2024 NFL Draft

[River_Dog]

I thought it would be better if we had a separate thread just for the draft as a whole.

The amount of time they spent in the intro last night was ridicules. I faithfully tuned in at 5pm PT but it took them nearly 15 minutes before they actually announced the first pick, and most of the stuff they had wasn't of any interest to anyone who wasn't a Lions fan. If there is any team that's devoid of a notable history, it has to be the Detroit Lions. I've learned my lesson.

Five quarterbacks taken in the first 12 picks. That has to be a record. The most surprising pick has to be the Falcons selecting Michael Penix with the #12 selection. They just got through signing Kirk Cousins to a huge contract, and Penix wasn't projected to go that high.

The 2nd and 3rd rounds start at 4pm PT. Barring a trade, we don't pick until #81 overall, or 49 picks into this session, so we might as well not figure on tuning in for at least an hour.

[NorthHawk]

Too much BS before the start and during the event at times as well.
Penix is interesting as it was mentioned that it might have been an owner selection. If so, it relieves the pressure on the FO for taking him, but Cousins is coming off a major injury and nobody knows how well he will do so taking one of the
better passers might be a good long term move. Add to it Cousins is 36 I believe so he may pull the plug earlier than his contract might suggest. It will be good for Penix to learn how to play and study at the NFL level without the same pressure that other QBs will probably have.

I'm tuning in at 4pm because JS might just want to trade up for a player if someone they like falls into the mid to late 2nd round. As well it will be interesting to see what other teams are doing.

What I don't like about the draft broadcasts is in the later rounds where the so called experts are clowning around like some G rated Frat party when the only people watching are the true fans who want to know something about the player their team just selected or others that are still on the board, not to mention the probable Undrafted Free Agents who could be value signings.

[River_Dog]

Too much BS before the start and during the event at times as well.
Penix is interesting as it was mentioned that it might have been an owner selection. If so, it relieves the pressure on the FO for taking him, but Cousins is coming off a major injury and nobody knows how well he will do so taking one of the
better passers might be a good long term move. Add to it Cousins is 36 I believe so he may pull the plug earlier than his contract might suggest. It will be good for Penix to learn how to play and study at the NFL level without the same pressure that other QBs will probably have.

I'm tuning in at 4pm because JS might just want to trade up for a player if someone they like falls into the mid to late 2nd round. As well it will be interesting to see what other teams are doing.

What I don't like about the draft broadcasts is in the later rounds where the so called experts are clowning around like some G rated Frat party when the only people watching are the true fans who want to know something about the player their team just selected or others that are still on the board, not to mention the probable Undrafted Free Agents who could be value signings.

I can handle the in-between picks stuff, the live shots of players and their families, etc, but the pre-draft hoopla was too much for me to handle, especially this season, which seemed even more nonsensical than in years past.

At least the time between picks is only 7 minutes in the 2nd round vs. the 10 minutes in the first and drops to 5 minutes in the 3rd. I might have the TV on in the background in the event JS trades up, but I regard that likelihood with about as much probability of happening as getting struck by lightning.

[NorthHawk]

He’s traded up in the past with DK and Taylor so it’s not unheard of.

[c_hawkbob]

He’s traded up in the past with DK and Taylor so it’s not unheard of.

Yeah, the first pick is his usual trade down, beyond that anything is game.

[Stream Hawk]

What dimension are we living in now? I’m loving both of our first two picks. I’ve also heard of both of them! Haynes is seriously a legit road grader who was absolutely on top of my list.

[NorthHawk]

So far it’s been a building block draft as expected with a change in both Offensive and Defensive philosophies.

[River_Dog]

I got my wish. I wanted them to address the defense and the interior offensive line, and that's exactly what they've done with our first two picks.

But as I said earlier, I'm withholding my enthusiasm until I see the rubber hit the road.

[c_hawkbob]

Traded picks 102 & 235* for picks No. 121, No. 136, and No. 207.

[River_Dog]

Traded pick 102 for picks No. 121, No. 136, and No. 207.

