Red Bryant is a reclamation project. When he’s off, he looks unfixable – not even scraping pro-caliber. When he’s on, he looks interesting, talented, but no where as good as you’d expect. His development is instantly the story of the preseason. Bryant is either going to get it, take to Seattle’s coaching and begin to translate some of his immense talent into production or he’s going to flop. Off the roster, flop.

I started by watching Bryant and Texas A&M duke it out with Texas. I was aghast. Bryant looked just awful. He was slow, slow off the snap, slow in stunts and slow to the ball carrier, the few times he was anywhere near the ball carrier. I couldn’t believe my eyes. “Why would any team draft Bryant?” I thought, and especially “Why would a team that puts so much stake in production draft Bryant?” He was weak, washed out by single blocks, incapable of splitting double teams and generally outclassed by his linemates, college fodder like Henry Smith and Kellen Heard. Most troubling, though, he was lazy, giving up if losing off the snap, coasting against double teams and eventually off the field entirely.

God bless condensed games. Second, I watched the Aggies battle the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners have a decent offensive line, headlined by money left guard Duke Robinson. Bryant plays primarily out of the 3, catawampus to Robinson. Suddenly, Bryant is alive. Showing a cool shake and bake stutter step, getting inside and outside advantage and disrupting plays. He’s holding or splitting double teams, firing off the snap, fighting his way back into plays and looking for once like an NFL prospect. As the game wore on, and the score grew lopsided, Bryant’s fire sputtered. One play on, two plays off. Two plays off, one series on the sideline. But my hope was rekindled.

Onto Miami. Bryant starts strong but fades. By halftime, Miami is up 24-0. Masquerading as an Aggies fan, I must say, what an awful, joyless and discouraging team. Their top talent, presumably Martellus Bennett, has all the pizzazz of Randy McMichael and jumps like he’s attached to the turf by rubber bands. I’m starting to see a story develop. The team captain, the NFL talent on a team full of scrubs, reeled in for his senior season, because of loyalty, duty, a degree and one more shot at the top with the boys. Crushed. By an absent coach and barely mediocre team.

So I thought I’d hop back to the past. Texas A&M’s second contest and first against a team worth a damn, Fresno State. Fresno finished 13^th in unadjusted offensive FEI and Scout.com calls the line its strength. The Aggies entered 1-0 after stomping a big 38-7 bootprint into Montana State. “We’re a contender!" spirit soaring, Coach Fran not yet depantsed, huzzah! And huzzah is right, because Bryant looks awesome: Exploding single blocks, cleaving doubles, working the right defensive end on three man fronts and playing like a pro prospect among fodder, scrubs and jobbers. Bryant finished with his lone big statistical showing of the season: 6.5 total tackles, 1 solo tackle for a loss and 1 sack.

I started this morning intending to write a scouting report, but 6 hours and 4 condensed games later, I realize it would be pointless. The player Bryant is and the player that Bryant could be do not exist in the same dimension. One is cripplingly inconsistent and so bad when he’s off the Arena League would scoff. That one limped from a failed season, through an embarrassing showing at the Senior Bowl (most noteworthy for a macho slapfest with Chris Williams) and into the combine, where the man who should have killed the bench posted just 20. The other better show up fast at mini-camp. The Seattle Seahawks have a reclamation project on their hands. One with a huge frame, silly quicks and once-upon-a-time rare upside. Over the next few months, Bryant is worth scouring the local fish wraps for. What are the coaches saying? Is John Marshall sanguine, Dwaine Board impressed, is everyone hush-hush or a-gush about LoJack or Owen Schmitt? And when the preseason comes, good news or bad, I’ll be glued to the tube, hoping Joseph “Red” Bryant has begun that long path back to being a top defensive tackle, because, man, that would be something to see.

Skills are broken down from a ++ to --. ++ are complete skills, pro ready. -- are glaring weaknesses. The kind of faults that can fell an otherwise top talent.

++

n/a

+

Second Gear: Fleet 3-10 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Break Tackle: By no means overpowering, but strong, keeps his legs moving and decidedly slippery. Tough to tackle, and able to quickly separate from defenders after breaking a tackle.

Discipline: Takes what is given. Doesn’t dance. Doesn’t take risky cutbacks.

