I decided to take a crack at this for the heck of it. It proved to be a much more difficult exercise than I thought at first. Here is what I came up with along with my rationale for a few of the players I ended up choosing and to cut ...
QB (2) -- Russell Wilson, Trevone Boykin*
RB (4) -- Eddie Lacy, Thomas Rawls, Chris Carson, CJ Prosise
FB (1) - Tre Madden*
WR (6) -- Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Paul Richardson, Jermaine Kearse, Kasen Williams, J.D. McKissic* Tanner McEvoy*
TE (3) -- Jimmy Graham, Luke Willson, Nick Vannett
OL (8) -- Rees Odhiambo, Luke Joeckel, Justin Britt, Mark Glowinski, Ethan Pocic, Germain Ifedi, Oday Aboushi, Matt Tobin
DL (9) -- Cliff Avril, Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, Jarran Reed, Quinton Jefferson, Ahtyba Rubin, Cassius Marsh, Nazir Jones, David Bass*
LB (5) -- Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Terence Garvin, Michael Wilhoite, D.J. Alexander*, Marcus Smith*
CB (5) -- Richard Sherman, Shaq Griffin, Jeremy Lane, Tramaine Brock, Pierre Desir*
S (5) -- Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Bradley McDougald, Delano Hill, Tedric Thompson*
Specialists (3) -- Blair Walsh, Jon Ryan, Tyler Ott
Hardest Cuts (How about ALL of the following): Austin Davis, Amara Darboh, Neiko Thorpe, DeAndre Elliott, Marcel Reese, and Jordan Roos
Trevone Boykin -- Boykin had a terrible game last Friday. That said, Pete Carroll loves playmakers and Boykin has a lot of raw potential to be that guy. Austin Davis is a mere game manager. I think in the end, Carroll rolls the dice again on Boykin, hoping they never have to use him. That said, I hold this one real tentatively, as I believe that if John Schneider can find a better alternative (a good veteran back-up QB) anywhere, he'll jump on it.
Tre Madden -- Madden has just flat out made plays this Preseason. He's shown himself to be a solid blocker, to be a solid contributor on special teams, and to be a good RB with reliable hands in his own right. In the end, I see this as a cost cutting move, as Reece is a veteran who simply commands more money than Schneider's going to want to spend at the FB position.
J.D. McKissic -- McKissic makes the team primarily for his prowess as a return specialist. He's going to be in there returning kickoffs and fielding punts until Lockett shows himself to be back to full health. He also could be used as a poor man's C.J. Prosise if Prosise simply proves his health is an issue as well.
Tanner McEvoy -- McEvoy is another guy who is certainly intriguing. At 6'6" with good receiving skills, leaping ability, etc. he snakes out Darboh, who's done nothing this Preseason. McEvoy makes this team for his contributions on Special Teams, which is where I see him making his mark this season primarily.
David Bass -- How can you not like this guy? All he's done is the ability to make plays, terrorize QB's, and demonstrate a motor that won't quit. He's forced himself onto the roster IMO.
Pierre Desir -- Very quietly and without a ton of fanfare, Desir has continued to look good and play a solid CB throughout training camp and the Preseason. He has all the measureables you like and a ton of upside. This is another one that I don't think the coaching staff lets go, as I just see him having had a better overall camp than either Elliott or Thorpe.
Amara Darboh -- Though you hate to cut a 3rd Round pick and a guy with the POTENTIAL upside of a Darboh, in the end he's done nothing worthy of a roster spot at this point. The Hawks roll the dice on this one and hope to sneak him onto the Practice Squad.
Jordan Roos -- This one was one of my tougher cuts, as I really and truly love what Roos brings to the table in terms of his overall raw strength and skill. In the end though, Roos just strikes me as the kind of guy you CAN sneak onto the Practice Squad and sign him to the active roster if need be. The presence of Pocic and depth at the Guard spot allows the Hawks to carry just 8 OL here, I project.
