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Yesterday, we started taking a look at the Seahawks Draft this past weekend, trying to make sense out of what they did on Defense … and looking at their Draft in context of what they already had and how those new draft choices appear to fit in. It’s been both a fun and informative exercise for me personally. Thanks to everyone who’s expressed their support. It’s greatly appreciated and I can only hope that people will find today’s piece (which will conclude by focusing on the Offense) equally informative. Let me again start off this conversation off by reviewing how I generally view Drafts.
Here are some general thoughts that run through my mind when I judge NFL Drafts as a whole …
1] As I mentioned yesterday, I have to kind of laugh a bit at the whole notion of grading these drafts right after the conclusion of the draft. I’ve been following the NFL Draft pretty closely since about 1990 and I’ve learned that you cannot truly evaluate how a team did for perhaps 2 or even 3 years down the line. Sure we can gain a sense based upon all available info up until this point, but until those players actually get on the field and steeped in an NFL system, you just can’t really come to any definitive conclusions.
2] When a team drafts a player, that move has to be understood and evaluated in context. What does the team itself already look like? What pieces are already there? How is that player that the team just drafted going to use him? What’s his role going to be? What are that player’s strengths and weaknesses -- how is the team going to put that player in the best position possible to maximize their talents and mask their weaknesses in order to best help the team?
3] What are the greatest weaknesses of the team as a whole? Where are the holes … and how does that player help to fill those?
4] What system does the team run and what are their overall philosophies? For example, if I’m a team (like the Seahawks) that loves to run the football and values tough, smash mouth, ram it down your throat ball … it wouldn’t make any sense to draft an offensive linemen who was more of a finesse player who was more of a pass protector and not really up for getting bloody.
So without further ado, let’s kick this off by taking a look at what most 12’s (me included) considered without a doubt THE #1 position of concern coming into this offseason – the Offensive Line …
Offensive Line …
I don’t think there are many 12’s out there who will disagree that Offensive Line has been this team’s Black Hole – a vortex that has swallowed up seemingly everything in its path (including Russell Wilson). Wilson got banged around and banged up behind that Offensive Line and the offense as a whole suffered until he began to get healed up. Seattle’s O-Line ended up allowing 42 sacks last year – 6th most in the league. Saying that’s got to improve is a huge Captain Obvious statement. 2016 also saw the Seahawks go through a bit of an identity crisis, as up until that point they had prided themselves on being a team that loved smash mouth football. They have historically been all about running the ball, controlling the clock, and wearing down opponents – all signature core values of Pete Carroll that he’s talked about and espoused on multiple occasions. All of that seemingly went out the window, as the Hawks simply could not put together any consistent running game. The Hawks run game ended the season ranked 25th overall in terms of yards gained from scrimmage (1591 yards). One thing’s for sure, unless we see overall improvement in the play of the Offensive Line, the run game is going to continue to sputter and Russell Wilson is at serious risk of getting killed.
Before we get into discussion about these draft picks, let’s focus on the pieces that were already here prior to the draft.
Not all was doom and gloom for the Seahawks O-Line last year, as C Justin Britt was named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Justin Britt should serve as a huge example for fans (myself included), who were ready to wash their hands of him after failed experiments at basically every other position along the line. The difference between failure and success in the NFL is most often times razor thin and can be attributed to a number of factors. A player that has sucked in the past … can suddenly become competent or even good by perfecting a new technique ... simply gaining knowledge and insights … or changing positions on the field. That’s certainly what Tom Cable and the Seahawks are hoping for from this young group. Heading into the 2016 season, the only returning starter (Britt was transitioning to Center, so can’t be lumped into that category), was Right Tackle Gary Gilliam (who just left in free agency for the 49ers – good luck with that). Everyone else – (Britt was new at Center, Mark Glowinski was a 1st year starter at LG, rookie German Ifedi at RG, George Fant at LT) – were brand new starters. This group certainly took their lumps, so hopefully the school of hard knocks taught these guys some lessons that they can take with them into this season. And I believe they have and that there are reasons for some optimism.
Many Seahawks.Netters have already discovered Coleman Crawford, who is a quickly rising star as far as breaking down and analyzing game film. He’s taken a look at a few offensive linemen for the Hawks and has some really good insights on their strengths, weaknesses, and how they project moving forward. One of the more encouraging bits of breakdowns of his was on George Fant. Fant’s quick feet and overall athleticism readily stand out on tape. He very clearly shows Fant’s skillset that the coaching staff is so excited about, his overall improvement, and argues quite convincingly (given time) that Fant can be the Left Tackle of the future. For a guy who hadn’t started a football game since Pee Wee Football and had NEVER played offensive line before in his life, that’s pretty fricking amazing.
