All good points. A couple things:

UDFA signings usually tend to be developmental, athletic types. The cost is low, so why not sign someone who is raw and hope they can develop the mental part of their game.

Last years draft at WR, compared to this one, just sucked. It lacked depth throughout the draft and even the big WRs weren't that good, in hindsight, so it may have been just that instead of size vs speed.

In all honesty, I think you're right about Hopkins not getting drafted by Seattle. I think Seattle will be looking for 1. Size 2. Speed 3. Available with our 2nd round pick or later, so none of that fits Hopkins, but I do feel Hopkins has intangibles that would excite a coach like Carroll. Just not enough to pick him the first round.

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I got passion for my Hawks and I ain't afraid to show it

Well based on what happened last year it's safe to say no one knows for sure what Pete and John will do this year. Hopkins is a player they will take a serious look at and I could easily see them taking a WR at 25.

In hindsight, it appears that way, but going in it was pretty hyped. One of the largest draft sites, Mocking The Draft, asked readers which area of the draft was the strongest and WR ran away with the vote (I voted RB, and look pretty smart for it considering how good that rookie RB class was).

If Seattle prized size first, they would have taken a WR last year. There were a ton of them available in the first three rounds. That draft was all about big WRs, and JS went out of his way to say he didn't think it was a very good group.

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"I believe there’s merit to the idea that once something in life becomes conventional, it’s no longer the safest path to success." -Matt Waldman
"If everyone's thinking alike, no one's thinking." -Bill Walsh

Had Seattle prized receivers who are fast and athletic first, and experience and polish second, they would have just drafted Stephen Hill with their 2nd rd pick last year, instead of trading with the Jets to take him instead. He's the perfect definition of the player you're arguing they want in a receiver: fast (ran a 4.37), high upside because of his size, dominated all the other combine tests for receivers, and even fits the Green Bay model of being a 2nd rounder.

But they didn't for the same reason they didn't draft a big, experienced receiver, either. Receiver wasn't a huge need last year and definitely not worth taking over any of our first three round picks.

I do agree last years draft had a lot of size, but it had its share of speed guys, too, and so far, one of 2012's better rookie receiver wasn't even big or fast. It was Kendall Wright, the 5' 10" kid from Baylor who shocked everyone by running a 4.61 and was still drafted #20 as the "polished" receiver of the bunch.

Really, last years class was just bad, not because it was all size, but because it also lacked depth and quality.

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I got passion for my Hawks and I ain't afraid to show it

The two players that helped their draft stock the most yesterday, to me, appears to be Ryan Swope and Trevon Austin...GMs probably put back in the tapes of these kids after they ran identical 40 times at 4.34 and saw they were both clutch performers and had great potential. Both will probably be gone by our pick in round 2. If they are not, and we don't take Hopkins, I'm all for taking either of them. Their stock soared IMO after yesterday.

Like Kip, I don't see Hopkins as the pick, but not because of a lack of athleticism. I could see them taking him later in the draft because they like his unique skills, just not the first. I think they won't take a first round WR unless he is a can't miss freak.

Hopkins reminds me of John Carlson. He is what he is, not much development needed. High floor, safe pick.

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SEAHAWKS.NET. We All We Got, We All We Need

If I'm in the Hawks war room, I'm pounding the table for Swope in the 1st round because I agree with you, he won't last until our 2nd round pick at #56.

The only other way I see us getting him is to find a trade partner for Flynn and trade up into the upper half of the 2nd round and nab him.

The Jets at #39 would work nicely.

In a perfect scenario, the Hawks would select DT Short at #25 and then trade Flynn to the Jets for a swap of 2nd round picks to enable the Hawks to select Swope with the 39th overall pick.

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"Wilson will come in there pissing lightning and crapping thunder! Watch out!" ... Tech Worlds, 5/9/2012

Endzorn, 3 min. later... "Football aside, I would pay money to see that. I'm serious."

Moved to Seattle in 1980. Hawks fan for 33 years and counting.

I'm sorry, but I disagree with both you and Kearly about Hopkin's value or his "ceiling". I think this dude is a flat-out playmaker and I want him more than Swope or Austin. The difference is that I saw Hopkins as the guy in Clemson's offense that you just knew was going to get the ball on third down somehow, and yet defenses just couldn't stop it. He was similar to NC State legend, Torry Holt, in this regard. You just knew he would make a play when it mattered. I'm sure Austin and Swope would be fine picks, but they didn't even get the most yards on their teams (Mike Evans at A&M got more receptions and yards than Swope and Steadman Bailey got more yards and an equal number of receptions at WVU). I'm just saying that I think Hopkins is more of a game-breaker than these two and I still feel he's worthy of our first round pick.

I'd trade up to get any of them in the second if we can get an earlier pick though.

