Finding the Fits: Williams hoping to Roll Tide in SEA

Cartire":22n31mvh said:

Here my only question. If he was a second round talent, why did so many teams pass him up? I mean, we waited until the 5th even.

I keep hearing steal of the draft. Is there any source that gives a reason for him slipping as far as he did? Character issues? Is he gonna be a stud, but then murder someone in a few years?

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In the article they mention that the 5th round is widely accepted as the round for taking players with injury risks as well as the fact that we moved up to the fourth pick in that round to grab the guy we wanted.
I think this is just another example of our FO's draft prowess, recognizing typical draft habits and using them to put themselves in perfect position to get who they want without reaching or overpaying...*swoon*

I don't think he missed much time, if any, from injuries in college. I think the worry is that his knee might potentially be degenerative, which means he might only have a 3-5 year career in the NFL. That really sucks for Williams, as he'll basically be out of the league just in time for his first big contract. Even in that grim scenario, I think Seattle comes out pretty good though. Run defense specialists as good as Williams are a steal in the 5th round, even if he only lasts a few seasons it's basically the equivalent of signing a pretty good NFL free agent for half the vet minimum.

And if he stays healthy and turns into a better version of Red Bryant, then the pick is a home run.

SacHawk2.0":1hhy7rwg said:

He's the Walter Thurmond of the D-Line.

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Yeah, like WTF was Pete and John thinking? :34853_doh:
Won't these guys EVER learn?
First they draft a munchkin to QB for the Seahawks, and then the dummies start him, over the likes of Matt Flynn :shock:

HighlandHawk":2m6vqeo8 said:

First year he'll see rotation time and if his knees survive it and he doesn't play badly he'll likely move into the starting line up in 2014... But the main thing is his knees.. 300lb linemen with crap knees are no use to anyone if they're on IR or rehabbing (see Carp). We're lucky we have the depth on the team that we could potentially waste a pick on someone that may only see the field for a few snaps. I'm not expecting anything from him being honest and will be happy if he amounts to anything more than rotation. He has the talent but if 32 teams passed on him multiple times that tells me they know more about the condition of the knees than we will.

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You bet!, hell, they even know way more, and way, way better than Pete Carroll, and John Schneider too, don't they.

FlyingGreg":359kl82x said:

SoulfishHawk":359kl82x said:

He hasn't played a down in the NFL and he's already the next Branch/Thurmond/Tubbs etc.
wow

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Lol, was just thinking the same thing.

Good grief.

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We've been burned too much.

FWIW, he's not the only DT we have with lingering injury problems.

kearly":2er4thtt said:

I don't think he missed much time, if any, from injuries in college. I think the worry is that his knee might potentially be degenerative, which means he might only have a 3-5 year career in the NFL. That really sucks for Williams, as he'll basically be out of the league just in time for his first big contract. Even in that grim scenario, I think Seattle comes out pretty good though. Run defense specialists as good as Williams are a steal in the 5th round, even if he only lasts a few seasons it's basically the equivalent of signing a pretty good NFL free agent for half the vet minimum.

And if he stays healthy and turns into a better version of Red Bryant, then the pick is a home run.

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I have a good feeling about Jesse Williams. He seems to have a high pain tolerance as evidenced by the fact he returned to the game after sustaining the injury for which he was given his most recent surgery. It could be a chronic condition, but we could have also won the fifth round lottery - again. This kid is one monstrous, tough SOB, and my gut tells me he is going to make us all very, very happy.

I like the fact that Williams is a Seahawk.

After all we have been through with PCJS, I am ready to fully trust their choice in players. They hit on so many reaches they can afford a miss here and there. These guys built a contender that still hasn't reached it's full potential yet and they did mostly through the draft and timely trades.

Williams is possibly another great steal, but I am willing to predict that he will at least be a serviceable player that contributes at a better than average level.
It just seems like the staff can turn anyone they draft into a blue collar player. Williams is no exception to me. Since the Whitehurst trade, they really haven't missed on anything significant.

kearly":1octh02s said:

I don't think he missed much time, if any, from injuries in college. I think the worry is that his knee might potentially be degenerative, which means he might only have a 3-5 year career in the NFL. That really sucks for Williams, as he'll basically be out of the league just in time for his first big contract. Even in that grim scenario, I think Seattle comes out pretty good though. Run defense specialists as good as Williams are a steal in the 5th round, even if he only lasts a few seasons it's basically the equivalent of signing a pretty good NFL free agent for half the vet minimum.

And if he stays healthy and turns into a better version of Red Bryant, then the pick is a home run.

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Agreed. I also think the knee injury is being blown out of proportion. In the 5th round he is an outright steal!

Something tells me he could be Red's full time replacement as our starting 5 tech a year or two, and a damn good one!

