Charles Cross of Miss state picked 9 at lt

[AgentDib]

Will our OL actually be better this year? Or will it just appear better because the QB doesn’t stand back there for 10 seconds trying to be the hero every play?

I'm also optimistic but it's worth bearing in mind that the OL could also look worse this year.

We're going from a pro bowl/all-pro LT to a rookie LT, will have youth competing with Jackson at G, and also look to be relying on youth at LG and RT. Some bumps in the road are to be expected and a fair evaluation of Dickerson and the 2022 OL will likely take the full season. Cross looks like an excellent building block but few tackles transition seamlessly to the NFL.

 

[Natethegreat]

Brown wasn't very good last year. This may be a lateral move or perhaps even better hopefully.

 

[HawkRiderFan]

Does the fact that we drafted a tackle who everyone agrees is best at pass-blocking when Pete is a run first guy, mean that Waldron and our new O-line coach are being given some input into what direction we go or is that over-thinking it?

 

[Jerhawk]

Hopefully this young man pans out and becomes our left tackle for the next 10+ years.

 

[Chuckwow]

Does the fact that we drafted a tackle who everyone agrees is best at pass-blocking when Pete is a run first guy, mean that Waldron and our new O-line coach are being given some input into what direction we go or is that over-thinking it?

Waldron certainly has a an embarrassment of riches when it comes to ball catchers at his disposal.

 

[nanomoz]

I'm coming around on this. If they truly believe Cross can quickly become a plus run blocker, it could be a superb pick.

It's nice that he isn't 25-years-old, like so many early picks in their tenure.

 

[FrodosFinger]

John pretty much admitted that they're first choice was to try to trade up to grab Ekwonu, who IMO is a much better fit than Cross for what Pete and John are trying to do with the rebuild.

Doesn't mean Cross is a bad pick. He just might take some more time to bulk up and become proficient in the run blocking schemes.

But he has all the measurables, athleticism and intelligence to be a VERY good tackle. Just might take a year or two, instead of someone like Ekwonu or even Neal who are more size ready to step right in and be road graters.

That’s the exact same weight (315) that Walter Jones was as a rookie. Dude has long arms and quick feet, you can’t teach that

 

[JPatera76]

This pick actually has me pumped.

 

[Hockey Guy]

One sack allowed on 700+ pass attempts.

Can you imagine if we had picked Creed Humphreys last year?

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

For a top 10 offensive tackle, he is *factually* a middling athlete. That's what I'm talking about.

He's still a very good selection, and I don't think that the subpar results he posted in those metrics really matter all that much. But it's literally how it is.

I just want to compare Cross to Walt Jones coming out:

Cross, 21 years old, 76.75 inches, 307 pounds.

Jones, 23 years old, 76.9 inches, 301 pounds.

Cross, 34.5 in Arm Length, 10.75 in Hand, 81” in Wing Span.

Jones, 34.5 in Arm Length, 9.88 in Hand, N/A but I’d give Jones at least 81-82” and maybe upward to 83-84” inches. He was known for his pretty based shoulder game.

Cross, 4.95s Forty, 1.73 TenYS
Jones, 5.09s Forty, 1.84 TenYS

Cross, 26” Vert, 9’4 Broad
Jones, 30.5 Vert, N/A

Cross, 7.88 3-Cone, 4.65 Shuttle
Jones, 8.23 3-Cone, 4.73 Shuttle

Walter Jones, in today’s standards, did not test as an elite athlete. No one thought of Jones as a dominant road-grader type and he was massively undersized compared to his 1st Round peers in Jon Ogden and Tarik Glenn. But what made Walter Jones special and a top 10 pick was being the best pass protector in his class and he made it look easy despite being considered a little raw. Then Jones developed himself at a Professional level, added weight, strength, pushed Escalades into being an elite complete HoF LT.

Cross wasn’t my pick, I was definitely “meh” on his athletic testing especially seeing some of these guys put up 7.25s 3 Cones. That he kind of got pushed back and ignored completely in the last month. But just gathering information and data, insights, opinions, watching his film. He’s a baller. His pass-protection technique, footwork, balance, leverage, body control, awareness, intelligence is beyond his years. His run-blocking doesn’t get enough credit, he was pretty solid in his opportunities.

But the biggest thing to me his that he’s still growing into his frame, adding weight up to 307 from 270 in the last 3 years. I know people tend to believe that this stuff comes easy but it doesn’t and the fact that he looked as good as he did on tape in the SEC no less and his still developing makes me believe that Cross is no where near is overall ceiling.

I’m envisioning his development 2-3 years down the road and if he makes the necessary gains to his strength and conditioning much like Walter Jones and Duane Brown did while losing nothing in body control and only gets more smarter the Seahawks are going to have a dominant cornerstone LT.

 

[JayhawkMike]

Was Cross drafted at correct position in the draft or could we have waited to get him a few picks later? Clearly we picked him at the right position. We didn’t reach for him. Neither did he really ”fall” to us.

was he a position of need? yes
was he the best player available? Yes
was there an outstanding sure fire hall of fame player available at the same slot that we skipped on? No
is he an injury risk or a character risk? no.

After that he will either develop as a pro or he won’t. The team however made a good pick.

 

[Ad Hawk]

It could be argued that he "fell" to the Hawks if the LT position was coveted by 3 or more top 8 teams. Schneider concluded so in their post-draft (night 1) presser.

 

[Fade]

One thing I love about this pick is that if the entire front office gets fired after a season or two, this wil still be a great building block for the next regime.

Exactly. A building block piece. It's what the Seahawks need. Grab 2 more guys who play in the trenches today. Keep saying "No" to these QBs.

I like the fact if he can't handle NFL defensive ends you can move him to LG and he can be great at that spot. But start him out at Tackle of course.

He plays with a narrow base, needs to get stronger, comes from an offense that is nothing like what he'll be doing in the NFL, but he is only 21. He could be the best LG since Hutchinson.

He has the feet of a LT, but the body of a Guard. If he flops at Tackle, he will still be a tremendous Guard. This is a good meat and potatoes pick, in a meat and potatoes draft.