BUT, Fant is going to need time … which may in fact be the reason why the Hawks went out there in Free Agency and signed Luke Joeckel. In Joeckel, people sometimes forget you have a guy who was at one time the 2nd player taken overall in the NFL Draft (2013). Joeckel has very good feet, is athletic, and moves around well.
Crawford’s tape breakdown on him is very good and he shows that more times than not, Joeckel actually did his job fairly well. Joeckel played mostly left guard for the Jags in 2016, but was drafted as a Left Tackle and has the skillset to play there. I personally believe we’ll either see him at Left Tackle this season (and give Fant a chance to continue learning the position) or at Left Guard this year.
I believe one of the bigger problems last year was starting Germaine Ifedi at Right Guard, after he had spent most of his time in college at Right Tackle. Ifedi has a tendency to stand too tall for a guard and since it appears that’s where his strengths and experience lie anyway, the coaching staff is going to give him a chance to compete for the starting Right Tackle spot in 2017.
Turning our attention towards the Draft, it’s important to gain an understanding for what it is that the Seahawks appear to value in terms of the kinds of players they tend to target. For those fans who keep up with player evaluation, it’s generally become understood that the Seahawks (and many other teams) value qualities such as size, length, athleticism, speed, power, etc. SPARQ has become one of those stats that has started to become recognized … but another that has perhaps become equally (if not more valued) – especially when it comes to looking at the kinds of players the Seahawks tend to like – is SLA (stands for Size, Length, and Athleticism). It’s an interesting metric developed by Ethan Young, that goes beyond SPARQ and factors in not just a player’s athleticism, but overall size and length as well. Our esteemed Rob Staton over at seahawksdraftblog.com has used SLA over the past couple of years in his workups to the draft.
Here are the top SLA scores for all offensive linemen (regardless of position) for this year’s draft class …
Now, I don’t know if the Seahawks use the SLA statistic specifically … but I’d wager they use something fairly close to it. And obviously the Seahawks (I think) consider more than just size, length, and athleticism when evaluating talent (experience, instincts, training in pro systems, production on the field, position versatility/flexibility, etc.) ALSO factor in heavily as well. Tom Cable has historically claimed that one of the biggest problems he experiences … is that offensive linemen coming out of college generally just aren’t trained for the pro game anymore and don’t come in with the requisite skills. Those that do come in come in with bad habits, so if you’re going to have to teach (or re-teach) everything anyway … you might as well find athletes and train them up. He’s not wrong and the Seahawks aren’t the only ones who are running into that problem. Linemen who BOTH have the measureables the Seahawks generally like … AND have the other aforementioned factors (experience, instincts, training in pro systems, production on the field, position versatility/flexibility etc.) are an extremely rare commodity indeed.
In the moments leading up to the #35 pick, I was calling for the Hawks to draft Forrest Lamp (#2 in SLA above) because of just that reason – his athleticism, his skillset, and his flat out dominant performances on the field against top level competition (i.e. Alabama). Athletic freak DT’s like Aaron Donald, Star Lotulelei, and Kawann Short have been able to blow up the Seahawks Offense by getting pressure right up the middle. So, why not counter that with an equally athletically gifted guard? That was my thinking.
The strange thing is that after much study, I think they may have gotten just that in Ethan Pocic. Pocic is a dominant run blocker with a nasty disposition who led all LSU linemen in knock down blocks (106) during his Senior Season last year. The previous year as a Junior, he was even better, as his 132.5 knockdowns not only lead the team … but were the most by any LSU linemen in a single season since 2010. He is smart, has very good hands, and just understands how the play the game. He’s been compared with Max Unger in terms of a player and the Seahawks really like the fact that he has experience at and can play all 5 positions on the football field. This is a solid pick-up and a guy who will be a solid fixture on that offensive line for this team somewhere. He definitely provides the team insurance if Britt chooses to leave after this season. The way I see it, I think that Tom Cable and the coaching staff gives Pocic the chance to nail down the starting RG spot this year.
Justin Senior, whom the Hawks drafted in the 6th Round (#210 overall), is a classic case of the kind of prospect that you take in the 6th and 7th Rounds. At 6’5” 331 lbs, he has good size, long arms (34”), and big hands (10”). He’s smart and comes from a zone blocking system, but he’s definitely a project, as at this point he has poor footwork and struggles with anchoring and walling off blockers.
Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say about Senior …
Senior looks like he’s got potential as a possible Right Tackle, but he’s probably a couple of years away from being ready to competently compete on the football field.
As far as the rest of the Draft is concerned, I think a very natural question many fans are asking is, “If Offensive Line was THAT glaring of a weakness, why didn’t Seattle draft more linemen?” The answer to that is that we’ve been hearing that this draft class was considered to be one of the WORST draft classes in a long time for Offensive Linemen. I think that the fact that the very first linemen taken in the entire Draft was Garrett Bolles at #20 … and that only 2 linemen were selected in the entire 1st Round speaks to just that fact. Even in terms of quality depth, I think the Seahawks took a look at many these linemen in the draft … compared them to the guys already on their roster … and said to themselves that they had similar (or better players) in Mark Glowinski, Rees Odhiambo, Robert Myers, free agent signing Oday Aboushi, and Joey Hunt. And if you’re convinced that a Glowinski and/or an Odhiambo are as good or better prospects than the ones in the draft, then why go that route?
Wide Receivers …
If you’ve at all been following my posts, you’ll know that for YEARS now I’ve been campaigning for the Seahawks to bring in a quality WR who has both size and speed. One of the Seahawks Offense’s biggest weaknesses over the last several years is because of the lack of overall speed and size on the part of the wide receiving corps … opposing DB’s have been able to sit back and basically just keep everything in front of them. They haven’t had a whole lot of guys who truly scared them – put the fear in them that, “Oh no, we’ve got to watch it and not let this guy get past us!” That weakness right there has led Schneider and company to try to spend significant resources to try to address that in many ways. TE Luke Willson (6’5” 251lbs) is an athletic freak of nature with a ton of speed for a guy his size (he ran a 4.46 at his Pro Day at Rice) and who in theory could really stretch a defense. The problem with Willson has always been that while he can get open, he doesn’t always hang on to the ball on contested or difficult to make catches. The team traded Center Max Unger for All Pro TE Jimmy Graham (6’7” 265 lbs) with that same idea in mind – that he would be a guy who could put stress on opposing secondaries. He decent success in that venture overall, to the tune of 65 catches for 923 yards receiving (14.2 yards/reception) and 6 TD’s. Paul Richardson (6’0” 183 lbs) was supposed to be that speedster (ran a 4.37 at the combine), but he’s always struggled to stay on the football field due to health issues. He’s entering the final year of his contract, so we’ll see what happens with him in 2017 and beyond. As far as the rest of Seattle’s WR are concerned, Tyler Lockett has a lot of speed (4.40 in the 40) and quickness, but he’s a smaller receiver (5’10” 182 lbs). He has phenomenal athletic skill and talents to stretch a defense in his own right, but he’s more in that Julian Edelman jitter-bug receiver mold. Leading receiver Doug Baldwin runs about a 4.5 overall, but again he’s smaller (5’11 189 lbs) and relies upon a lot more guile and savvy than speed and out-muscling guys. Jermaine Kearse has good size (6’1” 209 lbs), but he plays at more like a 4.6 on the field. Though he’s had his share of big time receptions, Kearse has also had his share of drops over the years, has a tendency to get swallowed up by good coverage, AND is entering into the final year of his contract.
For many years now, I’d say that the Seahawks have been looking for a true X Receiver – someone with size who not only can both beat press coverage, but also run past opposing DB’s and make the big catch downfield. In the classic sense, an X Receiver is lined up out wide and needs to be a receiver who:
-Is good at beating press coverage (he’s probably going to need a measure of size and strength)
-Has quickness and elusiveness to get by and/or beat his man
-Has some speed and is a threat to go deep
The Seahawks have not truly had a receiver in that mold since Sidney Rice. Before we continue this conversation and how Amara Darboh fits into that category and where he fits in with the Seahawks, let’s return just for a second to our earlier SLA metric and see how Darboh matches up with the other receivers in this draft class …
As you can see, ranks #3 in terms of SLA in comparison to all the other receivers in this class. At 6’2” 214 lbs, he’s a fairly big guy who possesses excellent speed (4.45 in the 40) and elusiveness for a guy his size. Just for comparison’s sake …
Sidney Rice (6’4” 202 lbs) … ran a 4.51 in the 40 … 39.5” vertical … 119” broad jump
Amara Darboh (6’2” 214 lbs) … ran a 4.45 in the 40 … 36” vertical … 124” broad jump
While Rice had a bit better vertical, you can see that in every other facet, Darboh is both faster than he was and scored better in the broad jump. Pretty good for a guy who is 12 lbs heavier than Rice was.
