Amazing Draft

One thing I've read that has been parroted by so many is that the Seahawks need a "big" receiver who can "box people out and get jump balls."

I'll preface the rest of this post by saying that I had my own row of seats on the DGB love train. I wanted him pretty badly, but it wasn't because he's just a big body. I think that in the right system, his skills and tools are elite. When we didn't get him, it felt like a gut punch because I truly believe he could have been special here. But the bottom line is that it's very likely that he wouldn't have been. PCJS went in a different direction.

I just don't get the height thing. This team drafts FOOTBALL PLAYERS, and they don't get caught up on height. Honestly, I think their football acumen and scoping talent is second to none. I refuse to judge the 2013 and 2014 drafts yet because I've always believed that a draft needs two or three years to see what's there. The results this FO got from the 2011 and 2012 drafts are mostly outliers - exceptions, not the rule.

Admittedly, I don't know much about Frank Clark. What I do know is that I'm not going to judge a kid on one incident and label him as unredeemable. I felt the same way about DGB. People want to pigeon hole these kids and point to past examples, but in doing that you forget that each person is an individual and will respond differently. PCJS obviously believe that they can help this kid. And, it seems like he has the potential of being really, really good at getting to the quarterback. This is a team that has put together two seasons that have equated to a historically great defense in an era that makes playing defense difficult. The NFL is heavily, heavily slanted towards offense - so am I really going to judge the selection of Frank Clark?

I'm excited to see what he brings. This is a perfect time for me to defer to authority on our second round pick.

I'd guess that Tyler Lockett is the receiver that they wanted all along. When I read that JS said that they landed two of their three "must have" guys, I originally thought it the one they missed on was AGB. But I think that's unlikely.

Lockett is a phenomenal Special Teams player, but that's not even his biggest strength. I believe that his ceiling is extremely high. When I say that, I'm thinking of guys like Antonio Brown, Randall Cobb, and Golden Tate to a degree. He measures up with all three of those guys - and really, about the height thing? It's embarrassing to read that. You would think that out of all the fan bases in the NFL, the one that would be the least mesmerized by height would be the 12s. Some of the best receivers in the NFL stand under six feet tall.

Jimmy Graham:
6'7" and a TE by name only. Easily one of the most dangerous weapons in the league.

Chris Matthews:
6'5" and largely unproven. I don't hang my hat on this kid's performance in the SB and predict that he'll be a star - but I do think that performance was some foreshadowing of what he's capable of.

Jermaine Kearse:
6'1" and very good in traffic and jump balls.

Kevin Norwood:
6'2" and unproven, but the ability is there.

Ricardo Lockette:
6'2"

I'll stop there. My point is that there is PLENTY of length in the passing game. Baldwin and Lockett are the only receivers under six feet on the roster. So, I guess I just wonder what the infatuation is with the thought that the Seahawks were in dire straits for a tall receiver?

But have your opinion, and I'll have mine. Here's what I see in summation:

Our return game just took a massive, massive step forward.

Our pass rush will be better. I've tried, but I can't find anywhere online that doubts Clark's talent.

Lockett has the ability to really bolster our passing offense. The kid can flat out ball.

Six picks left? I can't wait to see what gems the brain trust will uncover today.

Great way of looking at things.
I can't help but think we may have missed out on our original 1st choice but I do think that they picked guys, so far, that fit well, into the plan.

And the return game was painful to watch last year. It is taken care of, in addition to giving another weapon to Russ. There are plenty of O Lineman left they can swoop up today. Also, Graham is their first round pick, a hell of a lot better than anyone they could have picked up at 31 anyway.

Pete has already said they had 3 players they wanted and got 2 of them with 2 picks.....more to come.

We still have #130 and #134 in the next round. Then #170 in the 5th...In the 6th #209 and 214, and lastly #248.

Pretty sure o-line and probably DB depth will be gathered.

Largent80":1w89zr24 said:

Pete has already said they had 3 players they wanted and got 2 of them with 2 picks.....more to come.

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Yeah....but what does he know? :stirthepot:

I think this is an interesting pick for the reason that Clark fits the mold of having something to prove... this is a very important part of Carrolls philosophy! Now you might read that and say SO... but the truth is Carroll is going to have this guy so ramped up and SO ready to prove him self that they are going to feed him raw meat before games and he is probably going to have a really productive first year...This is a really important point... dont for get it...

The other thing that makes me laugh is that the Seahawk Nation has not learned that Carroll is unpredictable yet...Did anybody go through Carolls hints?

I agree on a great draft so far. We lost the SB due to lack of pass rush,field position and short comings in the pass game to convert 3rd downs and the red zone to put the game away in the 3rd qtr. Check,check and check in my book.

Thank you for the excellent post OP.

I get so tired of fans that think they know so much more about how to draft and build a roster than the best front office in the league. Really? Do you all really have that high of an opinion of yourself...?

Anyway, having to keep a guy like Walters was killing us on game days and this move for Tyler Lockett immediately fixes that. As much as I love the local kid on his home team and respect him for stepping in there and doing what was asked of him on returns he was just barely getting us by in the return game and offered nothing as an actual WR on offense. Lockett is a quick and intelligent route runner with plenty of speed, decent YAC ability, and that also offers a + ability on returning kicks/punts. He's the perfect replacement for Golden Tate, and he's coming out of college a lot more polished and ready to start than Golden IMHO.

When fans build teams, you end up with the Browns, Redskins and Cowboys. When smart front offices build teams, you get bad draft grades that end up as the Seahawks and pats.

