Great year to draft offense

I was wrong before when I said this year's OL class in the late first wasn't that great. Last year's offensive tackle class was insanely strong early and then got weak in a hurry after the 20th pick. This year is kind of the reverse with a relatively deep tackle class. Really impressed by some of the guards too. Yankey is a complete player who would be a top 20 lock most other years and Xavier Su’a Filo may have sloppy technique but he can book it like JR Sweezy. Not seeing any great centers early yet, but I think that Unger deserves another year before we invest that heavily into competition there. And it blows my mind that an athlete like Cyrus Kouandjio is being talked about as a 2nd round possibility (though I think he rises after the combine). Still need to look at more lineman but so far only one of them hasn't impressed me.

This is one of the better and deeper WR groups in a very long time, though most of the firepower is early in round 1.

Very good year to draft a QB too, especially in the mid-to-late rounds. A few years ago, a day 3 pick at QB got you Dan LeFevour or John Skelton. Now it might get you Tajh Boyd, Aaron Murray, Jordan Lynch. Keith Price (best QB in UW history) might go undrafted.

Austin Seferian Jenkins at #64? It could happen.

Really like this years RB group too. Guys like Carey and Sankey could go 3rd round and be NFL stars.

This is a very good year to shore up OL, WR, and TE. Pretty fortunate given Seattle's needs.

Agreed. I was watching some highlights of Yankey, and I was licking my chops. I love his athleticism and make-up. Good instincts at the second level. Looks like he finishes his blocks and could be a vicious cut blocker. I know you mentioned Sweezy in relation to Su'a Filo, but the funny thing is that Yankey also reminded me of Sweezy ...if Sweezy had an O-lineman's body and could hold up in pass protection. Wonder if he'll last until #32.

It feels like this year's depth at WR and QB could really push some of these OL prospects down to attainable draft spots where they might otherwise be unavailable. I've heard mention of Morgan Moses being a fit for Seattle as a Right Tackle prospect. He has ridiculously long arms (like Bailey), which I think is valued on our line scheme. Reportedly, he was also the only OT that Dee Ford didn't kill during SB week (funny because of your other thread).

do u guys see much depth at interior OL in this years draft? like rounds 4-7? ... im thinking john would prefer to target either WR/TE/DL with our first 2 picks and let cable take his couple stabs in the later rounds.

we honestly need to gut our interior going into next season. was sickening to watch carp+unger+mcq+sweezy wipe out great runs by our RB with holding penalties or simply whiffing on guys altogether to force marshawn to have to fight just to get back to the LOS. maybe bailey+bowie can man 1 of the posts, neither being trustable at RT.

DavidSeven":qh0giz00 said:

Agreed. I was watching some highlights of Yankey, and I was licking my chops. I love his athleticism and make-up. Good instincts at the second level. Looks like he finishes his blocks and could be a vicious cut blocker. I know you mentioned Sweezy in relation to Su'a Filo, but the funny thing is that Yankey also reminded me of Sweezy ...if Sweezy had an O-lineman's body and could hold up in pass protection. Wonder if he'll last until #32.

It feels like this year's depth at WR and QB could really push some of these OL prospects down to attainable draft spots where they might otherwise be unavailable. I've heard mention of Morgan Moses being a fit for Seattle as a Right Tackle prospect. He has ridiculously long arms (like Bailey), which I think is valued on our line scheme. Reportedly, he was also the only OT that Dee Ford didn't kill during SB week (funny because of your other thread).

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Yankey is such an impressive pull blocker. Whereas Sweezy has crazy athleticism, Yankey is a great pull blocker because of good athleticism with perfect technique, almost as if each step is choreographed. Very much impressed by Yankey's strength and nasty too. I know every top guard is compared to Hutch no matter how different, but this really is one of the rare times where a guard merits some comparisons. Hutch was also a guy who combined strength and nasty with good technique.

Yankey also takes perfect angles going to LBs and sticks to blocks. Struggling to find anything bad to say about him. I'm stunned to see some mocks putting him in round 2. I would be giddy if we got him at #32. He also has experience at left tackle.

