kearly
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Again, not always the picks I would make, but picks I think make the most sense from the perspective of our front office in the current offseason situation:
2nd round: Sly Williams, DT, North Carolina
3rd round: Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
4th round: Jordan Mills, T, Louisiana Tech
5th round: Denard Robinson, RB/KR/WR, Michigan
5th round: Joe Kruger DE/DT, Utah
6th round: Rodney Smith, WR, Florida State
7th round: Jakar Hamilton, FS, South Carolina St.
7th round: Vernon Kearney, CB, Lane
No linebacker?
I think there is a chance that Seattle might select Zaviar Gooden if he falls far enough, but I just didn't get the sense that Pete Carroll views weakside linebacker as a high priority in his combine presser. There was also an unconfirmed comment that Seattle might play Cliff Avril a bit at linebacker next season. That probably means giving him some reps as a Julian Peterson type SAM, which makes sense since Avril is used to playing on the strong side. It might also mean that Avril could be in the mix at the weakside. Only one linebacker in this draft has a better forty time than Avril's 4.51.
Pete did mention that he wanted to add competition at LB this offseason. Did Avril satisfy that? If not, then who? Gooden? There aren't very many fast linebackers this year. Also, the fact that he wants to find "competition" for 3 late round fodder LBs suggests he'll add another late rounder/UDFA guy. But again, who? Gooden probably isn't lasting into the round 5-7 range. That makes me think that Seattle might go for a UDFA at LB for a player that comes out of nowhere, possibly even a safety convert, as there are some big safties with speed out there (Cooper Taylor, etc). Or maybe they draft a big safety late and try the Chancellor at WILL experiment?
I just don't see Seattle drafting a LB early. Arthur Brown ran a 4.62 at his pro-day, and given how pro-day times are usually much faster, that probably equates to a 4.67 or 4.72 at the combine. Brown is fast on tape, but he also has some big holes in his game. I also think he's extremely unlikely to reach our pick. With the exception of SAM KJ Wright, Seattle has exclusively acquired linebackers that run in the 4.4 to 4.5 range from the draft process. This year there is just one of them: Zaviar Gooden. There are a few DE converts if you want to get creative (Cornelius Washington, Trevardo Williams, etc), but even they might be too slow for what Pete wants, as they ran a 4.55 and 4.57 respectively.
Remember last year when everyone outside of SDB was mocking Michael Floyd to the Seahawks? Seattle not only passed on Floyd, they passed on WR ten times before snagging a few in UDFA. JS went on the record after that draft saying he didn't think it was a good year for receivers. Essentially, they punted the WR priority for 2013, and obviously we know how that turned out when the bell sounded on free agency a couple days ago.
I see LB as a similar case. We don't NEED a WLB so much as we could use an upgrade, similar to our WR corps last year. This is a very weak LB class across the board but it is especially weak if you are looking for LBs who run in the 4.40 to 4.55 range. Pete Carroll's tone inferred that Seattle would seek competition but not an upgrade. I think it's pretty obvious given all these facts that Seattle is pretty likely to punt the upgrade at linebacker to 2014. Which given how naturally talented Smith/Morgan/Bradford are, might not be a bad thing at all.
No QB?
Probably in UDFA. Matt Scott sounds like a 2nd/3rd lock at this point, and once he's gone that's it for point guard / ZR type options. I guess I could see Tyler Wilson if he sinks like a rock, but JS really values hand size at QB and Wilson has the smallest hands in this QB group.
[youtube]Q_i83nxv84w[/youtube]
2nd round: Sly Williams, DT, North Carolina
If Alan Branch can't be retained, then getting a run stuffing 3-tech that can cover 1-tech and 5-tech should be a priority. Unlike pure 1-tech options like Jesse Williams, Sly Williams has a very quick first step and active hands. He had six sacks last season. He has a lot of natural power and might arguably be the best pocket collapser at this stage of the draft. Williams is projected as an early 2nd, but seeing him at #56 hardly would surprise me. There are so many 2nd round graded players that many will slide to #56 and beyond, and Williams strikes me as a realistic candidate since he's more of a solid, all-around player than a budding superstar.
Seattle signed Michael Bennett, but only 2 of Bennett's 9 sacks last year came from the 3-tech. I think he's more of a "classic" 5-tech that can play a little bit inside too, similar to Justin Tuck. He's not Red Bryant, but frankly, I think Pete Carroll needs to run screaming from the Red Bryant concept and Bennett gives him an excellent tool to do so. Bennett will probably play some 3-tech and some 5-tech, lowering Bryant's workload. There will be plenty of 3-tech reps to go around and Seattle needs a good run defense 3-tech option. Since the 3-tech often plays on the same side as the LEO, his ability to stop the run is crucial since the space between the 1-tech and the LEO means a 3-tech covers a lot of area alone.
