Draft Talk

[RiverDog]

I'm surprised that no one's been talking about the draft. It's less than a month away, backed up a couple of weeks from it's traditional 3rd week in April.

Here's 4 players I'm keeping an eye on:

Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan, 6'7", 309. Consistently listed in the top 3 OT's in the country. OT's are usually in high demand, but If he slides, we could trade up a couple slots and snag him. He'd be perfect for us. He could play immediately, and he can play either RT or LT, something we need as an insurance policy against Russell Okung's unreliability.

Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M. 6'5", 233. Big, strong physical receiver, something we've been lacking and would be a great replacement for Sidney Rice. Good hands. Russell needs some taller WR's, and this guy would be a big help to our red zone offense, which has struggled at times.

Marquise Lee, WR, USC, 6'0", 192. I'm throwing his name out there mainly because of the USC connection. He had a fabulous sophomore season, winning the Biletnikof award, but has since slid off the mark after Matt Barkley departed. Explosive receiver, would be an excellent replacement for Golden Tate.

Xaiver Su'a Filo, OG, UCLA, 6'4", 307. One of the top guards in the draft, can also play tackle. Guards don't often go in the top 15, so he could fall to us. Solid combine numbers, one of the quicker guards in the draft. Started all 40 games at UCLA, took two years off on a Mormon mission, perhaps the most pro ready lineman in the draft. Pete seems to have an infinity for west coast guys.

There's 4 names, although if past history is a guide, Pete and John will fool all of us and take someone no one has thought of.

[Bird Droppings]

Well, Dog, that's a few of the plethora of names out there.

Remember, how under Ruskell, some of us put in a lot of hours to express our preferences for those Hawk years.

And, most of our draft choices turned out better than his!

Under The Schneid, and PC, it's proven the current regime drafts a lot better than we do ... but if there seem to be any bugs in their system, it seems to be at the top of the draft.

We all know you have always hated the selection of Carpenter, and I see no reason he is even on the opening day roster this year.

And I know that you, and many others, still think the Irvin pick stinks.

So, maybe we can play a little first round roulette, but, at a month away, it is still too early to jump in becaue that wheel is spinning way too fast.

I seriously doubt they will move up ... even a few spots for the first rounder they might be lusting over ... but, cannot rule it out.

At the end of the first round, it makes more financial sence to trade down a couple spots.

Your four choices are certainly possibles, but, you I'll bet you a frosty that Lewan and Evans are both gone by pick 25.

zoom

[Hawk Sista]

There's a lot to like about your list. Of the 4, I see Xavier being the only one to make it to 32, and it's been predicted by many a mock draft "expert" - meaning we won't draft him. .

I am sure that come draft day, I'll be googling along with the rest of the 12s trying to figure out who this dude is. Then we will all know when he leads pro-bowl balloting in 2015.

I like the big Kelvin Benjamin kid out of Florida State, but there are lots of WRs in this class (or so say the "experts"). Did you know that The position w/ the most first round busts is WR? I would have guessed QB. All that said, I'm gonna stick with my "Draft Fat" mantra. Give me some nasty lineman, offense first, and I'll be happy. I'd love to get one of those top 3 tackles, but we'd have had to suck last year to draft that high. I like where we are.

[RiverDog]

Yea, Bird, I think Lewan and Evans are both gone by #32, however, that doesn't mean I don't think one of them might end up being a Hawk. If Lewan drops into the 20's, we could move up and snap him up, although going in without a 3rd makes moving up in the first pretty difficult (damn, I hate that Harvin trade!). I really wasn't predicting anything, just noting a couple players to watch in case they were to fall. And you're absolutely right about Pete and JS, which is one of the reasons I get so frustrated as I'm kinda of a conventional wisdom type of guy. Hell, I'm still stewing over the Irvin pick. I wish things were a little more stable on the OL as this would be a good year to be opportunistic and take the BPA, but I don't see any way of getting around not taking an OL with either our #1 or #2.

Sis, I thought about Benjamin, too, but the rap on him his that he doesn't have real great hands, and the last thing I want on this team is another Jeremay Stevens. A big guy like him has to have good hands as he's not likely to get a lot of separation and will have to fight for a lot of contested passes. But I really like Su'a Filo at #32. If one of the top 3 OT's doesn't fall, he's the one I want.

