Pundits' critique of Seahawks' draft picks

[Maelstrom787]

I'm still kinda pissed that we didn't take Levis or Hooker but after careful consideration our picks do make sense to give us a better chance of winning now. PC/JS know what they got in Geno, a competent QB but we need to score more points. Geno is good for 1 or 2 a game, so let's get more on the ground and from our defense. Makes sense.

But the one thing I can't quite get over is that we still can't rely on Geno to come from behind and he has never thrown more than 3 TD's in a game. RW had 5 games with 5 TD's.

I love that we added 2 badass RB's but even if they turn out to be the second coming of Lynch I still can't see it being enough. The beauty of our 2013 team was the balance. We could get it done on the ground and in the air and our defense kept the score low while creating turnovers and scoring.

The bottom line; RW was an elite QB, Geno is not.

He played close to elite ball last year.

There simply were not many quarterbacks scoring more than him last year. Geno's 30 put him at the 4th highest mark in the entire league in 2022. Only Mahomes, Burrow, and Allen had more.

TD's were down league wide. Mahomes led at 41.

 

[Maelstrom787]

Not worth it brother, trust me on this........not worth it.

If people are going to post declarations, why not back them up?

 

[olyfan63]

I'm still kinda pissed that we didn't take Levis or Hooker but after careful consideration our picks do make sense to give us a better chance of winning now. PC/JS know what they got in Geno, a competent QB but we need to score more points. Geno is good for 1 or 2 a game, so let's get more on the ground and from our defense. Makes sense.

But the one thing I can't quite get over is that we still can't rely on Geno to come from behind and he has never thrown more than 3 TD's in a game. RW had 5 games with 5 TD's.

I love that we added 2 badass RB's but even if they turn out to be the second coming of Lynch I still can't see it being enough. The beauty of our 2013 team was the balance. We could get it done on the ground and in the air and our defense kept the score low while creating turnovers and scoring.

The bottom line; RW was an elite QB, Geno is not.

I think you're low-balling Geno. I, too, had the Game-Winning drives (GWD)/4th qtr comebacks (4QC) concern about him. Geno waited until December to "write back" on the 4QC concern, but then had TWO 4QC/GWD against the Rams, right when the Hawks needed it most to make the playoffs. In fairness, when Walker rips off a 70-yard run to go up 2 scores near the end of the 3rd quarter (e.g., Chargers game) it deprives Geno of the GWD/4QC opportunity.

Geno Smith's Career 4th quarter comebacks and game-winning drives | Pro-Football-Reference.com

Get Geno Smith Career 4th quarter comebacks for regular season and playoff games on Pro-football-reference.com.

www.pro-football-reference.com

Russell was only ever "elite" at running the "Russell Wilson Offense", which depended on his running and the read-option and the running threat of Lynch, to set up his elite deep ball throws. Also, the rest of the NFL eventually began to figure him out, leading to lots of 3-and-outs, and putting ever more pressure on the Seattle D.

I wasn't a Geno fan at the start of the season, but boy did he "write back" and make a believer out of me. Excited to see him in his 2nd year in the Waldron offense, and it's not much of a stretch to think he could be "most improved" QB and perform at an elite level this year, with a better, more experienced OL/better pass pro, stronger two-headed monster run game, and a dangerous new weapon in JSN.

 

[BASF]

I'm still kinda pissed that we didn't take Levis or Hooker but after careful consideration our picks do make sense to give us a better chance of winning now. PC/JS know what they got in Geno, a competent QB but we need to score more points. Geno is good for 1 or 2 a game, so let's get more on the ground and from our defense. Makes sense.

But the one thing I can't quite get over is that we still can't rely on Geno to come from behind and he has never thrown more than 3 TD's in a game. RW had 5 games with 5 TD's.

I love that we added 2 badass RB's but even if they turn out to be the second coming of Lynch I still can't see it being enough. The beauty of our 2013 team was the balance. We could get it done on the ground and in the air and our defense kept the score low while creating turnovers and scoring.

The bottom line; RW was an elite QB, Geno is not.

Most touchdown passes in the NFC and fourth in the league, but hey not good enough right? BTW, he would have had at least four more if Metcalf hadn't dropped so many in the end zone last season.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

If people are going to post declarations, why not back them up?

Nah, I retired from that subject long ago. Shoot, I'm happy Geno is the QB. He's more than capable.
And you're not really interested in what other people have to say. You think you're above everyone, always have to talk to someone like they are 10 years old.

 

[Hawk4life]

I am totally fine with Geno as our starting QB but our odds of making it to the big dance are not good.

 

[Sun Tzu]

What people say about our draft has ZERO impact on how good they will be on the field. While it's fun to talk about, they don't have that kind of power.

Water is wet

 

[Ad Hawk]

I am totally fine with Geno as our starting QB but our odds of making it to the big dance are not good.

