CB making the most sense

[Attyla the Hawk]

1st rd looks to the spot for a 6'0 long armed press cb..lot of very solid smaller ones later.

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Not necessarily. Most of the top rated corners don't comply with our measurement profile. But will become clearer after combine.

EDIT: There are a lot of profile correct prospects sprinkled throughout what should be late R1 through R5. Most in the R2/R3 range.

 

[London12]

Been said many times in the thread but I am fully on board with a lot of secondary help with Oline hell from free agency. Still wouldn't mind a third round OL pick if there's value.

Don't watch college football here but I'm cool with all the UW players you guys are homers for.

 

[cover-2]

1st rd looks to the spot for a 6'0 long armed press cb..lot of very solid smaller ones later.

.

Not necessarily. Most of the top rated corners don't comply with our measurement profile. But will become clearer after combine.

EDIT: There are a lot of profile correct prospects sprinkled throughout what should be late R1 through R5. Most in the R2/R3 range.

I totally agree. Washington's Sidney Jones is too short with sub 32 inch arms, USC's Adoree' Jackson looks too raw & and not quick twitch enough for being a sub-6-0 ft player, & Florida's Quincy Wilson looks to have short arms (sub 32 inch).

I could easily see Washington's Kevin King being their #2 rated CB in the draft, due to King fitting the Seahawks CB ideal mold at CB. King has the size, long arms, production, ball skills, and supposedly put up great Pro Day numbers at Washington's Pro Day last year. As Rob has stated on his Seahawksdraftblog, King could be a target for the Seahawks in the 1st round or top of the 2nd round if they trade down.

 

[Hawks46]

1st rd looks to the spot for a 6'0 long armed press cb..lot of very solid smaller ones later.

.

Not necessarily. Most of the top rated corners don't comply with our measurement profile. But will become clearer after combine.

EDIT: There are a lot of profile correct prospects sprinkled throughout what should be late R1 through R5. Most in the R2/R3 range.

I totally agree. Washington's Sidney Jones is too short with sub 32 inch arms, USC's Adoree' Jackson looks too raw & and not quick twitch enough for being a sub-6-0 ft player, & Florida's Quincy Wilson looks to have short arms (sub 32 inch).

I could easily see Washington's Kevin King being their #2 rated CB in the draft, due to King fitting the Seahawks CB ideal mold at CB. King has the size, long arms, production, ball skills, and supposedly put up great Pro Day numbers at Washington's Pro Day last year. As Rob has stated on his Seahawksdraftblog, King could be a target for the Seahawks in the 1st round or top of the 2nd round if they trade down.

So, assuming we could get a guy like King in the 2nd and another good prospect in the 3rd or 4th, what does it look like for interior pass rush at the end of the 1st round ?

I can also see us going after one of the Tackle prospects in the 2nd or 3rd round. No 1st round value and usually that second tier of talent starts to go in the 3rd round.

 

[truehawksfan]

The Hawks have never drafted a CB in the first round and I suspect the Hawks had their chance to do so.

That said, this is a priority need, so it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

But the one thing that scares me is the system we run. It's like no other and it'll take time to develop the skills to master it. Muscle memory. Instinct.

Maxwell is a good example. Injuries in his first season and sat behind Browner and Walter Thurmond. Shead also started as a safety, then S/CB, before making CB a full time position.

The team has several interesting players on the roster, Stanley Jean-Baptiste (6-3 215) and Mohammed Seisay (6-2 202). DeAndre Elliott (6-1 189) was a rookie last year and needs time to develop. Will they become the next Byron Maxwell or Tharold Simon?

I see the team focus on OL, LB, DT or S and draft a CB in rounds 4 or 5.

 

[cover-2]

So, assuming we could get a guy like King in the 2nd and another good prospect in the 3rd or 4th, what does it look like for interior pass rush at the end of the 1st round ?

I can also see us going after one of the Tackle prospects in the 2nd or 3rd round. No 1st round value and usually that second tier of talent starts to go in the 3rd round.

Interior pass rushers is not great at the end of the 1st round. There is a small possibility that Michigan St DT Malik McDowell could fall to us in the 1st round, whom I would love for us to draft. Other than McDowell, we could reach for Norte Dame DT Jarron Jones or Washington DT Elijah Qualls in the 1st round.