It's a minor detail, but we're trading two picks, #102 and #235 for the three mentioned above:

Tom Pelissero at NFL Network has the details of the trade. Apparently they are sending pick Nos. 102 and 235 overall to Denver in exchange for Nos. 121, 136 and 207 overall.

https://seahawkswire.usatoday.com/2024/ ... ound-four/

Edit: I see you've corrected it. Sorry.

[c_hawkbob]

Yup, edited (details were incomplete initially).

[c_hawkbob]

Third pick is Tyrice Knight LB, UTEP.

Summary
Tyrice Knight is a good leader and communicator as a box linebacker. He is at his best reading the flow of the play and utilizing quick click and close to make plays in space. Knight occasionally gets sucked down into the box, and his lack of height means he loses sight of the ball-carrier and struggles to get off blocks. He has great quickness and is able to build speed quickly to finish plays.

About
2023: First-team All-Conference USA
2023: Led Conference USA with 140 tackles (4th in FBS)
Strengths
Good leader and communicator
Builds speed quickly, good quickness
Trusts his eyes
Good top-end speed
Massive wingspan
Weaknesses
Gets sucked into the box and struggles to get off blocks
9.7% missed tackle rate in 2023, per TruMedia
Shorter frame
Combine Data
40-yard dash: 4.63 seconds
Bench press: 21 reps
Vertical jump: 34.5 inches
20-yard shuttle run: 4.40 seconds
Broad jump: 9 feet, 11 inches
3-cone drill: 7.25 seconds

[c_hawkbob]

AJ Barner, TE, Michigan @ 121!

Summary
AJ Barner is a lengthy tight end prospect who is more effective working short to intermediate because of his lack of top-end speed. He has average hands but blocks with a sturdy base and knows how to seal lanes in the run game. Barner needs to do a better job of moving his feet when engaged in order to sustain blocks.

About
2023: 22 catches, 249 yards and 1 TD catch for CFP title winners
Career: 64 catches, 610 yards, 5 TD catches in 4 years (3 at Indiana, 1 at Michigan)
Strengths
Blocks with solid base and leverage inline
Good job sealing run lanes as an inline blocker
Snaps off route breaks on comebacks
Great length
Weaknesses
Limited to short to intermediate game due to lack of vertical speed
Needs to do a better job adjusting his hands to sustain blocks when engaged
Drifts too far into coverage
Average hands

[River_Dog]

Where are we at now, #130 and Spencer Rattler is still on the board? Any chance we take him at #136?

[Oly]

Loved, loved the first two picks. I was...less enthusiastic about Knight and Barner. I wasn't upset, but a blocking TE and an undisciplined/project LB didn't wow me.

And they still don't, but I think I'm starting to see what a JS and/or Macdonald draft type is. Look at both Knight and Barner (and certainly Haynes); they are enthusiastic about putting their hat on a guy. Barner won't be a matchup problem for a DC, but he'll sure as hell annoy DEs and LBs with his tenacity. From the little I've seen of Knight since the pick was announced, it seems that he's similar. Like an enthusiastic puppy who doesn't always take the best angles or make the right decisions, but has physical talent and will add to the identity of a defense that never slacks on a play and wants to hit a guy. These are glue players. Whether they're skilled enough to make a roster, who knows. Not many guys picked in this range have long careers. But as a coach you at least know that these guys will help build the right kind of culture, so I can absolutely see why Macdonald wanted them.

[c_hawkbob]

At 136 we take Nehemiah Pritchett, CB, Auburn:

Summary
Nehemiah Pritchett is a spindly outside CB with good height but short arms. Twitch is certainly there. Clicks and closes on in-breaking routes and comebacks with conviction. Tackling leaves a lot to be desired but will occasionally lay the lumber despite his lighter frame. Has enough speed to carry deep routes but not a pure blazer. Plenty of zone experience and demonstrated keen zone awareness. Some man-coverage ability too. Physical receivers can overwhelm him, and he isn't a mirroring master at this stage of his career. Tiny pass breakup radius hurts his overall ability to be productive, but he’s typically around the football.