Vision: Moves well through traffic. Reads second level defenses well and squirts through multiple linebackers.

0

First Gear: Adequate speed to get to the hole.

Agility/Cutting: Good feet, decent moves in the open field. Not explosive out of cuts.

Pass Blocking: Hardy pass blocker. Good repertoire. Occasionally gets run over or around.

-

Receiving: Competent, at best. Not a reliable receiver at anything but screens and flats. Catches the ball in his body. Decent redirect.

Third Gear: Virtually no ability to run away from defenders. Benefited  from outside blitzes, surprise draws and opposing defenses keying the pass. 11 runs of 20+ yards in 305 attempts.

Health: Plays hard, but gets hit hard. Absorbs a ton of impact. Plays like a power rusher.

Ball Security:

--

n/a

Summary: Forsett is definitely more skilled than talented. He played well against top rush defenses and it’s reasonable to think his game will translate to the pros. Unfortunately, he’s not particularly fast or elusive and his power rusher mentality opens him to a good deal of abuse. He rushes a bit like a very late career Edgerrin James.

Grade: C-

Mild downside.

Game should translate.

Slow, moderately agile.

Maxed out his skill set.

My sources dried up so I had to bite the bullet and buy a subscription to CSTV. I've watched 4 games in detail, so you can look at that as sort of the sample size.

Skills are broken down from ++ to --. ++ are complete skills, pro ready. -- are glaring weaknesses. The kind of faults that can fell an otherwise top talent.

++

Awareness: Smart player. Very rarely fooled by screens or misdirection. Plugs holes, improvises stunts, maintains assignment but able to adjust and adjust correctly. Improves those around him.

+

Motor: Relentless in pursuit. Willing to chase Dennis Dixon 10 yards though clearly beat. Joins gang tackles. High effort snap to whistle.

First Step: Very good first step, not lightning fast, but enough to consistently gain an advantage. Enough speed to edge rush, but will not consistently challenge the edge.

Frame: Near prototypical build. Good, wide frame, long arms (33 6/8”), good height, high ceiling.

Agility: Smooth fast, moves quickly without “hustling”. Good round and diagonal speed.

Strength: Very powerfully built. Strong legs, strong arms, good core, rarely looks outmatched, rarely washed out of a play.

Hand fighting/Pass Rush Skills: Separates from blockers, doesn’t get “eaten up”. Elusive, moves through and away from garbage. Stays in the play.

Burst: Exploits alleys. When he has a step, explodes to the ball carrier.

Versatility: Played tackle and end.

·         Two Gap: Rare pass rushing end that is strong at occupying blockers, holding rushing lanes.

·         One Gap: Splits double teams, sheds blockers, gets penetrations and redirects plays. Sometimes gets washed out.

0

Tackling: Adequate wrap tackler. Doesn’t force many fumbles, but will attempt the strip.

Health: Not that he suffered injuries, only that he seems only marginal at protecting himself in traffic. Takes some spills. Protect your legs, bro.

-

n/a

--

n/a

Summary: When I think about Jackson, the comparison, somewhat oddly, that keeps coming to mind is Victor Martinez. The catcher. Not because they are anything alike athletically, but because both possess a broad base of above average skills. Jackson isn’t terrifically exciting, somewhat workmanlike really, but he’s very well rounded. Given his athleticism and frame, Jackson could easily develop into a very good run/pass defensive end and situational tackle.

Grade: B+

Good upside/downside.

Good match for the scheme.

Good fit for team needs.

Eminently Unsexy.

 

Lawrence Jackson attended Inglewood High School. He was a standout defensive lineman and middle linebacker, and also participated on the school’s track team. Exiting high school, Jackson earned a 4 star grade from Rivals.com and was considered a prize in USC's replete 2003 recruiting class. His numbers exiting high school were:

Ht: 6-foot-5
Wt: 245 lbs
Forty: 4.9 secs
Bench max: 350 pounds
Squat max: 405 pounds
Vertical: 28 inches
GPA: 3.0
Class: 2003

To appreciate Jackson’s college career you must know two things:

-USC employs both 4-3 and 3-4 alignments.

-Jackson was frequently subbed out.