It's not too early to be talking draft, though. This place is getting pretty boring. What the hell else are we going to talk about?

[NorthHawk]

If we go WR in the 1st round, my guess is Jordan Matthews from Vanderbilt.
6-3, 210lbs, 4.4ish speed and a great work ethic.
I heard Gil Brandt saying he gets a team rep to open the gym at 5:30am every day to catch 100 balls from the throwing machine.

Those are the types of players they like and considering he's the cousin of Jerry Rice, maybe some of the abilities have rubbed off. To me, he sounds a lot like Fitz in Arizona at 6-3 218 and a hard worker.

OL, the 2 Tackles from Tennessee JuWuan James or Antonio Richardson are on my Radar. I hope they avoid Kouandjio from Alabama because of possible knee problems and he reminds me of Andre Smith with his extra weight.

I don't know much about the following, but I keep hearing good things about them.
Joel Bitonio
Billy Turner
Jack Mewhort

For Guards, I like Gabe Jackson or Cyril Richardson for help in short yardage situations. Jackson is the better pass protector, so he has my vote.
The guy many 'media evaluators' mention is Su'a-Filo from UCLA, so maybe they have their eye on him.

I can see them trading down in the first as teams panic a little when they see players still on the board they had rated much higher especially if a QB is still there.

[Zorn76]

I doubt very much we go WR in the first round, and hope that's the case. RW is the kind of QB that can make any receiver effective to begin with, though I get that we definitely need to address the position. I just don't spend a top pick to do it.

I know OL is a very tiresome topic, but the reason it still exists is, well, because it's never been solved. I'd be hard pressed to think of another OL that, while having moxie and guts, was as challenged as ours talent wise to pull off a Lombardi winning season.

It speaks volumes about RW more than anything else, and the overall play calling that didn't stress the situation more than it already was.

Sooner or later we're gonna hit on some picks named rounds 1 and 2. And if one or both of those are offensive linemen and they stick, we'll be setting ourselves up real good for 2014.

[NorthHawk]

Not sure we go WR, either but last year the last thing I thought we would take is a RB with our first pick.
OL is even more important when considering Okung's contract is up after next year. They need a LT to play when he gets hurt, not to mention an insurance policy if contract demands are too rich.

[Zorn76]

IMO, Okung benefits from the fact that our OL has been in pretty bad shape since his tenure with the team started 4 yrs ago.

He and Unger are the closest thing we have to legit linemen, though both have shown to be vulnerable in certain areas, including last season.

Sigh, lol.

I just hope we can put together a good, solid group soon. I also think R.O. is gonna have to come way down in price if he wants to remain in Seattle. He's been average to slightly above average so far, IMO, and he is replaceable. The timing of it, again, would be among the biggest factors in determining if we pony up the money or allow him to walk.

If we end up drafting - and starting - two rookies this fall, something I think could very well happen, then it would be tougher to turn around and find a different player to take over LT under those circumstances, with the unit already lacking experience in that scenario.

Protecting RW is vital, to say the least. And giving up 44 sacks is way to many, particularly for a run 1st team like ours. I think we even finished dead last in the NFL last season, in terms of sacks per pass attempt. It's a problem that may not stick out as much with us being SB Champs. But make no mistake, we need to improve, big time, to keep our franchise quarterback healthy and shield him from taking so many losses in the backfield.

[RiverDog]

Yea, I'm with you, Zorny. I'm hoping we go OL in the first. Like I told Bird, my mentioning Lewan is more wishful thinking than anything else. I'm hoping that he falls to the lower 20's and we're able to trade up. But there's a lot of mocks that have us taking a WR at #32. They could be onto something, especially if there's a 6'3"+ guy that's available. We need some size at that position.

Okung has been a major disappointment. He had a nice, Pro Bowl season in 2012 but that's been it. He didn't have a bad injury history at Okie State, but he sure has one now. That's the other reason I mentioned Lewan. It'll put some pressure on Okung if he knows we have some options.