The odds are not good, no matter what. But they improve with a better cast. The Seahawks have done that this year to the degree they were able.

 

[toffee]

NFL Draft Grades: Seahawks 2023 draft class receives high marks from 19 of 21 sites

We chased down all the grades so you don’t have to.

www.fieldgulls.com

Summary​

Here is a list of which sites gave the Seahawks which grades:

• A+ (2): FanSided, Touchdown Wire
• A (7): The Associated Press, ESPN (Mel Kiper), The New York Post, PFF.com, Pro Football Network, The Ringer, USA Today
• A- (5): Bleacher Report, DraftKings, NFL.com, Sports Illustrated, The Washington Post
• B+ (5): Athlon Sports, CBS Sports (Pete Prisco), FOX Sports, NBC Sports Edge, The Sporting News
• B: N/A
• B-(1): Walter Football
• C+ (1): Fantasy Pros
• Lower: N/A
• Winner: The Athletic

And as I said in another post:
For all of you who gave the Hawks a lower grade than B+ this evidence I'm pretty sure shows that you are either out of touch with reality or your hatred of PC has given you Pete derangement syndrome. There can be no other explanation.

No matter how you weight it, in the end, our draft 2023 scored an "A".

 

[Sun Tzu]

Wow, amazing response. And fairly predictable.
Do you actually believe that opinions have any impact on how well a player plays and/or pans out? Or do you just wanna' be a dick about it?

 

[themunn]

The 4QC and GWD thing with Geno was so misleading last year.

4th quarter against the Lions, with the ball in hand, Geno led a 4th quarter scoring drive to put us up 10 - but really it was a GWD because everybody and their mother knew that if we didn't score a TD in that drive, the Lions were going to run the length of the park and score a TD (they did) because our defense was completely unable to stop them.

Against the Saints we came from 13 points behind in the 4th quarter to tie after 2 TD scoring drives in the 4th quarter (including an absolute dime of a 40 yard TD throw to Lockett), but again our inability to stop the run led to a 60 yard Taysom Hill TD run 2 plays later to put us right back behind.

Likewise we had a 4th Q GWD against the Raiders but our defense wasn't able to stop them tying the game and winning in OT (refs helped).

If our defense is able to hold their own this year, Geno will have more opportunities to win the game without having to attempt a comeback, or better yet, when he does actually come back, we might even hold on to win! Then his stats will look absolutely fine.

 

[olyfan63]

Wow, amazing response. And fairly predictable.
Do you actually believe that opinions have any impact on how well a player plays and/or pans out? Or do you just wanna' be a dick about it?

Seriously, why even respond to something like that? Best to simply ignore & have a chuckle at Sun being Sun, IMO, but you do you.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Fair enough. He's a dick to me often, so I'm going to respond accordingly.
But, ignore works good too.

 

[ivotuk]

It’s their job to generate dicks and stir up controversy.

FIFY

 

[pmedic920]

No matter how you weight it, in the end, our draft 2023 scored an "A".

But it’s not “the end” yet.

 

[olyfan63]

The 4QC and GWD thing with Geno was so misleading last year.

4th quarter against the Lions, with the ball in hand, Geno led a 4th quarter scoring drive to put us up 10 - but really it was a GWD because everybody and their mother knew that if we didn't score a TD in that drive, the Lions were going to run the length of the park and score a TD (they did) because our defense was completely unable to stop them.

Against the Saints we came from 13 points behind in the 4th quarter to tie after 2 TD scoring drives in the 4th quarter (including an absolute dime of a 40 yard TD throw to Lockett), but again our inability to stop the run led to a 60 yard Taysom Hill TD run 2 plays later to put us right back behind.

Likewise we had a 4th Q GWD against the Raiders but our defense wasn't able to stop them tying the game and winning in OT (refs helped).

If our defense is able to hold their own this year, Geno will have more opportunities to win the game without having to attempt a comeback, or better yet, when he does actually come back, we might even hold on to win! Then his stats will look absolutely fine.

Nailed it.

* Especially that Lions game, totally a GWD without getting credit. Totally the Lions march down and score a TD (as they did) unless we get a turnover. IIRC, it was Woolen's pick of Goff that wound up being the difference.
* Had forgotten about the Raiders GWD-erased-by-D-collapse.
* Chargers game, Walker's 70-yard TD to go up 2 scores on the road, deprived Geno of opportunity for one of these stats.

Yup, GWD and 4QC is so much a defense-driven stat. Crap defense that forfeits a GWD/4QC by immediately giving up a TD drive to the opponent kills a QBs stats on these. Russell's GWD/4QC stats absolutely benefitted from the elite LOB defense and good-enough post-LOB D.

 

[olyfan63]

The GWD/4QC conversation actually gives a little insight into Pete's draft thinking, IMO.

