McGruff's Personal Playlist

Just players at key positions I think look like potential Seahawks. I will add and revise as the process continues, but I'd love to hear other's thoughts on names that shouldn't be on the list and names that you think should be. The thing I love about this community is how we can expose each other to new and obscure prospects.

DT
Adolphus Washington, Ohio State
Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
Jerron Reed, Alabama
Austin Johnson, Penn St.
Vernon Butler, Louisiana Tech
Sheldon Rankins, Louisville
Sheldon Day, Notre Dame
Jevon Hargrave, South Carolina St.
Jihad Ward, Illinios
Azziz Shittu, Stanford
Anthony Zettel, Penn St.


OT
Taylor Decker, Ohio St
Germaine Ifedi, Texas A&M
Jason Spriggs, Indiana
Shon Coleman, Auburn
Joe Haeg, North Dakota St.
Alex Lewis, Nebraska
Fahn Cooper, Ole Miss
Vadal Alexander, LSU
La'Raven Clark, Texas Tech
John Theus, Georgia
Stephane Nembot, Colorado
Brandon Shell, South Carolina

OG
Kyle Murphy, STanford
Spencer Drango, Baylor
Cody Whitehair, K State
Joshua Garnett, Stanford
Sebastion Tretola, Arkansas
Joe Dahl, WSU

OC
Graham Glasgow, Michigan
Nick Martin, Notre Dame
Evan Boehm, Missouri

DB
Deiondre Hall, NIU
Williams jackson, Houston
James Bradburry, Samford
Jeremy Cash, Duke
Karl Joseph, West Virginia
Miles Killebrew, S. Utah
Trae Elston, West Virginia

WR
Josh Doctson, TCU
Will Fuller, Notre Dame
Bralon Addison, Oregon

DE
Shaq Lawson, Clemson
Kevin Dodd, Clemson
Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
Shawn Oakman, Baylor (just a hunch)
Victor Ochi, Stony Brook

It is rather amazing that by knowing the Pete and John profile that is so predictable, you can cross 3/4 of college guys off a list at certain positions. And be right.

So far I've mainly looked at DT and OT. I can't really say much about the other positions yet.

Adolphus Washington is someone who I have a bit of a neutral opinion on. If we get him in the second or third round I think we could make him work but I also feel like there are a few prospects around that would fit better. I'll have to look a bit more into him.

I also think Nkemdiche would be a perfect fit but I highly doubt he's still there at #26. I heard he had some character concerns which might influence his draft stock though. If he's available he's a must pick.

Jarran Reed is a decent player but I don't see anything all that special in him. His run blocking is pretty good but I don't like his lack of pressure on passing plays. He's currently projected as a first rounder and I think that would be a massive reach.

I'm not all that keen on Austin Johnson either. He's projected as a 2nd rounder but he looks slow and honestly not even that strong for his 323 pounds. He's a bland prospect in my eyes that wouldn't stick.

Vernon Butler is slowly but steadily starting to become my favorite prospect in the draft. We should be able to get him in the second if he doesn't blow up the draft boards in the coming months. He's exactly what I'm looking for in a DT this draft. He's solid in the run game and provides plenty of pressure. He's also really quick for someone his size.

I'm high on Sheldon Rankins as well. He moves past his man on about half the plays and on the other half he at least moves them back. Really strong, great technique and should be available at pick #26. He's at the very least worth some consideration.

Sheldon Day was the DT I was rooting for the Seahawks to pick at first but I'm not so sure anymore. He's a bit on the short side for a DT and he's definitely light as well. This makes him in my opinion better suited as DE if he dropped a couple of pounds, shouldn't be too big of a transition as he already is pretty light for a DT and has played quite a few snaps outside in college. The biggest issue here is that he disappoints as a run stuffer. I think it's important to go for someone with pass rush abilities but I think the drop-off in the run game would be too big.

Javon Hargrave is already becoming a bit of a surprise riser. He should be a nice mid-round pick.

Jihad Ward is one to watch for the coming time. He's tearing things up at Senior Bowl practice right now. Keep in mind he's playing as a DE there though, which seems to be a more natural fit for him. I think his tape as a DT is horrible actually. I'd be in on him as a late round DE but I strongly advise drafting him as a DT.

I can't really find much tape on Azziz. He is specified as a DE and considering his 284 weight this might be for the best. I hope we get to see some more from him moving forward.