Yes it is an amazing draft. I am so grateful that the posters on these boards are not making the picks

penihawk":3h0hf9ed said:

I agree on a great draft so far. We lost the SB due to lack of pass rush,field position and short comings in the pass game to convert 3rd downs and the red zone to put the game away in the 3rd qtr. Check,check and check in my book.

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Meh, No offense but it I severely dislike statements like that. I see the point you are trying to make but disagree with the overlooking of the fact they had a great chance to win it except for DB's boner playcall.

We lost the Super Bowl because they refused to give the ball to their biggest weapon with the game on the line, it came down to that.

Now if you say if we had more depth here and there and there, and they should have had the lead before that point then I agree. Let's not overlook the fact then despite the things you mentioned they still should have walked out of Arizona with the Lombardi trophy.

So far it looks like a very good draft as they are plugging some holes they needed filled.

CPHawk":212gxq6y said:

When fans build teams, you end up with the Browns, Redskins and Cowboys. When smart front offices build teams, you get bad draft grades that end up as the Seahawks and pats.

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Awesome point!

Sports Hernia":2d2ki1pu said:

We lost the Super Bowl because they refused to give the ball to their biggest weapon with the game on the line, it came down to that.

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Refused? That's not true...

The WR is "the premier kick returner in the draft"--that's why we got the dude. If that's all he does for us, it's an exciting pick!

CPHawk":3dcqzs7q said:

When fans build teams, you end up with the Browns, Redskins and Cowboys. When smart front offices build teams, you get bad draft grades that end up as the Seahawks and pats.

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Our draft has been pretty highly praised by the talking heads on the NFL.com live feed. They continually say great things about John Schneider's drafting ability, past and current drafts.

Sports Hernia":gajx6lzs said:

penihawk":gajx6lzs said:

I agree on a great draft so far. We lost the SB due to lack of pass rush,field position and short comings in the pass game to convert 3rd downs and the red zone to put the game away in the 3rd qtr. Check,check and check in my book.

Click to expand...

Meh, No offense but it I severely dislike statements like that. I see the point you are trying to make but disagree with the overlooking of the fact they had a great chance to win it except for DB's boner playcall.

We lost the Super Bowl because they refused to give the ball to their biggest weapon with the game on the line, it came down to that.

Now if you say if we had more depth here and there and there, and they should have had the lead before that point then I agree. Let's not overlook the fact then despite the things you mentioned they still should have walked out of Arizona with the Lombardi trophy.

So far it looks like a very good draft as they are plugging some holes they needed filled.

Click to expand...

You are correct about the bad call but that looks at only one play. I think the point was you could have prevented being put on position to have to make that play call to begin with if not for other weaknesses.

Hawkfan77":2nuzhxkw said:

Sports Hernia":2nuzhxkw said:

We lost the Super Bowl because they refused to give the ball to their biggest weapon with the game on the line, it came down to that.

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Refused? That's not true...

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Actually on the play I'm talking about it IS the truth.

its about to get even better!

RichNhansom":19jsqmlx said:

Sports Hernia":19jsqmlx said:

penihawk":19jsqmlx said:

I agree on a great draft so far. We lost the SB due to lack of pass rush,field position and short comings in the pass game to convert 3rd downs and the red zone to put the game away in the 3rd qtr. Check,check and check in my book.

Click to expand...

Meh, No offense but it I severely dislike statements like that. I see the point you are trying to make but disagree with the overlooking of the fact they had a great chance to win it except for DB's boner playcall.

We lost the Super Bowl because they refused to give the ball to their biggest weapon with the game on the line, it came down to that.

Now if you say if we had more depth here and there and there, and they should have had the lead before that point then I agree. Let's not overlook the fact then despite the things you mentioned they still should have walked out of Arizona with the Lombardi trophy.

So far it looks like a very good draft as they are plugging some holes they needed filled.

Click to expand...

You are correct about the bad call but that looks at only one play. I think the point was you could have prevented being put on position to have to make that play call to begin with if not for other weaknesses.

Click to expand...

That was the point I was trying to make but you said it better than I did. I agree with the assessment if we had not have guys injured at specific positions or more quality depth it would have not come down to that one play.

MY point was despite those flaws and weaknesses for what ever reason they were in position to win that game, something that tends to get glossed over at times.

Now don't get we wrong, I'm thrilled that those problems looks like they have been addressed and hopefully solved.
Also remember we have quite a few of last year's drafted players that were hurt last year that can bring added depth and talent to spots as well. I think this team is going to do great things next year if they stay healthy.

RichNhansom":35fvmwgu said:

Sports Hernia":35fvmwgu said:

penihawk":35fvmwgu said:

I agree on a great draft so far. We lost the SB due to lack of pass rush,field position and short comings in the pass game to convert 3rd downs and the red zone to put the game away in the 3rd qtr. Check,check and check in my book.

Click to expand...

Meh, No offense but it I severely dislike statements like that. I see the point you are trying to make but disagree with the overlooking of the fact they had a great chance to win it except for DB's boner playcall.

We lost the Super Bowl because they refused to give the ball to their biggest weapon with the game on the line, it came down to that.

Now if you say if we had more depth here and there and there, and they should have had the lead before that point then I agree. Let's not overlook the fact then despite the things you mentioned they still should have walked out of Arizona with the Lombardi trophy.

So far it looks like a very good draft as they are plugging some holes they needed filled.

Click to expand...

You are correct about the bad call but that looks at only one play. I think the point was you could have prevented being put on position to have to make that play call to begin with if not for other weaknesses.

Click to expand...

We lost the SB when Hill went out--we already lost Mebane and we were brutalizing the Patriots offense up to that point. If we'd had Graham on that last play, he would've at least disrupted the dbs and caused an int, if not a td.