Though he’s had some issues with focus drops and is a bit of a body catcher, Darboh also had a reputation throughout his time at Michigan for making big time receptions in clutch situations. You can see for yourself here one of Darboh’s biggest, in which he juked Marshon Lattimore (who most consider to be the #1 CB in this class and was just taken #11 overall by the Saints) and caught a game tying TD on 4th Down in Overtime as time was expiring. He’s a good blocker (something that’s a necessity in Pete Carroll’s system) and though many think he could struggle against press coverage in the NFL, I’ve seen him run with plenty enough toughness, so I personally believe that criticism’s a bit overblown. Although he lacks the sudden burst off the line (like Lockett has), I see Darboh eventually taking over Jermaine Kearse’s spot and role on this roster. He may not land a starting job this year and his impact might be only felt on special teams, I see Amara Darboh as a weapon that Russell Wilson is going to come to really like over time.
As far as the Division II receiver, David Moore is concerned that Seattle drafted in the 7th Round (#226 overall) out of East Central University in Oklahoma, I’m like most people in saying that I don’t know a ton about him other than what has already been reported. He has excellent overall size (6’0” 219 lbs) and ran a 4.43 (possibly 4.38) in the 40 according to John Schneider. They really love his combination of size, speed, and strength (26 reps of 225 lbs). Carroll was quoted in that article I just linked as saying, “We think that David is a stud of a receiver. He’s really fast and he’s really physical.” As is always the case, the 7th Round is where you draft guys like this. Consider him this year’s Jamison Konz. Only time will tell if he’s a washout like the Konz … or another 7th Round diamond in the rough like Ben Obomanu or Malcolm Smith.
Running Backs …
In the interest of mercy, I’ll do my best to shorten this section up. Coming into the 2017 Season, the Seahawks’ stable appears to be pretty full – to the point that it’s highly likely there won’t be a stall for Seattle’s latest young pony, Chris Carson (whom the Hawks drafted in the 7th Round #249 overall). With the running game struggling last year, the Seahawks went out and signed former Packer Eddie Lacey. He and Thomas Rawls will undoubtedly be locked in a battle for the starting job and the majority of the reps this season. C.J. Prosise (last year’s 3rd Round Pick) showed that he can be a dynamic change of pace back when given the chance, as he has both excellent receiving ability and bursts through the hole with great explosion and quickness. Then there’s guys in the mix like former Arkansas Razorback Alex Collins (last year’s 5th round choice), last year’s preseason fan favorite Troymaine Pope, to say nothing of George Farmer, and a host of other invitees like Terrance McGee.
So, what in the world see in Chris Carson? First of all, when they looked at him I think they saw a guy who runs with the kind of tenacity, power, and ferocious tackle breaking ability that they truly love. According to Pro Football Focus, Chris Carson had the best missed tackle rate in the 2017 RB class. He’s one who in the past his coaches challenged for being too soft. He obviously responded with a vengeance, as he now says that he enjoys running through contact. In a conference call, he told reporters, “I like to break tackles, get hard yards. I just like to make people miss and I’m not afraid of contact.” Obviously he does and he’s done it very well. Not only that, but he doesn’t put the ball on the turf either. In the 212 carries that he had during his time at Oklahoma State, he never fumbled once. With ball control something that Pete Carroll values highly, I can see that being something in him that they find very attractive. Looking at his highlight reel, Carson’s running style seems eerily reminiscent of a former Seahawks known for his toughness who just joined the Raiders. Whether or not he’s ultimately destined to become Beast Mode Jr or not, who can say at this point. I will say this though …
Alex Collins (5’10” 217 lbs) … 4.59 in the 40 … 18 Reps of 225lbs … 28.5” Vert … 113” Broad Jump
Chris Carson (6’0” 218 lbs) … 4.58 in the 40 … 23 Reps of 225lbs … 37” Vert … 130” Broad Jump
As you can see by the raw measureables alone, he’s a better overall athlete than Alex Collins. It’s better than that in fact, when you compare his overall athleticism to the rest of the RB’s in this draft class. Looking again at SLA, here is how Carson stacked up with the rest of this year’s draft class of RB’s and FB’s …
Chris Carson had the 3rd best SLA among RB’s and FB’s this year (and note who’s #1 on that list – Seahawks UDFA Algernon Brown). The main knocks on Carson is that he has a tendency to run too upright and that he lacks explosive playmaking potential in the minds of many experts, as he never had a run over 26 yards. Still, if he can show the same toughness he displayed in college … the ability to break tackles … and to be able to hold onto the ball … I think he could end up being a very tough player to cut. I think Alex Collins better come into camp in shape with the mindset that he’s out to prove what he can do. I know this – if I were him I’d certainly be looking over my shoulder.