In other words, "the Alan Branch 3-tech role" just became one of our bigger needs. Maybe we get Branch back. If we don't, I expect Sly Williams to top our DT wish list, and be a strong consideration at #56 should he last that long. Even if Branch is retained, I wouldn't be shocked with a Williams pick here since Branch is likely to remain a rental.
[youtube]shM3g5vK1Eg[/youtube]
3rd round: Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
Evan Moore and the basketball player from South America both proved that Seattle is looking for height at tight end. Escobar probably killed his stock some at the combine, but he's one of the better receiving TEs and he's 6'6". He'd be an ideal fit in a Joker type role, and a weapon in the red zone.
[youtube]ePixPUqXmVI[/youtube]
4th round: Jordan Mills, T, Louisiana Tech
Mills is a solid athlete with the kind of tenacity Tom Cable favors. Giacomini and McQuistan are free agents next season.
[youtube]40nR3qIbjr4[/youtube]
5th round: Denard Robinson, RB/KR/WR, Michigan
People are starting to figure out that Robinson is a RB, which I've been saying all along. He also had a vastly improved pro-day as a WR. People now think that Robinson could be a day 2 pick. Normally I'd agree with them, but in such a loaded draft, I could still see him reaching the 5th pick in the 5th round. I think Robinson would be a bigger priority than ever with the departure of Leon Washingon at 3rd down RB and potential departure of Golden Tate next offseason (UFA).
[youtube]NNUc_waKMrU[/youtube]
5th round: Joe Kruger DE/DT, Utah
Last year, Seattle signed a veteran DT and grab bagged young DTs with upside in the draft. This year, they signed a veteran DL and appear poised to grab bag once again. If you are looking for Jason Jones types, there are actually several of them out there in the mid rounds, but unfortunately most of them did not play DT in college, so there would be a learning curve. Many would have to add weight as well. Among the options- Lavar Edwards, Joe Kruger, Malliciah Goodman, John Simon, and perhaps Armonty Bryant. All of them require some creativity, but all of them have the potential to excel as a DE/DT hybrid.
Kruger looks quick on tape and ran a forty in the 4.80s. He's a shade under 270 pounds, but at 6'6", he could easily get up to 280. Since I named Edwards in my other mock, I figured I'd list Kruger here. Maybe Kruger doesn't last this long, but one of those five names will. Obviously, Kruger is a project at as a DT/DE tweener but I think he has the natural technique, length, and power to pull it off.
(gansta-rap alert)
[youtube]p-sZDv0W0s4[/youtube]
6th round: Rodney Smith, WR, Florida State
Seattle brought in Stephen Williams on a future's contract this season in the hopes that he might be their version of Danario Alexander. Stories like Alexander are rare though so I could see Seattle bringing in competition for the big/fast weapon WR role. I think Mark Harrison probably tops their wish list, but for the sake of variety I'll mention Rodney Smith, who at 6'4" is tied for being the tallest WR in the draft, and he runs a 4.51 forty time. He also has big hands and long arms.
Though he looks pretty skinny and you wouldn't want to see him taking a lot of big hits, he has surprising agility after the catch and can even make people miss with the ball in his hands. His combination of size, speed, and YAC potential could make him a late round priority target.
[youtube]ZIwYWNVOvR0[/youtube]
7th round: Jakar Hamilton, FS, South Carolina St.
No team in America is putting more defensive talent into the NFL this year than Georgia, and I'm guessing 2nd place is probably a distant one. Hamilton suffered an injury and ended up losing his job to two excellent safties (Baccari Rambo and Shawn Williams). Hamilton was forced to transfer so that he could play. Hamilton has fringe 1st round tools- standing 6'1" and running in the 4.4's. In the clip above you can really see his quickness too. Might be a potential draft steal, and really fits the kind of player that Seattle would notice.
[youtube]6bPjjnyaNpM[/youtube]
7th round: Vernon Kearney, CB, Lane
This is a pretty loaded year at CB, with dozens of them measuring 5'11" and over while running in the 4.4s and 4.5s.
Kearney is just a name out of a hat, but he shows the kind of talent that will still remain even in the 7th round. He's 6'1" and runs a 4.47 playing for a small school. At least in those areas, he's similar to Jeremy Lane. There are probably a half dozen other comparable talents at this stage, and Seattle will probably draft the one who gives them the best feeling with regards to competitiveness.