As far as I can tell, there is no official restriction on the size of a college football team’s roster. I searched the entire PDF of the official NCAA Football rules for 2004, and the word "roster" doesn’t occur once. A team as a large as USC retains so many players, in fact, that players inevitably share numbers. Rules prohibit two players of the same number taking the field, but that’s about as restrictive as it gets. There’s no semblance of parity, a top program can and usually does have better backups than a weaker program’s regulars. So, on a hugely talented and hugely deep program like USC, a defensive line has regulars, but few or no every down players. Pro caliber talent passes through with little fanfare, and starting spots are highly contested.

We can then say that Jackson has never been a fulltime starter. That can be worrying or promising. It is, in fact, a bit of a chicken or egg dilemma. Jackson recorded 82.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage in 4 years, participating in ~60% of the team’s defensive snaps. That’s a very rough estimate projected from the 4 games I’ve had a chance to study. Jackson started 51 of 52 games at USC. He has been both consistently healthy and played at a very high level when on the field. One might argue that he’d wear down with consistent use, but one might equally argue his numbers would jump had he played on a thinner roster where he could have participated in every or near every snap. Either way, his body’s been saved some abuse.

Jackson experienced a relatively poor junior season. After recording 10 sacks and 13 tackles for a loss his sophomore season, Jackson recorded only 4 sacks and 11tackles for a loss his junior season. He was hampered with a strained groin for most of the early season. He did not record a sack, and only recorded 3.5 tackles for a loss before his November 11^th bust out against Oregon: 3 solo sacks and 4 tackles for a loss.

Jackson returned his senior season under the advice of current NY Giant Steve Smith. The other Steve Smith. He posted his finest season, 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss.

Jackson was never considered the best player on his team. He was consistently surrounded by elite talent. But he never lost his starting spot. Year after year, competing against pro talent, Kenechi Udeze, drafted in the 1^st, Shaun Cody, 2^nd, and Frostee Rucker, 3^rd, Jackson persevered. He’s the unsexiest of first round picks. He always played well, but on a glamorous program, never stood out. His draft stock certainly did not benefit from the recent struggles of former Trojans. If we start from Jackson’s first season starting, 2004, USC has produced 17 first day picks. The best, easily Lofa Tatupu. The next, probably Deuce Lutui. Many of the rest, Mike Williams, Shaun Cody, Dominique Bird, Reggie Bush, have been disappointments. His play, though, and his résumé, argue he’ll break the trend. We shall see.

. . .

Scouting report to follow.

2:05

I gave up on Seattle drafting Washington a while back, so though I think he's a very good value, I'm just happy to see him drafted. Here's what's so cool about working so hard before the draft and looking into so many players, I've begun rooting for some. I may never see Washington outside of the preseason, but I will root for him to kick butt. Generally speaking, I love the preseason. Last year, I could watch Mebane and Taylor on the Hawks and know they had a place in the team's future. This year, I'm going to be able to do that with every team. That's pretty cool.

1:43

How does one lineback? So, anyway, I think the Eagles have had a very good draft. Cards, too. Niners draft looks very poor. Bears, too. Seattle has done many things well, but it frightens me that they - seemingly - fail to see offensive tackle as a need. It's a gamble and one with a serious cost. They need depth at the position, minimum, and I think Barton is a great value here. This is my thinking. Barton had some trouble against the speed rush, but he was a ~4 year starter at OSU. Lock handles the speed rush well. If Seattle can just get someone who can cover for Lock if Lock must move to left, then they're in a much less risky position. But, as-is, we're looking at a decent replacement for Walter Jones should he get hurt, but a huge downgrade at right tackle should Locklear have to sub in for him. C'mon Ruskell, we need this.

1:23

Lots of talent left in the 7th, should make for a mighty interesting round. Which is, you know, kind of crazy when you think about it.

12:49

Boy, Mike Nolan looks like hell.

Moving on, here's 4 talents left I see Seattle targeting with their next pick:

Kirk Barton, LT, OSU

Ali Highsmith, OLB, LSU

Jonathan Hefney, FS, Tenn

Jamie Silva, FS, BC

My guess is Barton, but it's impossible to predict. Could be another curveball.