About
Career: 3-year starter had 115 tackles, 5.5 TFL and 3 INT
2022: Team's DB of the year
Strengths
Good combination of man and zone ability
Light feet with good explosiveness
Plays the ball in the air with consistency
Weaknesses
Tackling leaves a lot to be desired
Doesn't have a speciality
Short arms
Combine Data
40-yard dash: 4.36 seconds
Vertical jump: 34.5 inches

Pretty typical Seahawks corner.

[c_hawkbob]

At 179 we take Sataoa Laumea G, UTAH!

Summary
Sataoa Laumea has played tackle but projects inside at the next level. He has a long wingspan that allows him to dictate action at the point of contact. He has good strength but can do a better job of moving his feet when engaged. Laumea has good first-step quickness and good eyes to handle stunts into his gap.

About
Four-time All-Pac 12 (first-team in 2022)
Career: 44 consecutive starts (19 at RG, 25 at RT
Strengths
Long wingspan
Good eyes to handle stunts in his gap
Good first-step quickness
Versatility having played both tackle and guard
Does a good job sealing run lanes
Weaknesses
Can do a better job of moving his feet to stay engaged
Pad level needs to be more consistent, plays high occasionally
Below-average recovery speed for a tackle
Combine Data
Bench press: 26 reps
Vertical jump: 26 inches
Broad jump: 8 feet, 8 inches

Admitting my Utes bias I'm a bit surprised he lasted this long, he could develop int a starting RG for us. Keep drafting fat! (that phantom point is looking better and better Sis!)

[c_hawkbob]

At 192 it's D.J. James CB, Auburn:

Summary
DJ James is a boundary cornerback with a more slender frame. He lacks the mass to hold up in run support and consistently re-route bigger receivers. James is a good communicator who shows good awareness in zone coverage. He has good top-end speed and longer arms that allow him to recover and be more competitive at the catch point.

About
2022: Second-team All-SEC
Career: 24 starts
Strengths
Good communicator and leader
Good awareness in zone coverage
Quick key and trigger downhill out of zone coverage
Weaknesses
Can do a better job of coming to balance in space to make a tackle
Lacks ideal mass to hold up in the run game
Lacks ideal mass to consistently re-route bigger receivers
Combine Data
40-yard dash: 4.42 seconds

[c_hawkbob]

At 207 another Guard prospect, Michael Jerrell, OL, Findlay ... never heard of him or his school, can't find much on him, yet.

[Oly]

At 207 another Guard prospect, Michael Jerrell, OL, Findlay ... never heard of him or his school, can't find much on him, yet.

Here's what Rob Staton had to say:

He worked out at the Ohio State pro-day and was said to have impressed more than the Buckeye linemen. He certainly tested better — putting up eye-catching numbers including 4.94 forty at 309lbs and a vertical jump of 32.5 inches. He took an official-30 visit to Seattle. He’s a major project with upside, who’ll come in so they can have a good look at him in camp. Based on his testing profile and potential, I had him as a round 6/7 player on my board.

https://seahawksdraftblog.com/live-blog-2024-nfl-draft-day-three-rounds-4-7

[c_hawkbob]

Cool, thanks Oly! Info on these Div 2 prospects can be hard to find.

[c_hawkbob]

Unless we trade back into the 7th round that should do it for us until time to sign UDFA's.

[NorthHawk]

It's funny that KC who already has Creed Humphrey at Center drafted another Center in the 5th round while we passed again on Centers. Apparently it's Humphrey's contract year and they want to be prepared if their Cap is too tight. Andy Reid understands that they need a good QB/Center relationship to have a successful year on Offense.

This must mean that they think we are set at C with Oluwatimi or they continue to think they can just throw anyone into that position and it will work. I hope Olu really is the answer.
I do like the selections of the interior OL that were made, though. It will make for good competition and some solid backups/development players.

[jshawaii22]

Considering the team removed every bit of "Pete" -- I don't see how we could be here after the draft and say, "wow that's just like Pete's drafts" --

I like the draft. Seems we went for good college kids, we haven't been accused by media of reaching or drafting kids who had been injured a lot. We didn't draft a RB, Receiver or a QB. That's sure is different.

