John Schneider may be “back in the draft,” but he still has a bunch of maneuvering to do.
He has just two picks today and needs to try to turn that into three or four. You know he wants to, because he previously mentioned there is a big drop in talent from Round 3 to Round 4.
Seattle has selections 37 and 92 — along with four fourths, two fifths and a bevy of 2020 picks — and should be able to move around.
The Seahawks never know what to do with first-round picks, so imagine the problem they had Thursday when they had two of them back to back and their only real goal was to expand the rest of their draft.
The Seahawks had two picks, and yet it felt like they had no plan for them — other than to bail out as much as possible to add more selections. And they didn’t do that very well either, failing to add a Day 2 selection (beyond the one their first-rounder became).
There’s a reason the Hawks usually trade out of the first round: When they stay, they typically use the pick on a second-round player anyway. They’ve now picked five players in the first round since 2011, and four of them have had second-round grades by most draft analysts. The Hawks have to hope L.J. Collier is a better version of Bruce Irvin (a first-round reach who had eight sacks as a rookie).
Continue reading Chasing picks, Hawks reached for Collier (but he could be worth it)
8:45 p.m.: Picking at 29 and 30, the Seahawks used 29 to draft TCU pass rusher L.J. Collier and moved out of the 30th spot, dropping to 37th and getting a fourth and fifth from the Giants.
Most of the top pass rushers were gone after the Hawks traded down from 21; their only other options were offensive linemen or cornerbacks. But they wanted to make sure they got a pass rusher.
Collier was considered a second-round prospect (ranked in the 50s) and didn’t really fit Seattle’s athletic profile, but he’s strong and versatile and has been compared to Michael Bennett.
Pete Carroll called him “a lot like Michael Bennett. … He has a nice pass rush bag of tricks.”
Continue reading Draft day live: Hawks trade down twice, add pass rusher Collier
The Frank Clark trade, as controversial as it was, has given the Seahawks tons of flexibility in the next two drafts.
They have two first-round selections this year and 17 choices over the next two (counting projected comp picks). So what is Seattle’s strategy?
Based on John Schneider’s comments Monday about the talent dropping off after the third round, you can bet they are going to try to amass four or five picks in the first two days — and use two of those on pass rushers.
For the first time in his tenure with the Seahawks, John Schneider reeled in marquee value for one of his stars. But now the pressure is on to replace him.
Schneider traded Frank Clark to Kansas City for a first-round pick and a 2020 second-rounder (with a swap of 2019 thirds), and Seattle now has two first-round picks — 21 and 29 overall — plus overall picks 92, 124, 159.
Their 2020 draft is now projected to include 12 picks, thanks to this deal and comps: 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7, 7.
Continue reading Schneider finally gets value for a star, but will he make it count?
All signs point to the Seahawks trading Frank Clark by Thursday. If they do, what are they going to do about their pass rush?
Kansas City is the team everyone thinks might trade for him, giving up the 29th overall pick and the 63rd to satisfy Seattle’s demand for a first and second. The Colts, who could give up 26 and 59, are another option. (Both the Chiefs and Colts have two second-round picks.)
If the Hawks made a deal with either of those clubs, it would give them the flexibility to use one first-rounder for a player and the other for their usual snowball trade that nets several picks and lands them in the second round.
But trading Clark just to avoid paying him would be a major gamble for a team that fancies itself a contender again. And Seattle would need a plan for replacing him.
The Seahawks seem locked in on finding a hybrid safety/nickel corner high in this draft.
It’s basically a starting position in the NFL these days, which explains why Justin Coleman got $9 million a year from Detroit. Coleman played in 63.5 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps the past two years, and the Seahawks seem to be looking for his replacement in the second round.
Mark Rodgers wanted to play hardball with the Seahawks, and Russell Wilson did not.
From Peter King’s podcast: Rodgers, a baseball agent who is used to fully guaranteed contracts, was pushing the cap percentage idea for Wilson’s deal and wanted the quarterback to embrace the “play on the tag” strategy to try to force Seattle to go along with the cap concept.
But the Seahawks were not going for it. And, by the end, neither was Wilson.
Seattle’s 2019 season will be defined in prime time in November and December.
The Seahawks got a very balanced schedule, highlighted by alternating home and road games through the first 14 weeks and four straight night games in the second half of the season.
The Hawks will play five prime-time games overall, including two against the division rival Rams.
Seattle also has four 10 a.m. games, but Pete Carroll doesn’t care (ask him). His teams are 13-11 in 10 a.m. starts (playoffs included) since Russell Wilson arrived, and they have won seven of the last nine (all three in 2018).
Continue reading Season success will be determined in prime time
Russell Wilson apparently really did want to stay in Seattle — so much so that he gave the Seahawks a pretty good deal.
If reports on the money are correct, the Seahawks basically tore up Wilson’s contract and gave him a new five-year pact worth $157 million.
Wilson apparently gave up fully guaranteed money for a record signing bonus ($65 million), overall guarantees ($107 million) and annual average ($35 million on the new four years).
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