)
      50 Corbett/ Best OL Avail or Josh Sweat DE
      64 Settle DT
      81 Jessie Bates III FS, Wake Forest
      116 Leon Jacobs LB
      132 Tyquan Lewis (DE, Ohio State)
      137 Tre Flowers (DB, Oklahoma State)
      147 Dorian O’Daniel (LB, Clemson)
      159 Shaquem Griffin OLB (fall this far we’ll pick you up bro)
      200 Dissley TE
      222 Piniero K

      Seahawks 2.0 How do you like me now? 😉

  22. KingRajesh

    Anyone have a hypothesis as to why the Falcons were able to get over 28-3 so quickly while various Seahawks players (Sherman, Earl, Kam, Bennett, and others) haven’t for years?

    • SoCal12

      Well I mean look at the personalities of the players you just listed. Maybe part of why we let go of Sherm and Bennett (and potentially Earl) so easily this offseason is because of their inability to just let go of things and buy back into the team. Guys that seemed to have ‘gotten over’ it like Russell and Bobby meanwhile are now the cornerstone of the rebuild of the next generation.

    • Patrick Toler

      Do we know that they got over it? We’ll see if they get back to the team that had a 25 point lead in the Super Bowl.

    • Aaron

      SB49 to them was about becoming a legendary defense and a dynasty. It was about their moment of immortality, their moment of glory, their moment to shine. 2nd down and goal from the 1 took away their chance at that. A TD instead of an INT would’ve given them that and glossed over their 4th Qtr collapse against Brady. The Falcons don’t have those type of guys nor did they have the chance in SB51 to become a dynasty. I’m frankly thankful the Hawks are moving on from the guys who couldn’t get over 2nd down and goal from the 1. It’s all the defensive guys, the offensive guys have moved on and so have the coaches and personnel.

      • AndrewP

        Agreed… Immortal Ds don’t give up 14 in the 4th Q of the Super Bowl.

        • 80SLargent

          They do when: they’re playing against Tom Brady with a majority of them either (A) injured out of the game (Lane, Avril), or (B) playing injured (Thomas, Sherman, Chancellor, Simon). Who knew leaving a guy like Marcus Burley off the Super Bowl roster would’ve been such a big deal? Even then, most of the damage Brady did wasn’t until Avril left the game with a concussion. That wasn’t the Legion of Boom, that was the Legion of M.A.S.H.
          It’s totally understandable that Seattle is moving on from most of those players, but they don’t see those Super Bowl wins/appearances without them. They’re a mediocre team those years with an average defense. We’ve seen what that kind of team looks like last season with Russell Wilson trying to carry the team. No bueno.
          Now their choices are (A) continue to build the team around an aging defense, or (B) build around the franchise QB in his prime. The smart choice is B every time.

          • AndrewP

            You and I have different definitions of immortal.

            Additionally, excuses shouldn’t come from the mouths of immortals, especially with the amount these immortals talked and ‘swagged’ with.

            • 80SLargent

              1. I don’t remember hearing any of those guys making excuses. I do remember, despite their injuries, them suiting up for the game and playing their asses off, while the “immortal” Russell Wilson and the rest of the healthy offense was taking their usual first half nap.
              2. “Immortal” is something that literally does not exist. Why does anyone throw that term around here in anything more than tongue in cheek?
              Losing a Super Bowl doesn’t mean that defense wasn’t great. By that measure, Peyton Manning and the Broncos offense were terrible because a certain great unit out-greated them in the 43-8 massacre that was Super Bowl 48.
              Again, without that defense, the only way that team sees the playoffs and Super Bowls is as spectators like the rest of us. Rebuilding the current team with and around different players doesn’t change that.

          • AlaskaHawk

            I blame PC for not bringing Burley. The need for an extra cornerback or safety is very predictable when you play New England. You know they are going to throw!!!

      • lil'stink

        “SB49 to them was about becoming a legendary defense and a dynasty. It was about their moment of immortality, their moment of glory, their moment to shine. 2nd down and goal from the 1 took away their chance at that.”

        So much this. I don’t see why some people don’t see this. It wasn’t merely about losing the SB. Comparing the Falcons and their defeat to this is apples to oranges.

    • Del tre

      I don’t think theyre over it at all, we beat the Patriots the next time we played, the Falcons lost 23-7. They also haven’t exactly dominated, Matt Ryan had a shaky season and so did Julio. They also blew several 4th quarter leads.

    • Fairlawn

      I’m so here for the tell-all books these guys will write when they’re retired…

      Hypothesis sourced entirely to nowhere and who knows what happened behind closed doors: there was no accountability for SB49. Easy to follow the logic of what they did: were you going to, say, fire Bevell if he just took you to two straight Super Bowls? No? Then wouldn’t reacting to just the one play’s outcome be just crazy process? But it almost became like the opposite, that you specifically had to NOT fire Bevell because to do so would indict the decisions that came before. I don’t mean it necessarily all had to come down to Bevell specifically (I’m sure everyone misses the fire Bevell debates…) but what was the cathartic or purging action, who stepped up to demand the blame and fall on his sword in other than the most general and painless ways in (quoting Sherm) a kumbaya circle? I also can’t help but wonder if there’s a psychological bridge to the Percy situation, which strikes me as the trauma behind the trauma; that disaster had only ended a few months before and it must have felt like it rubbished all of the team’s purported ideology.

      I’m even less credible on the Falcons but … imagining … the coach who kept pushing the gas, Shanahan, (a) left town after the Super Bowl; and (b) was/is demonstratively awesome at his job in general; and (c) failed in his moment by leaning too hard and too long on the team’s own strength/identity, i.e., putting up video game points. (Might’ve been a different story if they’d lost because they went into clock-kill mode too early instead of too late?)

    • Jujus

      because even though we loved him, marshawn lynch was a cancer that considered RW to never be one of the guys due to the color of his skin.

      • AlaskaHawk

        Russell Wilson gets the Stephen Curry treatment, too small for the position, not cocky enough to thump chests with the players, but he just keeps winning!

  23. RWIII

    I like Carson a lot. But the big question: Can he stay healthy? Same with Prosise. Can Prosise stay healthy?

    • HawksBill

      Maybe, and definitely not.

      • HawksBill

        Prosise’s history through college is one big injury report.

    • 80SLargent

      I can see the questions about Prosise saying healthy. It seems like a hangnail puts him on IR. But the questions about Carson? Does anyone not remember the play that put him on IR? Anyone on the planet would’ve been seriously injured the way he and his leg was bent as he was being tackled. Granted, we didn’t see many games of Carson before that happened, but it’s more games than we’ve seen from any rookie running back(s) they might/will bring in.

      • Mark Souza

        Unfortunately, I also remember what Rawls was like when he came back from injury. So though I’m hoping Carson will be the player he was before the injury, I won’t bank on it and will be hoping the Hawks hedge their bets in the draft.

        • 80SLargent

          Carson and Rawls couldn’t be more different as players though. Carson is a complete back, which is why he started last season as the starting RB. Carson isn’t going to forget how to pass block or catch passes because of his previous injury. He was really close to coming back at the end of last season, so he should be pretty healthy by now.
          Rawls was healthy last year, so that didn’t have anything to do with his lack of re-emergence. Him running up the backs of his line, missed blocks, dropped passes, fumbles, stupid penalties, etc. had a lot more to do with it.
          That said, Seattle should definitely hedge their bets in the draft, like you said. I’m thinking they draft two RBs, one early, one mid-round. I’m really coming around to the man crush Rob has on Ronald Jones. Outside of Saquon, he’s the most dynamic guy on the board, and he could be within range of the Seahawks. I think “tilt the field” is the vernacular.

          • SheHawk

            I prefer Chubb or Johnson. Cougs D smaller and very FAST. I watched them hold the trojans and shut their offense down when it mattered. Don”t remember any particularly great SoCal RB — which says something. Maybe Rojo got better as season went on — maybe he was out for the Cougs game?

            Contrast that to watching huskies v Penn State. S Barkley is SO good – even against Vea. Kept thinking OMG wish he was a Seahawk! IMO its Barkley -then a bunch of very good RBs – then a cliff . No mini cliff after Rojo. We need to make every pick count. Give me an SEC back. Perhaps go for Bo later (was amazing against UW in ’16 CFP) +/or grab Coleman day 3. I think the key is durability. Best ability = availability.

        • Gohawks5151

          Cant remember exactly when but Field Gulls had an article featuring a surgeon detailing the differences between Carson and Rawls injuries. According to him the injury to Carson is less impactful to speed and explosivness than Rawls.

  24. 80SLargent

    I might be in the minority feeling this way, but this is the year they need to find out who really wants to stick on this team. Therefore, I actually don’t want to see Seattle signing any players to extensions until at least deep into the season.
    For this reason, I’ve come to terms with them most likely trading Earl. If he isn’t traded, he’ll likely hold out. He’s seen his teammates hold out and get rewarded with new contracts, so why wouldn’t he do it too? Seattle doesn’t need that kind of drama this off season, they need more draft picks.

    • Trevor

      Agreed this is definitely a churn and transition year to identify the new core group of players to build around.

  25. Bertelli

    Hey Rob – I don’t post on here that often, but read your content nearly everyday! Thanks to you and all the posters for making this such a great read. If you remember me, I was all over wanting to trade up for Leonard Fournette last year. I knew it would probably never happen, but can you imagine what kind of impact he would have made? So now, I’m on to Barkley. What do you think it would take to move up and get him? If we trade Earl to say JAX for 29, would 18 and 29 be enough to move up to number 5? Or would it take more? Next year’s 1st or less? I know it’s a lot to give up, but with the line somewhat shored up with the Fluker acquisition and your comments of the highly drafted lineman in the past, it seems running back is our top priority. Why not get the best? I remember the 1983 draft when the Hawks traded up to get Curt Warner (coincidentally from Penn State as well) What a blockbuster that would be! Anyone have any thoughts? Thanks for reading.

    • Trevor

      Would love to see Barkley in a Hawks uni I just don’t see how they could do it with all the needs they have at other positions as well.

      • Bertelli

        I see your point, but if you addressed RB w Barkley and the line is somewhat shored up with the Fluker acquisition, couldn’t we use our remaining day 3 picks to address a lot of those needs at other positions. I realize it’s not a perfect situation, but can you imagine having Barkley run for 1200 yds and score 12 TD’s? I’ll take that and some young and hungry fifth, sixth and seventh rounder’s to fill the other areas of need. I know it’s probably not going to happen, was just curious what it would take to move up that far. Thanks for responding.

        • SheHawk

          Its definitely a dream worth dreaming He is the one RB that is truly special in a great class its Barkley – then everyone else -IMO

  26. john_s

    Some Western Michigan Pro day notes –

    Jarvion Franklin (RB) dropped weight from 239 at combine to 231. He dropped his 40 from 4.65 to 4.45 at the pro day.

    Darius Philips (CB) – dropped his 40 from 4.54 to 4.40 at the pro day

    • HawksBill

      I am convinced the Seahawks will draft a big, durable, power running back like Franklin as injury insurance.

      • john_s

        He would be a nice late round pick

        • Sea Mode

          Could be, but has a TON of tread on the tires already. Almost 1000 carries in his college career.

          To his credit though, he appears not to have missed a game.

  27. McZ

    Just took a glance at Reuter “wishful thinking 3.0”.

    Once again, a freaking CB in R1.

    But thats not the really interesting part; any first rounder discussed here go in R2, with Nick Chubbat #38, RoJo at #55, Sam Hubbard at #54.

    Austin Corbett and Braden Smith in R4. Hawks take John Kelly at #155.!

    • Volume12

      I don’t think Chubb is a 1st rounder either.

      • SeaHusky

        Which is good for us. If we want to take RB first, we can trade down multiple times into the early second round and still snag Chubb, as well as acquire multiple Day 2 picks.

    • Volume12

      Its a good draft for RBs, and a lot of teams won’t spend a 1st on anyways. There’s gonna be some backs that drop this year.

  28. Rad_man

    hopefully Pete has a late round RB identified that he likes, just like Carson last year. If so, they can focus on both sides of the trenches and secondary earlier on.

  29. SeahawkeyezSubj80

    Dream Scenario(Who said dreams cant come true?!)

    ET traded to Jacksonville for their second round pick 2018(pick #61) and first round pick 2019(Jaguars all in).

    Seahawks trade pick #18 to Colts for picks round 2 pick 4, and round 2 pick 5.
    Seahawks trade round 2 pick 4 to Broncos for round 2 pick 8 and round 3 pick 35.