11:24

Great value for Houston. Okam joins a very talented group. He's the perfect compliment to Okoye. In 3 years, we'll be talking about that line as the league's best.

11:09

Okay, so how the hell does Cincinnati take Pat Sims? Have they learned nothing? Sims is a HUGE character concern. If Marvin Lewis can okay Sims with all that franchise has gone through, he's gotta go. That team is too damn talented to be in shambles.

Okay, quick aside. The "Golden Age" myth, the idea that some foregone time was better, specifically more wholesome or virtuous or tough, whatever, is as old as mankind. Chaucer wrote about it in the 13th century. The players of the current NFL are probably slightly better than their antecedents. And only because the NFL has surpassed baseball as the USA's pastime and therefore has better access to premium talent. Otherwise, great players today, great players of yesteryear, can we put this moronic theory to rest?

11:03

Inmates running the asylum in Dallas. Interesting experiment, but I'd buy insurance on the lab. Love to see that team come out 0-3.

10:50

Don't mistake this for sour grapes, but rumor is JDB's hands are smaller than Alex Smith's. I sort of wonder what has happened to Ainge. I know I'm among the few, but I always thought he looked pretty good.

10:32

I'm impressed with that interview with DeSean Jackson. Sure, he looked humbled, but he wasn't mad, wasn't discouraged. For his contributions as a matchup problem and special teams player alone, he's worth a second round pick.

10:22

I don't care what anyone says, the Pats are having a bad draft.

Is Ali Highsmith seriously still out there? Man, c'mon Tim, you know you want this guy.

9:32

Does Millen do anything right? Kevin Smith = Workhorse. Translation: He's been worked to death.

9:14

These guys are getting pretty punchy.

In 2007, it was an exceptionally deep wide receiver draft. Seattle did the hardest thing, wait. Then, in the 6th round they struck. Grabbing a polished player from a big conference, Courtney Taylor, and that absolute rarest of combinations, a supreme talent and true high character individual, Jordan Kent. It was a brilliant move. This year, in an incredibly deep tackle draft, Seattle may be employing the same strategy. Anthony Collins, Geoff Schwartz, Breno Giacomini, Kirk Barton (remember this name) and Barry Richardson, to name a few, one will fall. And Seattle might gain their longterm replacement for Walter Jones in the 4-7 round.

8:55

Mike Mayock is a star. The NFL targeted a weakness in their competition, Mel Kiper, and have, in little more than a year, put him out to pasture. Say what you will about the NFL, they are ruthless business men.

8:49

Manningham runs terrible routes. Terrible. His skill set simply doesn't translate. If he was a mature, hard working player with better speed, then maybe, maybe, some of this praise would be merited. As is, I could see him cut in training camp.

8:44

Well, damn, remember Caldwell before your fantasy drafts. It's looking more and more like Seattle isn't looking at adding a wide receiver. I'm alright with that, I guess. You better step up Bohemian.

So, still some interesting offensive tackles out there. They need a DT, and they need an OT. Safety would be nice. Lots of needs, not too many picks. Time to earn your money, Tim.

8:34

Brad Cottam would be the best tight end in the draft if he had stayed healthy, bullshit. No possible way you can backup that argument.

8:21

Fluellen didn't make plays because has was moved to nose. I haven't talked about it, but Andre Caldwell is still sitting out there. Man, that would be sweet.

8:11

Damn, adios Andre Fluellen. Getting thin at the 3.

8:05 

Doucet is a perfect fit for Ken Whisenhunt and the Cardinals. A good draft so far for them. Yeah, I'm shocked.

Got me. I'll try and update this, but, yeah, I'm flummoxed.

. . .

Okay, here we go. This is a pick against Leonard Weaver. Weaver did some exciting stuff last year, but has yet to truly take to the fullback position. He's not a dominating lead blocker and still misses too many assignments pass blocking.

Ignore Schmitt's rushing numbers for a second. He made some hay in college, but his he's a short yardage and powerful straight line rusher in the pro, max. When you think Schmitt, you should think Lorenzo Neal. A punishing lead blocker. Schmitt broke 10 facemasks while playing at West Virginia. He plays with the power and meanness of a floating guard. This guy will absolutely blow guys up, into the ground and then grind them into dust.