Here are some general thoughts that run through my mind when I judge NFL Drafts as a whole …
1] As I mentioned yesterday, I have to kind of laugh a bit at the whole notion of grading these drafts right after the conclusion of the draft. I’ve been following the NFL Draft pretty closely since about 1990 and I’ve learned that you cannot truly evaluate how a team did for perhaps 2 or even 3 years down the line. Sure we can gain a sense based upon all available info up until this point, but until those players actually get on the field and steeped in an NFL system, you just can’t really come to any definitive conclusions.
2] When a team drafts a player, that move has to be understood and evaluated in context. What does the team itself already look like? What pieces are already there? How is that player that the team just drafted going to use him? What’s his role going to be? What are that player’s strengths and weaknesses -- how is the team going to put that player in the best position possible to maximize their talents and mask their weaknesses in order to best help the team?
3] What are the greatest weaknesses of the team as a whole? Where are the holes … and how does that player help to fill those?
4] What system does the team run and what are their overall philosophies? For example, if I’m a team (like the Seahawks) that loves to run the football and values tough, smash mouth, ram it down your throat ball … it wouldn’t make any sense to draft an offensive linemen who was more of a finesse player who was more of a pass protector and not really up for getting bloody.
So without further ado, let’s kick this off by taking a look at what most 12’s (me included) considered without a doubt THE #1 position of concern coming into this offseason – the Offensive Line …
Offensive Line …
I don’t think there are many 12’s out there who will disagree that Offensive Line has been this team’s Black Hole – a vortex that has swallowed up seemingly everything in its path (including Russell Wilson). Wilson got banged around and banged up behind that Offensive Line and the offense as a whole suffered until he began to get healed up. Seattle’s O-Line ended up allowing 42 sacks last year – 6th most in the league. Saying that’s got to improve is a huge Captain Obvious statement. 2016 also saw the Seahawks go through a bit of an identity crisis, as up until that point they had prided themselves on being a team that loved smash mouth football. They have historically been all about running the ball, controlling the clock, and wearing down opponents – all signature core values of Pete Carroll that he’s talked about and espoused on multiple occasions. All of that seemingly went out the window, as the Hawks simply could not put together any consistent running game. The Hawks run game ended the season ranked 25th overall in terms of yards gained from scrimmage (1591 yards). One thing’s for sure, unless we see overall improvement in the play of the Offensive Line, the run game is going to continue to sputter and Russell Wilson is at serious risk of getting killed.
Before we get into discussion about these draft picks, let’s focus on the pieces that were already here prior to the draft.
Not all was doom and gloom for the Seahawks O-Line last year, as C Justin Britt was named to the Pro Bowl as an alternate. Justin Britt should serve as a huge example for fans (myself included), who were ready to wash their hands of him after failed experiments at basically every other position along the line. The difference between failure and success in the NFL is most often times razor thin and can be attributed to a number of factors. A player that has sucked in the past … can suddenly become competent or even good by perfecting a new technique ... simply gaining knowledge and insights … or changing positions on the field. That’s certainly what Tom Cable and the Seahawks are hoping for from this young group. Heading into the 2016 season, the only returning starter (Britt was transitioning to Center, so can’t be lumped into that category), was Right Tackle Gary Gilliam (who just left in free agency for the 49ers – good luck with that). Everyone else – (Britt was new at Center, Mark Glowinski was a 1st year starter at LG, rookie German Ifedi at RG, George Fant at LT) – were brand new starters. This group certainly took their lumps, so hopefully the school of hard knocks taught these guys some lessons that they can take with them into this season. And I believe they have and that there are reasons for some optimism.
Many Seahawks.Netters have already discovered Coleman Crawford, who is a quickly rising star as far as breaking down and analyzing game film. He’s taken a look at a few offensive linemen for the Hawks and has some really good insights on their strengths, weaknesses, and how they project moving forward. One of the more encouraging bits of breakdowns of his was on George Fant. Fant’s quick feet and overall athleticism readily stand out on tape. He very clearly shows Fant’s skillset that the coaching staff is so excited about, his overall improvement, and argues quite convincingly (given time) that Fant can be the Left Tackle of the future. For a guy who hadn’t started a football game since Pee Wee Football and had NEVER played offensive line before in his life, that’s pretty fricking amazing.
BUT, Fant is going to need time … which may in fact be the reason why the Hawks went out there in Free Agency and signed Luke Joeckel. In Joeckel, people sometimes forget you have a guy who was at one time the 2nd player taken overall in the NFL Draft (2013). Joeckel has very good feet, is athletic, and moves around well.