Is there ANY chance Swope lasts until Seattle's pick in round 2? If not, I don't see him as a Hawk. As everyone has rightly pointed out, JS/PC are pretty up front about team needs and what they likely go after and they've stated pass rush, pass rush, pass rush. And after he posted that 40 time, I'd be very surprised if he got past round 1. As many have mentioned, he'd fit NE nearly perfectly and the cap savings for them by being able to wave good-bye to Welker as a result would be significant.

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Wow, the Ryan Swope hype grew pretty fast.

There's absolutely every chance that Swope lasts to our 2nd rd pick. I'd be a bit surprised if he didn't. This is a deep draft at WR and a 6' slot receiver, even with speed, may not be what every team is looking for. Jmo

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I got passion for my Hawks and I ain't afraid to show it

I think you're right.

I'm not really sure who fits the mould that you are referencing though?

There really are no sub 4.5 guys besides Hunter that are 6'1+ and have huge YAC.. I think the player you are describing his Julio Jones, AJ Green, and Megatron.

I think Justin Hunter is still the guy. The Tape SUCKS, he has slow feet, and isn't good after catch. However, isn't this all stuff that can be taught with a guy who runs 4.43 with a ridiculous frame? I think so.

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"We all we got, we all we need"

JS didn't draft Cobb (I know you're just saying that the system he learned under did), and I think it's a huge assumption to say that he had his hand in all four of those listed. I don't think you can deduct much from that to be honest.
I don't think a lot of those WRs are as good as Arod and Favre (to some extent) has made them. You're taking about the best successor/predecessor combination since Montana/Young. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jenning move elsewhere and put up less than 700 yards in a full season.

The only thing I think JS and PC look for is, can they tilt the field? Can they make plays? To some extent, I have still a small hope in Nuke Hopkins being a Seahawk.

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"We all we got, we all we need"

My take is based only on Swope's 2011 season, so maybe he's grown a lot and I'm wrong, but I never got the sense Swope can be an outside threat the same way even guys slower them him are. He's great on the inside because he's intelligent and has the quickness and speed to get YAC but, IMO, he works better in space then he would fighting for a jump ball along the sideline or on deep routes.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really like Swope as a player who would probably beat out Baldwin or at least make plays in 4-receiver sets, and I mentioned this in Kip's Dream Mock, but if Im drafting a receiver in the first two rounds, I want a player who could replace Sidney on the outside if need be. I don't think Swope can be that guy. And for other teams looking for depth with their X or Z spots, they may feel the same way, thus reducing the chance he's drafted earlier than our second round pick.

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I got passion for my Hawks and I ain't afraid to show it

I think you are taking me all wrong. I like Hopkins. I just don't think the Hawks like to use first round picks on receivers. They will, but only on a freak. Hopkins is not a freak, IMO. Also, Torry Holt was damn fast, Hopkins is not. Dismiss his lack of speed if you want, but I think that matters to Pete.

FWIW, if I am wrong about what they prefer and they take him in the first, I will think it is a good pick.

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SEAHAWKS.NET. We All We Got, We All We Need

Jesus Montero - please pick up the white phone

I agree that they will probably go DL but not because of any problems thay have with Hopkins talent, size or speed. They will probably draft DL from a value standpoint and they have issues there thats a fact. However if Hopkins is there i'd love to see him on the field with Wilson Tate and Rice. That would complete our offense .

I think barring a move up.. we're probably out of range for Cordarrelle Patterson (this years Julio Jones IMO) and Tavon Austin.

Keenan Allen may go above 25 too.

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Seahawks vs. TBD - Super Bowl 48 - February 2, 2014

Also I know PC has shied away from picking up USC guys.. but Robert Woods may be in play as well.. he looked VERY impressive during drills. Caught everything, ran a good 40.. etc.

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Seahawks vs. TBD - Super Bowl 48 - February 2, 2014

I think he ran an ok 40- 4.51. I was shocked that he didn't run a sub 4.5.. I think I'd be much more interested if he ran a 4.40. Sidney Rice runs a 4.5

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"We all we got, we all we need"

Seattle was locked into LB in that round. Info Rob and I had combined with Pete's statements strongly inferred as much. Rob and I were mocking LBs in round 2 long before they actually took Bobby Wagner there. WR was not even listed by our inside source as a need that offseason. As you said, they probably weren't going to draft a WR no matter what in the early rounds that year.

FWIW, I don't really think Hill truly fits the mold. Fast, big, unpolished yes, but he was more of a vertical guy than a YAC guy. Didn't have the quickest feet.



Not saying he had a hand in it, saying that Ted Thompson drafted those WRs, and Schneider learned his craft from Ted Thompson.



?



I'm in this category as well. If anything, this thread was an attempt to keep my hopes from getting up.

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"I believe there’s merit to the idea that once something in life becomes conventional, it’s no longer the safest path to success." -Matt Waldman
"If everyone's thinking alike, no one's thinking." -Bill Walsh