    1. Round 2 Pick 5 Rasheem Green DE, USC
    2. Round 2 Pick 8 BJ Hill DT, NC State
    3. Round 2 Pick 29 Nick Chubb RB, Georgia
    4. Round 3 Pick 35 Jessie Bates III FS, Wake Forest
    5. Round 4 Pick 20 Leon Jacob OLB, Wisconsin
    6. Round 5 Pick 4 Andrew Brown DE/DT Virginia
    7. Round 5 Pick 9 DeShon Elliott SS Texas
    8. Round 5 Pick 31 Justin Jones DT, NC State
    9. Round 5 Pick 32 Bo Scarbrough RB, Alabama
    10. Round 7 Pick 8 Tyler Conklin TE, Central Michigan
    11. Round 7 Pick 30 Nick Bawden FB, San Diego State
    12, Round 7 Pick 32 Eddy Piniero K, Florida

    • CHawk Talker Eric

      That would be an “A” draft

      I don’t think Chubb will be available that late though.

  30. Nick

    Holy moly John Kelly. And Nick Chubb (and Sony Michel!). Look at these forced missed tackle numbers! https://twitter.com/GrahamBarfield/status/976865879739785227

    • Nick

      If they really like Kelly, you can see them drafting him in the early third. Could open up their first two selections.

    • Volume12

      Still would take Royce Freeman lveer most of these guys.

      • Volume12

        Watching the Stanford game and is that ‘slow, no burst’ Freeman winning a footrace against 4.4 40 S Justin Reid?

        • Volume12

          Speaking of Reid. Interesting that the majority of his snaps came as corner. Exciting prospect that can man 3 DB positions if needed/wanted.

          • Del Tre

            I’m down for Freeman, guy never dipped below 5 yards per carry this season. He has vision and if he learns to drop his shoulder more often he will be fantastic.
            Also worth noting that he had 79 receptions through college.

        • Sea Mode

          V12, you should do a write up w/film clips of Freeman to show everyone what you see in him.

          • Greg Haugsven

            John Kelly in the third round does seem like a Seahawk kind of pick.

  31. Volume12

    Wonder why RoJo is turning teams off?

    • Rob Staton

      I’ve received some context on this now. Not going to reveal details. He’s not a bad guy or anything. But if you’re a team knocking him on size, it’s another thing to consider.

      • Volume12

        So he’s dismissive because teams are askimng about his baggage and he’s small?

        • Rob Staton

          Nah nothing like that

      • Volume12

        Tough draft cycle for a guy that was once pretty highly thought of.

      • SoCal12

        So I’m going to guess that the teams might have asked him to put on weight for the pros but he’s was like ‘Naw I’m good where I’m at thanks’.

        • Rob Staton

          It’s not that. Just young guy stuff really. Nothing overly serious. Just something teams wavering on him might use as another reason to pass.

          • SoCal12

            Lol dammit Rob, now you have me all curious about this forbidden knowledge. Do you think it’s something that PCJS will care about? I guess that’s all I really need to know.

            • Rob Staton

              I don’t know to be honest. It’s nothing major but he’s a smaller RB and doesn’t need to give teams any reason to second guess picking him.

              • AndrewP

                This is actually a good thing, IMO. If the Hawks have the opportunity to get him and pass, you know the concern is real. If they take him, you know it’s not. Why? B/c if there is one school Pete is going to have all the info he needs from, it’s SC.

                Yes, I realize it’s been a decade since he coached there, but I’d be shocked if his contacts don’t still run VERY deep.

        • Volume12

          His BMI ain’t much better than John Ross’s, but there’s more to it than his weight.

    • Overtime

      I don’t see the love for Rojo. With everyone worried about the durability of our RB’s why go with a 200 lb guy? Give me a tough mother like Ryan Nall in R5 and I think we are set. We cannot carry more than five on the roster, anyway, I would contend the running game went south after we lost our fullback and blocking TE.

      • Volume12

        Just my 2 cents, but I think they go one early, a FB hybrid later (Hall, Hill, etc), and of course there will be an UDFA or 2.

      • Rob Staton

        He’s 205 and said he’d be 210 by pro day. He looked bigger yesterday.

        He’s also an incredible talent. His tape is sensational.

      • AlaskaHawk

        I have to agree with you. Seahawks already have two backs that can catch the ball out of the backfield and make yardage. They need to concentrate on power backs with a second gear after they bust through the defensive line. Or at least a high first gear.

        I’m not sure if Seahawks need a fullback, they have fallen out of use. But they do need some beef at tight end. Someone who can level a defensive end.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          Have you watched RoJo’s tape? You should if not.

          Even though he doesn’t have the size/mass to knock people back, he runs as hard as any power RB I can think of. His second gear is lights out and he can hit it in a couple of steps. And his cutback/agility is freaky nasty stuff.

          Overlooking RoJo because he’s too light is like overlooking Russell Wilson because he’s too short. Some team will look past his weight to the actual play on the field.

          • RealRhino2

            I would think that if you like Barkley *as a runner* then you should like Ronald Jones II, too. He didn’t catch the ball much, but IF that’s just a function of the USC offense and he’s reliable as a pass-catcher, that’s a lot to like for a team that wants a home run hitter that can be used that way.

            • CHawk Talker Eric

              I agree RR. As a physical specimen, Barkley is unmatched. But as a running back, there’s not a big separation between him and RoJo.

              I see a lot of Trojans football in LA. I mentioned in a previous comment that USC’s OC is also the WR coach. I don’t profess to know his philosophy/scheme, but my perception is he runs his passing game through the receivers. Also they didn’t scheme much play action check downs for Darnold. Most passes were intermediate/deep, primary or secondary target.

              My only knock on RoJo’s game is pass pro. It’s not bad in that he’s a willing blocker. But his technique is poor, which means more given his stature.

              Seems that the twitter buzz about him putting off some teams was actually two teams specifically (no word on which two). But maybe he intentionally put them off because he doesn’t think they’ll use him well.

              I’m interested to know more if Rob wants to share.

              • Rob Staton

                I’m not going to go into details but as noted earlier, it’s nothing major just something that some teams have taken notice of. And the teams that are knocking him for things like size don’t really need this too. But he’s not a bad person or anything. And his tape is so good I have to say, it doesn’t bother me that much. But I’m not the one who spoke to him at the pro-day.

                • CHawk Talker Eric

                  In that case, I’m glad. Makes it more likely he’ll be available for SEA’s first pick (however they end up with their first pick).

      • Hawktalker#1

        If we get a nice full back, what do you think about giving Lacy another shot? You like tough and big? He is that. We wouldn’t even have to waste a draft pick if we brought him back . . .

    • Hawktalker#1

      There are only 31 teams I hope don’t like him.

  32. Tecmo Bowl

    Rob you make some excellent points for the Hawks going edge rusher early. That could be the case with few quality options available, and pass rusher being a big need. Do you think the loaded 2019 DL class comes into play when looking at this upcoming draft?

    • Rob Staton

      Yes absolutely. Think the RB decision last year (waiting until R7) had this year in mind. Might be the same at DL this year.

      • Tecmo Bowl

        Cool thanks for the reply. That’s my train of thought, as opposed to reaching for need this year, just play to the strengths of the draft. Trade down once or twice, take RB early, load up the competitions with 7 picks 90-168.

  33. JimQ

    I think you hit the nail on the head Rob with your comment about “combinations”. The Seahawks have to look at multiple positions, compare their draft targets to their current players and come up with the best possible combination of players at their positions of highest need, be it RB/OL/Edge/DT/S. IMO-PC/JS are pretty darn good at determining approximate draft position of the players they value highly on their big board. It’s the various “combinations” of player values that makes for the best draft decisions and hopefully the Seahawks are really successful at it this year.

  34. Volume12

    Hahaha! Of course Seattle liked a 168 pound wide out that ran a 4.65 40. Hopefully that deads it.

    • john_s

      Kenny Lawler?

      • Volume12

        No. Good one though. This year.

        • CHawk Talker Eric

          Agreed. Good one

      • Kenny Sloth

        HAAAAAHAAAHAHAHA

        woooo you can’t buy that

  35. Trevor

    I will be honest I watched little or no tape on Royce Freeman because of the rep for being kind of soft and lacking burst. But Kenny and Vol seem to like him so I watched whatever I could find on him last night and to be honest I was really surprised. Why is this guy not getting more buzz.

    I think he has incredible vision, footwork and balance. The best in the draft IMO. He does not look overly explosive but I think that is because he is patient and following his eyes. To me he is a mix of Lavern Bell and Shawn Alexander.

    He is not overly physical but I think I read somewhere he played a lot of the year with an injury.

    Also for a guy who gets knocked for his speed you don’t see him getting caught from behind. He would be a great option for the Hawks IMO if they move to the power zone scheme Solari runs.

    • Volume12

      He was hurt. He understands pursuit angles. Comes from the ZBS. Good pass catcher.

      This draft isn’t loaded with overly physical backs. Barkley isn’t either FWIW. That’ll be next year if David Montgomery, Jonathan Taylor, and others declare.

      • Kenny Sloth

        It’s the small guys that really have the punch.

        RoJo Akrum Wadley come to mind

    • Patrick Toler

      I don’t see it with Freeman. I’ve only watched his UW and WSU games, so maybe he had better performances?

      He’s an upright runner and doesn’t show any power. He goes down easily. His footwork is pretty good, but not nearly as good as Jones II or Kelly, IMO. He doesn’t look explosive at all. I’d be okay with him late day 3, but I have a hard time imagining him as a starter in the NFL.

      • Kenny Sloth

        You’re comparing him to guys that weigh a significant amount less

        And I actually wouldn’t agree. RoJo’s legs come out from under him making the same jump cuts.

        He looks patient and makes it look easy.

        He jogged for thousands of yards in the pac 12 just by seeing three steps ahead.

        Royce and RoJo are excellent antithesis of eachother.

        • Patrick Toler

          Good point, they are very different runners. I just don’t see enough good attributes from Freeman. He’s big and has good vision and pretty good footwork. He has some long speed. But he doesn’t do anything with that size. He doesn’t make guys miss or break tackles. I think he could be good running behind a powerful line, but I don’t think he’ll create much for himself. I see a bit of Shaun Alexander in him.

          • Kenny Sloth

            There’s certainly some truth to what you say. I think he has better c.o.d. and receiving abilities than he is given credit for. His balance is plus and he rarely is touched before a defense corrals him

            His footwork ia so clean hell jog untouched for 7 yard gains.

            I think he’s greatly superior to Rashaad Penny for example.

    • Volume12

      Another guy I’m getting higher on the more I watch is Rashaad Penny.

      Like RoJo, he’s electric. Good blend of size and speed.

      • Kenny Sloth

        I didn’t want to like Penny, but it’s hard to ignore some of those performances.

        Im still not convinced of him as a bellcow for any squad. He’s the bottom of my second tier. He just doesnt do anything special

        Not a traitsy player if you know what I mean.
        Feel free to disagree, I welcome another perspective

    • icb12

      Royce has all the tools.

      I personally see him as a fit with the Texans or maybe Carolina as a 1-2 with CMC.

      I really like Royce. It’s just… I dunno. I want to see him run Angry. I want the swag and the attitude. I want to see him run through a M**F*** face. He’s a great back- but he doesn’t set a tone.

      • Rob Staton

        My thought on Freeman has been consistent for two years. I think he’ll be a good running back for someone. I just don’t think it’ll be with us. Just doesn’t seem to fit the Seahawks. Carroll does like angry, aggressive running backs. Freeman has qualities but running angry and aggressive isn’t really his thing. I think he’s a second round pick, but not for Seattle.

      • Volume12

        And then there’s Guice who does run like that, but everyone is ‘meh.’

        Or some back has the production, but isn’t a good athlete. Runs too upright. Has the size but only did so and so. Others are too small. Some are worried about past injuries as if every back hasn’t had one.

        I’m not sure what some fans are expecting here. All RBs have holes and flaws. Can’t worry about who a guy isn’t.

        • C-Dog

          Interesting points, V12. I have been thinking that with the Marshawn years, if a degree of fans have a really highly raised bar and whoever ends up being the next featured back is going to be judged off that bar.

          • icb12

            Of course.
            That’s true in all walks of life.

            Is it FAIR? No it’s not. But it’s reality.

          • Volume12

            Absolutely. We were incredibly spoiled.

        • icb12

          It’s absolutely fair to worry about who a guy isn’t.

          We do it every single day on this blog.

          Solid Technician- but crappy athlete.
          Crappy Tehnician but a tremendous athlete
          best at his position but a character concern
          Tremendous Pass catcher- but a terrible blocker.
          Protypical size but innacurrate
          Super productive but too small
          and on and on and on.

          If we only focused on the positives- there would be a lot more pure 1st round grades.