After the draft I'm all in with our last pick. Some kid named Michael Jerrell. (if anyone had him in Bob's 3 round, they should be awarded the win)
He's 6' 5" and 295 and plays OT. Now, I read he started out as a basketball star and then added football where he started as a TE and then moved to tacle at some obscure college named Findlay and was named the lineman of the year in some obscure football conference. Good Luck with that.
I think the team sees him as a possible TE. His backstory is pretty interesting.

[Aseahawkfan]

This didn't look like a Pete draft to me. No strange trades. No focus on athleticism over production. Seemed like a solid, building block draft looking for players who are ready to go.

[River_Dog]

Considering the team removed every bit of "Pete" -- I don't see how we could be here after the draft and say, "wow that's just like Pete's drafts" --

I like the draft. Seems we went for good college kids, we haven't been accused by media of reaching or drafting kids who had been injured a lot. We didn't draft a RB, Receiver or a QB. That's sure is different.

After the draft I'm all in with our last pick. Some kid named Michael Jerrell. (if anyone had him in Bob's 3 round, they should be awarded the win)
He's 6' 5" and 295 and plays OT. Now, I read he started out as a basketball star and then added football where he started as a TE and then moved to tacle at some obscure college named Findlay and was named the lineman of the year in some obscure football conference. Good Luck with that.
I think the team sees him as a possible TE. His backstory is pretty interesting.

I don't know how differently this draft would have looked if Pete had been sitting in the war room, but for sure it looks a lot different without the inclusion of at least one RB or WR. Was it because we're so well stocked at those positions? Maybe, maybe not.

Now that the draft is in the books, the next big event, beyond the signing of UFDA's, the next big singular event, at least for me, will be the schedule release, which is anticipated to occur on May 9th.

[NorthHawk]

First off it was a bad class for RBs this year so and we already have 3 good ones so that should not have been a consideration in this draft. Two years from now I hope they draft a good RB to replace Walker or Charbonnet.
Second is it's another building block draft during a rebuild in the direction of the philosophies of the new coaching staff so on Offense the OL is top priority.
I think we could have used a WR mid round like Luke McCaffrey to take over from Tyler Lockett when he pulls the plug or is not re-signed but next year will provide another crop.
Still concerned about Center...

[River_Dog]

First off it was a bad class for RBs this year so and we already have 3 good ones so that should not have been a consideration in this draft. Two years from now I hope they draft a good RB to replace Walker or Charbonnet.
Second is it's another building block draft during a rebuild in the direction of the philosophies of the new coaching staff so on Offense the OL is top priority.
I think we could have used a WR mid round like Luke McCaffrey to take over from Tyler Lockett when he pulls the plug or is not re-signed but next year will provide another crop.
Still concerned about Center...

We didn't have a need at WR in 2020 either, but that didn't stop us from reaching for one with our first overall and one of just 4 picks in that draft.

I share your concern about the center position. As I said in another thread, I'm not sold on Olu.

[c_hawkbob]

I still like Olu's potential, and we may well have just drafted the guys to his immediate left an right to gel with. Don't sleep on that big Ute Laumea, he had no business still being on the board at 179! Plus adding that D2 prospect for competition I think we had a great day 3.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Not worried yet about Olu. He's a second year player who lost out and then backed up a guy with 24 nfl starts under his belt with 12 of those at C. That's not a knock on Olu. He's on the clock now though. Harris has been in the league since 2020 with not starts. He was also a fifth round pick (like Olu) and a year older than Olu. Harris was on watch lists for the Outland and Remington Trophies while Olu won both. First glance says Olu is the guy.

I don't have a problem with him not being named starter yet either. It's all young guys vying for that spot, so I expect there to be competition, and it's April.

[River_Dog]

Not worried yet about Olu. He's a second year player who lost out and then backed up a guy with 24 nfl starts under his belt with 12 of those at C. That's not a knock on Olu. He's on the clock now though. Harris has been in the league since 2020 with not starts. He was also a fifth round pick (like Olu) and a year older than Olu. Harris was on watch lists for the Outland and Remington Trophies while Olu won both. First glance says Olu is the guy.

I don't have a problem with him not being named starter yet either. It's all young guys vying for that spot, so I expect there to be competition, and it's April.

