Next up: the draft

[RiverDog]

Pete Carroll and John Schneider came in and made 200+ roster moves and managed to win the wild card against an 11-5 team their first season. Second season was a miss, but 3rd season was another WC win and a very close loss to Atlanta the the 4th season was an all the way.

Last year’s roster was much better than the 2010 roster. This team is no where near the type of rebuild that was undertaken back then.

Meh. I don't see an Earl Thomas or Kam Chancellor on this roster. Our two corners have a chance to equal or better Sherman and whoever else lined up opposite him, ie Browner, but our linebackers can't compare with Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright, and LeRoy Hill. Plus there's no Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, or Chris Clemmons on our DL.

On offense, Geno couldn't hold Russell Wilson's jock strap and Kenneth Walker is no Beast. There's a clear advantage at WR, but I don't see a Zach Miller at tight end. Cross has a ways to go to get to Okung's level of play, and we had Max Unger in the center of the OL. Today's center is fill in the blank.

So no, this team isn't even close to what Pete and JS built a distant 13 years ago.

[Aseahawkfan]

Meh. I don't see an Earl Thomas or Kam Chancellor on this roster. Our two corners have a chance to equal or better Sherman and whoever else lined up opposite him, ie Browner, but our linebackers can't compare with Bobby Wagner, KJ Wright, and LeRoy Hill. Plus there's no Brandon Mebane, Red Bryant, or Chris Clemmons on our DL.

On offense, Geno couldn't hold Russell Wilson's jock strap and Kenneth Walker is no Beast. There's a clear advantage at WR, but I don't see a Zach Miller at tight end. Cross has a ways to go to get to Okung's level of play, and we had Max Unger in the center of the OL. Today's center is fill in the blank.

So no, this team isn't even close to what Pete and JS built a distant 13 years ago.

We have better Offensive Tackles that 13 years ago and better receivers. Different type of team, but building towards something good if this class works out.

You been wanting this many offensive weapons for years with a decent O-line. That's what we have now. Two great tackles. Two great receivers. Goods starting RB. Promising WR and RB in the draft. Offense has more weapons than it had 13 years ago.

[tarlhawk]

JS and PC took over in 2010 and we won the SB in 2013. RW left us in Mar 16 of 2022...so if we are making comps...we should win the SB in 2025. This years schedule is tougher than last years (unless the rest of the NFC West implodes). This was another strong draft as was the 2020 draft and last years draft. Our teams roster talent is very much improved and very few pundits are laughing at us openly like when they sneered immediately after the trade. Some very painful cuts will accompany our next cut down to 53 prior to kicking off the 2023 season.


Actual respect will result in an inability to "sneak up" on anyone in 2023 but our team's culture and coaching are strong intangibles to add to an improved roster that has gotten even younger. The NFL has bloomed as a passing league with an emphasis on Offense over Defense and our offense is making major strides in potential and performance.


Our goal was a more dynamic stronger tackling defense. The 5 Free agents added to our Defense are "prime" examples of that commitment.
Bobby Wagner 140 tackles/ 2 missed tackles...Julius Love 124T/ 5MT...Devin Bush 81T/ 1MT...Jarran Reed 52T/ 2MT and Dre'Mont Jones 34T/ 4MT
Our secondary was already much improved and now we added Devin Witherspoon who offers "sticky" coverage similar to Sauce Gardner impact based on final college seasons. Sauce/DJ Reed meet Tariq/Spoon. Diggs/Love hold down safety snaps until Jamal Adams can add his impact.

[obiken]

FA ends in July, I wonder if anyone is left. I know Ezekiel Elliot, we could always use another RB!! lol

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

We didn’t know what they built until it was established unless you knew for a fact Bobby, KJ, Sherman, Wilson, and Chancellor were going to turn into what they did. I’m not looking at the current state of the team through the lens of what they became by the time they made their two Super Bowl runs. Noting that JS and PC have been here before and started with less than what they have now.

[Aseahawkfan]

It seems it's easier to find LBs with lower round picks. Bobby was a second rounder. KJ Wright a 4th rounder.

CBs like Witherspoon always go high. Edge rushers are always hard to find, so we been using the shotgun approach to build rushers to keep relentless pressure. Hopefully this group starts to form into a good pressure group with Taylor finally coming into his own, Nwosu continuing, Mafe developing, and now Derick Hall added to the group. Nwosu and Taylor combined for 19 sacks last year. Now a developing Mafe and this relentless Derick kid and this group could keep on going, especially with our corners Tariq the Freak and Witherspoon holding it down.

