Inside the Seahawks draft room

[SeattleAddict]

Really interesting read, gives some insight into how the room works, and there are a few not-explicitly-said-but-pretty-obvious tidbits about who the Seahawks wanted/didn't want.

https://www.seahawks.com/news/go-with-t ... -nfl-draft

Interesting to me:
* They had 20 guys with first round grades, 4 were left just before the pick at 20, and the ones that got picked after were reaches, so probably still 4 left on the board to choose from - JSN was the top guy.
* at 37, one of those guys with a first round grade was left - Derick Hall. Most pundits had him with a late 2nd-ish grade if I remember correctly.
* They cheered when Avila was picked, because they wanted Hall. A lot of us thought Avila was going to be a guy the Seahawks might take. Guess not.
*Olu was told he'd get a real shot at starting. Not a surprise, just seemed a little like something Pete wouldn't say if he didn't really expect it to be a close competition. Can't wait to see him and Brown compete. So much more intriguing than Pocic/Fuller.

[Sexymarinersfan]

Really interesting read, gives some insight into how the room works, and there are a few not-explicitly-said-but-pretty-obvious tidbits about who the Seahawks wanted/didn't want.

https://www.seahawks.com/news/go-with-t ... -nfl-draft

Interesting to me:
* They had 20 guys with first round grades, 4 were left just before the pick at 20, and the ones that got picked after were reaches, so probably still 4 left on the board to choose from - JSN was the top guy.
* at 37, one of those guys with a first round grade was left - Derick Hall. Most pundits had him with a late 2nd-ish grade if I remember correctly.
* They cheered when Avila was picked, because they wanted Hall. A lot of us thought Avila was going to be a guy the Seahawks might take. Guess not.
*Olu was told he'd get a real shot at starting. Not a surprise, just seemed a little like something Pete wouldn't say if he didn't really expect it to be a close competition. Can't wait to see him and Brown compete. So much more intriguing than Pocic/Fuller.

Having some real depth across the OLine and RB's on the depth chart I'd just awesome to see. And I'd heard that of Derrick Hall. He was on a bunch of our big boards. I would've preferred Will McDonald at 20, but I'm not disappointed in the slightest with how everything worked out. I think the Hawks were going to take Tucker Kraft at 83 and GB threw everyone a curveball. If not Kraft then DT Byron Young from Alabama. Schneider said there was guy that they were gonna take in the 3rd that was taken off the board right before the selected at 83. So to come away with Bradford AND a 3rd next year is almost even better on my opinion.

Schneider implied on draft weekend and in an interview on Tuesday with Seattle Sports radio that the Seahawks initially planned to use pick No. 83 on a defensive tackle. Instead, Schneider traded the pick to the Broncos in exchange for No. 108 in the fourth round and a 2024 third-round pick.

“We had an upset right there,” Schneider said Tuesday of the decision to trade back. “We had a player we were getting ready to take, and that player was selected. That happens. That happened to us a couple times. But, hey, you have to be pliable and be ready to move.”

Schneider said one of their goals entering the 2023 draft was to pick up more capital in next year’s draft.

“Next year’s draft, sheer numbers, is supposed to be heavier than this year’s draft,” Schneider said. “More similar to the 2022 draft.”

During an appearance Monday on Seattle Sports, Carroll explained the thought process behind waiting until Day 3 to draft a defensive tackle. Two were selected after Seattle used pick No. 108 on LSU guard Anthony Bradford: Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore (No. 110, Colts) and Auburn’s Colby Wooden (No. 116, Packers).

“Guys don’t fit in the same slots all the time, you know?” Carroll said. “Just because you have a need, people get really anxious about stuff. John did a great job of predicting when we could get Cam, and sure enough, he was there for us. We had our eyes on him. We wanted a real physical guy inside and really a tough dude. And that’s exactly what we’re getting from Cam Young.”

Young is 6-3 and 304 pounds with long arms (34 1/2 inches). His athletic testing numbers were underwhelming, but he plays tough between the tackles. When Schneider was asked to name the ultimate you-don’t-want-to-mess-with-him tough guy in his 10-man draft class, he picked Young.

