My 2 Favorite Prospects

So I've been a lurker for some time and figured I'd start posting a little. I just felt like bringing attention to my 2 favorite prospects in this years draft. This doesn't mean I think they'll be the best players to ever come out of this draft, they are just the two guys that I love watching play and that I think could really flourish in Seattle's system.

#1 Dominique Easley

This one is hard because of the measurables and the injury history. But I just love the way he plays. Jordan Hill is a high motor guy, but he does not even come close to Easley. He plays with an almost insane/crazy intensity. His ability to bring pressure from the inside is a thing of beauty and, while undersized, has an effective bull rush. Watching him against Miami this year, I just feel this guy could be extremely effective at the next level. I really believe he could be as good if not better than Michael Bennett was for us this year. I think he has a well developed and a decent variety of rushes, but what blows my mind is how quick he is off the snap and how he makes last minute adjustments. His instincts and his versatility would be used to their utmost in this defense. But the thing that I love about him, is the quirkiness to his play. It almost screams Seahawk to me. The weird dance he'll do before a snap, the way he rolls to adjust along the line just shows incredible passion for the game. Add that to the Dan Quinn factor and (what I believe to be) one the better injury management environments in the NFL and I just think he could really flourish here.

Why I don't think we will draft him: The injury concern is a big one. But even with the injury I don't see him falling late into the 4th round which is the highest I could see Seattle drafting him. The other thing is the measurables. Pete likes size and speed and I don't think either of those qualities are what make Easley great. He's a high motor, technician that may not pan out at the next level because of the lack of size. Add that to the two ACL tears and I just can't see PC/JS pulling the trigger on this guy, which I think is a shame because I truly believe this guy could be a force with Seattle.

#2 Martavis Bryant

Let me start by saying, most players benefit from playing opposite an amazing, dominant receiver but, as with everything, there are some exceptions to this rule. Martavis Bryant is the exception. The Clemson offense revolved almost exclusively around Sammy Watkins and I think Martavis Bryant suffered because of it. So, when I started to judge him on his efficiency instead of production or polish, I really found myself liking what I saw. I saw him make a handful of physical "up for grabs" catches (2 of which were TDs against Ohio State) and I've seen him burn someone down field and take it to the house. I feel like he caught almost every catchable throw no matter how contested. He's not particularly polished but he fights for every single ball and he's got good speed. But what stood out to me most was how little he was targeted and how much he made out of those few opportunities. In Seattle's offense, a receiver is only going to see a handful of passes a game and I think Bryant will thrive in that system. He wasn't force fed the ball in college and still managed to put up pretty good numbers. The other thing that stood out, is his body control. On several occasions I noticed him putting two feet down (much like what Doug Baldwin does though he's not on that level) which I think is an underrated quality coming out of college. By comparison, I think Kelvin Benjamin has terrible body control. In other words, I think you can see him making a lot of pro style catches right out of the gate (and Russell throws a lot of sideline, toe tap throws). More than anything though, I think he has (and does) exactly what Seattle needs out of a WR. He stretches the field with great speed and he can snag a pass in the redzone even in tight coverage. He's the big bodied guy RW can toss it to and, as he's shown in college, will go up an get it for you.

Why Seattle MAY not draft him: Simply put, I don't think Bryant has the YAC ability that Brandon Coleman does or the freakish size and physical potential of Kelvin Benjamin. With Coleman, the upside is insane. Coleman can do anything and really scare an opposing defense. Coleman has flashed everything Bryant does with an added YAC ability that I think Bryant lacks and may never develop. Bryant reminds me a little bit of Torrey Smith and 2012 Sidney Rice mixed together and I don't know if that will be enough to convince PC/JS to pull the trigger, particularly if they are given the chance to draft BC or KB. That said, I could see it happening if there is a run on receivers and JS is determined to get a big WR.

I could easily see seattle drafting defense early on just for the pure fact that they have their eye on a guy like byrant in the 4th round or so. i dont think we need a yac guy, just someone that can run the deep routes and win some jump balls.

dont know much about easley but he looks interesting, i also like anthony johnson from lsu as a second round prospect, picking up easley on top of that somehow would negate this off seasons losses. im starting to pull for a hageman/or urban first round as well, would provide us with some instant nastiness and depth to keep our dline primed for success.