          • Volume12

            Its not like teams draft more and more upside guys because of what he CAN be.

            My main point was you can’t change a guys play style, size or height, but most of what you listed? Teams will bank on either A) their coaching will change that or B) hide the weaknesses and extenuate the +’s.

            • Volume12

              * accentuate

        • Patrick Toler

          You have to decide what is important. For me it’s footwork, explosiveness, and decision making. Of course if I only focus on that I’m missing the whole picture, but those get the most weight. Every back has flaws for sure.

          • Volume12

            Bingo. For some it’s foot speed others it could be balance. Most times ya gotta give up a little to get a little.

            • Mark Souza

              Add to that a willingness to put their nose in there and push the pile. After years of Shawn Alexander, then contrasted by Marshawn, that’s huge.

  36. JimQ

    IMO-DT’s-Hill, Shepherd, Settle, Senat & Speaks WILL likely be GONE by the time of the 4-th round Seahawks pick, And, with their 4-th round pick they would likely have interest in drafting one of the below guys. My preference would be Fatukasi. Street’s stats aren’t quite as good & even though he’s reportedly very strong & athletic, I hate to see a defensive player with only 48-solo tkls. out of 120 stops. However, Street may have some upside so I’d be comfortable drafting him if Fatukasi is gone when they make the pick. Both likely need some further development as one might expect from a 4-th rounder.

    DT-Folorunso (Foley) Fatukasi, UConn, 6-036/318, *34-5/8″-arms, 10-1/4″-hands, 82-1/8″ wingspan.
    5.29/40, 1.76-ET.10-yd, 3.00-ET/20-yd, 33-reps, 30″-vert, 9-6″-broad, 7.44/3-cone, 4.53-short shut.
    Currently ranked #139-overall, Proj. Rd-4/5 at nfldaftscout.com & #125-overall at drafttek.com.
    Reportedly, UConn used Fatukasi out of position as a 1-tech, nose tackle in 2016 & 2017, after his decent success as a 5-tech with decent stats in 2015, (when he was playing at his more natural position????).
    2017: 11-games, 45-tkls, 30-solo, 7.5-TFL, 4.0-sacks (as a nose tackle in 3-3-6 alignment)
    2016: 11-games, 43-tkls, 22-solo, 2,5-TFL, 2.5-Sacks (as a nose tackle in 3-3-6 alignment)
    2015: 11-games, 51-tkls, 33-solo, 8,0-TFL, 7.5-sacks & 4-FF (as a 5-tech)
    2014: 11-games, 31-tkls, 18-solo, 3.0-TFL, Freshman non-starter.
    Career: 44-games, 170-tkls, 103-solo, 21.0-TFL, 14.0-Sacks, 4-FF.

    DT-Kentavius Street, N. C. St., 6-2/280, *32-7/8″-arms, 10-1/4″-hands, 78-3/4″-wingspan
    Currently ranked #123-overall at nfldraftscout.com, #154-overall at drafttek.com
    4.87/40, 1.66-ET/10-yd, 2.79-ET/20-yd, 28-reps (hamstring injury, no other tests YET.)
    2017: 12-games, 38-tkls, 16-solo, 6.5-TFL, 2.5-sacks, 1-PD, 2-FR, 1-FF
    2016: 12-games, 30-tkls, 13-solo, 9,0-TFL, 5.5-sacks, 1-PD, 1-FR
    2015: 11-games, 30-tkls, 10-solo, 2.5-TFL, 2-PD, 1-FR, 1-FF
    2014: 11-games, 22-tkls, 9-solo, 1.0-TFL, 1-PD
    Career: 46-games, 120-tkls, 48-solo, 19.0-TFL, 8.0-sacks, 5-PD, 4-FR, 2-FF

    • RealRhino2

      I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you on a specific player, but it always seems like there are good DTs available in the 4th or later if teams don’t feel they offer much pass rush. I think that’s our wheelhouse this year.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Remember that the Seahawks will be working to get more pics. This will not be a situation where they pick at 18 and then wait until the fourth around for another picK.

  37. Spencer Cahalan

    What about Kalen Ballage in Rd 5-6? H: 6’1 – W: 228 – 40: 4.46 – Vert: 33.5 – Broad: 10”2 – Short Shuttle: 4.35…. Seems like a prototype to me. You talked a lot about him before. What about him fell off for you?

    • Kenny Sloth

      Lack of production and dominance in college

      If we’re talking 6th round later then I take him for sure

    • Rob Staton

      Talked about him at the start of the 2016 season. Since then he’s just been so ineffective. Great athlete but not convinced he’ll ever be a great running back.

    • Sea Mode

      If he’s there in the late rounds, I might throw a pick at him as a WR convert.

      • RealRhino2

        Heard an interesting point from somebody (can’t remember who) that was talking about the typical “Thunder and Lightning” backfield setup. Problem is — this person noted — that when you bring in the Thunder (e.g., LaGarrette Blount), you telegraph what you are doing. Value to a Kamara, say, vs. other backs, is that he can be a threat to run and to catch passes.

        Having said all that, maybe Ballage can be just effective enough as a runner to have value as that kind of multipurpose back. Think he has all the sufficient traits — size, speed, athleticism — to be a good runner, just not the necessary ones — vision, instinct, etc. But he can sure get open and catch the ball, it seems. Could he fill Prosise’s role?

        • Rob Staton

          Replacing Prosise with someone like Ballage would be like shuffling the deckchairs on the titanic. I really hope we stay away from underwhelming, unproductive ‘athletes’ and focus on tough, physical runners — of which there are plenty in this draft. I’m sure that’s how they’ll approach it.

          • RealRhino2

            I certainly wouldn’t want him as a feature back. I think his best usage would be for a team that wants their running back to feature heavily in the passing game as a “space” player, the way (I think) the Seahawks perhaps wanted to use Prosise.

  38. Kenny Sloth

    Surprised more people arent talking about McKenzie Milton as a target for Russ’ backup

    • Gohawks5151

      Sophomore?

      • Kenny Sloth

        I guess that would be more than slightly prohibitive

  39. Sea Mode

    Good news:

    Adam Schefter
    @AdamSchefter

    Michigan’s potential first-round pick Mo Hurst has met with cardiologists at University of Michigan and Harvard, and they have cleared him to resume playing football, per league source. Hurst will do a full workout at Michigan’s pro day on Friday.

    11:29 AM – 22 Mar 2018

    • Mark Souza

      Glad to hear it. The kid worked too hard to have his future blow up on him like that.

      • drewdawg11

        That’s outstanding news. I’m glad that he still gets to pursue his dream. He’s a fun player to watch from the 3 technique.

    • EBurgz

      If we go DL/edge in R1 I hope it’s for him or Landry or Carter. Schneider said that he loves the Michigan (and MSU) players last year after the draft because they play real football

  40. Millhouse-serbia

    I’m told Marcus Smith is signing a 1-year deal with #Seattle worth up to $2.7M, per source. #Seahawks

  41. sdcoug

    RoJo vs. Bigger “power” back. I’ll bite.

    Several years ago I was watching USC when Jones received some of his very first touches (sorry, I don’t remember the game). Dude exploded through the line and simply ran away from every defender. Wasn’t even close. As a WSU fan, I remember thinking “wow, USC is going to be a bugger the next few years.”

    As I’m reading through this RB debate, I can’t help but think back to when Marshawn went down and Rawls stepped in. Instant improvement in the run game. Not because Marshawn was the lesser back, but because Rawls simply hit the whole more quickly. With the O-Line struggling to sustain blocks or create lanes, Rawls was able to slip through, whereas those lanes were already closing by the time Lynch hit the LOS.

    Advance forward to 2018. We still have line issues. We don’t yet know how much improvement will see, or when we’ll see it. Fingers crossed Solari and a power man scheme can unleash the potential. That being said, it might serve us best to have that RB that can get to the holes and explode, or run for big gains when the few opportunities present itself.

    That’s Ronald Jones

    • JimQ

      Electronic times have been added to nfldraftscout.com, below are the top 12 “big” RB’s for the Seahawks, with their (rank) within these 12 players in the 40 yd. dash + 10-yd & 20-yd. splits. IIRC, these #’s = burst off the line & through a hole and the Seahawks prefer fast cut and go types of running backs.

      1-Barkley: 4.40/40, (#2 of 12), 1.54/10-yd, (T-#1 of 12), 2.57/20-yd. (#1 of 12) = Clearly the #1.
      2-Guice: 4.49/40, (T-#4 of 12), 1.55/10-yd, (#2 of 12), 2.62/20-yd. (T-#3 of 12)
      3-Jones ll: 4.39/40, (#1 of 12) (Pro-day #?), N/A, N/A
      4-Johnson: 4.56/40, (#9 of 12), N/A, N/A
      5-Michel: 4.54/40, (T-#7 of 12)1.56/10-yd, (T-#3 of 12), 2.62/20-yd. (T-#3 of 12)
      6-Chubb: 4.52/40, (T-#5 of 12), 1.62/10-yd, (#6 of 12), 2.67/20-yd. (#7 of 12)
      7-Penny: 4.46/40, (T-#3 of 12), 1.58/10-yd, (#4 of 12), 2.63/20-yd. (#4 of 12)
      8-Freeman: 4.54/40, (T-#8 of 12), 1.60/10-yd, (#5 of 12), 2.66/20-yd. (#6 of 12)
      9-Kelly: 4.53/40, (T-#6 of 12) N/A, N/A
      10-Scarborough: 4.52/40, (T-#5 of 12), 1.56/10-yd, (T-#3 of 12), 2.65/20-yd. (#5 of 12)
      11-Ballage: 4.46/40, (T-#3 of 12), 1.54/40, (T-#1 of 12), 2.61/20-yd. (#2 of 12)
      12-FB/RB-Samuels: 4.54/40, (T-#7 of 12), 1.63/10-yd, (#8 of 12), 2.68/20-yd. (#8 of 12).
      There are, of course, other RB’s, I’ve limited this list to those likely to be drafted in the 1-st. 5 rounds. I’m not sure of the real value of these #’s, but there must be some value, otherwise why even publish split times that allow for RB comparison?

      IMO, An unfortunate situation arises when all of the participants of a combine test aren’t all doing the same tests, (and pro-day #’s are often suspect, if even available). Testing #’s aren’t always available for some players & it’s a disadvantage to them in the draft process as teams have to rely most on tape performance if they don’t have the comparison #’s of many drills and this applies of course to all positions, not just RB’s. I’m not very sure it makes sense to only target players with high testing scores and disregard those that for whatever reason didn’t test much or at all (IE: blog favorites: Jones, Johnson & Kelly). That seems like a slippery slope, but one must base a draft on the best judgement of the evaluators & absolutely the more information on a prospect that is available, the better the potential of a positive draft result.

      • CharlieTheUnicorn

        This helps dissect the players a little bit… giving some context to athleticism of the player.. start cross referencing the combine numbers with SPARQ… and you see Chubb is going to be a value pick (imo).

        • CharlieTheUnicorn

          https://3sigmaathlete.com/rankings/running-back/

          • JimQ

            3sigmaatlete.com is a great site, but the term “RB Rankings” ONLY includes players that have provided testing results. They have 14 players with complete testing results & 18 players that do not have testing #’s available to compare. Many of the 18 players without complete testing data are highly regarded RB’s like Guice, Johnson, Penny & several others. IMO, SPARQ is an excellent tool for player evaluations, however it has a big limitation on effectiveness when less than half the players don’t provide the necessary testing data. In most cases in player evaluations, this lack of data has an impact and forces coaches to only consider tape performance, individual workouts, interviews and hope for at least some players to provide pro-day testing #’s, even if they are more suspect than combine #’s. The more information about players physical attributes the better.

      • EBurgz

        4.39 for Jones? I believe it but , when?

        • Ryan

          10.36 100M in highschool translates to that kind of speed(4.3s)

      • Dale

        JimQ thanks for the info.

    • EBurgz

      Is Solari running a power man scheme? I haven’t heard that anywhere

      • sdcoug

        I read somewhere he was looking to run more power man, but I don’t recall where. It also didn’t quantify what “more” was, and considering last year we were zone over 70%+ of the time, “more” could be anything really. Does that mean 35%? 50%? 70%?

  42. 80SLargent

    Seahawks re-signed Marcus Smith.

    https://www.profootballrumors.com/2018/03/seahawks-re-sign-de-marcus-smith

    • Aaron

      Looks like a deal under $3 mil, which is fantastic. He’s a solid rotational DE. Wonder if we keep Branden Jackson too as a rotational DE. Does this still mean we go DE first then RB?

      • BobbyK

        There’s no way they cross off DE as a major need because they signed Marcus Smith.