[kalibane]

Mike Evans was the WR I was hoping they'd get and the guy I like the best, aside from Watkins obviously, but he's getting too much press lately so he won't be there. They need a big WR on the outside so Kelvin Benjamin is the next logical choice but the WR I like 3rd best (after Watkins and Evans) is Odell Beckham. The problem is he's only 5'11".

I don't think Su'a-Filo will be there at 32, so I try not to think of him.

[PasadenaHawk]

I'm hoping to trade back from the 32nd pick and pick up a third round pick. Would like to see best avaiable OT, WR and OG taken with our first three picks. I'm just starting to look into some of the lesser talked about guys.

[monkey]

If we go WR in the 1st round, my guess is Jordan Matthews from Vanderbilt.
6-3, 210lbs, 4.4ish speed and a great work ethic.
I heard Gil Brandt saying he gets a team rep to open the gym at 5:30am every day to catch 100 balls from the throwing machine.

Those are the types of players they like and considering he's the cousin of Jerry Rice, maybe some of the abilities have rubbed off. To me, he sounds a lot like Fitz in Arizona at 6-3 218 and a hard worker.

OL, the 2 Tackles from Tennessee JuWuan James or Antonio Richardson are on my Radar. I hope they avoid Kouandjio from Alabama because of possible knee problems and he reminds me of Andre Smith with his extra weight.

I don't know much about the following, but I keep hearing good things about them.
Joel Bitonio
Billy Turner
Jack Mewhort

For Guards, I like Gabe Jackson or Cyril Richardson for help in short yardage situations. Jackson is the better pass protector, so he has my vote.
The guy many 'media evaluators' mention is Su'a-Filo from UCLA, so maybe they have their eye on him.

I can see them trading down in the first as teams panic a little when they see players still on the board they had rated much higher especially if a QB is still there.

Joel Bitonio and Billy Turner are two names I keep mentioning, because those are two very "Seahawksy" types of players who I think will be undervalued on draft day. Add to that Cody Lattimer from Indiana, though he's starting to get some attention now that people have run the SPARQ numbers. Both Filed Gulls and Rob Stanton are all over him as a Seahawks type of receiver.

I think this draft is really going to revolve around the WR and to a somewhat lesser degree, offensive line depth, both are very, very deep.
Seahawks fans are going to love this draft unless I miss my guess, I have no doubt that we'll add at least one very good receiver, and probably at least two offensive linemen in this draft.

[RiverDog]

Mike Evans was the WR I was hoping they'd get and the guy I like the best, aside from Watkins obviously, but he's getting too much press lately so he won't be there. They need a big WR on the outside so Kelvin Benjamin is the next logical choice but the WR I like 3rd best (after Watkins and Evans) is Odell Beckham. The problem is he's only 5'11".

I don't think Su'a-Filo will be there at 32, so I try not to think of him.

A lot of mocks don't have Su'a-Filo going in the first round, and those that do have him going in the mid 20's. Not that I trust the mocks, especially after you get into the second half of the first round (A lot are amazingly accurate out to the top 15 or 20), but it is an indication that he could fall to us at #32, or that we might pull the trigger on a trade that could put us into the position to get him.

Evans probably won't be there, either. It doesn't hurt to hope, though.

[PasadenaHawk]

I think this draft is really going to revolve around the WR and to a somewhat lesser degree, offensive line depth, both are very, very deep.
Seahawks fans are going to love this draft unless I miss my guess, I have no doubt that we'll add at least one very good receiver, and probably at least two offensive linemen in this draft.[/quote]

I hope you are right Monkey!

[monkey]

Personally, I think that Su'a-Filo is very overrated.
If you go back and watch film on him, you'll see that he's able to overwhelm lesser players, but when he has to block someone who is actually good, and especially anyone who looks to potentially be an NFL quality pass rusher, he gets his butt kicked badly.

I personally want no part of him. Or of David Yankey for that matter...both are overrated IMO. Very overrated.

[RiverDog]

Interesting comments, monkey. I haven't watched a lot of film on XOF, just read a lot of analysis.

I just hope we get some traction out of this draft with regard to the OL. Whether it's been incompetence,, ignorance, or just plain bad luck, our brain trust has been very deficient with regards to our offensive line. I'm not so sure why so many people are swigging the Kool Aid with Tom Cable.

