Max Unger and 1st for Jimmy Graham and 4th round pick

[jblaze]

We need to go get WR Kenny Britt and call it a day. Baldwin in the slot, Kearse and Britt outside with Graham up the seam, yes please!

In reality, we probably draft another 2 WR's this year.

 

[DavidSeven]

I don't love the fact that we surrendered a 1st yet again. It seems like we're routinely handing out high round picks while other teams are getting "name" players for 3rd/4th/5th/6th round picks. If Graham is truly worth a 1st to New Orleans, then they just wouldn't trade him.

They have a huge need at center and likely have an inflated opinion of Max Unger. Saints fans love this trade. From their perspective it's a nice haul for them, not a case of them selling low.

I agree. I think they made out well. I'm just saying I'm surprised Seattle had to give up a 1st yet again. NO is obviously blowing things up, which suggests Graham could've been had for a lesser pick. If a team truly values a guy as a "1st rounder" then they usually don't shop him around. They just keep him. The very fact that he was shopped suggests he was worth less to them than a 1st.

We seem to be the only team willing to hand out 1st round picks for players who are being shopped. Meanwhile, the Jets get Brandon Marshall for a 5th (I know he's a couple years older, but still...). The only thing I will question about JS is his ability to negotiate in terms of draft comp. We routinely give up a lot (e.g. Whitehurst, Harvin, Graham, even Burley) and get very little when we're receiving picks (Flynn, Harvin, etc.). Meanwhile, teams like SF routinely make off like bandits in this department.

 

[kearly]

I agree. I think they made out well. I'm just saying I'm surprised Seattle had to give up a 1st yet again.

From a moneyball perspective, it makes sense to deal away late 1st round picks. In nearly all drafts, a late first round pick is in the same talent tier as a mid-to-late 2nd round pick. And yet it has the sheen of a '1st round pick', so it commands much more as a trade chip than a 2nd rounder would.

Further, Seattle's history of drafting with late 1sts is pretty terrible. Though it will hurt if Devin Smith is there at #31 (I'm guessing he'll be long gone).

Also, it's not just draft picks that are considered in trades. Salary is a huge consideration, and JS himself has said that the team views draft picks and cap hit as being interchangeable. (The net APY cap raise from this deal was only $4.6 million. Pretty nice.)

The reason Detroit gets a guy like Ngata for a 4th + 5th or SF gets Boldin for a 6th is because they trade for their big contracts too. Both players would have likely been cap casualties had they not been traded.

Seattle is into these kinds of trades too. For example, they nearly pulled off a 2013 in-season deal for Jared Allen for a mid-round pick. In 2014, they tried to get Vincent Jackson for presumably a lot less than a 1st. In both cases, the selling point of the trade negotiation was salary relief for the selling team.

 

[Seanhawk]

I think being jealous of SF in any way at this juncture is ludicrous.

 

[theincrediblesok]

Jimmy Graham doesn't care about his shutout article (He had two shutout last year)

"For me, it's all about the W's. I don't care if it's zero catches, 10 catches or 20, as long as we win," insisted Graham"

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000437352/article/jimmy-graham-doesnt-care-about-his-shutout

 

[kobebryant]

I don't love the fact that we surrendered a 1st yet again. It seems like we're routinely handing out high round picks while other teams are getting "name" players for 3rd/4th/5th/6th round picks. If Graham is truly worth a 1st to New Orleans, then they just wouldn't trade him.

They have a huge need at center and likely have an inflated opinion of Max Unger. Saints fans love this trade. From their perspective it's a nice haul for them, not a case of them selling low.

I agree. I think they made out well. I'm just saying I'm surprised Seattle had to give up a 1st yet again. NO is obviously blowing things up, which suggests Graham could've been had for a lesser pick. If a team truly values a guy as a "1st rounder" then they usually don't shop him around. They just keep him. The very fact that he was shopped suggests he was worth less to them than a 1st.

We seem to be the only team willing to hand out 1st round picks for players who are being shopped. Meanwhile, the Jets get Brandon Marshall for a 5th (I know he's a couple years older, but still...). The only thing I will question about JS is his ability to negotiate in terms of draft comp. We routinely give up a lot (e.g. Whitehurst, Harvin, Graham, even Burley) and get very little when we're receiving picks (Flynn, Harvin, etc.). Meanwhile, teams like SF routinely make off like bandits in this department.

Late 1s can be a powerful trade chip, and JS doesn't seem to be particularly fond of them (and often that is for good reason). In this draft, about 20 to the end of the 2nd seems to all be guys of similar quality depending on what you want.