I think the value for interior pass rushing DT's is in the 2nd and 3rd round. Free agency is stacked with good DT's. In free agency are a couple of elite DT's, a couple of good veteran DT's, and a couple of high upside DT's that haven't really produced up until this point of their career's.

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

So, assuming we could get a guy like King in the 2nd and another good prospect in the 3rd or 4th, what does it look like for interior pass rush at the end of the 1st round ?

I can also see us going after one of the Tackle prospects in the 2nd or 3rd round. No 1st round value and usually that second tier of talent starts to go in the 3rd round.

Interior pass rushers is not great at the end of the 1st round. There is a small possibility that Michigan St DT Malik McDowell could fall to us in the 1st round, whom I would love for us to draft. Other than McDowell, we could reach for Norte Dame DT Jarron Jones or Washington DT Elijah Qualls in the 1st round.

I think the value for interior pass rushing DT's is in the 2nd and 3rd round. Free agency is stacked with good DT's. In free agency are a couple of elite DT's, a couple of good veteran DT's, and a couple of high upside DT's that haven't really produced up until this point of their career's.

Mid season, I was banging the drum for Solomon Thomas who was projected to be a mid/late 2nd. Obviously that isn't happening.

McDowell almost certainly will be available at the end of R1. Maybe end of R2. Testing will be important for him. His stock seems to have plateaued since the beginning of the year. Will need to resurrect that in February.

I like Jaleel Johnson out of Iowa. Jones is another. Not as high on Qualls. I banged the drum hard for Javon Hargrave last draft who I feel is better than Qualls/Jones by a wide margin and he was taken just before our 3rd round picks.

Seattle wants to add impact. I have to expect we'll go heavy/hard at Calais Campbell. Maybe in the 16m+ range. His pressure stats are almost identical to Bennett's, but Campbell does it from the inside. I know Pete said they weren't going to make a splash. But I have a sneaky suspicion they are giving that case the 'Wilson' treatment and intentionally downplaying that.

Of the three need areas: OL/DT/CB -- the DT market stands out. The OL market plain stinks.

The Hawks have never drafted a CB in the first round and I suspect the Hawks had their chance to do so.

That said, this is a priority need, so it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

But the one thing that scares me is the system we run. It's like no other and it'll take time to develop the skills to master it. Muscle memory. Instinct.

The team has several interesting players on the roster, Stanley Jean-Baptiste (6-3 215) and Mohammed Seisay (6-2 202). DeAndre Elliott (6-1 189) was a rookie last year and needs time to develop. Will they become the next Byron Maxwell or Tharold Simon?

With Seattle, there are a couple of components that I expect have conspired to lead us passing on 1st round DBs.

1. Quality available

Just go back 3 drafts:

2016 (#31): Xavien Howard, Mackensie Alexander, Sean Davis
2015 (#63): PJ Williams, Craig Mager, Steven Nelson
2014 (#45): Stanley Jean-Baptiste #64: Dezmen Southward

Of these, probably only Howard was even worth mentioning over this three year span. Obviously we were needing an OL pick though.

2. Profile

Very few (Howard, SJB, Davis) really fit the profile we covet.

Overall, I think it's faulty to draw conclusions that Seattle won't take CBs before R4. Firstly, Seattle got away with incredible market efficiency by taking bigger/slower CBs that were undervalued and finding success with them. That market efficiency no longer exists. Now lots of teams take those same kinds of guys we got in R5+ in the first two days.

Second, Seattle is consistent in one aspect of their early draft picks. Namely that they want game changing athleticism early. Guys that just leap off the page as atheletes. And the list of top rated athletic specimens at the DB position (where we could have picked) probably begins and ends with Landon Collins. Who we couldn't have taken since we traded for Jimmy Graham. And a player who was expected to go in the top 20 overall.

Seattle could have picked a CB in R1 these last 3 years. But it would have been a terrible pick based on quality and athleticism. And the profile correct options were lean as well.

This year, we don't see that. It should be incredibly strong this year. Testing pending, I would expect that if we were to compile a list of the top 30 testers over the past 5 drafts, probably 10-15 of those players will be from this class. And some of those will be profile correct.

It's a very strong class, that neatly intersects with current need for this team. And in particular, King just feels like a Seahawks pick. Top shelf athleticism, profile correct and has been asked to play similar to how Seattle plays in college. And as with most Hawks picks may be seen as a bit of a reach. Seattle kind of likes to do that.