Just need some of the fat boys to do the the job at the line and we could be rocking on defensive next year.

Now we got three WRs and two young RBs.

I don't know. This all looks pretty good to me.

Next year be a perfect year for adding some LBs and maybe take a swing at a later round QB. We shall see.

I'm definitely excited to see how this new secondary does.

[tarlhawk]

Our 2nd round selections in 2022 Boye Mafe and Kenneth Walker III are "lightning in a bottle" with Mafe expected to "make the leap" in his "soph year". Our 2023 draft attempted to "repeat" the 2022 magic and yielded Derick Hall (a speed/power edge lacking strong "counters") and Zach Charbonnet ( another strong tackle breaking running back).


Our "front 7" currently has Darryl Taylor (OLB/Edge) Dre'Mont Jones (3T) Myles Adams (NT) Jarran Reed (Big DE) Uchenna Nwosu (OLB/Edge) backed by our two off-ball linebackers (Bobby Wagner/Devin Bush). This group is supposed to generate QB heat while shutting down the rush option. Aiding this years pass rush emphasis will be BT Jordan a "Pass Rush Specialist" coach who prior to his hiring has gained renown recently in "coaching up" NFL players (hired away from Michigan State University). Jordan joined the (MSU) program last year as a very highly touted NFL trainer, coaching the likes of Chandler Jones, T.J. Watt, Von Miller among many others.

Backing up our front seven is Boye Mafe/Bryan Mone( inj repl-CAMeron Young*rookie*)/Mike Morris *rookie*/Derick Hall *rookie*/Jordyn Brooks (inj...repl-Vi Jones/Jon Rhattigan. No real replacement yet at Dre Jones 3T spot...and still light in NT rotation candidates.


Wags and Devin Bush are sure tacklers (Wags 2 missed tackles with 140 tackles last year while Devin Bush missed one tackle with 81 tackles) who have sideline to sideline range and gap discipline when "kept clean *not washed out by pulling guards or C/G leaking up to 2nd level LB territory*. Bobby Wagner is heavier and not as prone to being washed out as Devin Bush. Vi Jones is our "sleeper" off -LB role player. Go Hawks

[NorthHawk]

Wagner doesn't seem to have the range he once did, but in a 3-4 he's an ILB and although it's nice to have, it isn't as necessary as being a MLB.
We have to temper our hopes by keeping in mind that DL usually take a couple or more years to really be the players that we thought they would be when drafted. The best interior DL today weren't that effective their rookie years and some not that good their 2nd years but now are dominant. What we need to see is for them to show early some flashes that show the ability to play at the NFL level is there but needs to develop and be refined. Technique is a huge part of it and that takes practice and experience.

We still need the QBOTF and Schneider said they tried to trade down to get more ammo for next years draft but a trade wasn't there to make.

So how does this team look? On paper a lot of talent has been added.

Offense:
Strong at WR
Strong at RB
Strong at OT
Suspect at IOL - maybe untested is a better term
Average at QB

Defense:
Medium solid. Lots of bodies at Safety but the salary load might have to be addressed to get to the Cap.
Strong at CB
Possibly strong at LB, but unknown at this point as a unit.
Some strength at DE - again some unproven talent
Fairly strong at DT
Unproven at NT

So at this point, as a team, we are strong on the edges but a bit suspect up the middle. Maybe we will be pleasantly surprised this year.

[tarlhawk]

Nice breakdown NorthHawk on your team assessment. I view Geno as a bit more than "average" based on the schemes being used by Shane Waldron to "maximize" Geno's play strengths. As a 2022 assessment I think we "faded" as a team that injected a lot of rookies not used to the pacing to get through a full NFL season and the ever present use of modern film study by opponents identifying our designed play strengths.

[Hawktawk]

I would have liked a high quality DT to be available at 5, but Jalen Carter looked like snakeoil to me. Glad we didn't take him. If a better DT had been available, doubt he would have lasted until 5. We took the best guy available at 5. Witherspoon looks like a Seattle secondary player.

Not sure bout Njigba because he is a one year wonder near as I can tell. But it was a hell of a year. He does look like an amazing player when healthy. It is risky taking a guy with one healthy full year under his belt. He'll either be a steal or an injury bust in my opinion. We'll see how much he wants to make it in the NFL.

Derick had Seahawk written all over him. Only way he fails is lack of talent or injury. That dude doesn't know the word quit. He looks as physical as they come. That guy is going to give us everything he's got all the time. If he has the talent to make it at the NFL level, he's going to make it.

