Contributions of 2013 Draft Picks

There are many reasons for the decline of the Seahawks performance this year that have been discussed in the past few weeks, but in my opinion the lack of impact of the Hawk's 2013 draft class is a major contributor to the drop off this year. I realize that you can't fully evaluate a draft class until 2 to 3 years afterwards, but you can still make some level of evaluation.

2013 Class:

1st round pick: Traded for Percy Harvin - In my opinion, a poor decision by the front office that was or should have been fully aware of his past anger issues. Also, the Hawks needed a big, tall, outside receiver on the roster to help Wilson, not another receiver who's best fit was in the slot and therefore force Baldwin to play outside.
My grade of the pick/trade: D

2nd round pick: Christine Michael - Has been unable to contribute or even be a member of the game-day roster for most games during his first two years in the league. Maturity problems and coaches don't trust him enough to give him many plays in the game. 2nd round picks should at minimum be average starters, and Michael is a below-average backup.
My Grade of the Pick: D-

3rd round pick: Jordan Hill - Injured for nearly half of his games and a below average starter for the games he's played during his first two years in the league. However, still has some potential as a nickel defense pass-rusher.
My Grade of the Pick: C

4th round pick: Chris Harper - Not playing in the league after less than 2 years. Had the kind of size the Hawks were looking for in a WR though, and WR's are notorious for flaming out of the league, so I won't be too harsh on this pick.
My grade of the Pick: D+

5th round pick: Jesse Williams - Has not played in a game during his first 2 years due to college injuries that were well known by all NFL teams prior to the draft. His potential justified a 5th round flyer however, so I'm not too down on this pick.
My grade of the Pick: C-

5th round pick: Tharold Simon - The one player in the draft who could still turn into a star down the road. For now, he's someone with maturity issues that were well known by NFL teams prior to the draft (similar to Michael) who has played inconsistently or been injured during most of his short tenure.
My grade of the Pick: B

5th Round Pick: Luke Wilson - I know people are annoyed with his inconsistent hands, but he's a solid backup player, which is decent value for a 5th rounder. Not a superstar but has potential to develop into a starter in the league. The best pick in the draft to date.
My Grade of the Pick: B+

6th and 7th rounders: Spencer Ware, Ryan Seymour, Ty Powell, Jared Smith, Micheal Bowie - None of these players are on the team anymore either for lack of talent or lack of work ethic/maturity, and you'd expect at least one of the five of them to have made a contribution to the team.
My Grades of These Picks: D

Overall Grade of 2013 Draft: D+

Feel free to disagree with my draft grade, but the reality is that Pete and John had 11 picks available (12 counting the traded first rounder) in the 2013 draft class for the purpose of providing some quality depth and find a couple of starters, and they failed to do so.

I hope they have a much better draft in 2015.

Wow, Christine Michael gets a worse grade from you than the NOTHING we got in the First Round. That's pretty bad. Percy Harvin trade I give an F, Michael I would give a B- because I think he has the potential to contribute as a change-of-pace back.

I would give Tharold Simon a solid B+/A-. Getting a potentially elite cornerback in the Fifth Round does not have happen very often, even though it may seem like it because of our previous drafting success.

Getting Michael Bowie, who started last year at RT and was solid, with a Seventh Rounder deserves more than a D grade. It wasn't the team's fault that he got hurt and then was claimed with an injury designation. Solid C for that pick.

Overall, I give the 2013 draft class a C for effort (and unseen potential).

It's just one fan's opinion, not a statement of fact.

Given Harvin's previous production in the league and obvious talent, and Carroll's history of working with difficult personalities, I thought the potential of Harvin working out here prevented this pick/trade from being an "F" grade.

I'm probably more down on Michael than some other fans given the maturity issues I observe on the field during games and what you hear about him from some of the position coaches during interviews, but I hope that I'm proven wrong and this turns into a "B" grade in a couple of years. Personally, I think when you make a pick in the 2nd round you should be looking for a solid starter type of player - it should not a "swing for the fences" boom/bust type of pick.

Yea, 2013 was a really terrible draft. If you have 2 or 3 drafts like that in a row your franchise will get set back in a big way. As Pete gets farther away from the college game and cant draft players he recruited or played against, his advantage is diminished.

Unfortunately, the lack of quality depth when compared to the last couple years has really started to show, and bad drafting is the primary culprit for that.

With the exception of Harvin I suspect it it is far too soon to fairly grade this draft class. That said I'l give my thoughts

Harvin = F
The only reason why not an F was the quick disposal of a locker room disruption and the reality the team will have no cap hangover from axing Harvin. The grade remains an F b/c of the opportunity costs of trading for him and keeping him for the short time he was here. His being here cost a 1st, 3rd and 7th rd pick and messed up the cap this season which may have cost a player or two.