Zettel is the lightest of the bunch at 273 pounds. That's just too light for DT but I like his tape and he could be a very prominent DE. Would work inside in a Bennett kind of role though. Might be worth the early day 3 projection he has currently.

Not a DT but Noah Spence might very well be the Frank Clark of this year. He's a five star recruit out of high school and had an amazing sophomore season at Ohio State. He tested positive for xtc two times and was banned from the big ten, he went to Eastern Kentucky and continued to impress. Right now at the Senior Bowl he looks like the best DE there. If nobody wants to take the risk early, he's worth a look.


Now for the Offensive tackles you listed. First of all Decker, Ifedi, Spriggs and Coleman are all great players and I hope we select one of them at #26, I can't imagine them all being gone at least. I do have some doubts about Ifedi though.

Joe Haeg is someone I really like. He comes from the FCS, so the same goes for him as for any small school prospect. You have to dominate the competition in order to get some NFL consideration but he does just that. He's great in pass pro but he really shines in run blocking, he's constantly on the second level and waltzing over everyone in his way. He'd be a good mid round value pick.

Alex Lewis and Fahn Cooper look like intriguing late round prospects. Taking a chance on one of them might pay off.

Vadal Alexander has a 2nd round projection as a guard. Seems like a big reach to me as I can't see much special to him at tackle. I'll have to look some more into him when we see him lining up as a guard.

Then Le'Raven Clark. The most overrated Oline prospect this year. The only thing he has going for him are his monstrously long arms, next to that he's just not a capable NFL linemen. Almost a guaranteed bust.

John Theus has potential but I don't think he's consistent enough to start in the NFL yet. I see him as someone who needs a year behind a vet LT to develop. We sadly don't have the luxury to do this and especially not for a 2nd-3rd round pick.

Stephane Nembot doesn't look all that well but he might not get drafted so we could give him another look in camp as a UFA.

Brandon Shell looks a bit amateurish. He uses the cutblock frequently for some reason, while he fails most of his attempts. While blocking like an actual linemen he isn't that impressive and struggles a lot, especially with speedy types. Not high on him.

Most of the DTS listed are light. But it's not beyond Pete to want someone in that 280 range. Bennett plays inside at that weight. Hill wasn't much more than that. Neither was Jason Jones.

Also, I just looked at recent Seahawks DT's and one common trait is arm length. Jesse Williams is the biggest anomoly at 32inch long arms, but Jesse Williams was a straight up value pick by Seattle. he was 2nd round value that fell to the 5th. Nothing about Williams fits the Seahawks profile.

Brandon Mebane has the next shortsest arms at 33 inches. The rest of the Seahawks DT's are 33+. its a trend for drafted players, free agents, etc . . . long arms. You can be short. You can be small. But you've got to have those long arms.

And like all the Seahawks positions, you'vbe got to have a high degree of relative athleticism compared to your position group. Especially note the sprint times. the 40 and the splits. Historically Seattle doesn't draft guys that run over 5.0 in the 40. There are exceptions, but they are exceptional.

When watching tape, the Seahawks value penetration over holding the POA. They like whistle to whistle and sideline to sideline players. Look for guys who are active.

SS Jeremy Cash of Duke looks really interesting as a potential SS or even linebakcer. Duke plays him almost exclusively at the line of scrimmage. You never see him in deep coverage, and some reporters have said he looks lost at the Senior Bowl in deep zones.

But at the LOS, he's phenomenal. He's rangy, aggressive and hard hitting. He's even probably one of the better blitzers I've seen this year at any position.

He's raw in coverage, but as a situational guy early or a linebacker convert, I think this guy can make plays.

McGruff":o464pth0 said:

Also, I just looked at recent Seahawks DT's and one common trait is arm length. Jesse Williams is the biggest anomoly at 32inch long arms, but Jesse Williams was a straight up value pick by Seattle. he was 2nd round value that fell to the 5th. Nothing about Williams fits the Seahawks profile.

Brandon Mebane has the next shortsest arms at 33 inches. The rest of the Seahawks DT's are 33+. its a trend for drafted players, free agents, etc . . . long arms. You can be short. You can be small. But you've got to have those long arms.

And like all the Seahawks positions, you'vbe got to have a high degree of relative athleticism compared to your position group. Especially note the sprint times. the 40 and the splits. Historically Seattle doesn't draft guys that run over 5.0 in the 40. There are exceptions, but they are exceptional.

When watching tape, the Seahawks value penetration over holding the POA. They like whistle to whistle and sideline to sideline players. Look for guys who are active.

