Bronson Kaufusi could be Seattle's first pick

[xgeoff]

Wow, some excellent highlights and I like his size, similar to Michael Bennett's. I'm on board. Would prefer taking him after an OL though.

And what's with the shitty music? Why do these highlight mixes use the worst possible music?


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[theENGLISHseahawk]

A guy that doesn't dominate every game against second tier talent is what I am saying, the guy should have numbers off the board, a guy that faces NFL prospects every week and puts up decent to respectable numbers is a guy I want to look at closer. The guy that should eat competition but doesn't every week I have to question his desire, competitive edge and work ethic. It's not a catch all, you combine everything to make a judgement of a player.

Also you said break down against players on other lines, we may not but that's a scouts job and what analysts do to judge a player, if not people are throwing names out based on measurable and hoping they guess right. That doesn't include the interview and intangibles that guys like Wilson, Sherman, Chancellor bring to the table.

Sorry -- but this is just so completely redundant.

"A guy that doesn't dominate every game against second tier talent is what I am saying"

J.J. Watt -- 7 sacks at Wisconsin in 2010, 4 sacks in 2009.

Wisconsin's opponents in 2010:

UNLV
San Jose State
Austin Peay
Minnesota
Purdue
Northwestern

So clearly because Watt didn't get 20 sacks he's no good, right?

Because measurables only get you so far.

"The guy that should eat competition but doesn't every week I have to question his desire, competitive edge and work ethic"

You're questioning his work ethic, edge and desire based on his production in 2015? He had 11 sacks! Are you actually serious? Good grief.

"Also you said break down against players on other lines, we may not but that's a scouts job and what analysts do to judge a player, if not people are throwing names out based on measurable and hoping they guess right. That doesn't include the interview and intangibles that guys like Wilson, Sherman, Chancellor bring to the table."

No, I said how can you judge the competition he faced when you have no idea whether his opponents actually fielded excellent O-lines. For example, you might say 7-6 Central Michigan in 2012 were a poor team and yet the #1 overall pick in the 2013 draft was a left tackle from that school. You can't make an argument based on schedule without noting the opponents a player directly faces -- in this case with Kaufusi the O-liners he's going 1v1 against.

"throwing names out based on measurable and hoping they guess right"

Even if that were true (and it aint, but oh well) it's still 100x more useful that judging a guys character and effort based on him 'only' getting 11 sacks in 2015.

Deary, deary me.

 

[Willyeye]

I'd be ecstatic if the Hawks pick Kaufusi this week. I just can't see using a 1st round pick on him. He's got to be the pick at #56. I'm all about the value.

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

Having a hard time seeing Kaufusi as the pick.

Good:

Production
Athleticism
Length

I agree on the surface, he looks like a potential Seahawk pick.

But we also know we grade relative to the roster. So let's look at who he'd grade against:

DE:

Avril - 6030 260#
Bennett - 6040 274#
Clark - 6030 260#
Clemons - 6030 255#

Those would be his competitors. And at best we're looking at the 4th DE in the rotation. But having a pretty decent 4th DE. There are more on the roster that are dev projects. Could be some of the 'guys the public hasn't seen' brigade.

If he is projected as a DE for us then I don't see us spending anything but a day 3 pick in terms of relative grade here. We absolutely should expect there to be a lot higher deltas in this regard elsewhere on the roster.

So if he isn't DE, then he's a DT.

Hill 6010 290#
Rubin 6020 310#
Siliga 6020 345#
Francis 6050 321#

One would think there is more room in this group. He could provide comparative competition for Hill. But Hill is already a situational pass rusher. Hill is kind of an anomaly in this group at 290 -- but he plays with strength and leverage being only 6'1". Kaufusi is lighter at 285 and at 6'6", he is not going to have that advantage. And his tape shows frequent difficulty winning leverage.

I think he 'could' grade well relative to Hill. But otherwise he's kind of miscast in this group.

Ultimately if we're just looking at his production and testing -- I don't have an issue with the idea that he is on our board somewhere. But I think in terms of fit and the relative grading -- which we know matters too -- I think it unlikely we burn a top 2 round pick on him.

I wouldn't hate the pick. He'd provide some rotational depth at DT this year. But could be groomed to play DE in a year to provide hedge on decline for Avril/Bennett. They are 30. The succession plan should start soon. And Kaufusi's physical profile is akin to Bennett's (as was Clark's).

I think relative grade will ding him enough to push him at a late R3 contender. If he's still there by 90/97 then we probably take him. Doubt he will -- but we don't know when the run on DT talent will start. If it starts late then it's a possibility. He's also a west coast prospect. He will drop accordingly due to local bias.

Then again, we could trade back into R3 somewhere sooner and still take him. Would be funny if we were picking in the 70s with our first pick and took him.

 

[Willyeye]

I see your points and they are valid. But nobody knows what will happen in TC. Clemons may not make the roster. I don't see anything wrong with a kid being the #4 DE in his rookie year. Bennett and Avril may start getting less snaps again. Kaufusi could be the guy that replaces one of them next year. Once Kaufusi gets on a pro level strength program, he could get even better. They might be able to add 10-15 lbs of muscle on his legs and his athletic abilities could take him to a new level. That's the thing...I see a high ceiling for this kid.

Also, with a little more weight and strength, Kaufusi might be able to work inside. He's way more athletic than most 6'6" guys. There's a lot of potential there. I agree with you 100% regarding the pick used...I wouldn't take Kaufusi anywhere before the #56 pick. And getting him in the 70's would be awesome. We'll find out soon enough

 

[Willyeye]

Kaufusi is in that 2nd tier of DL athletes and will be 26 years old next season. He's a good player, but I would be surprised to see him go in the first 50 picks. And doubly surprised if Seattle took him in that range after drafting Frank Clark with their first pick one year ago. His get-off is a couple notches below a Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, or Frank Clark. Quickness off the ball is something Carroll prioritizes more than just about anything else in his defensive linemen.

To be fair, Bennett works off of anticipating the count, which costs the Hawks quite a few penalties at inopportune times. Quickness off the ball might be something the coaches can work with Kaufusi on. I think Kaufusi has the athletic ability to improve on this. Kaufusi was 1" better on broad jump and 1" less on vertical jump than Bennett. I think he has a lot of potential for improving his explosiveness in game situations.

 

[McGruff]

I think I've said this before, but casting Kaufusi as a DT is a mistake. His film there is below average. It's just not his game.

But he's a borderline great DE, especially at his size.

 

[jammerhawk]

I'm afraid I just can't see Kaufasi being the Hawks first pick unless that pick is made at 56. I agree as well that this player looks to be a better DE than an inside out player. He would be really interesting at 90 or later.

Better choices would be more conventional prototype Seahawks DEs.

 

[arghawkfan]

Reminds me too much of a taller version of Anton Palepoi from the 2002 Draft, who felt like a big reach at the time. I prefer other options at DE