What to expect from Seattle in this draft

April 23, 2021 cc 4 Comments

Click the logo for our packed draft page.

We’re a week away from what is likely to be one of the least consequential drafts in Seahawks history, but you know John Schneider will do everything he can to make it a lot more interesting than it has any right to be.

In the end, you know he will be a lot more involved than his three current picks, the smallest draft stock in the league, indicate he will be.

It’s usually pretty hard to predict what the Hawks will do in the first round – as we all know, they tend to overdraft players who struggle to contribute. But we can look at Schneider’s trends and the makeup of this draft and make an educated guess about what he might do April 30 and May 1. So here we go …

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X's & O's

Lockett: Hawks must learn and adapt

April 14, 2021 cc 4 Comments

All of the key figures on the Seattle offense have now weighed in, and Tyler Lockett hit the most important factor in the Seahawks rebounding from their dud finish in 2020: “You have to learn how to evolve; you have to learn how to adapt.”

Like Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf before him, Lockett admitted the Seahawks did not adjust well to defenses that took away their deep throws in the second half of last season. The question is whether they will all be on the same page under new OC Shane Waldron as they look to avoid a similar fate and advance deep into the postseason in 2021.

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NFL draft

Seattle started this draft last year

April 10, 2021 cc 5 Comments

DRAFT COUNTDOWN: 3 weeks. A weekly look at draft-related topics involving the Seahawks. Make sure to check out our draft page.

Plenty of people – especially amateur draftniks — are wringing their hands over Seattle having just three picks left for the NFL selection meeting at the end of the month.

The Seahawks have the least draft capital in the league, per Football Perspective, and apparently the third-lowest pick value in the past 21 drafts. So this could be the least important draft in John Schneider’s tenure.

But, as Schneider surely will remind everyone when he speaks later this month, he already has used five of his picks to draft four guys – and three of them are expected to be major contributing starters for at least the next couple of years.

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NFL draft

Which drafts mattered more?

April 9, 2021 cc Leave a comment

The draft is always an important roster tool, simply because it ideally brings cheap talent and helps create a core. But some drafts are more important than others. Here we rank John Schneider’s drafts, from most to least significant (based on draft capital and needs, not results):

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The roster

Dunlap: Wilson says he is ‘here to stay’

April 6, 2021 cc 2 Comments

For the past two months, people have been waiting for Pete Carroll or Russell Wilson to say something to end all of the trade innuendo. We’ll hear from Carroll later this month, but Carlos Dunlap says Wilson told him he is not going anywhere.

Before agreeing to return to Seattle, Dunlap said he talked to Wilson to make sure he would remain the Seahawks’ quarterback, and Wilson told Dunlap he’s “here to stay.” Wilson has been consistent in saying he wants to remain in Seattle, but the caveat this offseason has been “on the right terms.” And his agent’s backhanded trade request almost led to Wilson becoming a Chicago Bear.

But, it sounds like he has changed his mind about being open to a trade this year. Remember, Wilson has a no-trade clause, so if he says he is staying, that is what is happening.

Let’s take a quick ride back through the timeline of this saga:

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NFL draft, The roster

Can Seahawks find ‘Surefire’ QB this year?

April 5, 2021 cc Leave a comment

The Seahawks seem destined to move on from Russell Wilson, but it looks like it might not be this year — unless Wilson is willing to go to Miami or Philadelphia.

Adam Schefter reiterated this morning that the Seahawks are still open to dealing the star QB if they could secure a “surefire quarterback solution.” That has been the line since mid-March, but that “surefire” replacement seems very elusive at this point.

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NFL draft

This draft is in Seattle’s corner

April 4, 2021 cc 5 Comments

DRAFT COUNTDOWN: 4 weeks. A weekly look at draft-related topics involving the Seahawks. Make sure to check out our draft page.

John Schneider and Matt Thomas have done a very good job of resetting Seattle’s veteran roster over the past couple of weeks, and attention now can turn toward the draft – less than four weeks away.

The Seahawks have just three picks at the moment (rounds 2, 4, 7), but you can expect Schneider to pull off some of his trade magic and bump that to at least five (even if most of them are on Day 3). We recently went through some options for how he could do that (although we unfortunately can scratch Jarran Reed from bringing any draft value).

This draft appears to be strong at the three spots the Seahawks still need to improve: cornerback, wide receiver and center.

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NFL draft, Trades

It’s draft month: Will Wilson stay or go?

April 1, 2021 cc Leave a comment

Don’t let Tyler Lockett’s cool extension fool you: It doesn’t change anything regarding Russell Wilson’s situation. And all eyes will be on the quarterback now that draft month is here.

The Wilson trade chatter certainly has died down since Pete Carroll and John Schneider turned down the Bears’ offer just before the league year began. The Seahawks have since reloaded the offense with Gabe Jackson, Chris Carson and Gerald Everett and created a strong pass rush with Carlos Dunlap, Kerry Hyder and Benson Mayowa. And, of course, Lockett just re-upped for four more years.

Many of those moves have been cheered by Wilson, and Carroll apparently is “hearing” Wilson’s concerns and has communicated with him. Mike Silver of NFL Media said on March 22: “There does seem to be now a tenuous peace and a sense that, ‘Hey, we’ll move forward and at least try this for one more season.’”

That seems the likely direction, but some national reporters (and the Bears) are not ready to say Wilson is staying in Seattle – not until the draft has come and gone. And the fact that the Seahawks have decided to use void years rather than restructure Wilson and Bobby Wagner indicates the team is not sure Wilson is here for the long term.

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The roster

Lockett & Jackson aside, Hawks are still one year at a time

April 1, 2021 cc Leave a comment

What’s the Seahawks’ plan?

That has been the question ever since Pete Carroll and John Schneider dismantled the battered Legion of Boom in 2018. The unsatisfying answer for the last three years, especially at pass rusher, has been: Make it up as we go.

Some think the excellent extensions of Tyler Lockett and Gabe Jackson mean the Seahawks have found their way again, creating a new long-term window of contention. But the fact is nothing has changed: Carroll and Schneider are still going just one or two years at a time.

They can’t help it now, because Russell Wilson’s future in Seattle is in question. Until that situation is resolved, they will remain year to year – even if they manage to get long-term deals with Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Brandon Shell and Michael Dickson.

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Free agency, Trades

Value for good vets continues to elude Schneider

March 27, 2021 cc 10 Comments

Over his 11-plus years as Seattle’s GM, John Schneider has been pretty good when it comes to making trades (we put him around .600).

But it’s also rare when Schneider gets value out of good players he lets go.

He didn’t get it for Michael Bennett or Richard Sherman or Earl Thomas. And he certainly didn’t get it with Jarran Reed, who was released Friday because the Seahawks had put themselves in a spot where they needed his $9 million in cap space and Schneider could not get a team to give up even a seventh-rounder for a solid starting defensive tackle who has 19 sacks over the past three seasons.

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