Seahawks Draft needs

Our season is not over, but it's not too early to look at the 2017 draft. What's your top priorities for the offseaon (as far as scouting for the draft)?

Obviously, OL is a big need and so is the d-line. Lineback depth would be nice as well. Is there anyone that you think will be available at the end of the 1st that can slide and be an upgr next year?

As a Texas A&M alum, I'd love to the the Hawks draft DL Daeshon Hall. He is a big man who can get to the QB off the edge. He can likely be had in the middle rounds of the draft as teams overlooked him due to the emergence of Myles Garrett.

I'd also like to see us draft WR Ricky Seals-Jones out of A&M. Tall, rangy WR with good hands. Seems like a Pete Carroll kind of guy. Likely can be had late in the draft.

Aside from the two Aggies, I'd like a good OL or two and S Buda Baker out of UW.

TexasHawk95":1fd2pcmo said:

As a Texas A&M alum, I'd love to the the Hawks draft DL Daeshon Hall. He is a big man who can get to the QB off the edge. He can likely be had in the middle rounds of the draft as teams overlooked him due to the emergence of Myles Garrett.

I'd also like to see us draft WR Ricky Seals-Jones out of A&M. Tall, rangy WR with good hands. Seems like a Pete Carroll kind of guy. Likely can be had late in the draft.

Aside from the two Aggies, I'd like a good OL or two and S Buda Baker out of UW.

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Since you are a Texas A&M guy, what are your thoughts on WR Speedy Noil? I was really impressed with his speed and playmaking ability as a freshman, but this year he just didn't look to be the quick twitch guy that he used to be. He has put on 15 lbs since his freshman year, did he bulk up too much?

I like Hall a lot. For the Seahawks, Hall has the size, length, and quickness to kick inside to DT on passing situations as well to playing DE.

cover-2":2848ql1c said:

TexasHawk95":2848ql1c said:

As a Texas A&M alum, I'd love to the the Hawks draft DL Daeshon Hall. He is a big man who can get to the QB off the edge. He can likely be had in the middle rounds of the draft as teams overlooked him due to the emergence of Myles Garrett.

I'd also like to see us draft WR Ricky Seals-Jones out of A&M. Tall, rangy WR with good hands. Seems like a Pete Carroll kind of guy. Likely can be had late in the draft.

Aside from the two Aggies, I'd like a good OL or two and S Buda Baker out of UW.

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Since you are a Texas A&M guy, what are your thoughts on WR Speedy Noil? I was really impressed with his speed and playmaking ability as a freshman, but this year he just didn't look to be the quick twitch guy that he used to be. He has put on 15 lbs since his freshman year, did he bulk up too much?

I like Hall a lot. For the Seahawks, Hall has the size, length, and quickness to kick inside to DT on passing situations as well to playing DE.

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Speedy is a guy who had all the talent in the world, but lacked work ethic and discipline. He came out for the draft because he was getting booted off the team following his third arrest for marijuana possession. Not a criminal problem in WA, but a problem with the NFL.

He will likely be an undrafted FA, and I think we should look at him as a return man.

nwHawk":3g0f286j said:

Our season is not over, but it's not too early to look at the 2017 draft. What's your top priorities for the offseaon (as far as scouting for the draft)?

Obviously, OL is a big need and so is the d-line. Lineback depth would be nice as well. Is there anyone that you think will be available at the end of the 1st that can slide and be an upgr next year?

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Here are a few players that may be available...

(OT) Antonio Garcia 6-6 305 lbs, Troy: Small school guy that didn't give up a sack this year. Good build, that can still easily add another 10 pounds. Light on his feet, looks athletic. Not a dominate run blocker, but he does tend to play to the whistle.
OT) Cam Robinson 6-6 310 lbs, Alabama: Robinson is talented, but he makes a fair share of mental mistakes and had an off-the field incident. But, he has the size, length, and a good run blocker that could make him a good option late in the 1st round.

(DE) Taco Charlton 6-5 272 lbs, Michigan: Great length, frame to put on more weight.
(DE) Tim Williams 6-3 252 lbs, Alabama: Williams draft stock is anywhere from top-10 to late 1st round. IMO he is a top-15 prospect. He is a quick twich athlete that would be an ideal LEO for us.
(DE) Chales Harris 6-3 255, Missouri: Harris has a good initial burst, with a outstanding spin move. This year was disappointing for him. He had a new defensive coordinator this year that didn't let his DE's get after the QB, which IMO is the reason Harris had a down year.
(DE) DeMarcus Walker 6-2 273 lbs, Florida St: Walker can kick inside to DT on passing situations. Walker loves the game and his mentality fits the Seahawks brand of defense. He is not quick twitch, but he has good power and refined as a pass rusher.

(RB) D'Onta Foreman 6-1 249 lbs, Texas: Foreman has very good speed for his size, but he doesn't run with the same kind of "alpha dog" style as Lynch or Rawls. If you liked Alabama's Derrick Henry last year, then you'll like Foreman.
(RB) Alvin Kamara 5-10 215 lbs, Tennessee: Kamara is a 2nd round prospect that has enough size and quickness that could intrigue the Seahawks.