“Cam could play in any decade,” Schneider said. “He’s a grown man. While he’s not the heaviest guy, he’s got really heavy hands. … Real long, real heavy hands, good instincts, and when you speak to him, you feel like you’re speaking to a 40-year-old. He’s a man’s man. A grown man that you would never mess with.”

[SeattleAddict]

Having some real depth across the OLine and RB's on the depth chart I'd just awesome to see. And I'd heard that of Derrick Hall. He was on a bunch of our big boards. I would've preferred Will McDonald at 20, but I'm not disappointed in the slightest with how everything worked out. I think the Hawks were going to take Tucker Kraft at 83 and GB threw everyone a curveball. If not Kraft then DT Byron Young from Alabama. Schneider said there was guy that they were gonna take in the 3rd that was taken off the board right before the selected at 83. So to come away with Bradford AND a 3rd next year is almost even better on my opinion.

I don't think it was Kraft. It COULD have been, I just don't think it was. Byron Young seems logical (BTW how crazy is it that two DLs named Byron Young were picked within 10 picks of one another - I wonder if that messed with anybody). The only other people that it could be are Marte Mapu or Pickens - but they both seem unlikely.

But yeah, I'm excited about that extra 3rd round pick - that was a steal... and another reason to root against the Broncos haha.

[Sexymarinersfan]

Having some real depth across the OLine and RB's on the depth chart I'd just awesome to see. And I'd heard that of Derrick Hall. He was on a bunch of our big boards. I would've preferred Will McDonald at 20, but I'm not disappointed in the slightest with how everything worked out. I think the Hawks were going to take Tucker Kraft at 83 and GB threw everyone a curveball. If not Kraft then DT Byron Young from Alabama. Schneider said there was guy that they were gonna take in the 3rd that was taken off the board right before the selected at 83. So to come away with Bradford AND a 3rd next year is almost even better on my opinion.

I don't think it was Kraft. It COULD have been, I just don't think it was. Byron Young seems logical (BTW how crazy is it that two DLs named Byron Young were picked within 10 picks of one another - I wonder if that messed with anybody). The only other people that it could be are Marte Mapu or Pickens - but they both seem unlikely.

But yeah, I'm excited about that extra 3rd round pick - that was a steal... and another reason to root against the Broncos haha.

I think it was Young too. The ONLY reason I thought it might be Kraft was because it could be a cost saving move to trade Noah Fant and free up more cap space. But that's reaching. We're one DT short as if right now by my count. Losing Ford AND Woods hurt. Which is why they were both scooped up quickly.

On Saturday, Morris’ agent texted Schneider a video of Morris on the scale at 295 pounds, up from the 275 he weighed at the scouting combine. At his current weight, Morris — who played more on the edge at Michigan but will move inside for the Seahawks — can provide depth behind Jones and Reed. Depth is the best Seattle can reasonably expect due to the team’s salary-cap situation; it’s unlikely the team would sign someone who is an obvious upgrade over Reed or Jones.

Young, on the other hand, is the only healthy nose tackle on the roster. Even if Young is a plug-and-play rookie, Seattle needs at least one more experienced player in that role. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the veteran pool isn’t strong, which is why Ford and Woods were scooped up on consecutive days. Other veterans such as Matt Ioannidis (age 29), Akiem Hicks (33) or Linval Joseph (34) could be gone next.

The Seahawks have had luck with rookie free agents in the past — Mone, Ford and Adams were all undrafted — and that might be the most practical path to finding another capable nose tackle. The Seahawks, Schneider said, have added 26 undrafted free agents ahead of rookie minicamp. Cooper should be one of the favorites to make the 53-man roster.

Between Young and Cooper (6-1, 309), Seattle could enter the season somewhat reliant on a Day 3 draft pick and an undrafted rookie (or two) to play significant snaps at nose. There are ways to scheme around those circumstances, but it’s nonetheless an unenviable position, one that is in part a result of the choices the team made in free agency and the draft.