Charbonnett looked like a solid add to the RB room.

4th round and later players are usually depth at best. Not expecting much from these players. If one or two work out, that will be great.

Im in agreement with Carter. I really liked him till the conditioning issue, thought he might still be a good pick till the Georgia coaching staff started leaking stuff about his attitude etc. I think he came off some boards then although Philly seemed quite interested. Heard him described as most likely to have an impact his rookie year but also 2 analysis of our draft as one of if not the best. Happy man other than as you say no hog in the middle and a a bit concerned with the lighter center. Hunt killed us last year getting bull rushed .

I feel excellent overall.

[NorthHawk]

Nice breakdown NorthHawk on your team assessment. I view Geno as a bit more than "average" based on the schemes being used by Shane Waldron to "maximize" Geno's play strengths. As a 2022 assessment I think we "faded" as a team that injected a lot of rookies not used to the pacing to get through a full NFL season and the ever present use of modern film study by opponents identifying our designed play strengths.

I said average for Geno because we don't know which Geno we are going to get. The first half year Geno was excellent, the second half year was average. If his luck runs out with dropped INTs and he's back to the league average then he will be the average Geno. So it's a conservative evaluation.

[NorthHawk]

Im in agreement with Carter. I really liked him till the conditioning issue, thought he might still be a good pick till the Georgia coaching staff started leaking stuff about his attitude etc. I think he came off some boards then although Philly seemed quite interested. Heard him described as most likely to have an impact his rookie year but also 2 analysis of our draft as one of if not the best. Happy man other than as you say no hog in the middle and a a bit concerned with the lighter center. Hunt killed us last year getting bull rushed .

There was a comment from one of the coaches that almost the only guy Carter respected and listened to was Jordan Davis. He pretty much blew others off, and since Davis is on the Eagles, maybe he can have a real productive career. But he has to have the wanna. He's got to wanna work out. He's got to wanna practice his techniques and learn new moves. He's got to wanna be the best he can be.
If it doesn't work out in Philly for him, he'll just be another footnote in NFL history.

[Hawktawk]

Nice breakdown NorthHawk on your team assessment. I view Geno as a bit more than "average" based on the schemes being used by Shane Waldron to "maximize" Geno's play strengths. As a 2022 assessment I think we "faded" as a team that injected a lot of rookies not used to the pacing to get through a full NFL season and the ever present use of modern film study by opponents identifying our designed play strengths.

“Northhawk
I said average for Geno because we don't know which Geno we are going to get. The first half year Geno was excellent, the second half year was average. If his luck runs out with dropped INTs and he's back to the league average then he will be the average Geno. So it's a conservative evaluation.[/quote]

It’s a fair question . His excellent first 9 games were enough to allow him to lead the league in comp% and the conference in TD passes . His 11 picks were bottoms third in the league but most in the second half of the season . But this dropped interception stuff is stupid . Purdy bounced 3 off Seattle alone . It happens . A play before throwing the GWTD vs Cincy in the 88 super bowl Joe Montana hit the safety right between the numbers . All we ever hear is Joe Cool never threw a pick in the super bowl . Genos 13 turnovers were 5 less than Josh Allen on a far more powerful team.

Line collapsed worse than Geno and caused his decline . He had no backs several games and we lost dissley and Lockett late in the season . And he made some bad throws , bad decisions. Got screwed by officials no calls and reversals a couple times . What I was encouraged by was his play late in the season in a few games . Jets maybe best . Led a last second comeback vs Rams . Actually led KC in yardage , first downs and TOP. Just few first downs inside the 30 . Turned it over on downs 3 or 4 times . But that’s the champs on a frozen field . Closer than that score . The playoff game was not although they first 3 quarters were . After a halftime lead only to watch our defense get punked for an 8 minute drive Geno drove us down the field inside the 10 till a whistle for man downfield put us wAy behind the sticks . Bull rush up the middle , fumble , game over . The later garbage timr int came in a flurry of 3 flags in 5 plays , 2 more for man downfield . We had no chance at that point . But up till 2 minutes left in the 3rd Geno had a 139 qbr and 2 incompletions on the road on a sloppy field with no defense to give extra possessions. I was encouraged by that performance . I think Geno will be a super accurate agressive pocket passer with some wheels . Keep him standing up we’re fine for several years . I think …
If not I think Pete and John have faith in Drew .
I know im a far bigger fan of the man than a few years ago because I was anything but .
Don’t sleep on Geno

[Aseahawkfan]

Every time I watch Witherspoon highlights, I feel good about this draft.