(LB) T.J. Watt 6-5 243 lbs, Wisconsin: I have to admit he is one of my favorite players in the late 1st for the Seahawks. The Seahawks love their LB's to have length, and Watt has the size/length. Watt has an Earl Thomas kind of love for the game. Watt can stack and shed with the best of them, perfect fit for the Seahawks strong side LB. Oh yeah, he can rush the passer as well.
(LB) Zach Cunningham 6-3 230 lbs, Vanderbilt: Zach has size, length, and athleticism that would hard for the Seahawks to pass up in the 1st round.
(LB) Jarrad Davis 6-1 238 lbs, Florida: Davis is a big hitter! He sets the tone on defense. For us Kam is that guy on defense, but Davis could also take on that role on the LB level.
(LB) Hassan Riddick 6-1 230 lbs, Temple: Riddick is explosive and has great speed. He doesn't have the size or length of Watt and Cunningham.

(DT) Elijah Qualls 6-1 321 lbs, Washington: Highly athletic player given his size. He played a lot as a standup DE, which is kind of odd given his weight. But, Quallls is quick and has great agility for his weight/size. He could be an ideal 3-tech for the Seahawks.
(DT) Chris Wormley 6-5 302 lbs, Michigan: He played mostly DE on a 3-4 defense, but I am highly intrigued how he would do as a 3-tech DT on a 4-3 defense. Wormely has a good combo of size and athleticism to be an ideal 3-tech for the Seahawks. NFL teams that play a 3-4 defense may rank him higher on their draft board that the Seahawks.

There aren't a lot of glaring needs in the starting line up. LT is the one that sticks out as a sore thumb. After that I'm going to say Morgan and Lane could use a challenger for their starting spot. After that it's just adding depth and maybe some competition. The secondary is a bit thin behind the starters, the LB corps isn't all that behind Wagner and KJ, getting one or two contributors at skill positions is always something teams should go for in the draft and the DL can always use some fresh faces.

Point is that I'm really not sure if the Hawks should target a specific position for their first round pick. There's going to be at least 24 teams picking ahead of us so that means the top prospect(s) at most positions are gone. OT is the only position that makes sense to specifically target but I'm not sure anyone available at the point we pick is going to be worth it.

BPA is probably the way to go in the first, which will most likely land us a DE, CB or WR.

I really want Ryan Ramczyk but we would likely have to trade up to get him.

My hopes for our 1st Round pick.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/2017 ... ort-010617

As a Utah fan, I would love to see Seattle pick this kid up. He was a monster last season and I think he would be a good fit for us. :mrgreen:

randomation":3hlp5m0r said:

I really want Ryan Ramczyk but we would likely have to trade up to get him.

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CBS has us getting him in their latest mock.

Hall from A&M will go well before we get to pick. I'd love to see Qualls or Wormsley but both of those guys are mocked to be gone as well.

Our biggest need is a 3 tech DT, followed by a CB that could push/take over for Shead or Lane.

It's also supposed to be an all world draft for RB's. I think it's a need for us as both Rawls and Prosise have shown they can't stay healthy, and I don't see them magically getting more durable next year. Getting a blue chip RB prospect would be great as we could go RBBC. Rawls would be an awesome RB if he was limited to 15 or so carries a game. You can just see him start to fade at 25 carries.

I'd also like to see a Safety drafted in the Chancellor mold. I love Kam, he's one of my favorite Seahawks but he's getting more and more knicked up every year and it's time to start looking for his successor. Thing is, that could be this draft, or next draft...depending on if the right guy comes along.

JAGHAWK":7gbjsv1b said:

My hopes for our 1st Round pick.

http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/2017 ... ort-010617

As a Utah fan, I would love to see Seattle pick this kid up. He was a monster last season and I think he would be a good fit for us. :mrgreen:

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I'd do backflips if we got him, but he's mocked to be the 1st OT taken in the draft in 3 mock drafts right now.

I'll just go with needs. Since how you resolve them doesn't really matter. In addition, I'll ignore the current development options on the roster. Simply going from a 'right now the quality isn't sufficient' standpoint

1. Urgent (can point to these deficiencies directly attributable to losses)

- Interior pass rush
- 3rd safety
- LS

2. Strong (Compromised level of play)

- LT
- RT
- RG
- SAM LB
- K

3. Need (remove weak links that teams can force mismatches on us)

- 2nd CB
- WR
- RB
- LG
- DT (base/rush)


Now obviously some of these positions have guys already added and we should rightly assume will get better after another offseason.

IMO, interior pass rush is just vital. Not only are we not getting sacks from the position, but we're getting little to no pocket collapse at all. The rare times we see push in the QB's face seem to be the result of Clark or Bennett lining up inside. This compromises DE quality by not providing clean up sacks. Also attributes directly to the inability to get turnovers.

We can see the expected symptoms of poor interior push even if we try to argue around the number of sacks on the year (3rd in NFL with 42). It's there and it's plain to see. It's also mind boggling how much better our DEs would produce with that missing piece. Would 55-65 sacks be out of the question?

