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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NFL draft

Will Penny be worth it?

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NFL draftEven Rashaad Penny did not expect to be drafted in the first round, which tells you all you need to know about whether the Seahawks made the right pick at the right time.

John Schneider and Pete Carroll said they had offers to move down from 27, but they obviously didn’t want to risk dropping too far and losing the running back to another team. Their fears might have been confirmed when a team apparently called right after they drafted Penny and offered to trade for the back. Schneider said he had never been offered a deal AFTER drafting a player.

Obviously some people think Penny, just the third back ever drafted in the first round by Seattle, is going to be great. For the pick to be worth it, though, Penny will need to become the primary rusher and score 8-10 touchdowns a year. To do that, new line coach Mike Solari will have to fix a run-blocking unit that was among the league’s worst last season.

If the Seahawks cannot fix the blocking and continue to use a rotation rather than riding Penny, he will have been a wasted pick.

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NFL draft

Draft day live: Hawks overpay for Penny

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NFL draft8:30 p.m.: The Seahawks did not move out of the first round, instead doing what they usually do when they stay: Reaching.

This time it was for San Diego State RB Rashaad Penny, who was rated a Day 2 pick and the sixth or seventh back in the draft. Instead he went second, becoming the third RB ever drafted in the first round by Seattle (Curt Warner and Shaun Alexander).

Penny was a decorated player in the Mountain West. He was the conference special-teams player of the year in 2015, 2016 and 2017, taking eight kickoffs back for TDs. In his only year as a starting RB, he was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year after leading the country with 2,248 rushing yards and scoring a conference-high 23 rushing TDs.

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NFL draft

Last two drafts were bigger than this one

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NFL draftAs the Seahawks undergo the biggest roster reshuffle since Pete Carroll and John Schneider arrived in 2010, some are making the mistake of calling this the most important draft in the Schneider/Carroll era.

The simple fact is the last two drafts were more significant.

Every draft is important, but the Seahawks (with no picks on Day 2) are not set up for success in this one like they were in 2016 and 2017, when they had 11 picks in the first two days. Those players should be a big part of the team’s core in 2018-19. They need to come through this year — something Schneider has said more than once.

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NFL draft

Hawks are still figuring out how to draft

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NFL draftIt’s no secret that John Schneider’s Seahawks have been in a draft dry spell — and are still trying to choreograph the right rain dance. To that end, the Hawks apparently have changed the way they are preparing for the draft.

Since putting together their Super Bowl core in 2010-12, Schneider and company have added very few contributors. One study places the Seahawks in the bottom three in the NFL since 2013. Just three of 28 picks from the 2013-15 drafts remain, and only a handful of selections from the past two years have shown any promise — with last year’s Malik McDowell mistake hanging heavy around Schneider’s neck as the Hawks prepare for this week’s draft.

Schneider has blamed the run of ineffective drafts on three things: (1) A strong roster that made it tough to make the team, (2) ignoring red flags and making too many “excuses” for keeping risky players on their draft list and (3) not adding enough guys who were willing to compete with the Super Bowl vets.

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The roster, Trades

Schneider overrules Positive Pete on Thomas

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Pic -- Schneider at CombineNot long after Pete Carroll tried to quell any trade talk about Earl Thomas on Thursday, John Schneider made it clear the Seahawks are still listening.

“He’s a Seahawk. I don’t know what anybody’s talking about,” Carroll told KJR. “He’s a Seahawk and we’re happy to have him.”

Asked whether the safety would report for training camp, Carroll said, “He’d better be there. He’s on the roster. We’re counting on him.”

Asked why he was not at the offseason workout program, Carroll said, “Some guys make those choices. Not always do all of the players make it, for various reasons.”

A little while later, at his annual Ben’s Fund event, Schneider said Thomas would not hold out, but he also offered a much less optimistic take on the safety’s future with the team — basically the same stance the GM has had since the Combine.

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Free agency, NFL draft, The roster

Topic of the day: Quarterbacks

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Draft -- Schneider and CarrollQuarterbacks were the topic of the day for Pete Carroll and John Schneider on Thursday. The gist of their individual messages: Colin Kaepernick still could be an option (don’t count on it), Russell Wilson’s contract is not a problem (it really isn’t) and Schneider feels like he has done a poor job of acquiring quarterbacks behind Wilson (he has).

In separate interviews, Carroll and Schneider were asked about the recent Kaepernick brouhaha, and both waved off the protest topic and gave lip-service answers about their level of interest.

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Schedule

Tough road early, home night games late

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2018 skedThe good news: The Seahawks don’t have to play in Denver and Chicago during the winter. The bad news: They have to open with consecutive road games.

The opener in Denver and the Monday night game in Chicago in Week 2 mark the third time since 2011 the Hawks have started with two straight road games. They opened 0-2 in both 2011 and 2015.

Seattle’s 2018 schedule is weighted toward road games early and home games late: The Seahawks play five of the first seven on the road and four of the final five at home (three in prime time).

They have five prime-time games — four in Seattle, where the Hawks are 17-2 in night games (including playoffs) under Pete Carroll. They are 26-5-1 in prime time overall under Carroll.

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