[Steady_Hawk]

My hope is that we trade up to the Jags #3 overall and take Greg Robinson. I love Okung but have no faith in his ability to stay healthy and Wilson is simply too special to risk IMO. Move Okung to RT and hope at the end of the day you have 3 probowl quality lineman with Robinson, Unger and Okung.

[monkey]

Interesting comments, monkey. I haven't watched a lot of film on XOF, just read a lot of analysis.

I just hope we get some traction out of this draft with regard to the OL. Whether it's been incompetence,, ignorance, or just plain bad luck, our brain trust has been very deficient with regards to our offensive line. I'm not so sure why so many people are swigging the Kool Aid with Tom Cable.

I have a funny feeling that Cable will tell Pete and John that we can get him offensive linemen to work with in the later rounds, and we may the first and second rounds on other things, like WR, maybe a LB, (we will need depth there as all our LB's contract are up soon) maybe D-Line as we need depth there now as well. We maybe looking at rounds 4 and later for them to get the O-linemen we want.
Which of course, some people won't be happy with.
Having said that, on the bright side, O-Line depth this year is really impressive.
I mentioned the kid from NDSU, and of course Cable has visited with Seantrel Henderson (mentioned in that other thread), and either or both of them could potentially still be around in fourth. I think that between Bowie and Bailey, and whatever we scoop out of the draft, we'll be alright on the line, better than most people think we will. Though again, I realize that some fans will not be happy with the line and will be worried going into the season that it will be a potential weak spot.
Time will tell how all of this works out of course. I just have this feeling that Cable will tell Pete and John that he can get by with players that can be gotten in the fourth round and later.

[Hawk Sista]

I guarantee one thing.........since everyone in the world sees us taking an o-lineman or WR in the first couple picks....we won't. I guess DL or LB.

I'll stick to my DRAFT FAT motto.

[PasadenaHawk]

If we go WR in the 1st round, my guess is Jordan Matthews from Vanderbilt.
6-3, 210lbs, 4.4ish speed and a great work ethic.
I heard Gil Brandt saying he gets a team rep to open the gym at 5:30am every day to catch 100 balls from the throwing machine.

Those are the types of players they like and considering he's the cousin of Jerry Rice, maybe some of the abilities have rubbed off. To me, he sounds a lot like Fitz in Arizona at 6-3 218 and a hard worker.

OL, the 2 Tackles from Tennessee JuWuan James or Antonio Richardson are on my Radar. I hope they avoid Kouandjio from Alabama because of possible knee problems and he reminds me of Andre Smith with his extra weight.

I don't know much about the following, but I keep hearing good things about them.
Joel Bitonio
Billy Turner
Jack Mewhort

For Guards, I like Gabe Jackson or Cyril Richardson for help in short yardage situations. Jackson is the better pass protector, so he has my vote.

Joel Bitonio and Billy Turner are two names I keep mentioning, because those are two very "Seahawksy" types of players who I think will be undervalued on draft day. Add to that Cody Lattimer from Indiana, though he's starting to get some attention now that people have run the SPARQ numbers. Both Filed Gulls and Rob Stanton are all over him as a Seahawks type of receiver.

I think this draft is really going to revolve around the WR and to a somewhat lesser degree, offensive line depth, both are very, very deep.
Seahawks fans are going to love this draft unless I miss my guess, I have no doubt that we'll add at least one very good receiver, and probably at least two offensive linemen in this draft.

I have read Bitonio might be better at guard as he may not have the reach for tackle. Also, he has only played left tackle, right? Are you looking for a back-up or eventual replacement for Okung? I like what I have read about Turner. Sounds like a younger, more versatile Breno!

[PasadenaHawk]

I think Morgan Moses out of Virginia could fall to us at #32 and could potentially start at Right Tackle.

[c_hawkbob]

I guarantee one thing.........since everyone in the world sees us taking an o-lineman or WR in the first couple picks....we won't. I guess DL or LB.

I'll stick to my DRAFT FAT motto.

That's my girl!

[monkey]

I have read Bitonio might be better at guard as he may not have the reach for tackle. Also, he has only played left tackle, right? Are you looking for a back-up or eventual replacement for Okung? I like what I have read about Turner. Sounds like a younger, more versatile Breno!