Most of Evan Brown's starts were at guard, and his performance at center for us last season was abysmal. PFF pegged Brown as 27th out of 36 ranked centers, which is about where they had our OL as a whole ranked. So while it's not a knock on Olu to have been a backup in that group, it's still a concern that he wasn't thought highly enough to see more action (he had offensive snaps in just 4 games) than he did given the way our OL and our center in particular were struggling.

I'm still stuck in neutral about Olu. We haven't seen enough of him to get a good read.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Most of Evan Brown's starts were at guard, and his performance at center for us last season was abysmal. PFF pegged Brown as 27th out of 36 ranked centers, which is about where they had our OL as a whole ranked. So while it's not a knock on Olu to have been a backup in that group, it's still a concern that he wasn't thought highly enough to see more action (he had offensive snaps in just 4 games) than he did given the way our OL and our center in particular were struggling.

I'm still stuck in neutral about Olu. We haven't seen enough of him to get a good read.

We’re roughly on the same page, with some differences.

I disagree on it being a concern. Evan had 12 starts at G and 12 at C. The 12 at C were all in his season prior to coming to Seattle, and half is not most. I’m merely stating that it’s no surprise someone with 24 nfl starts with half at C would beat out a rookie. They may very well have gone with experience regardless of Olu’s aptitude.

And I’ll emphasize my yet. I’m not concerned or worried until I see how it shakes out.

[River_Dog]

Most of Evan Brown's starts were at guard, and his performance at center for us last season was abysmal. PFF pegged Brown as 27th out of 36 ranked centers, which is about where they had our OL as a whole ranked. So while it's not a knock on Olu to have been a backup in that group, it's still a concern that he wasn't thought highly enough to see more action (he had offensive snaps in just 4 games) than he did given the way our OL and our center in particular were struggling.

I'm still stuck in neutral about Olu. We haven't seen enough of him to get a good read.

We’re roughly on the same page, with some differences.

I disagree on it being a concern. Evan had 12 starts at G and 12 at C. The 12 at C were all in his season prior to coming to Seattle, and half is not most. I’m merely stating that it’s no surprise someone with 24 nfl starts with half at C would beat out a rookie. They may very well have gone with experience regardless of Olu’s aptitude.

And I’ll emphasize my yet. I’m not concerned or worried until I see how it shakes out.

OK, I'll concede an error on my terminology. Evan Brown had 12 starts at center in 2021, 12 at guard in 2022. The point I was trying to make was that Brown was a journeyman who by this fall will have played on 6 teams in as many seasons, bouncing around on practice squads, etc. It's not like Olu was playing behind a long-established veteran starter. Evan Brown was a temporary fix and nothing more, as evidenced by the fact that we didn't bring him back this season despite the fact that he played in about 90% of the available offensive snaps last year.

I'm just not comfortable putting all our eggs in Olu's basket as we appear to be doing. I haven't seen any evidence that he's the solution to our years long problem at the position, and the fact that he didn't get more playing time with that rag-tag bunch last year is a bit of an eyebrow raiser. I would have liked to have seen us bring in someone to challenge him for the job.

Having said that, I'm still very happy with how we approached the draft. There was no way we were going to address every deficiency in one draft and still be able to go after the BPA.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

I think he’s being painted in too unfavorable a light. He’s a journeyman UDFA that worked his way up to getting significant starting time. It doesn’t really matter that he’s bounced around and wasn’t an established veteran on the Seahawks. Olu had 0 NFL starts. Brown had 24. That’s significant and ample reason to go with Brown over Olu last season. Agree he couldn’t be looked at as a long term solution. He didn’t outplay his one year deal and only got another one year deal from the cards. The brain trust would rather bank on youth potential than sign him again.

I haven’t seen it either; no one has. I think you already said there just wasn’t enough resources to go around to fix everything yet. Have to hope coaching and game plan can make Olu (preferably) or Harris viable. I feel like some are looking at it with gloom and doom when it just is. Got to do the best they can hope it’s enough.

[Aseahawkfan]

Big hit on Olu was size and strength to handle center at the NFL level. May be these criticisms that dropped him to the 5th round are well founded. Maybe he can't handle the size and speed of NFL defensive linemen. If he can't, he won't make it in the NFL as a C no matter how smart he is how well he knows the position.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Most definitely the question that he needs to answer. Can he be a Jeff Saturday or is he a Joey Hunt? Yes, I know Saturday is a 5 time pro bowler and had 12 seasons as the colts starter. He’s also a smaller center who found a way to succeed.