        • Aaron

          Still a need, yes. But a first pick, whether that’s 18 or late first or early second round, on a DE? Debatable imo.

          • BobbyK

            IMO, it’s like saying RB isn’t a major need because they just resigned Mike Davis.

            • EBurgz

              +1

      • 80SLargent

        I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Seattle ERFA tendered Branden Jackson, so he’s in the mix. Whether or not any of it means anything to their draft remains to be seen.

        • Greg Haugsven

          Says its up to $2.7 million. We will see what that means when the details come out. Still waiting for Flukers as well.

        • Tecmo Bowl

          Jackson and Jefferson were both tendered.

  43. Malkavian

    I love it! The “big” Russian and Beastmode, together again!

    Raiders signed OT Breno Giacomini, formerly of the Texans.
    Giacomini, 32, was abysmal as the Texans’ starting right tackle last year, grading out 83rd among 83 qualified tackles at Pro Football Focus and allowing nine sacks, second most in the NFL. PFF charged Giacomini with 64 QB hurries allowed, most in the league by any offensive lineman by a margin of 15 hurries. The Raiders continue to make head-scratching moves on new coach Jon Gruden’s watch.

    Damn Breno, 83 out of 83??

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      He will be a hell of a 6th man OT… for goal line situations.

    • EBurgz

      I think fluker was second to last, last year in pass pro. Still stoked on his signing

  44. AlaskaHawk

    Off topic good news: The Seahawks did not go to watch Johnny Manziel throw.

    • cha

      Disgraceful. Been out of the league longer than Kaepernick and hasn’t accomplished anything.

      • EBurgz

        He’s about the same age as me and accomplished more than I have (in some/lots of ways) and I’d like to think I’m killing it at life. Best of luck to Johnny although I’m not holding my breath.

      • AlaskaHawk

        And yet he will get hired before Kap. Its an interesting lesson in the good old boys network – still alive and well in 2018!

        • SheHawk

          Seahawks should sign Kap for Russell back up — and Reid as ET3 back up. I know we want less off field drama We are in transition and its about team needs. Both are good players – undervalued. No better city to embrace diverse points of view. Bay area was supposed to be open minded. Turns out not so much. Kap is better then Davis and better than using a pick on a back up. We have cap space — could be interesting moves. Would be something Sherm a 49 and Kap a SeaHawk

          • Mark Souza

            +1

          • mishima

            Love it. +12

  45. Greg Haugsven

    The Seahawks are quietly having a fantastic off season so far.

    Bradley McDougald
    Ed Dickson
    Barkevious Mingo
    Jaron Brown
    DJ Fluker
    Mike Davis
    Marcus Smith
    Byron Maxwell???
    Terrell Pryor???
    Veteran DT???

    Very solid value group of players.

    • Patrick Toler

      I agree. Great value and they aren’t tied to any of these guys if they don’t work out.

    • SeahawkeyezSub80

      +1

  46. BobbyK

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems like some of this ZBS stuff (Cable and Solari before him… and now again) has teams with one punishing guard and one more athletic guard. If that’s the case, it seems like the guards may be set with the athlete in second round pick Pocic and mauler in Fluker.

    I saw enough of Pocic last year to know he’s never going to be a power guy. He’s put on muscle, but he got blown up too much last year. Him bulking up will mean he may be able to get stalemates on plays he was pushed back more than not. He’s never going to be something he’s not – he can simply improve a weakness (but he does have strength in his athleticism).

    With the Fluker signing to pair with a second round pick last year and they may view this line as set (at guard). With Rees competing with Pocic and Ifedi with potential to be RG if Fant wins at RT… they may think they have enough flexibility on the OL to ignore Wynn and draft a RB, DE, or S with their first pick.

    Same for I don’t see us going LB after the Mingo signing. And if they get Pryor, that may be the band-aid needed at WR to ignore that, too (which they probably will do anyway).

    RB, DE, S seem the way they’re going to go with OL still a definite wild card if it’s a BPA scenario. Don’t see where it will be BPA scenario at QB, FB, WR, TE, LB, CB.

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      The last report was Pocic is around 325 now…. he played in the 315 range or lighter last year.
      Don’t throw in the towel yet on the chap.

      • BobbyK

        He’s not going to become a bulldozer by gaining 10 pounds.

  47. Alex6674

    So does drafting a RB early in this deep class ensure that said pick won’t get injured? Also, everyone on here was convinced a CB or multiple CB’s would go ‘fast and early’ in the draft.

    • Alex6674

      Last year!

      • RealRhino2

        There were 5 CBs in the first round. That’s multiple CBs. There are only 32 first-round picks, you know. This year there are probably just 2-4, depending on how you view Minkah Fitzpatrick.

      • Hawktalker#1

        So what is your point?

    • Rob Staton

      Calm down Alex, you might pull a muscle straining so hard to shout ‘yah-boo’ at everyone.

      1. No drafting a RB early doesn’t guarantee said player won’t get injured. It’s not just about injuries though. It’s about talent. The talent at RB in this draft class, and the need for more talent at the position. One thing I’ve noticed over the years is fans too often have pre-conceived ideas about positions and drafting. They want their teams to address a certain need, or feel certain positions should be drafted early or late as a golden rule. You have to judge every draft class on its own merit. And this year happens to be a particularly strong running back draft in the top sixty. Given Seattle’s clear need to fix the running game, tapping into those options makes a great deal of sense. If the running back options were severely limited and a different position was the strength of the top-60, we wouldn’t be having the same conversation.

      2. I think you’ll find that multiple CB’s did go fast and early last year. Eight corners were drafted in the top-50. This year I think there’s a chance 6-8 running backs could go in the first two rounds. If you’re referring specifically to our projections for the Seahawks, we discussed many different positions and prospects. Linebackers, pass rushers, offensive linemen and yes — cornerbacks. We thought they would take a corner early. It might not have been rounds 1-2 but they still drafted a corner earlier than they ever have done before in round three.

      • PowerPeanut

        Seems like most people don’t look into draft history, and strengths of drafts when wishing for players. Weird that people in this group also include some of these “experts” that get paid to make mock drafts, and seem to never take history into consideration.

        • AlaskaHawk

          I’ve seen too many mock drafts that have Seahawks picking a defensive linemen in the first round, or even a cornerback in the first now that Richard Sherman is gone. And of course there is a large component of the fan base that wants defense first no matter how bad the offense gets.

          The thing is, historically speaking, the defense has been easier to assemble than the offense. And I think a lot of that has to be with PCs strengths in drafting or picking free agents, and training defensive players.

          Offense has just been more hit or miss. Maybe part of that is poor college offensive linemen. But they have whiffed on plenty of running backs too.

        • Hawk Eye

          putting this in perspective, Baker Mayfield is probably going to go in the top 10 this year. Last year, Mahomes and Watson went in the 10-12 range. Highly doubtful Mayfield is as good as either of them, but each draft is driven by QBs, needs and then what position group has the most depth.
          Any OT taken in the first round is probably a reach and would not go in round 1 in another draft, but someone will take one because they really need one. That will lead to RB’s going in round 2 that could go in round 1 in many other drafts.
          You try to play your roster management into the strength of the upcoming draft, increasing the value you get from your picks

      • EBurgz

        The first part of #1 is the same argument I make about earl. Sure he might get injured but doesn’t talent matter? They still have to play the games. Everyone can get hurt, not everyone can be the best in the world at what they do.

        You would think this “don’t draft an RB early” ideology would have died out after all the RB’s that were drafted early became the best backs in the league (gurley, Gordon, fournette, Elliot, etc.). Even Kareem hunt was an earlyish pick and he should have been drafted earlier.

        • Rob Staton

          The ‘never draft a RB early’ brigade are like a dog with a bone unfortunately.

          • Old but Slow

            Is that a fantasy football phenomena? No alliteration intended.

            I agree that the “wisdom” has been out there, but has it always?

            In my mind, the first round has always been the time for QB’s, OT’s, CB’s, WR’s, and pass rushers. But, every season produces its outliers, and this season is a great example: “Never draft a guard or a running back early”, might have added safety to that if it applied to us (maybe?).

            Wow, Rob, maybe you should kick a bunch of us off the block just to reduce the congestion. I spend more time reading the blog than I do sleeping, and I sleep a lot.

            Just kidding, I love everything about this.

        • 80SLargent

          I think part of that comes from the fact that RBs generally have much shorter careers than other positions. Longevity has a lot of value.
          Plus, with it being so much more a “passing league” than it was back in the day, teams value: passers, pass rushers, pass protectors, pass coverage, pass catchers.
          Whether one likes it or not, there’s a lot of logical and sound reasoning behind generally not selecting RBs high in the 1st round.
          However, if the most glaring need on your team is RB, and the most dynamic RB in the draft is still on the board, “don’t draft a RB early” kind of goes out the window.

    • EBurgz

      I don’t always agree with everyone here but nice way to make absolutely no point.

      It’s football, everyone gets hurt. ANnddddd CBs did go fast and early last year.

      How about adding some stats supporting your thought that you shouldn’t draft an RB early because they are more likely to get hurt? I disagree but your argument game is soft bro.

  48. RWIII

    Guys: This might be old news. But I just read that Terrell Pryor said it is down to two teams. Seahawks/Jets. https://www.profootballrumors.com/2018/03/terrelle-pryor-deciding-between-jets-and-seahawks

    • Trevor

      If we can get him I would be really happy with our WR group

      Baldwin
      Locket
      Pryor
      Brown
      Darboh
      Moore or Rookie

      That looks good to me!

      • EBurgz

        Looks solid to me. So does the OL. Goes with the theme of this article. I’ve thought for awhile we might go defensive front 7 first then grab one of the top RBs next (like we did with the stacked cb class last year). Gime Lorenzo Carter and Nick Chubb.

        Can we just draft Georgia??? Like all of em.

        • Trevor

          I would be all for that.

    • Overtime

      He probably does not want to play for the Jets but they are likely offering him more money.

  49. House

    Marcus Smith is back on a 1-yr deal worth up to $2.7M.

    Also, the trade for C.J. Smith was nullified today.

    • Old but Slow

      No Smith? Then we get back the 7th in 2020? Whew, I had plans for that pick.

      • Sea Mode

        lol

  50. Greg Haugsven

    Feels like they addressed a lot of needs so they arent forced to draft a certain position in the draft. These signings really give them flexibility to draft the BPA.

    • House

      I agree. Of all the moves, the one that has me pondering most is Jaron Brown and potentially Terrell Pryor. I totally understand competition, but Brown got a decent bonus/guarantee to be our #3/4 and if Pryor signs, it would bump him down another peg.

      • 80SLargent

        I think as far as who’s on the field at a particular time, it’s less about pecking order (i.e. #3/#4/etc.) and more about having different guys for different plays and packages.
        You figure Baldwin will be on the field almost all the time regardless.
        The “next” guy would be Lockett, but a play/package/match up might call for a guy like Brown or Pryor (or Darboh, Moore, etc.)
        I think it comes down to stuff like that, along with signifying to the younger guys like Darboh, Moore, McEvoy, Marcus Johnson, Cyril Grayson, etc. that their spots on the team are far from assured, and they’re going to have to bring their “A game” just to make the team. In other words, competition.
        Plus, with a guy like Pryor, I can see a coordinator worth their salt getting pretty creative with their use of him. Back when they traded a 7th to Oakland for him, I thought they had another plan for him besides QB (like a switch to WR/Joker TE).

        • Mark Souza

          Yeah, there was talk then of converting him to WR, and that got me excited. But Pryor still wanted to chase the QB dream, and who could blame him when you compare what back-up QBs make versus any other position.

    • Rob Staton

      Clearly they’ve filled out the roster a bit (and they had to) plus these two latest additions don’t impact comp pick status. But they still have very clear and defined needs. Fluker + Davis is not enough of a fix for the run game that you feel like that’s job done enough to go BPA. And if they’re banking on Smith as an outside pass rusher, well let’s not go there.

      • Trevor

        I don’t think Smith is the answer at DE but I think he is a solid rotational guy at good value. They did not have many options on the free agent market so to come away with Jordan, Mingo and Smith on value contracts is job well done IMO.

        Still think RB, LG and Edge should be the focus in the draft early with a blocking TE and lots of young defenders later on.

  51. Volume12

    ND HB Josh Adams had himself on hell of a pro day.

    6’1, 215
    4.48-4.51 40
    34″ vert
    10’2 broad jump
    6.75 3 cone 🔥 (only who even came close to that at the combine was Chase Edmonds)

    • Volume12

      * one

    • Trevor

      Vol speaking about ND. What are your thoughts on St. Brown?