It does seem like Bitonio would be moved to guard, at least that's what I keep readong.
As far as Bitonio is concerned, I only know what I've read, and the film I've seen on him. Rob Stanton has compared Joel Bitonio to Logan Mankins, he's absolutely convinced that Bitonio will be as good as Mankins at the NFL level.

As for Turner, I've seen him in person, many, many times, as I live in Fargo N.D. and have seen a lot of Bison games.
Turner DOMINATED his competition! Now at division 1aa you could say that he hasn't faced the toughest competition, though it's been a lot better than most would think. The Bison played a tough schedule, including pulling off SEVERAL huge "upsets" (three straight championships and regularly beating the snot out of big schools makes it not much of an "upset" if you ask me) of 1a schools including Kansas State, just last year.
At the combine, Turner really stood out big time as well.
I know what my eyes told me, he's the real deal, and totally NFL ready, though he too will likely be moved to guard at the NFL level.

[Hardy Blitzen]

I guarantee one thing.........since everyone in the world sees us taking an o-lineman or WR in the first couple picks....we won't. I guess DL or LB.

Yep, my thoughts exactly.

With such a deep WR class and little separating the top WRs, I can see the Hawks saying, "Let's just see who falls into the second round."

At OL, I tend to think they are going to try to make that a bit of a priority in the second, third or fourth round. If they don't take a tackle in the second round, I wouldn't be surprised to see Schneider be aggressive and trade into the third round to get one.

[NorthHawk]

I have read Bitonio might be better at guard as he may not have the reach for tackle. Also, he has only played left tackle, right? Are you looking for a back-up or eventual replacement for Okung? I like what I have read about Turner. Sounds like a younger, more versatile Breno!

It does seem like Bitonio would be moved to guard, at least that's what I keep readong.
As far as Bitonio is concerned, I only know what I've read, and the film I've seen on him. Rob Stanton has compared Joel Bitonio to Logan Mankins, he's absolutely convinced that Bitonio will be as good as Mankins at the NFL level.

As for Turner, I've seen him in person, many, many times, as I live in Fargo N.D. and have seen a lot of Bison games.
Turner DOMINATED his competition! Now at division 1aa you could say that he hasn't faced the toughest competition, though it's been a lot better than most would think. The Bison played a tough schedule, including pulling off SEVERAL huge "upsets" (three straight championships and regularly beating the snot out of big schools makes it not much of an "upset" if you ask me) of 1a schools including Kansas State, just last year.
At the combine, Turner really stood out big time as well.
I know what my eyes told me, he's the real deal, and totally NFL ready, though he too will likely be moved to guard at the NFL level.

Do you really think they would move him to Guard? The link in another thread about Turner playing against K-State showed he has some real good feet and looked like he would not be much of a liability against some of the edge rushers we have in this division. Maybe it was the quality of K-State as I don't know much about them but he looked quick and strong from those highlights.

[Zorn76]

Some of you have mentioned Joel Bitonio and, sure enough, WalterFootball.com has us taking him at #32.

"Seattle Seahawks: Joel Bitonio, OT/G/C, Nevada
This pick may surprise some, but remember that the Seahawks chose Bruce Irvin in the middle of the first round a couple of springs ago even though most had Irvin as a Round 2-3 player. Joel Bitonio simply fits what Seattle looks for in a prospect, and he would fill a major void at right tackle. Bitonio can play any position up front, including center, so Seattle will love his versatility."

http://walterfootball.com/draft2014_1.php

I like the pick, and at least take a chance on somebody who can play this year. Christine Michael may have been a good BPA selection a year ago, but to have a day one rook sit on the bench this season is something we shouldn't repeat again, especially considering the issues we have along the OL.

Draft for need. Pick a guy that can compete now. And make that 1st rd choice for a unit that desperately needs fixing. There are so few holes on our roster that we can afford to take a chance here. It wouldn't bother me, at all, if we went offensive line with our 1st two choices.

We need competition, and we need depth here. It is an absolute miracle - and is a huge testimonial pertaining to RW - that we were able to win a Super Bowl with that unit protecting our franchise QB. Much like winning the Lombardi itself, it is something that makes me shake my head when I think about it.