[Hawktawk]

Every time I watch Witherspoon highlights, I feel good about this draft.

He’s a beast if you can say it about a corner . Violent quick twitch

[RiverDog]

Every time I watch Witherspoon highlights, I feel good about this draft.

I like him, too, and felt he was a good choice given the position we were in (no QB available, trade down not an option). But I've never seen him in game action, so I'm holding onto my opinion somewhat until I see a few games.

[NorthHawk]

It's interesting that they are building the Defense from back to front. Most teams get the Line of Scrimmage in order first, but our Secondary seems to be leading the way.
If you look at the strengths of the team we lack strength up the middle and currently are pretty solid on the edges. But on Offense we've been weak in the middle for the better part of a decade short of QB.

[RiverDog]

It's interesting that they are building the Defense from back to front. Most teams get the Line of Scrimmage in order first, but our Secondary seems to be leading the way.

But is that by design or purely by happenstance? If Will Anderson had been available at #5 overall, would we still have taken Witherspoon?

If you look at the strengths of the team we lack strength up the middle and currently are pretty solid on the edges. But on Offense we've been weak in the middle for the better part of a decade short of QB.

Has Pete ever fielded a team with a top 10 ranked offensive line? If he has, it hasn't been recently. Last season, we were ranked #27, in 2021 we were ranked 18th, in 2020 14th, and 2019 27th.

[Aseahawkfan]

They sure seemed better than 27th last season. I could see a 27th ranked D-line as they were terrible. But the O-line seemed fairly solid last year.

[NorthHawk]

There was consistent pressure up the middle of the OL and we've had a problem with short yardage for a long time getting a push up front, but I think the OTs started to get tired at the end of the year and that affected the stats to some degree.
It's a long season for players who are used to playing 12 or 13 games to go 18 including the playoff game.

[RiverDog]

They sure seemed better than 27th last season. I could see a 27th ranked D-line as they were terrible. But the O-line seemed fairly solid last year.

If you want to go by expectations, a 27th final ranking was a win as PFF had us ranked #32 ahead of the 2022 season.

At the start of the season, Abe Lucas hadn't given up a sack or very many pressures. But as the season wore on, both him and Cross started giving up sacks. Losing Penny didn't help our run production, which in turn hurt our OL ranking. Here's what PFF had to say:

Seattle’s rookie tackles each earned PFF pass-blocking grades of 63.9 or better, performing at least at an average starter level all season.
The Seahawks’ line placed dead last in the PFF offensive line rankings before climbing as high as 11th only to collapse down the stretch.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-final-2022 ... e-rankings

And this site ranked players by position, and none of our linemen made the top 20 at center, guard, or tackle.

https://athlonsports.com/nfl/nfl-offens ... n-rankings

The offensive line has been horrible. If we're going to be a run-first team, it has to improve.

[NorthHawk]

There is some promise at Tackle though. Last year was a learning year for them and it’s possible they will get a lot better. The IOL, has yet to show some hope of improvement but maybe this year will start the change.

[tarlhawk]

Anthony Bradford is a RAS warrior boasting elite speed and great explosive burst and gives us another LSU guard (hello Damien Lewis). Oluwatimi also has good balance and great initial burst. Combine testing uses the 10 Yd split time as indicative of athletic burst with a time of 1.85 as a minimum marker for interior linemen. Bradford had 1.66 while Olu had 1.79. Guards/Centers also are expected to bench press 26 reps (Bradford 34 while Lu pumped out 29)

For comps Steve Avila (G/C) had 10 yd split (1.79) with 28 reps on B.Press and John Michael-Schmitz had a time of 1.78 and 26 reps at the bench.

[RiverDog]

There is some promise at Tackle though. Last year was a learning year for them and it’s possible they will get a lot better. The IOL, has yet to show some hope of improvement but maybe this year will start the change.

Agreed, and several of the sites I visited noted that we should be set at bookend for a while. But there were times, particularly late in games when the pressure was on, when they struggled. That should improve with experience.

I just subscribed to PFF, so I'll have access to various rankings and analysis. Here's how they graded out our 2022 offensive linemen:

Tackle:

Abe Lucas position rank 39th out of 82
Charles Cross position rank 54th out of 82

Guard:

Damien Lewis position rank 11th out of 77
Phil Haynes position rank 56th out of 77
Gabe Jackson position rank 60th out of 77

I couldn't find a grade for Austin Blythe, probably because he's not returning to this year's team, but I did find one for Evan Brown, and he graded out at #33 for guards. For reference, league wide PFF graded 82 tackle, 77 guards.

