Don't be surprised if Sanchez goes fourth to Seattle. Half of the Seahawks' front office is in town. -Sam Farmer LA Times
I would be very surprised.
As Mike Sando points out, Seattle leads the league in USC alumni. Seattle could populate half the city of LA with suits and still have no true interest in Sanchez. Given their draft position and MO, I would say Seattle drafting Sanchez is downright unlikely. Here are five players Seattle could have watched.
Cary Harris CB
It's funny for someone so fast to be thought so slow. And I'm not talking relative to the entire population; Harris has some of the best foot speed in his class.
Short Speed (0 to 10) |
Darius Butler: 1.46 |
Malcolm Jenkins 1.47 |
Vontae Davis: 1.47 |
Alphonso Smith: 1.50 |
Cary Davis: 1.64 |
Middle Speed (10 to 20) |
Vontae Davis: 1.06 |
Darius Butler: 1.10 |
Alphonso Smith: 1.10 |
Cary Harris: 1.14 |
Malcolm Jenkins: 1.15 |
Deep Speed (20 to 40) |
Darius Butler: 1.85 |
Alphonso Smith: 1.87 |
Vontae Davis: 1.87 |
Cary Harris: 1.88 |
Malcolm Jenkins: 1.89 |
It's getting to that deep speed that makes Davis looks slow. Which creates a semi-paradox. Scouts see Davis as an effective zone corner. Zone coverage would, at least one would guess, depend more on short area quickness than deep speed. The kind Malcolm Jenkins has, but Davis doesn't. Davis must have excellent awareness and reaction time. And he has deep speed, so he can recover on deep routes. What then is the problem?
Davis is the classic long-strider, and where I think he'll struggle is in and out of cuts. That's significant, because that means he'll struggle in man coverage, short routes and long routes. So, don't put him in man coverage. Harris's awareness, ball skills, open field tackling ability and long speed make him a fit for a variety of zones. Seattle ran some kind of dime defense on one out of five plays. Utility defensive back and dime back Jordan Babineaux participated in 35% of all snaps. Babs looked okay in the reduced role, but Seattle could upgrade. Significantly upgrading your defense on a third of all snaps, many of those snaps in high leverage situations, is part of how a good defense becomes great.
Kyle Moore DE
Beware the lesser members of great teams. Moore played a lot of 3-4 end, and though he led the Trojans in sacks, not all sacks are made the same. I'm not fond of Seattle selecting Moore in the fourth, but should he slip to the fifth, given his mix of size, strength, and athleticism, he could make him an Ellis Wyms/Cory Redding type situational defensive lineman. I don't see the burst off the snap or the need, but should he slide into the fifth, I can see the value.
Kaluka Maiava and Kevin Ellison LB
Seattle could add to their linebacker depth by targeting either of the two. Ellison reminds me of Cato June.
Patrick Turner WR
Turner is a project receiver with good upside. His footwork pops off the screen. His height, 6'5", and ability to box out defenders, make him a legitimate red zone threat. If Turner sags too deep into the second day, Seattle could scoop him up and throw him on the pile.