[Sexymarinersfan]

I’m curious why Adebawore was taken so late. He’s freaky athletic for a DT his size, and his college production was good.

[SeattleAddict]

I’m curious why Adebawore was taken so late. He’s freaky athletic for a DT his size, and his college production was good.

was his college production good? I thought he was more of a combine darling because he is a physical freak. But he's more of a DE than a DT - he's too small to play inside, almost too big to play outside. I think he dropped because of fit more than anything.

I keep harping on the lack of NT on the roster, and the prospects of going into the season with only a 5th rounder and UDFA as options is not encouraging. PC/JS believe they can find guys off the street, and they're right - they have found some decent players that way, but man it'd be nice to have an actual stud or two in the middle instead of guys you kind of shrug your shoulders about.

[Sexymarinersfan]

I’m curious why Adebawore was taken so late. He’s freaky athletic for a DT his size, and his college production was good.

was his college production good? I thought he was more of a combine darling because he is a physical freak. But he's more of a DE than a DT - he's too small to play inside, almost too big to play outside. I think he dropped because of fit more than anything.

I keep harping on the lack of NT on the roster, and the prospects of going into the season with only a 5th rounder and UDFA as options is not encouraging. PC/JS believe they can find guys off the street, and they're right - they have found some decent players that way, but man it'd be nice to have an actual stud or two in the middle instead of guys you kind of shrug your shoulders about.

I know, I'm curious to see how they'll address it going into this year. Do you think that they are going to cut Adams?

[SeattleAddict]

I know, I'm curious to see how they'll address it going into this year. Do you think that they are going to cut Adams?

Myles or Jamal?

Either way I think no. There's OBVIOUSLY too much money invested in the safety group, but if the plan was to cut Jamal, I think they'd have kept Ryan Neal. Who knows, though. Nothing would shock me at this point.

[D-train]

Really interesting read, gives some insight into how the room works, and there are a few not-explicitly-said-but-pretty-obvious tidbits about who the Seahawks wanted/didn't want.

https://www.seahawks.com/news/go-with-t ... -nfl-draft

Interesting to me:
* They had 20 guys with first round grades, 4 were left just before the pick at 20, and the ones that got picked after were reaches, so probably still 4 left on the board to choose from - JSN was the top guy.
* at 37, one of those guys with a first round grade was left - Derick Hall. Most pundits had him with a late 2nd-ish grade if I remember correctly.
* They cheered when Avila was picked, because they wanted Hall. A lot of us thought Avila was going to be a guy the Seahawks might take. Guess not.
*Olu was told he'd get a real shot at starting. Not a surprise, just seemed a little like something Pete wouldn't say if he didn't really expect it to be a close competition. Can't wait to see him and Brown compete. So much more intriguing than Pocic/Fuller.

Yes, I think he might start THIS season!

[D-train]

Having some real depth across the OLine and RB's on the depth chart I'd just awesome to see. And I'd heard that of Derrick Hall. He was on a bunch of our big boards. I would've preferred Will McDonald at 20, but I'm not disappointed in the slightest with how everything worked out. I think the Hawks were going to take Tucker Kraft at 83 and GB threw everyone a curveball. If not Kraft then DT Byron Young from Alabama. Schneider said there was guy that they were gonna take in the 3rd that was taken off the board right before the selected at 83. So to come away with Bradford AND a 3rd next year is almost even better on my opinion.

I don't think it was Kraft. It COULD have been, I just don't think it was. Byron Young seems logical (BTW how crazy is it that two DLs named Byron Young were picked within 10 picks of one another - I wonder if that messed with anybody). The only other people that it could be are Marte Mapu or Pickens - but they both seem unlikely.

But yeah, I'm excited about that extra 3rd round pick - that was a steal... and another reason to root against the Broncos haha.

Consider this. The reason the Broncos were so desperate to get out 3rd rounder is because we jacked their first two picks in the RW trade! Bent them over again! The gift that keeps on giving.