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Yeah most players the Hawks draft are picked on NFL potential rather than level of play in college. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The athleticism of players has always been really important for Pete. It's just a bit annoying that some linemen on both sides on the ball would be perfect fits for us but we'll never get to see them on the team because they don't fit a certain profile.

How come no Corey Coleman for WR?

massari":1s8p3ya1 said:

How come no Corey Coleman for WR?

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Coleman is a lock for the first round and even if he managed to slip to #26 WR simply isn't our most pressing matter. If this wasn't taken into account I bet McGruff would have filled up this list with all big time first round prospects.

Overseasfan":1irnoq5z said:

massari":1irnoq5z said:

How come no Corey Coleman for WR?

Click to expand...

Coleman is a lock for the first round and even if he managed to slip to #26 WR simply isn't our most pressing matter. If this wasn't taken into account I bet McGruff would have filled up this list with all big time first round prospects.

Click to expand...

Yeah I noticed he left all the top picks off but if Coleman is available at #26 and the Seahawks let Kearse go, wouldn't WR be a pretty big need? Also Baldwin is a free agent after this coming season and Richardson can't be trusted to stay healthy. I'm hoping they pick who they think is the BPA regardless of position unless it's FS or MLB.

massari":r8loepjq said:

Overseasfan":r8loepjq said:

massari":r8loepjq said:

How come no Corey Coleman for WR?

Click to expand...

Coleman is a lock for the first round and even if he managed to slip to #26 WR simply isn't our most pressing matter. If this wasn't taken into account I bet McGruff would have filled up this list with all big time first round prospects.

Click to expand...

Yeah I noticed he left all the top picks off but if Coleman is available at #26 and the Seahawks let Kearse go, wouldn't WR be a pretty big need? Also Baldwin is a free agent after this coming season and Richardson can't be trusted to stay healthy. I'm hoping they pick who they think is the BPA regardless of position unless it's FS or MLB.

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I haven't scouted a lot nf WRS yet cause I don't see it as a crucial need. I've mostly included people I've personally scouted.

McGruff":iq0kuwoc said:

massari":iq0kuwoc said:

Overseasfan":iq0kuwoc said:

massari":iq0kuwoc said:

How come no Corey Coleman for WR?

Click to expand...

Coleman is a lock for the first round and even if he managed to slip to #26 WR simply isn't our most pressing matter. If this wasn't taken into account I bet McGruff would have filled up this list with all big time first round prospects.

Click to expand...

Yeah I noticed he left all the top picks off but if Coleman is available at #26 and the Seahawks let Kearse go, wouldn't WR be a pretty big need? Also Baldwin is a free agent after this coming season and Richardson can't be trusted to stay healthy. I'm hoping they pick who they think is the BPA regardless of position unless it's FS or MLB.

Click to expand...

I haven't scouted a lot nf WRS yet cause I don't see it as a crucial need. I've mostly included people I've personally scouted.

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Sorry, I just saw in the OP that you'll add and revise.

Hopefully you'll add Coleman.

I've got a bad feeling about Taylor Decker. He seems like the type of player that over achieves under Urban Meyer and/or Nick Saban, then comes out of the College game all used up.

I don't think he will translate to the NFL, and just have a funny feeling he would be injury prone. Body type or something like that, but i can't put my finger on it.



Watch him be another Joe Staley

Bit of bad news of Spriggs what us concerns. He's generating quite a bit of buzz among scouts at the senior bowl. Yesterday I already read something about him being a likely top 20 pick but now there are talks about him possibly going in the top 10.

Just when I really started to think he was the one we should pick at #26

Overseasfan":38syl3bl said:

Bit of bad news of Spriggs what us concerns. He's generating quite a bit of buzz among scouts at the senior bowl. Yesterday I already read something about him being a likely top 20 pick but now there are talks about him possibly going in the top 10.

Just when I really started to think he was the one we should pick at #26

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This is time a year where 25 players get top ten buzz. It can't happen.

McGruff":1ov1jg58 said:

SS Jeremy Cash of Duke looks really interesting as a potential SS or even linebakcer. Duke plays him almost exclusively at the line of scrimmage. You never see him in deep coverage, and some reporters have said he looks lost at the Senior Bowl in deep zones.

But at the LOS, he's phenomenal. He's rangy, aggressive and hard hitting. He's even probably one of the better blitzers I've seen this year at any position.

He's raw in coverage, but as a situational guy early or a linebacker convert, I think this guy can make plays.

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Deone Buttcannon?