[Futureite]

I doubt very much we go WR in the first round, and hope that's the case. RW is the kind of QB that can make any receiver effective to begin with, though I get that we definitely need to address the position. I just don't spend a top pick to do it.

I know OL is a very tiresome topic, but the reason it still exists is, well, because it's never been solved. I'd be hard pressed to think of another OL that, while having moxie and guts, was as challenged as ours talent wise to pull off a Lombardi winning season.

It speaks volumes about RW more than anything else, and the overall play calling that didn't stress the situation more than it already was.

Sooner or later we're gonna hit on some picks named rounds 1 and 2. And if one or both of those are offensive linemen and they stick, we'll be setting ourselves up real good for 2014.

There are great WRs available all over this draft. If the Hawks want one, they can easily get one in the 2nd rd. Mathews, Richardson, Lee and Robinson should all be available in the 2nd rd. I am going to guess O-line at #32.

[NorthHawk]

It really wouldn't surprise me if we went DL. Someone like Stephon Tuitt to fill the Red Bryant role on the DL, as long as they see him as the best value.
The problem with guessing the Seahawks draft picks is our board doesn't seem to be conventional at the top - if any teams boards could be considered conventional.

My hope is another team wanting to trade back up to get a player they see as real value at 32.

[RiverDog]

It really wouldn't surprise me if we went DL. Someone like Stephon Tuitt to fill the Red Bryant role on the DL, as long as they see him as the best value.
The problem with guessing the Seahawks draft picks is our board doesn't seem to be conventional at the top - if any teams boards could be considered conventional.

My hope is another team wanting to trade back up to get a player they see as real value at 32.

As skilled as PC and JS have been in the later rounds and as deficient as they've been at the top, trading out of the first round might be the best thing that could happened to us in this draft.

[EntiatHawk]

Yea, Bird, I think Lewan and Evans are both gone by #32, however, that doesn't mean I don't think one of them might end up being a Hawk. If Lewan drops into the 20's, we could move up and snap him up, although going in without a 3rd makes moving up in the first pretty difficult (damn, I hate that Harvin trade!). I really wasn't predicting anything, just noting a couple players to watch in case they were to fall. And you're absolutely right about Pete and JS, which is one of the reasons I get so frustrated as I'm kinda of a conventional wisdom type of guy. Hell, I'm still stewing over the Irvin pick. I wish things were a little more stable on the OL as this would be a good year to be opportunistic and take the BPA, but I don't see any way of getting around not taking an OL with either our #1 or #2.

Sis, I thought about Benjamin, too, but the rap on him his that he doesn't have real great hands, and the last thing I want on this team is another Jeremay Stevens. A big guy like him has to have good hands as he's not likely to get a lot of separation and will have to fight for a lot of contested passes. But I really like Su'a Filo at #32. If one of the top 3 OT's doesn't fall, he's the one I want.

It's not too early to be talking draft, though. This place is getting pretty boring. What the hell else are we going to talk about?

River what is wrong with the Harvin trade. There are no guarantees and he is a proven dynamic football player of a unique skill set. Those do not come around very often. Injury can happen to anyone, so if plays this whole year and wrecks havoc on opposing defenses is it a bad trade. Was his influence in the SB worth it? I make that trade everytime if I had the chance. Plus he is still young and can get better, that is scary a bit for other teams.

[NorthHawk]

I was on the fence with the Harvin trade and still am to a degree.
If he plays most of this year, it will assuage my concerns, but he plays real hard and with his body type I'm not sure he can withstand the punishment for a full year.
That being said, his talent isn't found much anywhere in the league.

I just wish they had looked at OL early or mid round last year so there wouldn't be as much need this year.

[Zorn76]

Man, one more week until the draft.

I love the this thing, lol.

Can hardly wait to see what we do.

OL, anyone?:)

[HumanCockroach]

I want O line or receiver, which means they'll draft a punter...... hence I am hesitant to even venture a guess...

what I DO know is they will select who THEY like, no matter what position, or player we the fans, or dipsh!t experts think they should take....

[NorthHawk]

As the Seahawks have brought in Kevin Williams for a look, does that imply they are looking for a big DT to clog the middle and might go that way in the draft or might it be a combination of possible diversionary tactic and DL depth and what would that say about Williams and Hill?