      • Volume12

        Think he’s incredibly talented. Whole lot’ve upside. Game seems to come easy to him, but I find him a bit soft.

    • Nick

      Oh wow.

      • Nick

        Does this put him on Seattle’s radar?

        • Volume12

          They were there. Like Rob, I see him as a day 3 guy.

          I could be wrong, but I believe he had the most 10+ or 20+ yard runs this year. Of course that could come from running behind McGlinchey & Nelson.

        • Volume12

          I’m just thinking out loud, and I’m usually wrong, but I’ve been wondering about something.

          SD St HB Rashaad Penny is dynamic. Runner, returner, size/speed combo, productive as hell. And yes, he got a lot of blocked yards running behind his FB. Seattle is looking heavily at FBs it seems.

          • DC

            When the rest of the league abandons the FB position, go where they ain’t. Few teams will be ready to defend a *complete* rushing attack. OL, TE, FB, WR & even QB run blocking. Get Dirty!

            We need to remember this re-tooling likely takes more than one off season. Which leads me to this question Vol. Who are your favorite RBs in 2019 CFB that are Seahawky?

            • DC

              I meant 2018 CFB/2019 draft

            • Mark Souza

              Totally agree. We got to a Super Bowl behind a fullback when the rest of the league said the position was dead.

          • Old but Slow

            They also should be considering a blocking TE, and SDSt has a good one in David Wells, and he will be available late. Only game I can find is 2016 against Fresno, mainly because he had a decent receiving game, though he has not been a target. He blocks like a lineman and he can catch and punish tacklers. Both runners did well running behind him. Worth a look.

            • DC

              Wells got pretty rave reviews during the shrine game practices. Another late rounder/udfa to watch.

          • JimQ

            I’ve stated this before but IMO- RB-Rashaad Penny is the Rodney Dangerfield of this draft. When I watch his tape, I see a RB with exceptional vision that hits not just obvious holes but creases. His first step or two seems to get him to top speed quickly and just fly past the LOS. Many experts have knocked Penny for a lack of speed & burst which is NOT indicated by his testing results or his tape performances. He is also among the top RB’s in broken tackles last year. #1 in FBS in total yards + great kick returner + low mileage + lack of any injury = great player for the Seahawks to consider. Draft also his FB buddy from SDSC & the RB position is solved for years to come. I just don’t get the thought that Penny isn’t a smash mouth RB like Lynch, so he’s not a good pick. Lynch is gone & won’t be back so trying to find his clone is likely impossible & perhaps rightfully so. Penny isn’t the soft & slow player that some make him out to be and IMO he would make a great Rd-2/3 pick and I’ll be celebrating on draft day if so.

    • Rob Staton

      Very good pro-day. I think Adams is a late rounder but might be worth a camp.

    • FresnoHawk

      Wow I thought he was staying at ND. Another late round option

  52. CharlieTheUnicorn

    The Seahawks have been leaning towards the offensive side of the ball in FA, so we can conclude they will dive into the defensive side of the ball in the draft. I’m beginning to suspect they might go DE early…. and leave my man Hernandez on some other team (like the Colts).

    They are rumored to be bringing in Eric Reid for a look.

    One more pc to the puzzle was resigned, Marcus Smith 1 yr / 2.75M.

    And lastly….
    The rumor on 710 is that Irvin might be cut by the Raiders again….. and Seattle is the likely landing spot if he does indeed hit the market. The Raiders have brought in plenty of LB types and have told him he is only going to be playing DE this upcoming season. The salary cap is a concern, so they might need to cut bait since they have to pay Mack a big money deal very soon.

    • Rob Staton

      Have they leaned on offense though? They’ve signed some receivers, Fluker and Davis, plus a blocking tight end. They’ve also signed Mingo, Smith, re-signed McDougald, added Alexander and traded for a corner (since reversed).

      I would caution against reading into anything from a pretty nondescript free agency period so far.

      They could go DE early. Possibly. But it could also be an offensive pick. And the second half of the draft is loaded with defensive options. If anything I think they’ll back themselves to sort out the defense with cheap competition and pump resources into the offense.

  53. CharlieTheUnicorn

    Oren Burks, LB Venderbilt / 6’3″ 233 33+ arms and +79 wingspan.
    He has outstanding SPARQ numbers, would he ft Seattle as a mid round pick?
    I confess, I’ve not heard much about him mentioned previously.
    Kind of measures out like a KJ Wright (?) type of LB. Biggest knock I can find in a quick review on a scouting service was that he is 23.5 years old.

  54. House

    Terrell Pryor will be finalizing a deal with the Jets tonight

    • 80SLargent

      Well the Jets had to be in a position to offer him more money, along with a shot at being their top wideout.

      • House

        Agreed. I thought he would’ve been a priority signing over Brown, due to Brown’s likeness to Darboh. I believe it was you that mentioned above the WRs being used situationally, but signing Brown/Pryor would’ve been a bit overkill to me. Brown is similar to Darboh and Moore. Pryor would’ve been different… Just my 2 cents

        • Trevor

          +1 I am disappointed I think he would have been a good fit for the Hawks.

  55. C-Dog

    Mock Draft

    Seattle holds firm on it’s trade demands for ET, a first and a third. They find no takers. They are perfectly willing to go into a contract year with him and risk a holdout, and or clubhouse distraction. It is a game of chicken between player and team.

    At pick 18, Seattle finds a trade partner with Atlanta who are desperate for a DT and want to jump ahead of Dallas. Seattle receives picks 26 and 90.

    26: R1P26
    RB NICK CHUBB
    GEORGIA

    Seattle gets the RB it wants, and Seahawks Twitter blows up with extreme fan rage they burn their first pick on a RB.

    90: R3P26
    DL BJ HILL
    NC STATE

    Instead of reaching for an edge rusher, Seattle lands one of the better DT prospects in the draft.

    120: R4P20
    G WYATT TELLER
    VIRGINIA TECH

    Seattle is lucky enough to find good mid round value at OG with Fluker only on a one year deal.

    141: R5P4
    TE IAN THOMAS
    INDIANA

    Seattle goes TE with athletic upside.

    146: R5P9
    LB OREN BURKS
    VANDERBILT

    With Mingo as SAM/LEO, Burks adds depth behind KJ and Bobby.

    156: R5P19
    EDGE DUKE EJIOFOR
    WAKE FOREST

    Seattle finds mid round value on a player that is more tactician than twitch, but that’s largely what Michael Bennett was.

    168: R5P31
    RB JAYLEN SAMUELS
    NORTH CAROLINA STATE

    Seattle grabs a playmaker at RB/FB/H-Back/TE, and gets one of the steels of the draft.

    226: R7P8
    WR JAVON WIMS
    GEORGIA

    Seattle grabs a big bodied WR who the OC knows.

    248: R7P30
    OT JOE NOTEBOOM
    TCU

    Seattle grabs depth at OT.

    With ET on the roster, the team elects to pass on safety and corner this year. They bring back Maxwell and are willing to see what emerges out of Tyson, Carter, Elliot, King, etc.

    • white-salmon-hawk

      The perfect draft, A+.

    • Overtime

      You are right the boards blow up with a RB in round 1.

      The fifth year option is worth more to a team wanting a QB or DE. Lamar Jackson is probably still on the board and somebody will want to trade up to get him. Just about every other position group has a longer shelf life than RB. There is no need to pay the RB a big second contract or the fifth year option. You could easily trade back again in to the top of R2 and still may get Chubb. If not him, there will be several other attractive backs to pick from. If you reversed the order of your first two picks you may get better value.

      • C-Dog

        A few thoughts.

        All the top QBs are off the board in this scenario, including Jackson. No team is moving up for Rudolph or Falk.

        If Seattle views a RB as a special talent, I think they would be willing to use a R1 pick on him and have that fifth year option. They had a first round grade on Gurley a few years ago.

    • Patrick Toler

      Extreme fan rage, LOL.

      It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they targeted Chubb after a trade down. He is a perfect Pete Carroll back, IMO.

      • C-Dog

        I think he is, as well.

    • Jeremy

      I would be just fine taking Chubb that early. I would be really upset if they didnt draft anybody in the secondary.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Hey man, I really like the thoughtfulness behind this mock

      You addressed a lot of needs and didn’t get too cutesy or try to go for the sexy picks. Chubb and Hill is another meat and potatoes day 1~

      I was also surprised by some of the selections which is a clear indicator of a seahawks draft class

      Only problem; No Shaq Griffin

      • CharlieTheUnicorn

        Pretty sure he will get drafted in the 3rd round.

      • AlaskaHawk

        I liked all your picks!

      • C-Dog

        I thought about that afterwards. I definitely think he’s a target. Not convinced before day 3, though. I wonder if he is SAM, or off ball LB, or situational specialist. Thoughts?

        • Kenny Sloth

          Locker room anti-cancer

          • C-Dog

            Bingo

            • JimQ

              Maybe he could be a “Deathbacker”? Or, convert to Safety? Special teams ACE, gunner? Rush LB? Biggest plus however may be his personality and exhibition of extreme grit in playing through his (seemingly very slight) disadvantage. He’s just such a feel good guy, he’d very much help with the current “makeover” of the team chemistry. I’m thinking Rd-5 is where he goes as I think teams will think he can’t possibly cover NFL RB’s & receivers with only one hand, but they won’t use that as an excuse to not draft him as it wouldn’t look good to their fans, so they will likely just devalue him on their big boards, hopefully into the Rd-5 area when the Seahawks could reunite him with his twin brother. We can hope.

    • SeahawkeyezSub80

      +1 I like the Jaylen Samuel pick

  56. Hawktalker#1

    @Trevor Draft (nice work btw) Tweaks . . .

    W/ET trade and trade downs:

    Not a big Kerryon fan AND want a top tier RB this draft as job #1

    33 RoJo II (can we please just let the big dog out)
    50 Corbett/ Best OL Avail or Josh Sweat DE
    64 Settle DT
    81 Jessie Bates III FS, Wake Forest
    116 Leon Jacobs LB
    132 Tyquan Lewis (DE, Ohio State)
    137 Tre Flowers (DB, Oklahoma State)
    147 Dorian O’Daniel (LB, Clemson)
    159 Shaquem Griffin OLB (fall this far we’ll pick you up bro)
    200 Dissley TE
    222 Piniero K (can we please not screw up this position this year?)

    Seahawks 2.0 How do you like me now? 😉

    • Sea Mode

      If those guys end up available at those spots, would be an incredible haul. Nice mock!

    • Trevor

      If we could get that group of guys I would be estatic.

    • hughmungusfan

      Nice Mock, I’ve gotten way too little done lately since finding out about these mock draft games..
      I traded down a bunch and got 24 total picks:

      Round2:
      11. Ronald Jones III, RB
      21. Dallas Goedert, TE
      Round3:
      1. Isaiah Oliver, CB
      7. Kolton Miller, OT
      31. Jessie Bates III, FS
      Round4:
      8. Jalyn Holmes, DE
      20. Josh Sweat, EDGE
      Round5:
      2. Kentavius Street, DT
      4. Oren Burks, LB
      9. Deontay Burnett, WR
      31. Eddie Pineiro, K
      Round6:
      10. Akrum Wadley, RB
      40. Brandon Facyson, CB
      41. Trey Flowers, SS
      42. Natrell Jamerson, FS
      Round7:
      1. Marquez ValdesScantling, WR
      8. Dorian O’Daniel, OLB
      16. Tony Adams, OG
      21. Michael Dickson, P
      26. Peter Kalambayi, LB
      30. Darren Carrington II, WR
      34. Brett Toth, OT
      35. Marcel Frazier, DT
      38. Levi Wallace, CB

  57. JC

    I wouldn’t mind addressing RB depth in round 5-6 with someone like Roc Thomas

  58. Old but Slow

    Not a fan of taking a kicker at any point. No special guy out there.

    • Hawktalker#1

      Agreed. But not sure I can survive kicker dumpster diving another year.
      This would be a viable fix for an absolutely critical piece of our success.

    • Kenny Sloth

      I’m not sure I’d ever draft a kicker.

      • Kenny Sloth

        Mostly due to my unfamiliarity

        • CharlieTheUnicorn

          You sir are NO AL DAVIS. He drafted 1 in the 1st round!

          • 80SLargent

            If I remember right, he also drafted Ray Guy in the 1st round. Yeah I’m that old.

            • CharlieTheUnicorn

              Both will end up in the HoF some day :O

              • 80SLargent

                Ray Guy is in the Hall of Fame. I don’t think Janikowski will make it though.

          • Kenny Sloth

            I mean. What does a first round kicker even look like?

            He better run a 4.5 flat.

