When the Seahawks drafted Malik McDowell after three moves down last weekend, both John Schneider and Pete Carroll had some motivational words for him on the phone — signs that concerns about his effort were valid.
But Carroll explained in more detail Thursday why they are not worried about McDowell’s desire and fit with the hypercompetitive Seahawks.
“He had a monster year as a sophomore,” Carroll told 710 ESPN, referring to McDowell’s 4.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss for Michigan State in 2015. “He came into the (2016) season with a high ankle sprain. It almost debilitates you, but he kept playing and kept battling.
“We see the whole body of evaluation … that tells us … we’ve got a great guy here potentially,” Carroll added. “He’s 20 years old. … He’s just getting started.”
Richard Sherman is refocused, and there’s “like zero percent” chance he will be traded at this point, Pete Carroll says, but the Seahawks will continue to listen.
Immediately after the first round of the draft, we all saw the story of Reuben Foster, former Alabama linebacker, saying he hung up on New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton because the 49ers were calling to draft him instead.