It should be noted that Cross's position at left tackle is likely a tougher spot, but they didn't break out the tackles by left and right.

[RiverDog]

And by the way, you'll never guess which two teams' offensive lines graded out ranked 1st and 2nd. The two Super Bowl participants, the Eagles and Chiefs. Just a coincidence?

[Aseahawkfan]

And by the way, you'll never guess which two teams' offensive lines graded out ranked 1st and 2nd. The two Super Bowl participants, the Eagles and Chiefs. Just a coincidence?

Yes. When you have Patrick Mahomes, the O-line ain't the main reason you won.

[RiverDog]

And by the way, you'll never guess which two teams' offensive lines graded out ranked 1st and 2nd. The two Super Bowl participants, the Eagles and Chiefs. Just a coincidence?

Yes. When you have Patrick Mahomes, the O-line ain't the main reason you won.

I didn't say that the main reason the Chiefs won was because of their OL. I asked if it was a coincidence.

However, I need to make a correction. The Eagles were the top ranked OL in 2022, but the Chiefs OL was ranked 4th. I must not have been looking at the final PFF rankings. My apologies.

Nevertheless, it's still not a coincidence that the two SB participants had two of the better offensive lines.

[Aseahawkfan]

I didn't say that the main reason the Chiefs won was because of their OL. I asked if it was a coincidence.

However, I need to make a correction. The Eagles were the top ranked OL in 2022, but the Chiefs OL was ranked 4th. I must not have been looking at the final PFF rankings. My apologies.

Nevertheless, it's still not a coincidence that the two SB participants had two of the better offensive lines.

I don't know how PFF grades. It always seems the best O-lines are with the best QBs or some great RB. I have no idea how they grade the O-lineman. Seems like a hard group to grade. I've read articles saying O-line is the least correlative to wins and championships, which is why the O-line isn't as valued as it once was.

Get a good QB and RB with a top 10 defense, it will hide O-line problems as we did for years when Russ and Lynch were in their prime.

[RiverDog]

As long as we're on the topic and with no particular point to prove, I thought it would be interesting to look at every team's W/L and their offensive line ranking and see if there is a correlation. Regular season records only with their PFF offensive line ranking in parathesis:

1. Chiefs 14-3 (4th)
2. Eagles 14-3 (1st)
3. Bills 13-3 (23rd)
4. Niners 13-4 (7th)
5. Vikings 13-4 (13th)
6. Bengals 12-4 (28th)
7. Cowboys 12-5 (12th)
8. Chargers 10-7 (17th)
9. Ravens 10-7 (2nd)
10. Giants 9-7-1 (30th)
11. Jags 9-8 (19th)
12. Dolphins 9-8 (22nd)
13. Seahawks 9-8 (27th)
14. Lions 9-8 (8th)
15. Steelers 9-8 (16th)
16. Commanders 8-8-1 (20th)
17. Bucs 8-9 (9th)
18. Patriots 8-9 (11th)
19. Packers 8-9 (3rd)
20. Jets 7-10 (31st)
21. Titans 7-10 (32nd)
22. Panthers 7-10 (15th)
23. Browns 7-10 (6th)
24. Saints 7-10 (29th)
25. Falcons 7-10 (5th)
26. Raiders 6-11 (10th)
27. Broncos 5-12 (21st)
28. Rams 5-12 (25th)
29. Colts 4-12-1 (18th)
30. Cards 4-13 (24th)
31. Texans 3-13-1 (26th)
32. Bears 3-14 (14th)

[RiverDog]

I don't know how PFF grades. It always seems the best O-lines are with the best QBs or some great RB. I have no idea how they grade the O-lineman. Seems like a hard group to grade. I've read articles saying O-line is the least correlative to wins and championships, which is why the O-line isn't as valued as it once was.

Get a good QB and RB with a top 10 defense, it will hide O-line problems as we did for years when Russ and Lynch were in their prime.

There's a big write up on it if you're interested:

https://www.pff.com/grades

I don't profess to understand exactly how their system works. All I know is that they are highly respected by media experts as well as NFL teams. They're the gold standard for quantifying performances.