            • drewdawg11

              John Casey was drafted for the Hawks way back. He was a good kicker… until we lost in to the panthers. Guys, I know people don’t want to draft a kicker, but the one guy in our roster now is no better than Walsh. We are in trouble if he’s our guy.

              • peter

                They may not draft kickers but I expect a punter and a placeholder and certainly at least a place kicker as a udfa.

                The current guy is literally Walsh all over.

                • Mark Souza

                  I say we trade down and pick a placeholder in the second. The importance of that position can’t be overstated. LOL.

                  • hawltalker#1

                    EXACTLY!!!. If you can’t hold the ball for a kick, what good is a good kicker?

  59. Coleslaw

    Man I’m just now looking into the Zay Jones incident, that’s scary. I hope he was just on drugs. If not, that dude needs some help. Hope he gets it.. Too much talent to waste

    • Kenny Sloth

      Just makes me glad I’m not in the NFL………….👳👳👳

      • Coleslaw

        Right, I used to go up on a guy who loved to headbutt every snap in practise and the coaches praised it lol.. Seeing stars every snap. I only played 3 years and I can totally see how these guys get this messed up after 10, 15 years of football by the time some guys enter the league.. they deserve those big bucks, fully guaranteed contracts.

        • CharlieTheUnicorn

          Or you get a situation like the Last Boy Scout.

          Imagine, there are tens of thousands of men who never made it to the NFL, but have significant and life altering damage from playing the game. Some of it is physical, but others are harder to define… .something like PTSD.

        • Kenny Sloth

          Well, I just meant if somebody recorded my weekends HEYOOOOOO

          • Thy Hawk is Howling

            Kenny Kenny Kenny!

            I believe in you Laddie!

            You should do a Google Hangout Friday night to early morn!

            First Question?

  60. Kenny Sloth

    Its funny to me when some fans want to talk about other positions instead of figuring out which RB we will take.

    Thats the difference in a team-draft blog. We’re gonna go further and further in depth on the same position until we have a breakthrough and can sell ourselves on a direction for the future.

    I can’t decide between Chubb, Guice, Johnson, and RoJo
    I’m also not positive on the best draft spot to select them.

    For me RoJo is gonna go like 25
    Chubb like 35 or 40 with Guice right behind and Johnson before 60.

    Once I can decide a plan A. Then I move onto other positions on case we miss out on one of my top guys based on need/value/potential

    I’d be interested in hearing some of your processes, especially those that prefer scattershot acknowledgement of prospects to the indepth rehashing that seems lambasted to routine here

    • CharlieTheUnicorn

      I’m thinking Chubb is in the 45 range, while Guice is a pick 32 range….. I guess it is splitting hairs to be honest.
      I understand RB is a position of need, but I’m not sure the Seahawks view it the same way. Not when you can draft players at other positions that might have a much larger impact….. or extra picks by trading down.

      I would be floored if Seattle drafted a RB any earlier than mid round 2 / pick 45 range / specifically Chubb.
      [See what I did there 😉 ]

      I think an interesting wildcard could be a TE type early in the draft. There are some quality guys who could fit the more traditional TE role…. and a guy like Gesicki could be picked around the bottom of the 1st round onward.

      The Colts and Browns are set up for a very nice draft.. plenty of picks in the top 100…. should immediately improve both teams.

      • peter

        I think a wildcard pick for me would be trade down and grab two d line players in the second and third. Perhaps a bj hill/sweat.

        And attack the Cunningham’s positiin with kelley/Scarborough not either but both later on.

        Ultimately I think Seattle settles in on rojo/chubb/Johnson but not picking one and going d line first is my wild card pick.

    • Coleslaw

      Not a lot of teams in the first need running backs enough to warrant a reach, I mean these backs are really good but I think the consensus is gonna be it’s Barkley, then you can pick into the next tier until the end of round 2 at least.
      If a guy were to go 10-32 I’d have to pick Guice, and I’d have him going to the Patriots at 31.
      I think Rojo and Chubb will go between 32-40. And Johnson like you said will be gone by 60. I think Sony Michel is in the mix to get in there, too. Could see him before Johnson in the 40-60 range

      • Kenny Sloth

        I don’t think RoJo makes it past Philly

    • C-Dog

      Honestly, I could see RoJo going in the teens. Green Bay could be a landing spot. If so, it feels like Chubb stands the safest bet to be Seattle’s guy. Although, Johnson and Guice are pretty interesting. Chubb’s physicality and athletic profile screams Seattle if they are looking for a workhorse inside runner.

    • madmark

      All last season I have been watching the running backs in college because it evident that Seattle needs one. The group we have right now just doesn’t seem to be able to stay healthy. My 1st choice was Damien Harris of Alabama but then he decided to return to Alabama and since then I see just 2 now that I would take early. If Seattle can not get a trade down from 18 I would take Jones since I don’t see him going in the 2nd round and if we do get trade down into the early 2nd I would take Chubb. I would even go so far as to draft an another RB between 5 and 7 to add more competition. We struggled in the beginning of the PC/JS era until we got Lynch in a trade and its apparent after last year we are struggling since lynch left. we definitely need to step up and grab a talented RB. I would also be watching Harris next year if things don’t go right this year.

    • Overtime

      Well, we are definitely building the running game. Adding Fluker and Dickson shows PC/JS admit the JG era was a mistake. There are plenty of 5-10, 220 RB’s in this draft. I expect a bigger FB body. We only have roster space for one more back. When Marshawn went Beast Mode all over New Orleans, he had 230 lb Michael Robinson lead blocking for him, Without the lead block Marshawn would have been stopped in the backfield.

      By releasing Graham, PRich and Kearse we have lost a lot in our WR corp. Baldwin and Lockett need some help. I have never been a fan of Darboh. We need to stretch the field with a tall, speedy WR. D J Chark and E. St. Brown are interesting. PC mentioned we were slow last year. None of our WR’s other than Lockett are burners, RW3 throws a nice deep ball. We have no one to throw it to. Ridley and Sutton will probably be gone before #18. It is not a good year for WR’s but they will find somebody.

      • Rob Staton

        Marcus Johnson — 4.39
        Tyler Lockett — 4.40
        Jaron Brown — 4.40
        David Moore — 4.43
        Amara Darboh — 4.45

        They’ve got speed.

  61. Coleslaw

    On a positive note, Maurice Hurst is back in the mix for the 1st round. An option for us if we decide to go defense, possibly a target for someone wanting 18, or at the very least, pushes 1 more player down the board.

    • Rob Staton

      Hurst’s short arms likely limit the chances he lands in Seattle, plus there are legit concern he won’t be able to play early downs.

  62. Kenny Sloth

    Watching Oren Burks LB at Vanderbilt

    Clearly a major leader and intelligent player. He’s not very strong as a second level defender and rarely rushed the passer. You’d want him to add a little bulk and play SAM for us, but I’m not sure he’s the right player for us. I’d be interested in him after the fifth.

  63. CharlieTheUnicorn

    Do we think Seattle will continue being a single high safety team… cover 1 / 3 type… or are they going to mix it up a bit more. Reinvent themselves… and possibly choose some other types of players than we are accustomed to seeing them pick for the defense.

    • Dale

      It’s taken PC and entire career to develop his formula and this off season has been all about returning to PC’s philosophy in execution and attitude. With the number of new starters I’d be shocked if they added to the learning curve by changing the defense.

  64. Millhouse-serbia

     @AdamSchefter

    Traded in 2018:

    Jason Pierre-Paul
    Tyrod Taylor
    Marcus Peters
    Aqib Talib
    Danny Shelton
    Damarious Randall
    DeShone Kizer
    Jarvis Landry
    Robert Quinn
    Daryl Worley
    Torrey Smith
    Alec Ogletree
    Michael Bennett
    Alex Smith
    Kendall Fuller
    Cordy Glenn
    Cordarrelle Patterson
    Jason McCourty

    12:14 PM – 22 Mar 2018

    • Millhouse-serbia

      And here we go:

      @TheGeeScott

      Gee Scott KIRO FM Retweeted Adam Schefter

      My gut tells me that there will be one more big one.

      10:17 PM – 22 Mar 2018

  65. Trevor

    I admit I am a little disappointed we missed out on Pryor as I really think this team could use a big red zone threat in the passing game.

    Auden Tate did not have a great 40 time but on tape he looks like the ideal big jump ball / use your body to create space WR. If he is there on Day #3 is he a guy you take to basically take to replace Graham as a red zone specialist?

    • Georgia Hawk

      I’m ok with it. I think this is a great chance to give the young guys some time and see what we have there. Im not super upset about missing out on a “meh” guy at the expense of the younger guys. If anything, I agree to go find a jump ball kinda guy in the draft. Make them compete for time/balls.

      • SeahawkeyezSub80

        +1

      • DCD2

        Ya, we got Jaron Brown for 1/3 of the price and he’ll contribute on special teams. I like the idea of giving Darboh, Moore and the young-ins some run.

  66. drewdawg11

    This next month is going to be torture for me. Will Earl stay or go? What trades will be made? Is there less than a 50/50 chance we watch the first day of the draft for no hawks pick, (again)? Who gets signed before then? I’ve resigned myself to the fact that by getting attached to certain players, I most likely won’t get to see them suit up for the hawks. Last year’s offseason was frustrating for me. I didn’t like the free agency signings from the start, I hated the first pick, I was shocked we rolled with Walsh, etc. it all seemed like we never fully got untracked. I was in attendance in Glendale when the team basically fell apart physically once and for all. All I have to say is that we have definitely earned some much better fortune this time around. Between us and the texans’ fan base, don’t we both deserve to meet up next year in the super bowl? 😛 If we don’t select either Jones, Chubb, or Karyon, I’ll be disappointed. However, if we don’t, I sincerely hope it’s a difference maker along the lines. I’m becoming a huge Tavon Bryan fan now. Hurst bring back in play is a nice option as well. Let’s just make sure that we get back to physical football again and pop these fools in the mouth.

  67. Coach

    I was really hoping we would get Pryor! Is there another FA wr worth looking at or are we going to count on Darboh?

    Maybe McKissic will give us a boost at wr after we draft rb’s and don’t need him there anymore?

    Go Hawks!

    • Greg Haugsven

      Prosise could see some snaps there as well maybe?

  68. Coach

    I’m also hearing that the Raiders might cut Bruce Irvin. I would really like to see him in a Hawks jersey again and I think he would really help turn what is currently a weakness into more of a strength!

    Thoughts?

    Go Hawks!

    • Kenny Sloth

      I wouldnt break the bank to bring him back

    • Patrick Toler

      I was hoping for this earlier in the offseason. Then someone reminded me that he’s already 30. Then we signed Mingo to play Sam. I’d be happy about signing him if the price was right, but yeah, I wouldn’t break the bank for him either.

    • C-Dog

      It feels like the Mingo signing was to fill that role. Although, if they brought him back, I wouldn’t be disappointed. Maybe one of Mingo or Irvin moves to LEO, and the other plays SAM, and Clark LDE?

      • Patrick Toler

        Yeah, I think Mingo could play SAM, Irvin LEO, and Clark at LDE. That would work, and probably be a pretty good setup with Jordan and Smith rotating in. It would all depend on price of course.

        • Drew

          Clark rushes better from the right side.

      • GerryG

        If he was cheap he would be great for edge/leo rush depth

  69. drewdawg11

    I don’t really think Pryor is a guy who would have necessarily put us over the top WE-wise. How much is he getting from the Jets? One good year does not a weapon make.

    • vrtkolman

      $6 million for him. This feels way too similar to an Eddie Lacy contract, I’m glad they did not go down this road.

      • Greg Haugsven

        I agree, we didnt need him. Lets let Darboh and Moore compete along with Brown.

      • Patrick Toler

        I’m pretty happy with the receiving core. It’s deep with some upside if (as Greg noted) Darboh and/or Moore can develop.

  70. Millhouse-serbia

    Former #Vikings DT Tom Johnson and the #Seahawks have agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth up to $2.7 million, source said. So Sheldon Richardson heads to Minnesota, and Johnson is set to join Richardson’s old team in Seattle.

    • vrtkolman

      Solid signing. I think all the signings so far this off season have been solid. Nothing spectacular, but good value for solid players. I like it.

      • Greg Haugsven

        Good signing for sure. Not only a good run stuffer but a guy who can be a mentor for that now young defensive line. We just need to resign Byron Maxwell next and we should be good.

    • Patrick Toler

      Our DL isn’t going to scare anyone as currently constructed, but it’s looking pretty solid. I think we are still a couple of pass rushers away from being able to consistently impact opposing QBs. Clark will get his, but what else do we have?

      Hopefully Jordan builds on what he showed last year. Smith can be effective as a rotational piece. Maybe Jones continues to develop. The pass rush is a bit concerning. I like the Johnson signing though. The DT group was a bit thin. I’m guessing we are truly out on Suh now.