Xavier Su’a Filo is quick off the ball, but he lacks ideal power and height. He got beat A LOT the last couple years.

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/46280/349/peshek-te-metrics

Interesting analysis with some good numbers on the top TE's. I was surprised at some of the ASJ stats.

kearly":1xgq4shs said:

I was wrong before when I said this year's OL class in the late first wasn't that great. Last year's offensive tackle class was insanely strong early and then got weak in a hurry after the 20th pick. This year is kind of the reverse with a relatively deep tackle class. Really impressed by some of the guards too. Yankey is a complete player who would be a top 20 lock most other years and Xavier Su’a Filo may have sloppy technique but he can book it like JR Sweezy. Not seeing any great centers early yet, but I think that Unger deserves another year before we invest that heavily into competition there. And it blows my mind that an athlete like Cyrus Kouandjio is being talked about as a 2nd round possibility (though I think he rises after the combine). Still need to look at more lineman but so far only one of them hasn't impressed me.

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Sounds like you're coming around a bit more on Yankey

I think he's a real option at 32.. especially if we decide to cut Carp (both moves I'd be very happy about)

kearly":1xgq4shs said:

This is one of the better and deeper WR groups in a very long time, though most of the firepower is early in round 1.

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I humbly disagree here. I love Watkins, Evans and Lee.. but I think there are gems in late R1, R2, R3 and maybe even R4. WR is downright loaded this year.. and in a pass happy league, I think many GM's will be enamored by this class.

Some guys I love that aren't 'WEL' (Watkins/Evans/Lee)

#32-#64 range
- Allen Robinson (my love has already been stated)
- Davante Adams (Ditto)
- Paul Richardson
- Martavius Bryant
- Brandon Coleman

Later 'gems
- Cody Hoffman
- L'Damian Washington

kearly":1xgq4shs said:

Very good year to draft a QB too, especially in the mid-to-late rounds. A few years ago, a day 3 pick at QB got you Dan LeFevour or John Skelton. Now it might get you Tajh Boyd, Aaron Murray, Jordan Lynch. Keith Price (best QB in UW history) might go undrafted.

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Only one out of these guys I'd be ok in drafting would be Aaron Murray. Do not like Boyd or Lynch for NFL offenses at all.

And Keith Price..

kearly":1xgq4shs said:

Austin Seferian Jenkins at #64? It could happen.

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Would be floored if he dropped that far.. but if he was our 2nd round pick.. arrest JS on the spot for that grand larceny.

kearly":1xgq4shs said:

Really like this years RB group too. Guys like Carey and Sankey could go 3rd round and be NFL stars.

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Agreed on Carey and Sankey. I have modest concern about the wear and tear on Carey already.. but think he'll be good early on.

I am a Yankey fan myself. He has excellent strength and leverage in run blocking. Is an accomplished cut blocker on the times I've seen him do it. Has very good ability in pass blocking and would be a significant upgrade in that capacity.

What really jumps out on screen though is his nastiness. When you watch his tape, you're instantly reminded of Giacomini. He blocks hard to the whistle and generally gets that extra pop on someone right at the whistle. I can see him really getting into the heads of opposing players. In the games I saw, every one of them has at least one moment where you can see the opponent jawing with him after he's delivered a late pop. Not late as in flag worthy. But if a runner is going down and a defender is laying up as he approaches the pile, Yankey makes sure he gets a shot on him. He plays to the echoes of the whistle and really embraces the physical nature of his position.

I can see Cable really liking his attitude. He has significant ability and I would expect him to unseat either Sweezy or Carpenter at OG on day 1.

I don't agree with the assessment that he's merely a system lineman. Although a lot of Stanford linemen have been proven to be guilty of that. I see a prospect who has a real hunger to be good and the skills to excel in really any kind of scheme. Good athleticism and flexibility, with impressive power.