Welcome Yxes1122. Hell of a post. I hope you keep sharing your thoughts. I haven't watched Easley yet, but I'm buying 100% on what you saying on Bryant. He checks all the marks for what Seattle is looking for at the position. The size is there (6-foot-5, 200 pounds) and he runs extremely well. More than just fast, has agility and quickness for a big guy. And like you said he comes down with every catch no matter where the ball placement is.

I'm sold on him. He reminds me of Justin Hunter, but with better hands. Or to compare to this years class, like a taller,stronger Paul Richardson but again with better hands. He could be a serious riser after his combine and pro day. Our second round pick might not even get him.

Great post and I am right there with you on Martavis Bryant.

Bryant's physical upside, not hyperbole, is literally "best WR in the NFL." He is a tall/long WR with unreal speed (I think he's low 4.4s/high 4.3s) and is a very fluid/flexible athlete. He has a long, long ways to go, but I see no reason why he can't be a Mike Wallace deep threat on the right team, with the right QB. If he can develop the rest of his game, he could become a dynamic #1. That's a huge if. The Clemson coach has even said that he is physically more impressive than Watkins, it's just a matter of being consistent and embracing the details.

The real question is, where do you draft him? Are you willing to use a late 2nd rounder? Is the potential upside worth that much draft capital on a Run-first team? Big question, but an important one.

Here's what I expect of Bryant at the combine (thinking in terms of SPARQ):
HT/WT: 6'4" 200 lbs
40: 4.38-4.43
BJ: 11'
VJ: 38-42"

I fully expect him to blow away the combine. This is a deep WR class, but few offer the same physical gifts that Bryant offers.

I'm usually not a fan of making comparisons between players. It's usually a lazy way of pigeonholing a prospect unfairly.

I will say, that from people I've heard who attend Clemson games -- they regard him almost exactly how Rutgers fans considered Mark Harrison who came out last year. That is, they don't think much of him at all. I know Harrison was a guy a lot of people (even here) who thought he'd be a good 5th/6th round guy. But he fell out of the draft and didn't do anything in the NFL as a UDFA.

Bryant is maddeningly inconsistent to those that watch the games. The term I've heard thrown around consistently is 'he's invisible'. That is not a quality endorsement. He's a guy who has disappointed.

Now, that's not to say he can't develop. He is young. But he is really raw and doesn't flash much talent with regularity. He's also had issues with behavioral suspensions in 2012 and 2013. He is going to have to answer questions about that and interview well. Luke Willson tested well despite similar anonymity and his off field profile is sterling. Bryant doesn't have that going for him.

Ultimately I'd say anything before late round 5 is a significant reach. I'd say mid 6th round. He has measurables, but not the stats to match. He doesn't display the impact you'd expect from a guy of that size. And he played against defenses doubling Sammy Watkins. So the level of competition in games he faced was extremely low. I don't see evidence that he's going to work any harder at getting better than he has thus far, which is barely at all.

He will need to make a huge leap in maturity and work ethic. That might be a tall order to expect in the 3 months between draft day and final cutdowns.

Mark Harrison was also one of the dudes (Along with DeAndre Hopkins) where threw doodoo all over their hotel room, and he was already considered a 3rd day guy.

Im not a fan of Bryant.

Ya, I am kind of with you Attyla. I watched every game I could find on him and he really doesn't jump off the screen to me. He does have the size and athleticism, but beyond that nothing really excited me from his tape. But, I suppose you can't teach size or athleticism so it would not totally surprise me if he put it together to become a legitimate weapon.

Attyla the Hawk":3qlssior said:

I'm usually not a fan of making comparisons between players. It's usually a lazy way of pigeonholing a prospect unfairly.

I will say, that from people I've heard who attend Clemson games -- they regard him almost exactly how Rutgers fans considered Mark Harrison who came out last year. That is, they don't think much of him at all. I know Harrison was a guy a lot of people (even here) who thought he'd be a good 5th/6th round guy. But he fell out of the draft and didn't do anything in the NFL as a UDFA.

Bryant is maddeningly inconsistent to those that watch the games. The term I've heard thrown around consistently is 'he's invisible'. That is not a quality endorsement. He's a guy who has disappointed.