Crawford’s tape breakdown on him is very good and he shows that more times than not, Joeckel actually did his job fairly well. Joeckel played mostly left guard for the Jags in 2016, but was drafted as a Left Tackle and has the skillset to play there. I personally believe we’ll either see him at Left Tackle this season (and give Fant a chance to continue learning the position) or at Left Guard this year.
I believe one of the bigger problems last year was starting Germaine Ifedi at Right Guard, after he had spent most of his time in college at Right Tackle. Ifedi has a tendency to stand too tall for a guard and since it appears that’s where his strengths and experience lie anyway, the coaching staff is going to give him a chance to compete for the starting Right Tackle spot in 2017.
Turning our attention towards the Draft, it’s important to gain an understanding for what it is that the Seahawks appear to value in terms of the kinds of players they tend to target. For those fans who keep up with player evaluation, it’s generally become understood that the Seahawks (and many other teams) value qualities such as size, length, athleticism, speed, power, etc. SPARQ has become one of those stats that has started to become recognized … but another that has perhaps become equally (if not more valued) – especially when it comes to looking at the kinds of players the Seahawks tend to like – is SLA (stands for Size, Length, and Athleticism). It’s an interesting metric developed by Ethan Young, that goes beyond SPARQ and factors in not just a player’s athleticism, but overall size and length as well. Our esteemed Rob Staton over at seahawksdraftblog.com has used SLA over the past couple of years in his workups to the draft.
Here are the top SLA scores for all offensive linemen (regardless of position) for this year’s draft class …
[Shout out to Endzorn for sharing this]
Now, I don’t know if the Seahawks use the SLA statistic specifically … but I’d wager they use something fairly close to it. And obviously the Seahawks (I think) consider more than just size, length, and athleticism when evaluating talent (experience, instincts, training in pro systems, production on the field, position versatility/flexibility, etc.) ALSO factor in heavily as well. Tom Cable has historically claimed that one of the biggest problems he experiences … is that offensive linemen coming out of college generally just aren’t trained for the pro game anymore and don’t come in with the requisite skills. Those that do come in come in with bad habits, so if you’re going to have to teach (or re-teach) everything anyway … you might as well find athletes and train them up. He’s not wrong and the Seahawks aren’t the only ones who are running into that problem. Linemen who BOTH have the measureables the Seahawks generally like … AND have the other aforementioned factors (experience, instincts, training in pro systems, production on the field, position versatility/flexibility etc.) are an extremely rare commodity indeed.
In the moments leading up to the #35 pick, I was calling for the Hawks to draft Forrest Lamp (#2 in SLA above) because of just that reason – his athleticism, his skillset, and his flat out dominant performances on the field against top level competition (i.e. Alabama). Athletic freak DT’s like Aaron Donald, Star Lotulelei, and Kawann Short have been able to blow up the Seahawks Offense by getting pressure right up the middle. So, why not counter that with an equally athletically gifted guard? That was my thinking.
The strange thing is that after much study, I think they may have gotten just that in Ethan Pocic. Pocic is a dominant run blocker with a nasty disposition who led all LSU linemen in knock down blocks (106) during his Senior Season last year. The previous year as a Junior, he was even better, as his 132.5 knockdowns not only lead the team … but were the most by any LSU linemen in a single season since 2010. He is smart, has very good hands, and just understands how the play the game. He’s been compared with Max Unger in terms of a player and the Seahawks really like the fact that he has experience at and can play all 5 positions on the football field. This is a solid pick-up and a guy who will be a solid fixture on that offensive line for this team somewhere. He definitely provides the team insurance if Britt chooses to leave after this season. The way I see it, I think that Tom Cable and the coaching staff gives Pocic the chance to nail down the starting RG spot this year.
Justin Senior, whom the Hawks drafted in the 6th Round (#210 overall), is a classic case of the kind of prospect that you take in the 6th and 7th Rounds. At 6’5” 331 lbs, he has good size, long arms (34”), and big hands (10”). He’s smart and comes from a zone blocking system, but he’s definitely a project, as at this point he has poor footwork and struggles with anchoring and walling off blockers.
Here is what Pro Football Focus had to say about Senior …
https://www.profootballfocus.com/draft-pff-scouting-report-justin-senior-t-mississippi-state/
Senior looks like he’s got potential as a possible Right Tackle, but he’s probably a couple of years away from being ready to competently compete on the football field.