This talent core on this team is aging. Not old. But aging. And with that, comes the expectation that injuries will continue and increase. We see the results drop off the cliff when one of Thomas/Chancellor are out of the game as opposed to playing. Yards and points allowed just balloon.

We should end the penny wise and poundfoolish approach to the LS. We can probably cite 3 of our losses where failed LS quality was the final arbiter in the outcome.

One has to wonder aloud if Hauschka is going to be on this team next year. Was it just a fluke? Or is he descending into a pit like Blair Walsh did this past year.

As for the mere needs categories:

A second high quality CB to pair with Sherman would be extremely helpful. Right now teams avoid Sherman largely and that 2nd CB gets a TON of targets. Shead is a good player, but he's not a playmaker. With that kind of volume, a quality CB should get about 8-10 picks or more.

WR is also a need. Kearse is having an atrocious year. And you can see teams are forcing Seattle to throw his way, by overloading coverage to Graham and Baldwin. Now Baldwin beats that regularly because he's just great. But clearly that 3rd WR is important and is often forced by matchup to be the one called on to make plays.

Where would this defense be without Tony McDaniel swooping in for a 2016 cameo appearance? This DL needs that big third body. Can we squeeze another season out of Big T?


I see a lot of needs on the team. Some will be organically improved by players on this roster. But if I'm looking at guys not on this roster yet, my ranking goes:

1. Pass rush DT
2. 3rd Safety
3. RT
4. CB
5. WR
6. RB

The way the talent is dispersed in the draft amongst these positions, I'm thinking

1. DT (rush)
2. Safety
3. CB
4. WR
5. OT
6. RB

Ideal scenario is that we add Campbell who is elite at the NFL level. And move up each of the remaining.

This DB class looks even better right now than the 2010 class did by a pretty good margin. Certainly it's a lot deeper. And it's probably going to have many (5+) prospects that also fit our strict physical profile. Seattle hasn't added any impact to the secondary group since 2011. I don't have to remind any fan either this year what losing DB depth has meant. Nor last year (SB49). That unit needs more, and this class at that position is truly historic.

RT, LT, & back up RT & LT then Tall receiver, Safety.

Attila- I like your assessment of needs especially looking at a 2nd CB. I've become enamored with Kevin King from UW and I'm a Coug fan. Obviously not our greatest need, but this kid has the size and skill to make an immediate impact with a day two or three pick. I've seen him ranked as low as the 7th CB to the 31st. I think he could use a little bulking up, but he'd be a solid addition to the LOB.

OldWiseHawk":161rzwkw said:

I've become enamored with Kevin King from UW and I'm a Coug fan. Obviously not our greatest need, but this kid has the size and skill to make an immediate impact with a day two or three pick. I've seen him ranked as low as the 7th CB to the 31st. I think he could use a little bulking up, but he'd be a solid addition to the LOB.

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He will rise as the process moves along. If Seattle wants him, they'll have to burn a 2nd round on him. That might not do it either.

He should be among the top 5 testers at his position.

As for bulking, I can see that. Although to be honest, he has 'it' when it comes to attacking the run. As slight as he is, he's a very physical player who will bring the attitude Seattle loves in it's CBs. Sherman is a slight guy too, but is a tackling beast. King is every bit that.

He's not our greatest need. But of all of the players in this draft at any position, I can't think of a player who is as perfect a match for what we covet at their position.

If he duplicates the testing he produced this March at the Husky combine, he'd probably be the best testing DB on our roster the day he walks in the door.

Nice work Cover-2 and Attyla.

I'm torn, usually I'm real big on upgrading the oline 1st, but the DL seemed to get engulfed too often. Think we need to find a stud 3 tech to push the pocket. Someone with a little stoutness.

Would like to add a quality piece to the Oline, along with another depth piece.

Building the OL through the draft means we won't win another SB for at least 3 more years. We have to sign 2-3 FA, and draft DL, CB and OLB. Our window is now, we can't wait for rookie OL to develop.

Dream scenario is a left tackle who can come in and be league average but that's probably not going to happen so I'm hoping they target that need in free agency or a trade. If we can come out of this draft with a disruptive inside pass rusher to go with Bennett, Avril and an emerging Frank Clark this defense would be scary again. I would also love a starting caliber CB and some depth where we need it.

austinslater25":28092uoo said:

Dream scenario is a left tackle who can come in and be league average but that's probably not going to happen so I'm hoping they target that need in free agency or a trade. If we can come out of this draft with a disruptive inside pass rusher to go with Bennett, Avril and an emerging Frank Clark this defense would be scary again. I would also love a starting caliber CB and some depth where we need it.

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Look at the history of OL, especially LT picks, they don't show up at league average. 75% of first rounders take a couple years to develop, very few are NFL ready.

Yeah that's why I said dream scenario lol. I really hope they can pull off a trade or signing to shore LT up for now. I don't need a pro bowler just your average LT would be light years above where we are at now. JS has a history of making stuff happen that no one expected so hopefully we can do it again.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/FieldGulls/status/821149510143508481[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bcondotta/status/821146537153556480[/tweet]

Between this and Luke's end of season interview, it doesn't seem like he'll be back.