Now, that's not to say he can't develop. He is young. But he is really raw and doesn't flash much talent with regularity. He's also had issues with behavioral suspensions in 2012 and 2013. He is going to have to answer questions about that and interview well. Luke Willson tested well despite similar anonymity and his off field profile is sterling. Bryant doesn't have that going for him.

Ultimately I'd say anything before late round 5 is a significant reach. I'd say mid 6th round. He has measurables, but not the stats to match. He doesn't display the impact you'd expect from a guy of that size. And he played against defenses doubling Sammy Watkins. So the level of competition in games he faced was extremely low. I don't see evidence that he's going to work any harder at getting better than he has thus far, which is barely at all.

He will need to make a huge leap in maturity and work ethic. That might be a tall order to expect in the 3 months between draft day and final cutdowns.

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Like I said in my original post, I believe Boyd and the Clemson offense was so dependent on Watkins that Bryant didn't get targeted very often and it hurt his production. From the times that he was targeted, I think he was physical, showed great effort, and made the most out of his opportunities. I don't typically watch games, but see cut up tape from draftbreakdown, so maybe they cut out a lot of the bad plays. That said, I have watched some Boyd cut ups and I think Clemson force fed the ball to Watkins (rightfully so, he's a beast) so much, Bryant got very few opportunities to shine. He doesn't WOW on tape but I think he does what Seattle needs at the WR position and I think he does it with a very low volume of targets.

As to the attitude and off the field concerns, you may very well be right. I don't know enough about him as a person to tell whether or not he is 100% committed to football or prone to stupid decisions. All I can do is interpret what I see on tape, and I see a guy that fights for every pass thrown his way. I also think he puts effort into blocking and doesn't give off the vibe of being an individualistic player. I may be wrong, I don't know (or have the information to know) what is motivations are.

I like Bryant and think he will show some really great numbers at the combine, If the Seahawks want him it would have to be with their 2-nd round pick - IMO. Maybe a double dip? IIRC; Last years mid-round WR pick was made for "something we didn't have", a big bodied possession receiver(?) even though they had Rice then). I would then understand if they double dip at WR in this draft. One likely mid-round candidate could be: WR-Donte Moncrief, Mississippi, 6-2+, 226, sub 4.5/40.
Scouting Report/Film - http://thesidelineview.com/scouting-rep ... e-moncrief

Year GP REC YDS YPC TD
2011 12 31 454 14.6 4
2012 13 66 979 14.8 10
2013 13 59 938 15.9 6
Totals 38 156 2,371 15.2 20

Attyla the Hawk":1ncqctjq said:

Ultimately I'd say anything before late round 5 is a significant reach. I'd say mid 6th round. He has measurables, but not the stats to match. He doesn't display the impact you'd expect from a guy of that size.

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Mid 6th round? Yeah sorry but that's nuts. Kris Durham was drafted 4.10 and had less stats and showed much less compared to Bryant. The Clemons offense revolved around Watkins and if Watkins wasn't open it usually meant Tajh Boyd was tucking the ball and running. Being a Coleman fan, I'm surprised you even brought up stats being a qualifying thing to use.

Recon_Hawk":psp4cabx said:

Attyla the Hawk":psp4cabx said:

Ultimately I'd say anything before late round 5 is a significant reach. I'd say mid 6th round. He has measurables, but not the stats to match. He doesn't display the impact you'd expect from a guy of that size.

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Being a Coleman fan, I'm surprised you even brought up stats being a qualifying thing to use.

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Coleman flashes explosive quality that Bryant hasn't summoned. And Coleman's 2012 was outstanding.

Bryant doesn't show glimpses of what he might be. He's just a very anonymous/generic player. There are lots of guys like that in the draft this year, and almost all of them have some measure of statistical success to fall back on. Bryant doesn't have that.

Stats aren't the whole thing. But Bryant was in a superb situation at Clemson and didn't do anything with it. An NFL draftable quality QB. Decent OL play for a college level team. An elite #1 WR to roll coverage away from him. He should have been productive and should definitely been able to show that he can be a player in this league. But that didn't happen.

Coleman labored under a dumpster fire of QB quality. And it's been documented that he's played through injury this year. He's flashed quality consistently. And we can see his unique talents even when they aren't resulting in catches or even targets. Teams locked onto Coleman as the clear #1 WR on his team. The two situations are really about as different as one could imagine. Yet their production was essentially identical.