Sorry, but this could mean sayonara Leonard Weaver. This year. However, those great fullbacks, Neal, Moran Norris, formerly Mack Strong, who create rushers, who selflessly make running games - that's Schmitt.

This is confirmation that Seattle will be moving to a power running attack, and, somewhat sadly, that Leonard Weaver's time in Seattle is running out.

1:40

I wasn't high on Williams but, ineffectually slap blocking a rookie DE prospect 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage is the best highlight you can provide for Chris Williams? Ouch.

This is getting too slow for me, new Live Blog above. Feel free to continue to use this thread for discussion.

1:31

Phew. Good luck to Stewart and the Panthers, but I've very happy that neither Seattle nor Arizona selected him.

1:15

I don't like this pick at all. I don't think Mayo fits the system and I don't think his talent merits this pick.

12:56

Can we stop talking about draft picks becoming starters as if that's the yardstick of the draft? It's such a stupefying oversimplification. It's just short of meaningless.

On another note, "Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories: Rick James" is as funny as it ever was. "His legs were like linguine."

12:44

Gholston is the second best player in the draft. If that front 3 can perform, I expect Gholston to hit the ground running. He's got the strength of Merriman and the hips of Ware. Could be a HOFer.

12:34

Man, take that trade KC. I like Dorsey, but man, how could that not work out?

12:26

If I were McFadden, I'd hold out. Eat shit, Al Davis.

12:15

Good, safe pick on Long. I don't think his talent earns that spot, but I'd be amazed if he busts. Downside counts and the Rams need something to build around.

12:06

Jake Long owes that pick to Joe Thomas. He's simply not the best talent in the draft. It should say under Miami's needs "team". Miami could have done better with any of the highly ranked defensive players. But thanks to the Cleveland Miracle, teams are placing position, LT, ahead of talent, Long is no Thomas. People are talking about Long and saying he's a Pro Bowl RT, you know what a Pro Bowl RT looks like? Sean Locklear. Unless he sticks at left, I think this is a bad pick. Not disastrous, just bad.

11:52

I really like Osi, seems like a classy, educated young man.

Okay, so we all know the NFL is a copycat league, and everyone is buzzing about the importance of the line positions, but an accurate assessment of last season says that the biggest impact acquisition was Randy Moss. Moss, Owens, players that transform a passing offense by themselves. It'll be interesting to see how this "line first" trend pushes down the stock of a few valuable wide receivers. I've seen Doucet as late as the third. That would be a steal.

11:33

As we wade through the talking heads, T&A and too earnest Empty Suits, I want to give everyone a heads about the posting plans for this next week. Today, tomorrow, live blog + quick reflections. Then, I'll post full, as in depth as I'm capable of, pick by pick breakdowns for each of Seattle's selections. One pick per day.

11:20

We are live. Let's get this party started.

11:13

Looks like the server at PFT has crashed. That really sucks for them, my condolences. But for the grace of God...

We're nearing when I anticipate the live coverage will begin.

10:54

I guess it doesn't make much sense to put the newest stuff on the bottom. Anyway, just an FYI, NFL Live is in fact now live.

Or not.

 

8:08

Good Morning! I'm fresh from bed, half dressed a little hungover and out of my mind excited! Are we ready for the draft? Here's the link to the three person mock I did over at Seahawks.net. Here's the link to the NFL's live stream of the draft. I'm going to get myself some coffee, some tea, some cold pizza and then sit myself down for the show. Don't disappoint me Tim Ruskell.

8:31

Man, Humbert Humbert would be all over that Vanessa Hudgins ad. Anyway, NFL.com/LIVE seems dead, so fix that already you clods.

8:41

ESPN is reporting that Chris Long is a Ram. Better him than Gholston, IMO. I think Long is a very good player, but I don't think he deserves to go 2nd. Nevertheless, the Rams take another big step to fixing their defensive line. Long is very low downside, and Carriker was underappreciated last year. Now, about the rest of the team.

9:10

ZZzzz...so, when something happens, I'll update this.

9:30

PFT is reporting that Atlanta will be taking Matt Ryan at 3 . So here's the first three picks

Miami: Jake Long

St. Louis: Chris Long

Atlanta: Matt Ryan

The good news here is that Dorsey may fall, not fall to 25 fall, but if Seattle gets a wild hair, man, Dorsey is so tempting...plus, with Dorsey and Ellis in play, well, let's just say I wouldn't be opposed to trading up.