2nd round: Sly Williams, DT, North Carolina
3rd round: Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
4th round: Jordan Mills, T, Louisiana Tech
5th round: Denard Robinson, RB/KR/WR, Michigan
5th round: Joe Kruger DE/DT, Utah
6th round: Rodney Smith, WR, Florida State
7th round: Jakar Hamilton, FS, South Carolina St.
7th round: Vernon Kearney, CB, Lane
No linebacker?
I think there is a chance that Seattle might select Zaviar Gooden if he falls far enough, but I just didn't get the sense that Pete Carroll views weakside linebacker as a high priority in his combine presser. There was also an unconfirmed comment that Seattle might play Cliff Avril a bit at linebacker next season. That probably means giving him some reps as a Julian Peterson type SAM, which makes sense since Avril is used to playing on the strong side. It might also mean that Avril could be in the mix at the weakside. Only one linebacker in this draft has a better forty time than Avril's 4.51.
Pete did mention that he wanted to add competition at LB this offseason. Did Avril satisfy that? If not, then who? Gooden? There aren't very many fast linebackers this year. Also, the fact that he wants to find "competition" for 3 late round fodder LBs suggests he'll add another late rounder/UDFA guy. But again, who? Gooden probably isn't lasting into the round 5-7 range. That makes me think that Seattle might go for a UDFA at LB for a player that comes out of nowhere, possibly even a safety convert, as there are some big safties with speed out there (Cooper Taylor, etc). Or maybe they draft a big safety late and try the Chancellor at WILL experiment?
I just don't see Seattle drafting a LB early. Arthur Brown ran a 4.62 at his pro-day, and given how pro-day times are usually much faster, that probably equates to a 4.67 or 4.72 at the combine. Brown is fast on tape, but he also has some big holes in his game. I also think he's extremely unlikely to reach our pick. With the exception of SAM KJ Wright, Seattle has exclusively acquired linebackers that run in the 4.4 to 4.5 range from the draft process. This year there is just one of them: Zaviar Gooden. There are a few DE converts if you want to get creative (Cornelius Washington, Trevardo Williams, etc), but even they might be too slow for what Pete wants, as they ran a 4.55 and 4.57 respectively.
Remember last year when everyone outside of SDB was mocking Michael Floyd to the Seahawks? Seattle not only passed on Floyd, they passed on WR ten times before snagging a few in UDFA. JS went on the record after that draft saying he didn't think it was a good year for receivers. Essentially, they punted the WR priority for 2013, and obviously we know how that turned out when the bell sounded on free agency a couple days ago.
I see LB as a similar case. We don't NEED a WLB so much as we could use an upgrade, similar to our WR corps last year. This is a very weak LB class across the board but it is especially weak if you are looking for LBs who run in the 4.40 to 4.55 range. Pete Carroll's tone inferred that Seattle would seek competition but not an upgrade. I think it's pretty obvious given all these facts that Seattle is pretty likely to punt the upgrade at linebacker to 2014. Which given how naturally talented Smith/Morgan/Bradford are, might not be a bad thing at all.
No QB?
Probably in UDFA. Matt Scott sounds like a 2nd/3rd lock at this point, and once he's gone that's it for point guard / ZR type options. I guess I could see Tyler Wilson if he sinks like a rock, but JS really values hand size at QB and Wilson has the smallest hands in this QB group.
[youtube]Q_i83nxv84w[/youtube]
2nd round: Sly Williams, DT, North Carolina
If Alan Branch can't be retained, then getting a run stuffing 3-tech that can cover 1-tech and 5-tech should be a priority. Unlike pure 1-tech options like Jesse Williams, Sly Williams has a very quick first step and active hands. He had six sacks last season. He has a lot of natural power and might arguably be the best pocket collapser at this stage of the draft. Williams is projected as an early 2nd, but seeing him at #56 hardly would surprise me. There are so many 2nd round graded players that many will slide to #56 and beyond, and Williams strikes me as a realistic candidate since he's more of a solid, all-around player than a budding superstar.
Seattle signed Michael Bennett, but only 2 of Bennett's 9 sacks last year came from the 3-tech. I think he's more of a "classic" 5-tech that can play a little bit inside too, similar to Justin Tuck. He's not Red Bryant, but frankly, I think Pete Carroll needs to run screaming from the Red Bryant concept and Bennett gives him an excellent tool to do so. Bennett will probably play some 3-tech and some 5-tech, lowering Bryant's workload. There will be plenty of 3-tech reps to go around and Seattle needs a good run defense 3-tech option. Since the 3-tech often plays on the same side as the LEO, his ability to stop the run is crucial since the space between the 1-tech and the LEO means a 3-tech covers a lot of area alone.
