Category Archives: NFL draft

NFL draft, The roster

Not much help from recent third-rounders

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NFL draftOver the past three years, the Seahawks have drafted eight players in the third round — a league-best haul created by comp picks and draft trades that figured to help forge the next core of Pete Carroll’s team.

But it hasn’t so far — at least not as much as Carroll and John Schneider surely hoped it would.

With about 20 percent of this season complete, only one of those eight guys has become a starter and only two others are even contributing much.

That has to be disappointing after Schneider set up Seattle for some quality drafts in 2016 and 2017 — 11 picks in the first two days. Of seven third-rounders from those drafts, Shaquill Griffin is the only one to crack the first string (he has two interceptions this season).

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NFL draft, Trades, Week 1: At Denver

Can Schneider, Dickson get last laugh in Denver?

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Logo -- At DenverIn Denver, John Schneider will be looking for a fun little trifecta, maybe even a superfecta.

He already won the 2016 draft-day trade with the Broncos, who dumped Paxton Lynch after just two years, and now he will watch for his team to win this game and for his punter to get the last laugh.

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NFL draft, The roster, X's & O's

Special changes could net big returns

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NFL draftIn the last two weeks, the Seahawks’ special teams have undergone a major upgrade — and they might get better yet.

Sure, the field goal game is again a question — the team apparently relying on a 40-year-old who missed last season with a back injury and can’t kick from 50 anymore. But the rest could be really strong, thanks to a new punter, another dynamic returner and potentially big rule changes.

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NFL draft, Trades

How the Hawks moved down to add Green

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John Schneider draftingThe Seahawks got Rasheem Green because four teams fell in love with other defenders in the first round, but should Seattle have gotten more out of moving down?

Everyone knew Seattle was going to trade down from 18 — the question was which team would be the trade partner. It was somewhat apropos that it turned out to be Green Bay, especially after John Schneider and Mike Holmgren, both former Packers, had chatted on draft day about the difficulty in trading down.

“I was talking to Coach Holmgren about … how everyone thinks you’re going to move back and it’s so easy,” Schneider said after the first day. “The board has to start falling a certain way, and you have to have certain people that want to give up and that want to come with us. Where Green Bay came from is a long way, from 27 to 18. We weren’t confident.”

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NFL draft, The roster

Hawks should have what they need for the O-line

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NFL draftSome — maybe even many — people thought the Seahawks screwed up by not drafting an offensive lineman before the late fifth round last weekend.

Sure, they could have selected Austin Corbett or Will Hernandez instead of Rashaad Penny with their first pick (after trading down, of course). But the Seahawks have put a lot of resources into the line over the past couple of years, and Pete Carroll obviously is betting Mike Solari will do a much better job with that talent than Tom Cable did.

Carroll is expecting Solari to boost the Hawks out of a two-year funk that has seen them rank second only to Detroit in fewest rushing yards by non-quarterbacks. (Russell Wilson’s 845 yards raise Seattle to 11th worst.)

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NFL draft

Did Hawks just redraft 2016 third round?

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NFL draftThis draft almost looks like an admission by the Seahawks that they screwed up the third round of the 2016 draft — they basically performed a do-over by drafting Rashaad Penny, Will Dissly and Jamarco Jones.

The 2016 third-rounders, who were supposed to be part of the next core, have done next to nothing for Seattle. C.J. Prosise has been injured almost his entire first two years, Rees Odhiambo was ineffective before getting hurt last year and Nick Vannett has barely contributed.

That trio has one last chance to show something, but the Seahawks’ additions of Penny, Dissly and Jones are obvious signs of discontent by John Schneider and Pete Carroll.

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NFL draft, The roster

A look at the roster after the draft

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NFL draft“You never hear a doctor come out of a surgery, ‘You know what, I don’t know if that was such a good surgery.’” — John Schneider

As always, and as with every team, the Seahawks think their draft went well. Of course, they got their typical mixed reviews from analysts (the NFL’s worst grade in this composite) — understandable considering they drafted Rashaad Penny and Will Dissly higher than most ranked them and then traded up for a punter.

We’ve long known Schneider is not great at getting the best value for his picks — certainly not like the Patriots and some other teams are — but, throwing draft strategy out, it looks like the Hawks landed five roster locks and a couple of potential projects. And they kept Earl Thomas (reportedly ignoring Dallas’ offer of a third-round pick on Day 2).

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NFL draft

Draft Day 3: The house of Griffindor

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House of Griffin-dorThe Seahawks did what pretty much everyone hoped they would and reunited Shaquill Griffin with his one-handed twin Shaquem — easily the best story of the entire draft right there.

Shaquem, who runs a 4.38 40 at 227 pounds, could play anywhere from outside linebacker to strong safety, and he obviously will be a huge factor on special teams.

The Seahawks then made another notable pick when they traded the 226th overall pick (seventh round) to move up from 156 to 149 and draft Texas punter Michael Dickson.

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NFL draft

Can Schneider end his five-year funk?

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NFL draftCan John Schneider end his run as the NFL’s worst Day 3 drafter today?

Once upon a time, the Seahawks having eight picks on Day 3 of the draft was something to get excited about.

But that was back when Schneider had built a momentary reputation as the NFL’s preeminent Day 3 picker, cultivating Pro Bowl players such as Kam Chancellor, Richard Sherman and K.J. Wright from the middle rounds and key role players such as Malcolm Smith, Byron Maxwell, Jeremy Lane and J.R. Sweezy in the sixth and seventh rounds.

For Seattle, Day 3 is no longer the big deal it was for that flash-in-the-pan stretch (2010-12). In fact, Schneider and company have been the worst Day 3 drafters in the NFL since 2013 (based on Pro Football Reference’s weighted AV ratings).

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NFL draft, Trades

Draft day 2 live: Another Rash pick

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NFL draft7 p.m.: The Seahawks are making some RASH picks. After picking Rashaad Penny in the first round, they moved down three spots in the third and drafted versatile defensive end Rasheem Green.

The 6-4, 275-pound Green, who recorded 16 sacks the past two years at USC, seems to fit what Seattle likes in defensive linemen. He is expected to be a base end who can play 3-tech on passing downs.

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