As far as the rest of the Draft is concerned, I think a very natural question many fans are asking is, “If Offensive Line was THAT glaring of a weakness, why didn’t Seattle draft more linemen?” The answer to that is that we’ve been hearing that this draft class was considered to be one of the WORST draft classes in a long time for Offensive Linemen. I think that the fact that the very first linemen taken in the entire Draft was Garrett Bolles at #20 … and that only 2 linemen were selected in the entire 1st Round speaks to just that fact. Even in terms of quality depth, I think the Seahawks took a look at many these linemen in the draft … compared them to the guys already on their roster … and said to themselves that they had similar (or better players) in Mark Glowinski, Rees Odhiambo, Robert Myers, free agent signing Oday Aboushi, and Joey Hunt. And if you’re convinced that a Glowinski and/or an Odhiambo are as good or better prospects than the ones in the draft, then why go that route?
Wide Receivers …
If you’ve at all been following my posts, you’ll know that for YEARS now I’ve been campaigning for the Seahawks to bring in a quality WR who has both size and speed. One of the Seahawks Offense’s biggest weaknesses over the last several years is because of the lack of overall speed and size on the part of the wide receiving corps … opposing DB’s have been able to sit back and basically just keep everything in front of them. They haven’t had a whole lot of guys who truly scared them – put the fear in them that, “Oh no, we’ve got to watch it and not let this guy get past us!” That weakness right there has led Schneider and company to try to spend significant resources to try to address that in many ways. TE Luke Willson (6’5” 251lbs) is an athletic freak of nature with a ton of speed for a guy his size (he ran a 4.46 at his Pro Day at Rice) and who in theory could really stretch a defense. The problem with Willson has always been that while he can get open, he doesn’t always hang on to the ball on contested or difficult to make catches. The team traded Center Max Unger for All Pro TE Jimmy Graham (6’7” 265 lbs) with that same idea in mind – that he would be a guy who could put stress on opposing secondaries. He decent success in that venture overall, to the tune of 65 catches for 923 yards receiving (14.2 yards/reception) and 6 TD’s. Paul Richardson (6’0” 183 lbs) was supposed to be that speedster (ran a 4.37 at the combine), but he’s always struggled to stay on the football field due to health issues. He’s entering the final year of his contract, so we’ll see what happens with him in 2017 and beyond. As far as the rest of Seattle’s WR are concerned, Tyler Lockett has a lot of speed (4.40 in the 40) and quickness, but he’s a smaller receiver (5’10” 182 lbs). He has phenomenal athletic skill and talents to stretch a defense in his own right, but he’s more in that Julian Edelman jitter-bug receiver mold. Leading receiver Doug Baldwin runs about a 4.5 overall, but again he’s smaller (5’11 189 lbs) and relies upon a lot more guile and savvy than speed and out-muscling guys. Jermaine Kearse has good size (6’1” 209 lbs), but he plays at more like a 4.6 on the field. Though he’s had his share of big time receptions, Kearse has also had his share of drops over the years, has a tendency to get swallowed up by good coverage, AND is entering into the final year of his contract.
For many years now, I’d say that the Seahawks have been looking for a true X Receiver – someone with size who not only can both beat press coverage, but also run past opposing DB’s and make the big catch downfield. In the classic sense, an X Receiver is lined up out wide and needs to be a receiver who:
-Is good at beating press coverage (he’s probably going to need a measure of size and strength)
-Has quickness and elusiveness to get by and/or beat his man
-Has some speed and is a threat to go deep
The Seahawks have not truly had a receiver in that mold since Sidney Rice. Before we continue this conversation and how Amara Darboh fits into that category and where he fits in with the Seahawks, let’s return just for a second to our earlier SLA metric and see how Darboh matches up with the other receivers in this draft class …
As you can see, ranks #3 in terms of SLA in comparison to all the other receivers in this class. At 6’2” 214 lbs, he’s a fairly big guy who possesses excellent speed (4.45 in the 40) and elusiveness for a guy his size. Just for comparison’s sake …
Sidney Rice (6’4” 202 lbs) … ran a 4.51 in the 40 … 39.5” vertical … 119” broad jump
Amara Darboh (6’2” 214 lbs) … ran a 4.45 in the 40 … 36” vertical … 124” broad jump
While Rice had a bit better vertical, you can see that in every other facet, Darboh is both faster than he was and scored better in the broad jump. Pretty good for a guy who is 12 lbs heavier than Rice was.