[Old but Slow]

It is not unexpected that Lucas and Cross will improve with experience. Both seemed to fade as the length of the NFL season is much more draining than the shorter college term. As they get used to the conditions I expect good things from them soon. Offensive linemen often take 2 to 3 years to become effective, but both tackles seem ahead of the curve. Adding two rookies to the OL group will result in a very young group which will likely mean mistakes. But, with time, they could become one of the strongest units in the league.

Recently, PC/JS seemed to want to follow the Rams blueprint for offensive linemen, which called for smallish, quick centers with wrestling backgrounds, for example, but the drafting of Olu Olu seems to break that mold, and, hopefully, indicates a move away from the Rams way.

I am expecting that one of the veteran linemen will start the season at center or right guard, for experience reasons, with the possibility that both rookies could be in there by seasons end. Or both rookies could spend much of the season watching and gaining understanding.

[NorthHawk]

I hope we are pleasantly surprised by Anthony Bradford at Guard. He's played RG at LSU along with Tackle so there's some versatility, but I would expect his position is inside.
He's built along the lines of Damien Lewis, another LSU Guard as they are both along the lines of 6'3" and 320 lbs or thereabouts. With Jackson not retained, it looks to be a battle between Bradford and Haynes to start at RG. In any event, we seem to be getting bigger up front.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

If you're going to potentially run a smallish center, then you better have some beefy guards. Bradford is a James Carpenter pick where Carpenter should have been picked. He should be able to lock horns with all but the biggest dudes and take them for a ride down field.

[NorthHawk]

If you're going to potentially run a smallish center, then you better have some beefy guards. Bradford is a James Carpenter pick where Carpenter should have been picked. He should be able to lock horns with all but the biggest dudes and take them for a ride down field.

He looked in College like he has some strength. I hope it carries over to the NFL. The Rams did well enough with the smaller IOL and hulking Tackles, so it's not a requisite for success and Pete stated he like smaller Centers and Guards because of the natural leverage they have with taller DL. I'm not convinced he's correct in that viewpoint, but he did say it. In the past two drafts, they've taken good players and not been dependent upon the measureables as much as previous so maybe that's the new outlook for our FO.

[RiverDog]

If you're going to potentially run a smallish center, then you better have some beefy guards. Bradford is a James Carpenter pick where Carpenter should have been picked. He should be able to lock horns with all but the biggest dudes and take them for a ride down field.

That's especially true with Ulu as I read where he does great on double teams but is significantly worse on one-on-one blocking.

I want to see how these guys look in preseason. I can remember the first preseason game that we saw James Carpenter play, and he was breathing like a vacuum cleaner after the first drive, and sure enough, he was a bust at tackle.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Guessing the NFL game as a shock for him. I think he turned into a solid career guard which just cements he was taken too high. I still can’t forget the time he locked on to Justin Smith and blew him off the line. Big Country was as good as it gets as a 3-4 DE and Carpenter manhandled him. Hoping Bradford can bring some of that to the line.

[RiverDog]

Guessing the NFL game as a shock for him. I think he turned into a solid career guard which just cements he was taken too high. I still can’t forget the time he locked on to Justin Smith and blew him off the line. Big Country was as good as it gets as a 3-4 DE and Carpenter manhandled him. Hoping Bradford can bring some of that to the line.

Carpenter was OK as a guard, a pretty good blocker at the point of attack as you noted but was too heavy footed and couldn't throw a block at the 2nd level. I remember watching him completely whiff against Brian Cushing in Houston with Cushing stuffing Beast at the LOS. That's why we didn't pick up his 5th year option and let him walk after his rookie deal was up.

Even Carpenter's coach at Alabama, Nick Saban, who's seen his fair share of NFL quality players, was surprised when Carpenter was taken as high as he was when we drafted him with the #28 overall. I never understood what it was that Tom Cable saw in Carpenter that made him think that he was an NFL offensive tackle.

[NorthHawk]

It clearly wasn’t all Cables fault as we hadn’t done well since he left until last year with building a good OL. And even then the interior is soft.

[RiverDog]

It clearly wasn’t all Cables fault as we hadn’t done well since he left until last year with building a good OL. And even then the interior is soft.

I didn't say that it was "all" Cable's fault. But since he was the offensive line/assistant head coach, one has to assume that he had a major role in the decision.

[NorthHawk]

We really don't know how much input Cable actually had. We do know that the players along the OL before Cable and after Cable haven't been great, so the pattern of not addressing the IoL or not making great picks stands alone in my mind.
It might be as simple as Cable having the same philosophy as Schneider/Carroll so they thought alike and ended up with sub par results.