[River_Dog]

I think he’s being painted in too unfavorable a light. He’s a journeyman UDFA that worked his way up to getting significant starting time. It doesn’t really matter that he’s bounced around and wasn’t an established veteran on the Seahawks. Olu had 0 NFL starts. Brown had 24. That’s significant and ample reason to go with Brown over Olu last season. Agree he couldn’t be looked at as a long term solution. He didn’t outplay his one year deal and only got another one year deal from the cards. The brain trust would rather bank on youth potential than sign him again.

I haven’t seen it either; no one has. I think you already said there just wasn’t enough resources to go around to fix everything yet. Have to hope coaching and game plan can make Olu (preferably) or Harris viable. I feel like some are looking at it with gloom and doom when it just is. Got to do the best they can hope it’s enough.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on Brown. I'm probably biased because I'm still pissed that we didn't take one of the top centers last year when we had 4 picks in the top 52 to work with and instead went after the fantasy points with WR's and RB's then throw another band aid on the position by signing a player who had never earned an opening day start in his NFL career having done something similar the year before with Austin Blythe. We haven't properly addressed the center position ever since we traded Max Unger, and that has yet to change. But at least we're not giving the OL the Rodney Dangerfield award like we have in the past.

The rap on Olu is that he isn't a road grader, gets manhandled a lot in the running game, which was evident in his PFF rating last season. I'm not sure if that's coachable. But we'll see.

[River_Dog]

Big hit on Olu was size and strength to handle center at the NFL level. May be these criticisms that dropped him to the 5th round are well founded. Maybe he can't handle the size and speed of NFL defensive linemen. If he can't, he won't make it in the NFL as a C no matter how smart he is how well he knows the position.

That's kinda where I'm at, and one of the reasons why I was disappointed last year.

Olu is about the same height/weight as this season's #1 pick Byron Murphy, ie 6'1", 300 lbs. or thereabout. Murphy ran a 4.87 40 and had a 33" vertical leap. Olu ran a 5.38 40 and had a 29" vertical leap. That probably says more about Murphy than it does Olu, but it's a demonstration of what Olu's challenge is and what he needs to do to overcome it.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Not saying Brown was great or even good. Just that his experience quite possibly got him the start over Olu. Yeah, would have been nice to see a center earlier. It is pretty bad we haven't had stability there since Unger.

Olu definitely needs double teams at the first level. Having Bradford and New Haynes could help with that especially if Olu proves capable of making correct line calls.

[River_Dog]

Not saying Brown was great or even good. Just that his experience quite possibly got him the start over Olu. Yeah, would have been nice to see a center earlier. It is pretty bad we haven't had stability there since Unger.

Olu definitely needs double teams at the first level. Having Bradford and New Haynes could help with that especially if Olu proves capable of making correct line calls.

Just looking at PFF's grade on him, it would appear that there was more to his lack of playing time than being inexperienced. Olu has a clear shot at a starting job this season as they appear to have penciled him in as the starter. We only have one other true center on the roster so far, so we'll find out what he's made of.

Enough of our Olu debate, it's making me appear as a Debbie Downer. The more I look at this draft, the more I like it, especially our top 2 picks. I guess we know now why we traded for Sam Howell as there wasn't going to be a decent quarterback available at #16 and trading up probably wasn't a viable option. This was a good building block type of draft. Heck, if we play our cards right, we could be competing for a SB sooner than we think. At 9-8, we only need to flip 2-3 games and we're in the mix.

Our defense could really improve from last season. If Iwosu can rebound from his injury and perform to his 2022 season, if Dre Mont Jones can play like he did in 2022, put those two in with Murphy and Williams and suddenly we have a damn good front 4, which should help the linebacker play. Plus, there's guys like Hall and Riq Woolen that have high ceilings and could benefit from better coaching, and we have one of the best rookies last season in Witherspoon. Lots of 'if's', but there is a nice glass half full reason for optimism.