The Seahawks are caught between a rock and a hard spot — not that they would recognize or admit it, of course.
They are terrible drafters in the late first round, which is why it is always good when they move down from the 20s. If they do that this week, they figure to have a good shot at five picks on Day 2. The problem: They messed it up the last two times they had the power on Day 2.
Continue reading Looking at a big Day 2, will Hawks get it right this time?
“We’re trying to figure out how to whip the other guys, get better information, more intel and all that.” — Pete Carroll on preparation for the virtual draft
As the NFL gets ready for what Pete Carroll called “a one-time-only situation” and “really unique” virtual draft, this is an opportunity for the Seahawks to show they are still one of the league’s most tech-savvy franchises by taking advantage of less-prepared franchises.
The Seahawks have been a pretty bad drafting team since 2013, but John Schneider has an experienced personnel crew, established connections around football and a franchise that became cutting edge under the late Paul Allen. That all should help the Hawks where other teams might fail in this virtual format.
“It’s the wild, wild West a little bit,” Carroll recently told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “We’ve all got guidelines and rules and everything, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways in there that you can’t figure out how you can get what you need to get. Johnny is prepared knowing that he’s not going to have as much as normal and they won’t have the normal process that he would have. But we’re going to try and max that out in every way we can.”
Continue reading How Hawks are handling ‘wild, wild West’ draft
We’re a week away from the first virtual NFL draft, and the Seahawks still have not addressed their most glaring need of the offseason: pass rusher.
Yeah, yeah: Benson Mayowa and Bruce Irvin are back. But they are supporting players. The star still has not arrived for his closeup.
John Schneider’s offseason will be a failure if he does not sign Jadeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen or Yannick Ngakoue (via trade). He must have a stud veteran pass rusher if the Seahawks are going to compete for the Super Bowl. And, whether he does or not, we can expect him to draft a defensive lineman on Day 2, too.
The NFL didn’t postpone free agency, so it makes sense that the league is not going to put off the draft either. It’s still on for April 23-25, three weeks from now.
Well, for John Schneider’s Seahawks, it probably will be April 24-25 – the usual two-day affair after a move out of the first round.
Just about every non-trade mock draft has the Seahawks taking a pass rusher with the 27th overall pick. Two problems with that: Seattle won’t stay at 27, and pass rusher probably won’t be Seattle’s first pick.
Continue reading Draft countdown: Skill players over pass rusher?
Nine years ago, NFL owners and players were negotiating a new CBA — and the start of the league year was delayed four months.
Now, with another CBA extension on the line, it’s possible the league year will be postponed again — for completely unrelated reasons.
The coronavirus pandemic has created a fearful environment in the U.S. (and the world) that has not existed since the days and weeks after Sept. 11, 2001. Even then, sports events were delayed for just a week as the nation grieved and tried to process what had happened.
This is very different.
Continue reading As coronavirus empties arenas, what will the NFL do?
Everyone knows Pete Carroll loves competition. And John Schneider loves COMPetition — working free agency so he ends up with compensatory draft picks the next year.
He has done it in four of the past six years — and he got three extra selections today when 2020 picks were announced. But is it really a game worth playing? Has Schneider found any diamonds in the rough with these extra picks?
Continue reading Will Schneider keep playing the comp game, despite little return?
“What we’re trying to find is a real premier pass-rush guy to play the LEO spot.” — Pete Carroll
John Schneider has never been shy to trade his first-round pick for a shot at an impact player. He did it in 2013 (for Percy Harvin) and 2015 (for Jimmy Graham). Now, fortunately, it looks like he is willing to do it again.
Continue reading Good news: Schneider is willing to trade for ‘premier’ pass rusher
John Schneider has a pretty well-known MO when it comes to trying to keep the Seahawks’ roster competitive for Pete Carroll: The GM is conservative in free agency and the draft, saving his big splashes for blockbuster trades.
However, given the resources at his disposal this year and the dire need to reformat the defensive line and fortify the offensive line, will Schneider be more aggressive?
The answers: The 2016 draft class. Third-rounders. Fourth-round receivers.
The question: Where have the Seahawks struggled in the draft recently?
The trade of Nick Vannett leaves five of the 10 picks from the star-crossed 2016 draft class and just three of the league-high seven third-rounders from the 2016 and 2017 drafts.
Continue reading Vannett deal highlights some draft struggles
John Schneider has had plenty of chances to find the next Russell Wilson or Tyler Lockett with third-round home runs since 2016, but so far he has struck out.
Amara Darboh (cut this week) is officially a bust — again. And Nazair Jones is headed that way, too, perhaps saved only by a move to IR (barring an injury settlement).
Is C.J. Prosise (the anatomy of injury for the past three years) finally finished, too? Can Lano Hill avoid the ax? And can Rasheem Green step up and avoid the avalanche of third-round busts coming out of Seattle?
CHAWK TALK: Everything being said about the Seahawks 