Though he’s had some issues with focus drops and is a bit of a body catcher, Darboh also had a reputation throughout his time at Michigan for making big time receptions in clutch situations. You can see for yourself here one of Darboh’s biggest, in which he juked Marshon Lattimore (who most consider to be the #1 CB in this class and was just taken #11 overall by the Saints) and caught a game tying TD on 4th Down in Overtime as time was expiring. He’s a good blocker (something that’s a necessity in Pete Carroll’s system) and though many think he could struggle against press coverage in the NFL, I’ve seen him run with plenty enough toughness, so I personally believe that criticism’s a bit overblown. Although he lacks the sudden burst off the line (like Lockett has), I see Darboh eventually taking over Jermaine Kearse’s spot and role on this roster. He may not land a starting job this year and his impact might be only felt on special teams, I see Amara Darboh as a weapon that Russell Wilson is going to come to really like over time.
As far as the Division II receiver, David Moore is concerned that Seattle drafted in the 7th Round (#226 overall) out of East Central University in Oklahoma, I’m like most people in saying that I don’t know a ton about him other than what has already been reported. He has excellent overall size (6’0” 219 lbs) and ran a 4.43 (possibly 4.38) in the 40 according to John Schneider. They really love his combination of size, speed, and strength (26 reps of 225 lbs). Carroll was quoted in that article I just linked as saying, “We think that David is a stud of a receiver. He’s really fast and he’s really physical.” As is always the case, the 7th Round is where you draft guys like this. Consider him this year’s Jamison Konz. Only time will tell if he’s a washout like the Konz … or another 7th Round diamond in the rough like Ben Obomanu or Malcolm Smith.
Running Backs …
In the interest of mercy, I’ll do my best to shorten this section up. Coming into the 2017 Season, the Seahawks’ stable appears to be pretty full – to the point that it’s highly likely there won’t be a stall for Seattle’s latest young pony, Chris Carson (whom the Hawks drafted in the 7th Round #249 overall). With the running game struggling last year, the Seahawks went out and signed former Packer Eddie Lacey. He and Thomas Rawls will undoubtedly be locked in a battle for the starting job and the majority of the reps this season. C.J. Prosise (last year’s 3rd Round Pick) showed that he can be a dynamic change of pace back when given the chance, as he has both excellent receiving ability and bursts through the hole with great explosion and quickness. Then there’s guys in the mix like former Arkansas Razorback Alex Collins (last year’s 5th round choice), last year’s preseason fan favorite Troymaine Pope, to say nothing of George Farmer, and a host of other invitees like Terrance McGee.
So, what in the world see in Chris Carson? First of all, when they looked at him I think they saw a guy who runs with the kind of tenacity, power, and ferocious tackle breaking ability that they truly love. According to Pro Football Focus, Chris Carson had the best missed tackle rate in the 2017 RB class. He’s one who in the past his coaches challenged for being too soft. He obviously responded with a vengeance, as he now says that he enjoys running through contact. In a conference call, he told reporters, “I like to break tackles, get hard yards. I just like to make people miss and I’m not afraid of contact.” Obviously he does and he’s done it very well. Not only that, but he doesn’t put the ball on the turf either. In the 212 carries that he had during his time at Oklahoma State, he never fumbled once. With ball control something that Pete Carroll values highly, I can see that being something in him that they find very attractive. Looking at his highlight reel, Carson’s running style seems eerily reminiscent of a former Seahawks known for his toughness who just joined the Raiders. Whether or not he’s ultimately destined to become Beast Mode Jr or not, who can say at this point. I will say this though …
Alex Collins (5’10” 217 lbs) … 4.59 in the 40 … 18 Reps of 225lbs … 28.5” Vert … 113” Broad Jump
Chris Carson (6’0” 218 lbs) … 4.58 in the 40 … 23 Reps of 225lbs … 37” Vert … 130” Broad Jump
As you can see by the raw measureables alone, he’s a better overall athlete than Alex Collins. It’s better than that in fact, when you compare his overall athleticism to the rest of the RB’s in this draft class. Looking again at SLA, here is how Carson stacked up with the rest of this year’s draft class of RB’s and FB’s …
Chris Carson had the 3rd best SLA among RB’s and FB’s this year (and note who’s #1 on that list – Seahawks UDFA Algernon Brown). The main knocks on Carson is that he has a tendency to run too upright and that he lacks explosive playmaking potential in the minds of many experts, as he never had a run over 26 yards. Still, if he can show the same toughness he displayed in college … the ability to break tackles … and to be able to hold onto the ball … I think he could end up being a very tough player to cut. I think Alex Collins better come into camp in shape with the mindset that he’s out to prove what he can do. I know this – if I were him I’d certainly be looking over my shoulder.