In other words, "the Alan Branch 3-tech role" just became one of our bigger needs. Maybe we get Branch back. If we don't, I expect Sly Williams to top our DT wish list, and be a strong consideration at #56 should he last that long. Even if Branch is retained, I wouldn't be shocked with a Williams pick here since Branch is likely to remain a rental.
[youtube]shM3g5vK1Eg[/youtube]
3rd round: Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State
Evan Moore and the basketball player from South America both proved that Seattle is looking for height at tight end. Escobar probably killed his stock some at the combine, but he's one of the better receiving TEs and he's 6'6". He'd be an ideal fit in a Joker type role, and a weapon in the red zone.
[youtube]ePixPUqXmVI[/youtube]
4th round: Jordan Mills, T, Louisiana Tech
Mills is a solid athlete with the kind of tenacity Tom Cable favors. Giacomini and McQuistan are free agents next season.
[youtube]40nR3qIbjr4[/youtube]
5th round: Denard Robinson, RB/KR/WR, Michigan
People are starting to figure out that Robinson is a RB, which I've been saying all along. He also had a vastly improved pro-day as a WR. People now think that Robinson could be a day 2 pick. Normally I'd agree with them, but in such a loaded draft, I could still see him reaching the 5th pick in the 5th round. I think Robinson would be a bigger priority than ever with the departure of Leon Washingon at 3rd down RB and potential departure of Golden Tate next offseason (UFA).
[youtube]NNUc_waKMrU[/youtube]
5th round: Joe Kruger DE/DT, Utah
Last year, Seattle signed a veteran DT and grab bagged young DTs with upside in the draft. This year, they signed a veteran DL and appear poised to grab bag once again. If you are looking for Jason Jones types, there are actually several of them out there in the mid rounds, but unfortunately most of them did not play DT in college, so there would be a learning curve. Many would have to add weight as well. Among the options- Lavar Edwards, Joe Kruger, Malliciah Goodman, John Simon, and perhaps Armonty Bryant. All of them require some creativity, but all of them have the potential to excel as a DE/DT hybrid.
Kruger looks quick on tape and ran a forty in the 4.80s. He's a shade under 270 pounds, but at 6'6", he could easily get up to 280. Since I named Edwards in my other mock, I figured I'd list Kruger here. Maybe Kruger doesn't last this long, but one of those five names will. Obviously, Kruger is a project at as a DT/DE tweener but I think he has the natural technique, length, and power to pull it off.
(gansta-rap alert)
[youtube]p-sZDv0W0s4[/youtube]
6th round: Rodney Smith, WR, Florida State
Seattle brought in Stephen Williams on a future's contract this season in the hopes that he might be their version of Danario Alexander. Stories like Alexander are rare though so I could see Seattle bringing in competition for the big/fast weapon WR role. I think Mark Harrison probably tops their wish list, but for the sake of variety I'll mention Rodney Smith, who at 6'4" is tied for being the tallest WR in the draft, and he runs a 4.51 forty time. He also has big hands and long arms.
Though he looks pretty skinny and you wouldn't want to see him taking a lot of big hits, he has surprising agility after the catch and can even make people miss with the ball in his hands. His combination of size, speed, and YAC potential could make him a late round priority target.
[youtube]ZIwYWNVOvR0[/youtube]
7th round: Jakar Hamilton, FS, South Carolina St.
No team in America is putting more defensive talent into the NFL this year than Georgia, and I'm guessing 2nd place is probably a distant one. Hamilton suffered an injury and ended up losing his job to two excellent safties (Baccari Rambo and Shawn Williams). Hamilton was forced to transfer so that he could play. Hamilton has fringe 1st round tools- standing 6'1" and running in the 4.4's. In the clip above you can really see his quickness too. Might be a potential draft steal, and really fits the kind of player that Seattle would notice.
[youtube]6bPjjnyaNpM[/youtube]
7th round: Vernon Kearney, CB, Lane
This is a pretty loaded year at CB, with dozens of them measuring 5'11" and over while running in the 4.4s and 4.5s.
Kearney is just a name out of a hat, but he shows the kind of talent that will still remain even in the 7th round. He's 6'1" and runs a 4.47 playing for a small school. At least in those areas, he's similar to Jeremy Lane. There are probably a half dozen other comparable talents at this stage, and Seattle will probably draft the one who gives them the best feeling with regards to competitiveness.