Missing_Clink":1ji09ik0 said:

SacHawk2.0":1ji09ik0 said:

HawkFan72":1ji09ik0 said:

Purely injury issues. If he can stay healthy, he's a 2nd round talent.

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He's the Walter Thurmond of the D-Line.

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Some seem to think his knees are so bad he could be Tubbs 2.0

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If he has 1 season like Tubbs' 2005 season, the 5th round pick was well worth it.

kearly":1x5up736 said:

I don't think he missed much time, if any, from injuries in college. I think the worry is that his knee might potentially be degenerative, which means he might only have a 3-5 year career in the NFL. That really sucks for Williams, as he'll basically be out of the league just in time for his first big contract. Even in that grim scenario, I think Seattle comes out pretty good though. Run defense specialists as good as Williams are a steal in the 5th round, even if he only lasts a few seasons it's basically the equivalent of signing a pretty good NFL free agent for half the vet minimum.

And if he stays healthy and turns into a better version of Red Bryant, then the pick is a home run.

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Yeah, I don't remember reading he was an injury riddled player. From what I can remember, didn't he hurt his knee in the SEC title game vs Georgia, but came back to finish the game. I think he had an MRI, and was ruled ok.

I think what scared most teams to take a chance was that he did not perform at the combine because of his knee and that sent a red flag to most teams.

Williams however got back to health and performed in some events at his PRODAY... 4.92 Forty, 4.83 20 yd Shuttle, 7.81 3-Cone compared to Star Loutulei who also did not perform at the combine do to medical reasons... 5.41 Forty, 4.63 20 yd Shuttle, 7.79 3-Cone.

I think the Seahawks are monitoring the injury very closely, and they feel good about it enough to allow Williams to compete for the starting 3Tech spot. And from what I've read and heard, Williams has been doing great thus far.

I think there could be a potentially issue as you said, but I think some here are definitely making mountains out of a mole hill.

MontanaHawk05":fv8usxs8 said:

FlyingGreg":fv8usxs8 said:

SoulfishHawk":fv8usxs8 said:

He hasn't played a down in the NFL and he's already the next Branch/Thurmond/Tubbs etc.
wow

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Lol, was just thinking the same thing.

Good grief.

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We've been burned too much.

FWIW, he's not the only DT we have with lingering injury problems.

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And you don't think this front office completely investigated his condition before drafting him?

Also, he was a 5th round pick. Worth the risk.

Worry? Ok. But let's stay away from the Tubbs talk...that's silly.

It's not so much about the draft position so much as the importance of his role, 5th round pick or not.

If he contributes enough to save some wear and tear on Mebane and Red this year, that alone makes the pick a worthwhile one to me.

I love this kid's dedication. Within hours of returning to Australia, he's already got his workouts lined up.

Elite Performance ‏@ElitePerformHQ 7h

Was good to finally meet @ThaMonstar today. Looking forward to training Jesse over the coming weeks! #TimeToGetSerious

Just finished working out @ThaMonstar this morning, never trained a more driven, hard working athlete #Gettinworkdone #BuildingMonstars

Seems like the kind of player that will make others around him even better. From his interviews, sounds like a great guy and awesome teammate. His country is proud of him as they should be. Team chemistry is already strong. This guy can only make it better.

TeamoftheCentury":3rfpowie said:

Maybe it was all the rumors that he may be just 5'-11", 206 lbs. without all the tattoos? An idea for the SF game: His teammates should put a note in his locker (and sign it: Frank Gore, et al), "The factory in the homeland needs you to report immediately to help identify those bent (damaged) bananas." Then, fans, get your popcorn ready.
The season can't get here soon enough. It's going to be a marvelous thing to behold.

Side note: Did anyone see this? Since the Hawks rotate their guys... maybe JS should get this guy's agent on the phone for a reverse Cable-esque Dan Quinn/Travis Jones DT project? The Destroyer?
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-o ... int-return

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Holy crap! I hadn't seen this before....that guy has almost no body fat for 340 lbs and squared up on that DB and crushed him.

If I were a rookie expected to get playing time on a team this damn good and with this high a ceiling I would do everything possible not to be the weak link, not to be the reason my team loses a game or doesn't meet it's lofty expectations. To fit in on the Seahawks, you really are expected to be ready to excel on Day ONE.

That is the culture of a winning football team.

MontanaHawk05":14wno784 said:

It's not so much about the draft position so much as the importance of his role, 5th round pick or not.

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Hence, why the Seahawks signed Tony McDaniel as well as drafted 2 players... All 3 can play 3T each providing something different.

The reason why Jesse Williams gets talked about the most is because he's most similar to Alan Branch.

I think Tha Monstar (my adopted rookie) will surprise people with his ability to collapse the pocket and flush out QBs. His role for the Tide was run-stopper, but PC and DQ may get a lot more out of Jesse. If his knees hold up, Tha Monstar will be this year's 5th round steal.