2nd rd. Michael = Incomplete
The player has a head full of mush but some exceptional physical talent which he has flashed more often enough to raise questions about his genuine ability which could be very high. He still is dumb as a hammer and is slow to learn some basic skills needed for his position but he can run like heck. Too early to grade just yet but could be anywhere from a C- to an A

3rd rd. Hill = Incomplete
To date injury prone and unable to crack the starting roster, often early on the inactive list yet has been flashing more and more stoutness inside. Suspect he's only a backup quality DT but time will tell as he will now see playing time until the end of the season. likely grade C+

4th rd. Chris Harper = D
The team found he learned the position far too slowly but this guy was grabbed off the waiver wire or PS by SF and then looked at hard by GB. Harper was SPARQy enough to have been a steal who had nice size. The only reason why not an D- grade was his being looked at hard by both SF and GB. I'm sure the FO knows the missed on this player

5th rd. Jesse Williams = Incomplete
Hard to assign a grade to player that has not stayed healthy enough to play, I think he could be a steal though if he can get healthy.

5th rd. Tharold Simon = A-
Simon has played very well coming in a relief for starter that were hurt. He has flashed exceptional potential and now that he has regained his health will continue to show solid play on the field. He is a keeper and may be the heir apparent to Maxwell's spot. he has shown himself to be a starting quality CB with exceptional size and speed found late in the draft.

6th rd. Spencer Ware, C-
This player was a casualty of the numbers game and weak character. He is a very hard runner but wasn't prepared to sell out to make the team or to prevent himself from getting several DUI charges. He is no longer in the league but stayed on the team for the whole of last season. if he were to decide he wanted to play seriously he could be a solid depth player elsewhere.

6th rd. Ty Powell, = C
Still in the league playing well for Buffalo who had a place for him on their roster where he proved surplus to needs here. He showed some ability to rush the passer in college and was a roll the dice pick late in the 6th rd. He wasn't a bad choice but there were better players already here and he couldn't rise above or compete to seize a spot on the team.

7th rd. Ryan Seymour = C
The team tried to keep him on the PS but the player was snatched by SF, he's still playing OG in Cleveland and doing fine. I thought he had some ability to play well in NFL. This guy and Jared Smith were both late picks taken for project players with high potential upsides, Seymour has shown enough that he remains in the league.

7th rd. Jared Smith = C-
Another attempted DT conversion project by Coach Cable this player was highly regarded as a developmental project by the team until he got hurt in camp. He is strong, long armed, and raw as heck. Is likely highest and best only ever a backup level interior OLineman either G or C. Is presently out of the league but could find his way back to a PS before long.

7th rd. Micheal Bowie = B+
Fell in the draft b/c of character concerns and it was his character that got him cut here as he ate himself out of a potential starting job. He played very well for the Hawks last season and was starter quality. He has talent as an OT or OG and will stay around the league for few more years if he can get healthy and control his weight. His head got too big for his own good and he abandoned the work ethic that got him to earn a starting job last season. He could be a better player than Britt and has the ability to play LT as a pro. Cutting Bowie was IMO a mistake. This was an awesome pick for pick #242

What we fail to do with this assessment is to take into consideration each of these players were going to be up against a tough fight to get a job here b/c of the experienced depth ahead of the on the team. Thus some of the choices were to staff the PS or to swing for the fence and that offers a greater chance of striking out.

I don't think the recent drafts have been as bleak as many think.

Doesn't look like an epic draft class, but we could have 5 solid contributors when we look back in several years.

Christine Michael
Jordan Hill
Tharold Simon
Luke Willson
Alvin Bailey (FA)

I've seen a lot worse drafts. unno:

And with the (most excellent) rookie cap in place, this is no time to be missing on picks. I'd call '13 a D+ (as of today) only because I'm not considering the 1st we gave up for Harvin. If I included that transaction, I'd give us an M (for mental).

It looks like Simon will be a starter, though I'm not as excited about him as many are here. Like Michael, he appears to be stupid.

Michael: Damn. Who knows? You have to think sooner or later he will get it together. The talent is there and I believe he will eventually learn to pass block...even though his A&M coaches described him as "lacking commitment to learn and difficult to coach" (BOOM, that's our guy!). But teaching a guy to not fumble is an entirely different animal. I recall Tiki Barber getting through fumblitis but I'm sure there are many more than don't. But still, something tells me the kid will start somewhere, if not here.