Not a huge Yankey fan. I really get concerned about Stanford's system with so much pulling and moving. Really worry about him mano y mano in the NFC West. I don't see him being anything more than an average OG in this division. In another offense & division? Yeah, he could be a nice pickup. By the by, this is just my opinion on DY. Not saying anybody is wrong, I just really am wary of Stanford OL.

The one OL I am really intrigued by is Marcus Martin. Really young kid (not 21 until next November) and can play OG/C. His upside is immense and he's already a really good player. The flexibility is also huge in case Unger continues to suck or Carpenter has finally put the nail in his career coffin. Great size and long arms too. USC is much less cute with what they do on the OL and have had a pretty good recent history with their higher end OL prospects.

ASJ is going to the Patriots

Mtjhoyas":1mdeg4nq said:

The one OL I am really intrigued by is Marcus Martin. Really young kid (not 21 until next November) and can play OG/C. His upside is immense and he's already a really good player. The flexibility is also huge in case Unger continues to suck or Carpenter has finally put the nail in his career coffin. Great size and long arms too. USC is much less cute with what they do on the OL and have had a pretty good recent history with their higher end OL prospects.

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Good call. I really like him too. Would not be concerned if we took him and left Yankey on the draft board.

Mtjhoyas":203sy7si said:

The one OL I am really intrigued by is Marcus Martin. Really young kid (not 21 until next November) and can play OG/C. His upside is immense and he's already a really good player. The flexibility is also huge in case Unger continues to suck or Carpenter has finally put the nail in his career coffin. Great size and long arms too. USC is much less cute with what they do on the OL and have had a pretty good recent history with their higher end OL prospects.

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I don't get Martin at all. He looks slow and weak to me. He had a terrible 2012 season at offensive guard, and one year later at center, and now he's suddenly a top center prospect? It doesn't add up.

I think calling him terrible in 2012 is a bit of hyperbole. Additionally, in 2012, he would have spent the entire season as an 18 year starter in major college football (Born 11/29/93). That's pretty insane. This also means, he started as a true freshman at age 17, at USC.

In essence, are you writing off most guys during their true freshman year? Because your comment is tantamount to doing so with Martin due to his youth. And, we are talking about OL. The kid has another 2-3 years of legit physical development. IMO, it's extremely rare that he's performed well so young, in a tough conference. Again, he won't even turn 21 until week 12 next NFL season. And FWIW, the NFL.com guys (Mayock, Jeremiah) love him. Not saying that's gospel, but this isn't coming out of left field.

hawknation2014":305fsqlc said:

Mtjhoyas":305fsqlc said:

The one OL I am really intrigued by is Marcus Martin. Really young kid (not 21 until next November) and can play OG/C. His upside is immense and he's already a really good player. The flexibility is also huge in case Unger continues to suck or Carpenter has finally put the nail in his career coffin. Great size and long arms too. USC is much less cute with what they do on the OL and have had a pretty good recent history with their higher end OL prospects.

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I don't get Martin at all. He looks slow and weak to me. He had a terrible 2012 season at offensive guard, and one year later at center, and now he's suddenly a top center prospect? It doesn't add up.

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Mtjhoyas":24sxvzbw said:

By the by, this is just my opinion on DY. Not saying anybody is wrong, I just really am wary of Stanford OL.

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Do you see him as being personally deficient in any way, or is your skepticism based solely on the creative techniques that Stanford uses?

I know Jonathan Martin may have been a bust, but David DeCastro is quickly emerging as a stud. Tore his ACL in 2012 and came back and shutdown Ndamukong Suh a year later.

Mtjhoyas":3smj9bn1 said:

I think calling him terrible in 2012 is a bit of hyperbole. Additionally, in 2012, he would have spent the entire season as an 18 year starter in major college football (Born 11/29/93). That's pretty insane. This also means, he started as a true freshman at age 17, at USC.

