Does Jonathan Sutherland make the team?

[bileever]

Pete has been high on Jonathan Sutherland, and he played well in the first preseason game. I liked that play in the first quarter when he came flying in and jumped over the defensive and offensive linemen on the Viking's second possession. He didn't make the tackle, but that was crazy.

I've got to think that he's more practice squad material though, given all the talent in the defensive backfield. How is he going to crack the roster, with Diggs, Adams, Love, Bryant, Blount, and now Jerrick Reed, too. They kept 4 safeties last year. It is interesting that he's listed as being second on the depth chart on seahawks.com for strong safety, behind Love and ahead of Reed.

Sutherland does have impressive credentials. He was a 4-time captain at Penn State, only the second time that has happened in the history of that program. He was also an academic All-American.

Although he was a highly recruited defensive back prospect in high school, at Penn State they converted him to linebacker. At 5' 11" and 200 pounds, he was small for a LB, and that conversion probably did him a disservice, as no one is interested in a 200-pound linebacker in the NFL.

https://www.si.com/nfl/seahawks/news/seattle-seahawks-jonathan-sutherland-versatile-roster-spot-preseason

 

[Scout]

There are many players that are fast. But if you have instincts as well that allows you to react faster than normal that is a competitive edge (eg Tariq, Witherspoon, etc). Pete Carroll talked about this in a sit down interview that was posted on this forum recently.

Coach, Brock, and Salk (very positive points made)

I highly recommend giving this a listen, especially for those of you that aren’t convinced that this will be a good year for us Seahawk fans. Many positive takeaways IMO

www.seahawks.net

And in this same interview Pete Carroll talked about the versatility that Love and Bryant bring. So Sutherland is displaying very good instincts and versatility which means that he has a chance of making the roster or for sure being put on the PS.

 

[bsuhawk]

There are many players that are fast. But if you have instincts as well that allows you to react faster than normal that is a competitive edge (eg Tariq, Witherspoon, etc). Pete Carroll talked about this in a sit down interview that was posted on this forum recently.

Coach, Brock, and Salk (very positive points made)

I highly recommend giving this a listen, especially for those of you that aren’t convinced that this will be a good year for us Seahawk fans. Many positive takeaways IMO

www.seahawks.net

And in this same interview Pete Carroll talked about the versatility that Love and Bryant bring. So Sutherland is displaying very good instincts and versatility which means that he has a chance of making the roster or for sure being put on the PS.

I also think he'll make the team, especially if Adams isn't able to play the first part of the season. Between Adams' injury and the Hawks using more 3 safety sets on defense I think Sutherland is as close to a lock as an undrafted rookie can be.

 

[bileever]

I think it's looking like Sutherland has a better shot at making the team than Jerrick Reed, who was drafted. I think that Sutherland, as a former linebacker, fits the model of the kind of safety that Pete is looking for. It seems unlikely with Diggs, Love and Bryant (plus Adams possibly) that both Reed and Sutherland make the 53-man roster. And there's also Joey Blount.

 

[Mad Dog]

I think it's looking like Sutherland has a better shot at making the team than Jerrick Reed, who was drafted. I think that Sutherland, as a former linebacker, fits the model of the kind of safety that Pete is looking for. It seems unlikely with Diggs, Love and Bryant (plus Adams possibly) that both Reed and Sutherland make the 53-man roster. And there's also Joey Blount.

They seem pretty happy with Jerrick Reed too. Embarrassment of riches in the secondary.

 

[FrodosFinger]

I like Sutherland over Jerrick Reed tbh and think he’ll make the squad. He’s a hitter and Pete likes his physicality and athleticism. He could be a great special teams player and depth at SS until Jamal gets healthy

 

[hawkfan68]

If Adams is able to return soon, then I think both Sutherland and Reed end up on PS. Adams, Love, Diggs, Blount are locks. PC likes Blount who won the job over Marquise Blair last preseason.

Blair was a hard hitter but did little else and that cost him his spot. Blount is more versatile. I think the same formula will be used to determine who makes the 53 man roster.