Pete's plan: The Seahawks offense will possess the ball a lot and score lots of points, causing opponents to have to throw lots and get into a shootout. (Supported by Picks JSN and Charbonnet) Pete wants to improve the odds of opponents committing turnovers or having drive-ending sacks, throwing into the teeth of the Seattle D. Witherspoon will be a huge asset to this goal. Derick Hall will be a key part of WAVES of Seattle pass-rushers, keeping fresh players in, pressuring QBs into bad throws or sacking them. Further, Pete wants to be able to close the game out with 4-minute offense. Again, Charbonnet, road grader OG Bradford, C Olu Oluwatimi, and even 7th round RB Kenny McIntosh.

Yes, the missing "elite defense" part of Pete's plan. Have the Hawks done enough to beef up their D? Will the D be able to stop power run teams that bullied us last year? Will Bobby help bring back the togetherness and team speed of the LOB days? The team definitely added some speed on D. Will Carroll & Hurtt figure out schemes that work and put the D talent to their best use? IHNFC*. or BTFOM*. Whichever you prefer. I sure hope there is improvement. However, a big part of Carroll's plan is to keep the Offense on the field enough to limit the pressure and number of snaps the defense faces. Again, JSN, Charbonnet, Bradford, and Olu support this approach. The best defense is a good offense? It worked last season for KC.

* IHNFC = I Have No Freakin Clue; BTFOM = Beats the Fluff Outa Me.

 

[Mick063]

The most enjoyable, fulfilling draft in years. It really could not have gone much better. No quarterbacks. No reaches. No players that don't give a damn about showing up for pro day out of shape and unprepared. They avoided the players they needed to avoid. They filled the RB stable. They gave Eskridge notice. They got a mauler guard. They spent their cap money on veteran defensive players. The draft and free agency period was such a relief. You really can't ask for more.

Now....on to the next good UDFA. Poona was such a bargain. Bring in the next Poona. Doesn't have to play the same position. Just has to bring the equivalent "bang for the buck" value.

 

[Seahawker]

The GWD/4QC conversation actually gives a little insight into Pete's draft thinking, IMO.

Pete's plan: The Seahawks offense will possess the ball a lot and score lots of points, causing opponents to have to throw lots and get into a shootout. (Supported by Picks JSN and Charbonnet) Pete wants to improve the odds of opponents committing turnovers or having drive-ending sacks, throwing into the teeth of the Seattle D. Witherspoon will be a huge asset to this goal. Derick Hall will be a key part of WAVES of Seattle pass-rushers, keeping fresh players in, pressuring QBs into bad throws or sacking them. Further, Pete wants to be able to close the game out with 4-minute offense. Again, Charbonnet, road grader OG Bradford, C Olu Oluwatimi, and even 7th round RB Kenny McIntosh.

Yes, the missing "elite defense" part of Pete's plan. Have the Hawks done enough to beef up their D? Will the D be able to stop power run teams that bullied us last year? Will Bobby help bring back the togetherness and team speed of the LOB days? The team definitely added some speed on D. Will Carroll & Hurtt figure out schemes that work and put the D talent to their best use? IHNFC*. or BTFOM*. Whichever you prefer. I sure hope there is improvement. However, a big part of Carroll's plan is to keep the Offense on the field enough to limit the pressure and number of snaps the defense faces. Again, JSN, Charbonnet, Bradford, and Olu support this approach. The best defense is a good offense? It worked last season for KC.

* IHNFC = I Have No Freakin Clue; BTFOM = Beats the Fluff Outa Me.

Great post.
This is why I wanted Robinson, but Charbonnet & Smith-Njigba will do just fine. Everyone is reeling because we passed on the top NT/DT's but give them time to restructure themselves into some cap room and for the pre season cuts. Also a taxi squad raid or two may be order, no worries they'll get there.

 

[olyfan63]

Great post.
This is why I wanted Robinson, but Charbonnet & Smith-Njigba will do just fine. Everyone is reeling because we passed on the top NT/DT's but give them time to restructure themselves into some cap room and for the pre season cuts. Also a taxi squad raid or two may be order, no worries they'll get there.

I also am a huge Bijian Robinson fan, he'd look great in Seahawk blue, but I'm good with Charbonnet and JSN, agreed, their impact is similar or higher to Bijian's. A brilliant draft; they focused on enough needs, while somewhat neglecting the DT needs, but it leaves them a primary area to focus on post-draft, and cuts the remaining player acquisition tasks down to a manageable subset, e.g., clearing up cap space and identifying DTs in FA/Trades that can be effective rotation pieces. Who will be the Seahawks versions of 2013's Tony McDaniel and Clinton McDonald for 2023?

P.S. Non-starter DT Clinton McDonald was credited for 5.5 sacks in 2013.