Hawks put their guard up, fortify line with smart pick of Zabel

On Day 1 of the draft, John Schneider made the smart move and upgraded an offensive line that was in desperate need of it.

There was a gaping hole at left guard, and Grey Zabel is expected to fill it – the first guard Seattle has drafted in the first round since Steve Hutchinson in 2001 (he turned out to be pretty awesome).

Mike Macdonald declined to declare which side Zabel would play – the lineman said he didn’t care – but the coach did confirm he would play guard.

“Hopefully we’re not moving him around much and he sticks at guard for a long time here, but he does have that versatility.”

Continue reading Hawks put their guard up, fortify line with smart pick of Zabel

Schneider needs to make Day 1-2 picks count to finish contender

Draft Weekend is here!

And John Schneider finds himself in a familiar position — stocked with five picks in the first two days (and 10 overall) as he tries to finish building a contender for a rising coach.

In 2010-13, he and Pete Carroll built a Super Bowl team using three historically awesome drafts and a couple of key free agents to put them over the top by Year 4 of their program.

Thanks to the Russell Wilson blockbuster trade in 2022, Schneider has been putting together another contending roster – and is looking to finish it off for second-year coach Mike Macdonald with a draft that should be very impactful.

Continue reading Schneider needs to make Day 1-2 picks count to finish contender