 

[DJrmb]

Also do not forget that this also helps us keep a likely 3rd round compensatory pick next year. Something we likely would not get if we had signed J. Thomas or Jordan Cameron...

 

[dontbelikethat]

I think being jealous of SF in any way at this juncture is ludicrous.

They're making moves!

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mortreport/status/575495124098023424[/tweet]

 

[5_Golden_Rings]

Center is important, but tpuchdowns in the redzone are even more important. That's what you get with Graham. Those constant red zone fgs become touchdowns.

 

[hawkfan68]

This is sort of like supply and demand.....there are more solid centers that can be had than prolific TEs. The supply for these guys is high and demand is low, a prolific TE the demand is high and supply is low. This draft has some really good centers in it - Grasu, Dismukes, Gralik, Cameron Erving can be moved to center, Finney, etc. I'm sure the Seahawks staff will fill the void with someone who will be solid. Hey who thought they would bring in Graham...they did. These guys are full of surprises!

 

[Threedee]

The Seahawks discovered how to shut Jimmy down via heavy contact at the line. Luckily, no one else ever could mimic that, so I guess I'm happy with the trade. It seems like a shift in philosophy, because Pete used to love Miller for being an elite blocking TE. I'm curious to see where we go with this shift.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

ESPN thinks we get multiple draft picks, Jimmy Graham, AND Max Unger.

Now this trade I can get behind! The trade is growing on me, but I still don't like it. I think we gave up too much in return for what we needed.

 

[ImTheScientist]

ESPN thinks we get multiple draft picks, Jimmy Graham, AND Max Unger.

Now this trade I can get behind! The trade is growing on me, but I still don't like it. I think we gave up too much in return for what we needed.

Lol... How does that crow taste?

 

[Sarlacc83]

This is a ballsy move. Really ballsy.

And now Graham has to practice against Kam. That should toughen him up.

 

[DJrmb]

Ranked as the 10th best player in the entire league by his peers (And the #1 TE). Meet your new Seahawks #1 Receiver Jimmy Graham:

[youtube]IZoNFSPpvas[/youtube]

 

[olyfan63]

People mention Lemuel Jean-Pierre, and I'm a fan of LJP for sure, but, after learning the O, Patrick Lewis beat him out for the starts when Unger was out injured. PC and JS must really like Patrick Lewis and feel he's not that big of a step down, and with LJP around, we have a capable backup C as well.

I love this trade from the Seahawks point of view.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

ESPN thinks we get multiple draft picks, Jimmy Graham, AND Max Unger.

Now this trade I can get behind! The trade is growing on me, but I still don't like it. I think we gave up too much in return for what we needed.

Lol... How does that crow taste?

Crow? The man hasn't even been assigned a number here yet. Not sure how you think that's "eating crow". This trade, like I said, could be the next coming of Bobby Engram. Or it could be us stuck with an over-paid problem child while we watch some young superstar wide receiver who was drafted #31 overall set records for the Saints.

Or maybe you didn't read the quoted text and missed the tongue-in-cheek nature of my first sentence as it sailed past your head.

 

[PlinytheCenter]

This is a ballsy move. Really ballsy.

And now Graham has to practice against Kam. That should toughen him up.

Yes! That is key!

 

[Hawks46]

If you want to utilize Jimmy Graham correctly you have to allow him time to run a route and get open. The problem of having less than adequate time for Russell to throw is only going to be enhanced by Unger (and Carpenter) not being in the mix. While it's awesome to have a guy of Graham's receiving ability in this offense unless they now somehow address the offensive line in a major way I don't like this move at all.

Good insight on Graham and route running, but honestly...

complaining about losing Carpenter and relating that to Wilson not getting enough time to pass is like:

complaining about Bevell not being creative enough and then relating that to wanting him to come up with some cute calls

Carpenter and Sweezy are our two very worst pass protecting OLmen. If you're worried about pass protection, put Bailey in there. He'll instantly upgrade pass pro from that spot.

 

[Hawks46]

I LOVE this trade.

Graham is soft. So what? The guy is basically a 6'7" slot WR who is nails in the red zone.

It's not like Willson's Dick Butkus.

Matthews is soft too. Really, the only WR/TE on the current team I'd say is a tough player is Baldwin, and maybe Kearse.

Funny thing is, the least soft WR/TE we've had the last few years was probably Harvin. Being a dirtbag isn't always a good thing.

Not to be contrary, but Richardson doesn't play soft. It surprised a lot of us this year, for a smaller guy, he blocks with gusto and was good at catching the ball in traffic.