In essence, are you writing off most guys during their true freshman year? Because your comment is tantamount to doing so with Martin due to his youth. And, we are talking about OL. The kid has another 2-3 years of legit physical development. IMO, it's extremely rare that he's performed well so young, in a tough conference. Again, he won't even turn 21 until week 12 next NFL season. And FWIW, the NFL.com guys (Mayock, Jeremiah) love him. Not saying that's gospel, but this isn't coming out of left field.

hawknation2014":3smj9bn1 said:

Mtjhoyas":3smj9bn1 said:

The one OL I am really intrigued by is Marcus Martin. Really young kid (not 21 until next November) and can play OG/C. His upside is immense and he's already a really good player. The flexibility is also huge in case Unger continues to suck or Carpenter has finally put the nail in his career coffin. Great size and long arms too. USC is much less cute with what they do on the OL and have had a pretty good recent history with their higher end OL prospects.

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I don't get Martin at all. He looks slow and weak to me. He had a terrible 2012 season at offensive guard, and one year later at center, and now he's suddenly a top center prospect? It doesn't add up.

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Martin was arguably USC's worst offensive linemen in 2012. He was benched twice: once against ASU in favor of a walk-on named Abe Markowitz and then in their bowl game in favor of a true freshman named Max Tuerk. Martin allowed multiple sacks in losses in the previous two games, which led to being replaced with less experienced players. Tuerk was named All-Conference Honorable Mention, while Martin received no honors from the conference that year.

His play improved enough in 2013 to earn All-Conference Honors, but he was far from the best center in the Pac-12. That honor should go to Oregon's Hronis Grassu, who is a much better athlete.

This is just an incredibly weak year for center prospects. Martin has a terrible year playing guard on his resume, and a medicare year as a center. He has no power and is very slow out of his stance. I think this is another one of those times where draftniks will overrate the fact that a center is big with long arms. Does he have legitimate power? No. Most of his weight is "bad weight." Does he have ideal quickness for the center position? Absolutely not.

I wouldn't even think about considering him until the end of the fifth round.

Fair enough.

hawknation2014":belb83ln said:

Mtjhoyas":belb83ln said:

I think calling him terrible in 2012 is a bit of hyperbole. Additionally, in 2012, he would have spent the entire season as an 18 year starter in major college football (Born 11/29/93). That's pretty insane. This also means, he started as a true freshman at age 17, at USC.

In essence, are you writing off most guys during their true freshman year? Because your comment is tantamount to doing so with Martin due to his youth. And, we are talking about OL. The kid has another 2-3 years of legit physical development. IMO, it's extremely rare that he's performed well so young, in a tough conference. Again, he won't even turn 21 until week 12 next NFL season. And FWIW, the NFL.com guys (Mayock, Jeremiah) love him. Not saying that's gospel, but this isn't coming out of left field.

hawknation2014":belb83ln said:

Mtjhoyas":belb83ln said:

The one OL I am really intrigued by is Marcus Martin. Really young kid (not 21 until next November) and can play OG/C. His upside is immense and he's already a really good player. The flexibility is also huge in case Unger continues to suck or Carpenter has finally put the nail in his career coffin. Great size and long arms too. USC is much less cute with what they do on the OL and have had a pretty good recent history with their higher end OL prospects.

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I don't get Martin at all. He looks slow and weak to me. He had a terrible 2012 season at offensive guard, and one year later at center, and now he's suddenly a top center prospect? It doesn't add up.

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Martin was arguably USC's worst offensive linemen in 2012. He was benched twice: once against ASU in favor of a walk-on named Abe Markowitz and then in their bowl game in favor of a true freshman named Max Tuerk. Martin allowed multiple sacks in losses in the previous two games, which led to being replaced with less experienced players. Tuerk was named All-Conference Honorable Mention, while Martin received no honors from the conference that year.

His play improved enough in 2013 to earn All-Conference Honors, but he was far from the best center in the Pac-12. That honor should go to Oregon's Hronis Grassu, who is a much better athlete.