      • Greg Haugsven

        Norton may have to get a little creative with stunts and blitzes. The jury is also still out on Cliff Avril as well.

      • cha

        Jordan will be very interesting to watch in 2018. 4 sacks in 5 games in 2017.

        I would think the Hawks would keep a close eye on his snaps and try to maximize his effectiveness in 2018. He might have a Bruce Irvin-rookie year-type impact. Very effective in bursts but not an every down type guy.

        • Drew

          Jordan bulked up and has the size to play every down, unlike Irvin his rookie year. I think if they try to manage his snaps it’ll just be because they won’t have much depth for pass rushers.

      • AlaskaHawk

        The defensive line hasn’t scared anyone in years. I don’t think the rotation in personnel will change anything about this line. They will be able to get a little pressure and the occasional sack. They won’t be bad, and won’t be really great either. Maybe a chance they can consistently stop the run with Reid and company.

        • Patrick Toler

          I would say going into last year with Bennett, Avril, and Clark, defensive coordinators had to pay a lot of attention to matchups. This year you probably really only have to game plan for Clark. Maybe Jordan can build on last year and become that kind of player.

          I do think our line is average (not bad) talent wise. And given our long history of getting good play out of guys we acquired on the (relative) cheap, they might end up playing pretty well. I do think they will have to get creative with blitzes and stunts, as Greg noted, unless we can pick up additional pass rushers.

      • Overtime

        Richardson, Suh, now Johnson at the 3-tech position. My guess is we have seen the last of Malik McDowell. I think he has epilepsy after his accident. I played with that but no one knew or cared. Today, with the emphasis on CTE and head injuries, I doubt the team doctors let him suit up. The most likely scenario IMO is a buyout of his contract. He is scheduled to receive $5 million and never play a single snap. That would be a big disappointment.

        • Drew

          No one has any idea on McDowell’s injury. Plus he plays a completely different position/role than those 3 guys. Signing Johnson has nothing to do with what is going on with McDowell.

          • hawkdawg

            I am not sure that is true at all. If McDowell were healthy and playing, would we have signed Johnson? Maybe. But the role he would be expected to play would change. Moreover, our plans for McDowell included time at 3-tech as well as DE.

  71. Kenny Sloth

    I’ve never heard anybody say it but Bo Scarbrough has very surprisingly good hands.

    He can’t get to the edge at all though

    • Kenny Sloth

      Which is confusing when you’re talking about one of the most explosive backs in the class.

      It all has to be mental for him. He could be an excellent power back at the next level

      • vrtkolman

        It’s funny because you would think a Nick Saban practice would be so intense, and that if Bo is “holding back” he wouldn’t be seeing the field as much.

      • Drew

        Makes me think that he could have a Lagarrete Blount type of career. Nothing spectacular, but solid, gets you the tough yards and wears a defense down, but needs a back to compliment him with.

  72. Kenny Sloth

    Hey Rob, Tyler Conklin is the Gronk to Gesicki’s Jimmy Graham. Take another look. He’s flexed out a lot but is really hard to cover and has strong hands. Offense goes through him at times.

    He’s kind of all action like we need.

    • Rob Staton

      He had a weird combine. Really slow run (4.80) but then excelled in the short shuttle (4.23) and the explosive tests (38 vertical, 10-0 broad).

      • Kenny Sloth

        I didn’t even notice the 40. Saw his explosive tests on 3sigma

  73. House

    Tom Johnson 1-yr, up to $2.7M

    • Aaron

      Solid veteran pickup. I sure hope it’s incentive based since he’s 34. Probably still need another DT though since Malik isn’t likely to ever play a down in the NFL.

    • HawksBill

      Does this mean they lost their last compensatory pick?

      • HawksBill

        If it does, is he worth a 4 round pick?

        • Greg Haugsven

          Condota tweeted that they now have currently zero comp picks for 2019. Maybe we lose another free agent that can give us one back. It seems like the Seahawks really arent concerned about the comp picks as much as they are filling out the roster. I would have thought they might have waited until May 13th when signings stop counting to sign Tom Johnson.

  74. vrtkolman

    Now with Michael Bennett saying that you can’t win with a “bunch of Russell Wilson’s on your team”, along with Sherman’s comments at Carroll, I think it’s clear that this team had a contingent of locker room cancers.

    • Drew

      I would think you would have a better chance of winning with a bunch of RW’s than you would with a bunch of MBs. RW is the most clutch performer there is. So what if he’s robotic and doesn’t ruffle any feathers.

    • GoHawks5151

      That’s a bit taken out of context. He did say you cant win with a bunch RW’s. But he went on to say you need that guy that does everything right and says go get em, but you also need some dogs too. That is a pretty on point statement for the team that won it all. We were never a bully like we were back then without an edge.

  75. Georgia Hawk

    Interesting comment from an agent in a recent Q&A with a Dallas area sports network.

    What does that philosophy say about the Cowboys’ decision not to trade for Earl Thomas?

    Steinberg: Earl Thomas in his prime was one of the best defensive players in football. Last year, he wasn’t at his prime. How teams get in trouble in football, and we see it over and over again, is they pay for past performance rather than future projections. The better measure is how many high-quality years a player has left. The Cowboys must’ve made the assessment that the equation — cost in draft picks plus cap cost and the player’s projected future — was not, at the end of the day, worth it.

    It is REALLY interesting to me that he criticizes teams paying for past performance, when as an agent he gets paid based on a players past performance. I also think Earl has at least another couple years as one of the top 2 or 3 Safeties in the game. Its not unreasonable for him to want to be paid as such.

    • AlaskaHawk

      It just depends on whether he can stay healthy. If healthy he will be in top 3 for another 3-5 years. If he gets injured and the team is stuck with injury clauses, it is a 3 year rat hole of wasted money and opportunities. Given three positions with injury claims, the compensation totally ruins a team and they end up trading away every high cap player and starting over. Kind of like the Seahawks are doing right now.

      • Drew

        Cowboys couldn’t afford him, they’re already tight up against the cap.

        • Sea Mode

          apparently not tight enough to keep them from signing Hurns…

          Adam Schefter
          @AdamSchefter

          Cowboys signing another WR, this time former Jaguars’ WR Allen Hurns to a two-year deal, per sources.

          Hurns is going to be a Cowboy.

          9:56 AM – 23 Mar 2018

        • House

          They just signed Allen Hurns today. Part of their reluctance to deal #19 was need at WR. I expect DAL to make some more $ moves (Dez contract).

          DAL and at least 2 other teams are keeping eyes on ET…

          • Rob Staton

            Dallas aren’t going to pony up for Earl though. They’re banking on the price coming down. Jerry Jones has a top-20 pick and he’s hosting the draft. Can anyone really see him trading that pick? Essentially taking Dallas out of his own big party?

            Based on Mike Fisher’s reporting they’re hoping to get Earl for a R3 nearer the draft.

            • House

              I see what you’re saying. I personally can’t see us getting the #19 for Earl. I could see a 2nd and future draft pick.

              I still have hopes for your projected JAC deal involving #29

            • Georgia Hawk

              Man, if the Hawks sell him for that low…

              I don’t know how well I would handle that

              • Rob Staton

                I don’t think they will. Similar to Sherman a year ago, they’d just keep the player.

                We’ll see if anyone offers enough to warrant a trade. Clearly they haven’t so far.

                • House

                  John Clayton was asked about a Thomas to DAL trade. He said he’d do this deal…
                  Earl Thomas & Germain Ifedi
                  For
                  2018 2nd rd pick & La’el Collins

                  Thoughts???

                  • vrtkolman

                    Umm yeah I would do that. I don’t think Dallas would.

                  • Overtime

                    No thanks. Ifedi for Collins is about right. ET for a 2nd is not enough. I may be alone in thinking ET has several years left in the game.

                  • Rob Staton

                    Don’t really see the value in the OL swap. Would want more than just one R2 for Earl

              • AlaskaHawk

                I still think that if the Seahawks really want to trade him for a first and third, their best bet is to go into next season with a healthy Earl Thomas, and wait for a contending team to lose their safety. If they are desperate enough and think they have a Superbowl shot, they will pay up.

                Of course we have to have a backup safety ready to go with that scenario.

    • Greg Haugsven

      I saw one with Bucky Brooks as well and he gave is Wynn.

  76. Rowlandice

    I agree with the premise of the article. I’m just not sure they take an OL until later in the draft and would argue that it likely be an OT rather than G. We only have Brown, Ifedi and a recovering Fant. We at least have several options at G and C. I think they RB after down to the early 2nd RD and hopefully pick up another 3rd and a 4th. Take your RB and then start loading up on competition at any position. There’s more room on this roster than the past 2-3 years. As for Earl, if you get you draft price trade him. If you don’t, just let him play out this year. ET should want to have a great year to max out his likely last contract. But you’d still have to worry about him with max effort vs potential injury. Does he really give you 100% if he knows you’re not going to resign him?

    • AlaskaHawk

      You can dangle a promise to resign if he is healthy and plays well. I’ve seen bloggers talk about the good integrity of the General Manager. Well use this “good” integrity for negotiations. I would resign him anyway = but I want to see how his body holds up next season first.

  77. nichansen01

    LOVE the Tom Johnson signing. Perfect rotational DT for us to back up Reed and Jones.

  78. Tecmo Bowl

    KJ has been slowing down and is in his last contract year, Mingo could be a 1 year hedge, so I’ve been watching tape of mid-late round LB options- Warner, Kiser, Jacobs, Leonard, O’Daniel, Burks, Thomas, Franklin. Lots of talent there. Kind of meh on Warner and Kiser-don’t see the physicality. Really like Leonard and Jacobs. O’Daniel I can see the fit, and think hes really similar to the player, and great option, who surprised me the most: FSU Matthew Thomas. You can clearly see his explosive athleticism on tape. Just watch the first drive vs. Michigan in the 2016 Orange Bowl:

    https://youtu.be/OKjFxpf9j6U

    Thomas easily strings out the jet sweep by Chesson, with help.
    Makes the tackle on Butt,who does get the first.
    Absolutely stones the lead blocker, 1 yard loss.
    Shoots the gap and clobbered Smith, 3 yard loss.
    Zones up the middle, makes the tackle on Chesson short of the GL,Michigan FG.

    A year learning behind KJ, and getting stronger, Thomas could step right up next to Wagner. Think hes a great day 3 option, with high upside.

    • 12th chuck

      Thanks Tecmo, I think LB is one of our biggest needs

      • AlaskaHawk

        Linebackers and safeties make the most tackles, so they are key to a good defense.

        • Rob Staton

          Some schemes/teams value LB’s highly, others not so much. Most teams think you can scheme around safeties and fit them into your team. That’s just the reality and it’s one of the reasons the safety market is ice cold.

          The premium positions on defense are pass rusher and cornerback for most teams. Not necessarily Seattle though.

  79. C Dub

    Ok guys. With all these running backs, who do you chose for the Seahawks? (Saquon not an option) (I guess this could be posed as a two part question. 1. who do you personally like for the Seahawks or 2. who do you think the Seahawks will choose)

    I’m saying Nick Chubb. Seems like a Seahawks kind of guy, (production, size, athleticism) and he is more physical than some of the others. I like Guice’s style of play, but he might not have the speed or ability to be a 3 down back.

    • Rowlandice

      Chubb for me as well. Kerryon as a fallback.

    • Aaron

      I personally like Chubb, Michel, Penny, Johnson, and Freeman.

      I think they’ll choose Michel, Penny, Freeman, Guice, Kelly, Franklin, or Coleman

  80. DCD2

    Michael Bennett indicted for pushing a 66 year woman at the SB last year! Up to 10 years in prison!!

    https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2018/3/23/17157070/michael-bennett-felony-charge-elderly-eagles-philadelphia-trade-seahawks-martellus-defensive-end-nfl

    Do you think we knew?

    • Rowdy

      umm what? how is this just now news? there has to be a lot more to this story but it seems far fetched.

    • Aaron

      Maybe they knew, but that’s pure speculation. I thought we’d hear more fallout about his Las Vegas incident before anything else. I’m glad we moved on from him due to his age, production, and general comments towards teammates and coaches. Have to wonder though if this negates the trade or not. Doubt he gets the maximum sentence though. Only time will tell.

      • teejmo

        “League sources” claim that both teams had no clue, for what it’s worth.

    • Thy Hawk is Howling

      So he complains about how the cops took him down but he does this to a disabled lady? This ain’t gonna go away. Since we don’t know both sides of the story no rushing to judgment is my opinion.