9:54

Raiders take McFadden.  Can you say anticlimactic?

10:00

What did the five fingers say to the face?

10:35

The gift that says "I was at Bi-Mart and remembered I should buy you something"

via blog.oregonlive.com

Hopefully, this isn't total dreck, as Full Sail does the brewing. Then again, I never liked Full Sail, so...

Is the draft here yet?

 

 

Ever since the Jerramy Stevens experiment started producing noxious fumes, fans have cried for Seattle to take a top tight end in the first round. Seattle has needed a tight end since time immemorial, or at least since big papa Walrus took the reigns in `99. I mean, c’mon, we all know how essential the position to Holmgren’s offense. Funny thing is, Seattle has never needed a tight end, well, ever. They’ve done just fine with the Itula Milis and Marcus Pollards of the world.

In 2007, Seattle had the 9^th best passing offense in football. The key skill position players in that offense were: Bobby Engram (20.0% DVOA), Marcus Pollard (27.4% DVOA), Leonard Weaver (16.7% DVOA), and Maurice Morris (22.2% DVOA). With all due respect, scrubs all. Matt Hasselbeck, a very good pass blocking line, two never healthy wide receivers, and a bunch of scrubs. That shouldn’t be a surprise. Perhaps the foremost reason for the West Coast Offense’s success is how undemanding it is on its receivers. If look at some of the most successful WCOs of all time, their ranks are filled with scrubs. MOR skill position players enjoying an unexpected big year. If we isolate it to the three coaches in the NFL with the most Holmgren like offenses, Jon Gruden, Andy Reid and, of course, Mike Holmgren, in year’s that team's finished in the top 10 passing DVOA, and list those teams' top 3 (as ranked by DVOA) receivers (WR, TE or RB) with 5 or more DPAR,  you’ll see a less than star-studded collection of talent:

2007

Sea:(9^th) Pollard, Weaver, Morris

2006

Phi:(5^th) Reggie Brown, Greg Lewis, Correll Buckhalter

2005

Sea:(4^th) Jerramy Stevens, Darrell Jackson, Joe Jurevicius

2004

Phi:(10^th) Terrell Owens, Brian Westbrook, Todd Pinkston

2003

Sea:(4^th) Morris, Mili, Mack Strong

2002

Sea:(10^th) Engram, Koren Robinson, Mili

2001

Oak:(2^nd) Jerry Rice, Tim Brown, Charlie Garner

2000

Oak:(5^th) Randy Jordan (FB), Rickey Dudley (TE), Brown

Three legitimate HOFers that, with the exception of Owens, were all well past their prime; one superstar rusher, Charlie Garner and scrubs. The best tight end of the bunch, maybe Stevens, maybe LJ Smith (not listed). You can’t forget Rickey Dudley. 8 top offenses over 8 years and not a top tight end between them.

The next thing to consider is, why take a tight end in such a weak class? You have to wonder about a class in which Brad Cottam is receiving first day consideration. (Cottam is kind of the tight end equivalent of Jordan Kent.) If Seattle jumps into the second round run, lets need and scarcity dictate their pick rather than value, they’ll almost certainly be stuck with a tight end that couldn’t crack the third round next year. Yeah, next year is a pretty sweet tight end class.

So, in light of how little Seattle needs a tight end, and how poor this class is, is there someone Seattle could grab that would be cheap, have little downside, can contribute immediately, and won’t get in the way when Seattle drafts their starter in 2009? Better believe it.

Craig Stevens.

The fast, brutish, vicious blocker from Cal. This guy:

 

No, he’s never going to be much of a receiver, but he’ll enter the NFL a top ten blocking tight end. He’ll stick. When the Hawks reach the red zone and Jeb Putzier takes a powder, Stevens is the perfect compliment. When Seattle finally finds their "tight end of the future", Stevens will still be around, a better, faster, more talented Will Heller. And when the Hawks are on the clock in the 4th, this is who I think they’ll take, Mr. Knockdown Block, Craig Stevens. And I'd be cool with that.