This is just an incredibly weak year for center prospects. Martin has a terrible year playing guard on his resume, and a medicare year as a center. He has no power and is very slow out of his stance. I think this is another one of those times where draftniks will overrate the fact that a center is big with long arms. Does he have legitimate power? No. Most of his weight is "bad weight." Does he have ideal quickness for the center position? Absolutely not.

I wouldn't even think about considering him until the end of the fifth round.

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Hasselbeck":2mlw7obe said:

Only one out of these guys I'd be ok in drafting would be Aaron Murray. Do not like Boyd or Lynch for NFL offenses at all.

And Keith Price..

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Aaron Murray feels more like a Chase Daniel than a Drew Brees to me. I like him as a backup. Boyd is risky but also hugely under-rated. If Jordan Lynch were African American, everyone would be comparing him to Michael Vick with a bit less speed. He's got a ton of physical talent and he's shown he can check reads with ease. Keith Price lacks mental toughness and is made of glass, but could be a terrific backup for a team with good protection who loves to run the ball like SF or NE (or Seattle, if the pass pro plays like it did late in the season).

Also, I don't think we disagree on the WR group depth, I just think the top 3 WRs in this draft are in the discussion for the best trio to lead off a draft ever. Watkins/Evans/Lee remind me of Julio Jones, Vincent Jackson and Percy Harvin.

Mtjhoyas":3mvplfaj said:

Not a huge Yankey fan. I really get concerned about Stanford's system with so much pulling and moving. Really worry about him mano y mano in the NFC West. I don't see him being anything more than an average OG in this division. In another offense & division? Yeah, he could be a nice pickup. By the by, this is just my opinion on DY. Not saying anybody is wrong, I just really am wary of Stanford OL.

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Some guys shine through the system.

Agreed. Such a great draft class. Steelers GM, Colbert, stated it is the deepest draft class in 30 years. The QB class is not all that great when compared with the rest of the offense positions. It will be a fun draft, and a great draft for the Seahawks to snag extra picks in later rounds if possible.

kearly":24n3sn3f said:

DavidSeven":24n3sn3f said:

Agreed. I was watching some highlights of Yankey, and I was licking my chops. I love his athleticism and make-up. Good instincts at the second level. Looks like he finishes his blocks and could be a vicious cut blocker. I know you mentioned Sweezy in relation to Su'a Filo, but the funny thing is that Yankey also reminded me of Sweezy ...if Sweezy had an O-lineman's body and could hold up in pass protection. Wonder if he'll last until #32.

It feels like this year's depth at WR and QB could really push some of these OL prospects down to attainable draft spots where they might otherwise be unavailable. I've heard mention of Morgan Moses being a fit for Seattle as a Right Tackle prospect. He has ridiculously long arms (like Bailey), which I think is valued on our line scheme. Reportedly, he was also the only OT that Dee Ford didn't kill during SB week (funny because of your other thread).

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Yankey is such an impressive pull blocker. Whereas Sweezy has crazy athleticism, Yankey is a great pull blocker because of good athleticism with perfect technique, almost as if each step is choreographed. Very much impressed by Yankey's strength and nasty too. I know every top guard is compared to Hutch no matter how different, but this really is one of the rare times where a guard merits some comparisons. Hutch was also a guy who combined strength and nasty with good technique.

Yankey also takes perfect angles going to LBs and sticks to blocks. Struggling to find anything bad to say about him. I'm stunned to see some mocks putting him in round 2. I would be giddy if we got him at #32. He also has experience at left tackle.

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Brooks' latest mock has Yankey going to us with the 32nd pick. Personally, I'd be pretty stoked about that move, but I'm not sure JS will go OL in the 1st round. I speculate the current thinking is that Cable can take sub 4th rounders and make them starters, so why draft an OL in the 1st?

My personal opinion is that our OL was clowned by elite DL's....it's ok to get stoned by them, but to be made to look like children out there is bad. Our interior OL is soft and allows too much pressure, which you don't want when your QB is 5'11". I'd like to see us with at least a couple of guys that can win individual matchups most of the time, even agains the good DL's.