So IF 3 starters (plus Willson) are produced from the '13 draft (including Bowie) I would move the grade up to a C+. I couldn't go higher than that because Michael should be making noise today. And I don't mean the noise of his hands clapping in anticipation of getting the ball. ; /

twisted_steel2":a0jevkj5 said:

Doesn't look like an epic draft class, but we could have 5 solid contributors when we look back in several years.

Christine Michael
Jordan Hill
Tharold Simon
Luke Willson
Alvin Bailey (FA)

I've seen a lot worse drafts. unno:

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Like the 49ers' 2012 draft . . . only one contributor. This draft already beats that one.

Missing_Clink":13fe9o4h said:

Yea, 2013 was a really terrible draft. If you have 2 or 3 drafts like that in a row your franchise will get set back in a big way. As Pete gets farther away from the college game and cant draft players he recruited or played against, his advantage is diminished.

Unfortunately, the lack of quality depth when compared to the last couple years has really started to show, and bad drafting is the primary culprit for that.

Click to expand...

Totally. Pete had some great drafts the first couple years when he knew the players from his college days at 'SC.
Now it's a crapshoot.

Our draft picks are also not asked to do to much out of the gate like they were Pete's first couple years. I think not drafting a decent DT has set us back this year with all the injuries. And Pete took chances at drafting players with the physical tools knowing they were projects. Simon looks to be a solid player. Just needs more games. 2014 class has promise. Just need to get better at drafting OL and DL. Hopefully 2015 draft class has some good late round OL and DL players cause we are going to need them.

Of course, it will take time to really know what we got here, but if I had to answer now, I would say it was probably poor draft or, at best, aggressively average. Yes, it will take some players longer to contribute than others, but to see very little flash from any of these guys through 1.75 seasons is concerning. You can say too much depth is an issue, but let's be honest, Willson and Hill have had opportunities to play and haven't flashed much. The fact that Michael has been unable to win the RB2 job from Turbin speaks volumes in itself.

In Michael, we're looking at a fairly 1D player -- no value in ST, little value as a blocker, feast-or-famine running style. Unresolved questions about his ability to secure the ball. I know people like this guy's potential, but I'm having trouble seeing a feature back here. I think this was a miss -- fairly frustrating because we traded back and lost out on Lacy, who, at worst, would be a competent RB2 in our system who matches some of Lynch's physicality. I would love to be wrong on Michael, though, and I think it's possible that I am.

In Willson, I guess it's sort of a win whenever you get a 5th rounder to stick and play as much as he has. But when I look at Willson, I see a SPARQ score and not necessarily a great, fluid athlete. He does okay on the move and in wide open space. Seems to play poorly in traffic or in line as a blocker -- which are the things you want from a "true TE." I just don't think he's the answer at TE1 or even TE2. He's had almost zero competition through his first two seasons due to McCoy's untimely injuries. I think the FO's interest in Jermichael Finley and every other starting TE in the NFL had less to do with Miller and more to do with Willson not being "the guy." That being said, Willson is an NFL quality player and the FO shouldn't necessarily hang its head on getting him in the 5th round, but this is not the 5th round home run we're accustomed to.

Simon and Hill. A lot of injuries. I see their ceiling as being Byron Maxwell/Clint McDonald-type players who can eventually find a way to contribute in our system. Their floor is being replacement level guys who we eventually move on from due to durability concerns. Neither has really flashed yet.

Bailey. Said this in another thread, getting him as a UDFA was probably the best acquisition during the draft. I think he's a good and valuable player, but I'm not sure that says much for this draft class.

Harper. I honestly don't know what they were thinking with this pick. Another guy who had some decent measurables, but nothing on his reel suggested he was an NFL level player. My sense is that they're trying a little too hard to out-smart the room with these raw SPARQ guys on offense. It's not working.

Harvin. Catastrophe. On multiple levels.

Didn't even mention Marsh who I thought was contributing well for a rookie.

Largent80":1fgs6j3t said:

Didn't even mention Marsh who I thought was contributing well for a rookie.

Click to expand...

'14 draft, not '13 Rob.



This is a good subject for a thread and I give props to the OP. No wonder our depth has taken a huge hit. Outside of Simon and Willson there's precious little quality production here and even those 2 have been awfully hit and miss. And to me the Harvin trade is an F- for both what it cost and the subsequent fallout having the guy on the team created not only in the locker room, but how he affected the offensive scheme as well.

What's particularly disheartening is that two days after the completion of the 2013 draft, if someone had put a gun to my head and forced me to give it a preliminary grade, I would have said a "B." I thought Wilson and Harvin would be a great tandem for years to come, and thought Michael, Hill, and Williams would all become average to better than average starters. For some reason, I thought Spencer Ware would turn out to be a good backup for Lynch. I was wearing "John Schneider colored glasses" based on the results of the 2011 and 2012 drafts.