      We all F up sometimes, except Rob probably, maybe? Ah nevermind he’s only Human.

      Go Truth

      • vrtkolman

        He has a pretty long history of F’ing up. Remember how he abandoned his dog in Tampa after signing with Seattle?

    • 503Hawk

      I just saw this on another news outlet. Maybe the Seahawks’ front office knew about this and maybe there are some things that they knew about the Vegas incident. I think a lot of these players wore their welcome out.

  81. Kenny Sloth

    ZLATAN!!!!

    • cha

      getting tickets for when the Galaxy come to town!

  82. Kenny Sloth

    I love when fans say things like

    “So glad we finally have an OL coach that can teach pass pro. I know what Cable was good and bad at and we only hired him based on his running success (which he wasnt responsible for here of course)”

    What do you expect to see? Germain was gonna improve no matter the coach this year.

    These firings were more philosophical than ability based.

    • AlaskaHawk

      I would say they are based on a team that went from superbowl success to missing the playoffs. Every year I bitch that the offense looks terrible at the beginning of the season. They are lucky to win 2 out of 4. Meanwhile the Patriots and other superbowl teams hardly miss a beat.

      Remember last year when the Patriots actually lost a game?? Wow the horrors. Fortunately they righted the ship and went on to win a bunch of games and have a great season. Meanwhile the Seahawks offense started the year looking like a clown circus. The Seahawks offense has consistently not been prepared for the season to the same degree that other winning teams were prepared.

      So based on my criteria I will have a watchful eye on the new coaches, to see if they can field an offense that at least looks like a professional team. I don’t care whether they win or lose = but they at least need to look like they know how to run the ball and pass it. Not a bunch of 3 and outs.

  83. Ashish

    That’s fantastic highlights for Ronald Jones II. Fast, good vision looking for open lanes and then gone. @Rob will he succeed if he does not get that good blocking from O line?
    Hawks should feel comfortable taking him #1 pick. we need workhorse RB !!!

  84. Josh Emmett

    I think that the depth the hawks are aquiring via free agency indicates they are going to finally get back to their roots of drafting best player available regardless of position. That is if solari and schotty are not asking for something very specific for the offense. Also when Carroll says they need to fix the running game, I personally think they have already done quite a bit by aquiring new offensive coaches. Maybe Carroll finally came to the realization that beast mode was their offense not Bevel and Cable. I also think we are going to see quite a few selections that are high in the character department! Vander Esch at 18 would be bitchin! If they choose in the first round I don’t think they go RB or OL. Vander Esch is a freak athletically. Maybe they trade back into the 20’s in the first round with a team looking for a wide out and in the process get Vander Esch and then a 3rd pick likely spent on an RB.

    • DCD2

      Bobby, KJ and Vander Esch would be an insane LB corps. I really doubt that would be the way that they go, but I wouldn’t be upset. Especially if they could trade down and still get him.

      Going to be interesting to see who falls to #18 and what that leads to.

      • Thy Hawk is Howling

        Plus we do need at least one White Boy on the D!

        Oh I said it!

      • Josh Emmett

        Plus I think KJ is gone next year. Vander Esch would be a good replacement!

    • icb12

      They haven’t come close to fixing the running game.

      You basically have 2 Gadget RBs- one of whom can’t stay healthy, an inexperienced 7th round pick coming off a broken freaking leg, and then Mike Davis who is a nice backup RB, and then a fireball in Rawls who does more damage to his own linemen by running into them at mach 10 as he does to opposing defenders.

      Seattle can’t afford to get cute. They need to hit on a RB Or 2 or 3.

      • vrtkolman

        +1

      • Josh Emmett

        This is how most everybody is parsing Pete when he says we are going to fix the run game. Like they are going to dump ever draft pick into the run game. They have a ton invested into the offensive line. There are no running backs with first round grades except Barkley. It seems every year they surprise us in the draft and they don’t draft in the first round unless there is a first round grade on the player. I think that one of the non defensive back defenders with a first round grade falls to them they take him. Vea, Edmunds, Davenport, Vander Esch. I think one of them will be there at 18. I think more offensive linemen get drafted early then rob thinks. Qbs and offensive linemen always get over drafted. They get Penny, Scarborough, or Freeman in the 3rd round. They have already tried throwing a bunch of picks at RB and it hasn’t worked. Best player available. Stock the cupboards with talent again. Brick by brick. They are not going to fix the run game in one season if they haven’t been able to do it in 3 seasons.

        • Rob Staton

          They’ve spent two picks in the top four rounds on a RB in the last five.

          And BPA this year could easily be a RB.

          • Josh Emmett

            what everyone is talking about on here is that they need a bunch of new linemen and running backs. I think changing most of your offensive coaching staff after a winning season is a pretty huge change. Everybody is discounting this huge change because we have all been clamoring for it for a couple years now. I think Pete has trust in his players that he has and as for fixing the running game, it seems that the approach is Bringing in new coaches for a diversified approach to the run game instead of running the outside zone every play. They have a back in Carson that Carroll loves, they have plenty of options at running back and they are due for some good luck injury wise at that position. Everybody on here is running with this “revamp everything about the run game” approach with the draft and I just think like last year trading down twice and selecting McDowell, they are going to surprise everyone. Just my 2 cents, cheers!

  85. Trevor

    What is better value for the Seahawks

    Option #1 Chubb or Rojo in the 28-35 range

    Or

    Option #2 John Kelly in Rd 4

    I tend to think option #2 given the other needs we have.

    • Rob Staton

      It’s not even a question Trevor.

      At what point in the last three years has Kelly been a reliable starter?

      It’s one thing to fit a type or have a running style. It’s another to prove you’re a reliable, consistent, productive running back. That’s what Seattle needs. Kelly as a second RB pick? Fine. But not the first or only one. No way.

      • Patrick Toler

        Is that because he can’t be a reliable starter or because they misused him? I think he can carry the ball 15 to 20 times a game. It requires some projection, just like you have to project that Rojo can be a weapon in the passing game, since USC probably misused him in that sense.

        • Rob Staton

          It’s pretty hard to misuse a running back when it comes to actually running the ball.

          Listen, I like John Kelly. But the Seahawks do not need to put their faith in another running back who has not been able to show he can consistently be trusted to run the football. As a second RB pick, I’m happy to add Kelly for competition and a possible 10 carry/3rd down back. Taking him and passing on the top eight runners in this draft, and hoping he’ll fix the running game? Hard pass.

          • Tecmo Bowl

            ” As a second RB pick, I’m happy to add Kelly for competition and a possible 10 carry/3rd down back. Taking him and passing on the top eight runners in this draft, and hoping he’ll fix the running game? Hard pass.”

            100% agree. Was pushing Kelly pretty hard earlier in the process, with the thought that he was being overlooked a bit. Kelly is not the lead RB that we need, although he could be a valuable piece to the RB core. Love his game though.

    • Drew

      What need do we have right now that is greater than a workhouse, talented RB? (A healthy one at that)

    • Patrick Toler

      For me it’s number 2, but I’m higher on Kelly than just about anyone, I want hi I he’s going to be a star. I also think he will likely go in the third.

      • Patrick Toler

        “want hi” = also think

    • AlaskaHawk

      If your criteria is value you can get Bo Scarbough, Alabama and Coleman, Washington in the 6th round or later.

    • icb12

      I’d draft them both. How do you like that Value?? 🙂

      Chubb at the top of 2. Kelly at the end of 3. and I’m drafting Vic Enwere in the 7th or as a UDFA, and Martez Carter as a udfa.

      I’m rolling into Camp 9 deep at RB and making it very clear that it’s open season on the Starting position for Seahawks RB.

    • Kenny Sloth

      Kelly is way overrated here.

      Just cuz he careens into the line and isnt afraid to truck doesnt mean hell be an effective pro back.

      He’s not quick or fast. He’s a poor man’s Guice.

      Not a very creative or impoaing runner. Even when he trucks it looks insecure

  86. vrtkolman

    Great story here – Derrius Guice saved a woman’s life by pulling her out of a wrecked car. The car blew up shortly after. It’s straight out of a movie script.

    https://twitter.com/dhasickest/status/977257776241172485?s=21

  87. Simo

    Wow, just watched the Ronald Jones highlight clip Rob posted! If that doesn’t get you excited about his potential, nothing will. Explosive, nasty, and he’s got serious eyes for the end zone!! I want him on our team big time!! Would love to see similar tape for Chubb and Kerryon if anyone knows where to view it.

    • Rob Staton

      He’s a star in the making.

      • D-OZ

        +12….

  88. hughmungusfan

    No worries guys I have a plan. I had to trade with 12 different NFL franchises but I netted us 24 draft picks and got us nearly everyone listed in the article. Here’s proof: https://first-pick.com/NFL/Share.aspx?id=10cd75bc-bfc0-4c15-bb59-59de867eba81

    RB: Ronald Jones II, Akrum Wadley
    EDGE: Josh Sweat
    TE: Dallas Goedert
    CB: Isaiah Oliver, Brandon Facyson, Natrell Jamerson, Levi Wallace
    OL: Kolton Miller, Tony Adams, Brett Toth
    S: Jessie Bates III, Tre Flowers
    DL: Jalyn Holmes, Kentavious Street, Marcel Frazier
    LB: Oren Burks, Dorian O’Daniel, Peter Kalambayi
    WR: Deontay Burnett, Marques ValdesScantling, Darren Carrington II
    K/P: Eddy Pineiro, Michael Dickson

    • hughmungusfan

      Here is my assessment of it:
      Top-ranked players selected: 2nd & 6th RB, 2nd TE, 3rd CB, 4th S, 7th OT, 1st P and 2nd K.
      True #1 RB that will change games and a second RB that will add quality carries on day 1.
      Two CBs fit the Seahawks system in Sherman’s mold and are capable of competing for time.
      WR depth including 2 big red zone targets and one of them runs a 4.37 40 at 6’5” 205 lbs.
      EDGE depth (2) including a comp to recent addition and past Rd 1 pick Barkevious Mingo.
      True skilled LB and a hybrid LB that could fill a Kam Chancellor role if he is unable to return.
      Two pure safeties and another hybrid that could all support with special teams.
      Two-run blocking additions to the offensive line and a highly ranked massive pass pro OT.
      Added quality DL depth for pass rush rotation from Big Line conferences SEC, ACC, BigTen.
      Added a “Gronk-like” dual threat TE for red zone threat and run game benefit.
      Added the FBS-best youth at P and K (94% PKs) to supplant Walsh and replace Ryan.

  89. Volume12

    Missouri Western’s Darrian Bass, brother of former Seahawk David, had himself a nice little pro day. Yes, Seattle was there.

    6’3, 233 lbs.
    4.64 40
    7.09 3 cone
    34″ vert
    19 BP reps
    4.27 SS

  90. Volume12

    Also at Michigan St were only 4-5 guys are working out, but RB Gerlad Holmes (6’0, 230) seems to be having a nice pro day as well.

    Don’t know the 40 time, but 7.03 3 cone, 35″ vert, 10’8 broad (would’ve tied for 2nd at the combine)

    Can only find 1 game of his, but he’s intriguing.

    Gerald Holmes vs ND (2016):
    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=l8N2r6RMnLw

    • Volume12

      What a weird a** highlight. It’s only 4:00 or actual footage, but then replays it turning it into 8:00. Odd.

    • SheHawk

      Lets avoid that school this year

  91. Volume12

    I know we’ve talked about him before, Rob might’ve even done a piece on him if memory serves, but how awesome is Stanford DL Harrison Phillips? Love his swag too.

    • Josh Emmett

      I like Harrison Phillips too, he’s a wrestler. Nasty dude

  92. SheHawk

    OK we signed Shamar Stephan! A SOLID FA – DL rotation/depth. While not fancy this kind of signing just gets it done. Vikings = REALLY good D – well coached – disciplined team. After MB got indicted and all the drama some of our big stars were involved in, I find this offseason could be beginning of a refreshing new team dynamic. While I was proud when Rolling Stone Magazine showcased how the Seahawks were warriors for social justice I was equally bummed they lost 4 home games — and worst missed the playoffs . Next year hoping for more quiet. I’ll be good if we focus on football and play like we are capable of. Pete made tough calls changing the coaches, off season is about changing the culture. You’re either in – helping lead the change or out. ….

    BUT I think ET3 is unique — he plays ALL IN every snap. I think we should resign him. They can load contract with incentives for staying healthy etc. I honestly think his drama ( cowboy comments etc) – has been misguided negotiation tactics – probably got some bad advice. He’s never been a talker – lets his play do the talking. Yesterday saying “nobody knows “– seems accurate we are all watching it play out. Why dont Hawks break the stalemate – resign him and lets move on with the draft.

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