Coffee and Cigarettes: Seahawks Links for Thursday

Thursday!!

NFL.com news: How NFL teams utilize mock drafts, other outside influences
In my time with the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans, I never paid any attention to mock drafts ... until a week before the NFL draft. This is when I found them to be the most reliable. Consequently, this is when I would begin to study them. I used mock drafts to do two things:

Updated mock draft: 11th April " Seahawks Draft Blog
We’re two weeks away from the 2012 draft, meaning two more projections after this. I wanted to mix a few things up this week and look at scenarios not being discussed. After all, there’s always a surprise or two…

The Best of the RSP Blog (Draft Reads) for 2011-2012 | The Rookie Scouting Portfolio
If you’re relatively new to the blog or you’ve been reading this blog for awhile now, enjoy it, but haven’t took the plunge with the RSP publication, I encourage you to look at just some of the things the blog as provided this year and you can download current or past issues of the Rookie Scouting Portfolio here.

A few minutes with Michael Brockers | Seahawks Insider
LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers reportedly was scheduled to visit the Seattle Seahawks according to Aaron Wilson of Scout.com. At 6-6, 322 pounds, Brockers can play both nose tackle and 3-tech, or pass-rushing defensive tackle. Brockers also could be viewed as a defensive end in a 3-4 defensive scheme. The Seahawks currently have an interior defensive tackle rotation of Alan Branch, Brandon Mebane, Jason Jones and Clinton McDonald, but they could still use some depth inside.

Cold Hard Facts - Podcasts - MyNorthwest.com
John Clayton says Arizona State's Brock Osweiler could be the fourth-best quarterback in this year's draft and that he could be a first-round pick. Clayton also discusses why Bill Parcells likely won't coach the Saints on an interim basis and why moving Kam Chancellor to outside linebacker makes little sense for the Seahawks.

Draft Spotlight: Mychal Kendricks, LB, Cal " Seahawks Draft Blog
Rundown: Mychal Kendricks is a senior middle linebacker for the Cal Bears. He had previously played weak side linebacker in 2009 and 2010. He was the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2011.

Draft Prospects with Most to Gain or Lose at 2nd Medical Exams in Indianapolis | Bleacher Report
Some highly-rated prospects are gathering in Indianapolis this week, but it won't be televised. Teams will still be paying very close attention to the results of the exams of players who have been limited or even completely sidelined during the postseason by injuries.

Sports Radio Interviews " Blog Archive " Brandon Jacobs on Joining Stacked San Francisco Squad: "It’s Gonna Be Hard to Stop Us"
Brandon Jacobs joined KNBR in San Francisco to explain why he chose the 49ers. He also broke down the science of short-yardage running, talked about new teammate Frank Gore, analyzed the San Francisco defense and discussed his role with the Niners.

The Future of the NFL: More Up-tempo No-huddle | Smart Football
It’s only a slight exaggeration to say that huddling is an archaism destined for the dustbin. I say it’s a slight exaggeration because there is a value to huddling, primarily when you have a great leader at quarterback as a huddle is an opportunity for him to show his leadership skills. But otherwise, it’s inherently inferior to going no-huddle. It’s slower, which is a problem both in games but also in practice where your offense gets fewer reps, and, maybe most importantly, the safety net of a huddle leads coaches to transform plays that can be communicated in just one or two words into multi-syllabic monstrosities. That’s the sad secret of those long NFL playcalls: They convey no more information than can be conveyed with one or two words or with a combination of hand-signals.

17 Days Until The Draft: More Random Draft Musings " Pick 256
Two and a half weeks to go and at this point there isn’t much news to report. 90% of news that you read between now and April will either be a fabrication (either by team sources blowing smoke or by "experts" looking to generate clicks/views). Almost all prospects have been graded, watched endlessly on tape, dissected, worked out, run through medical tests and had their character evaluated thoroughly. If you’re a die hard draftnik, or spend your life evaluating talent, your board should be about set by now. With that in mind, here are 17 quick hit musings – one for each day until the draft:

Unfilled Voids - Offseason Low Down - Rotoworld.com
The bulk of this year’s free agency period is in the books. Each NFL team made, at least, a few moves to fill holes on their roster. Highlights included Denver upgrading at quarterback (Peyton Manning) and tight end (Jacob Tamme, Joel Dreessen), Tampa Bay adding a game-changer at wide receiver (Vincent Jackson), Chicago adding security for Matt Forte (Michael Bush), and Washington overhauling their wide receiver unit (Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan).

The Shutdown 50: #38 — Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
We continue this year's series with Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry. In two full seasons as a defensive force for the Thundering Herd, the 6-foot-3, 266-pound Curry lived up to the team's name all by himself -- through he started all 13 games in 2009, it wasn't until 2010 that Curry really started to explode off tape and the stat sheets. In the 2010 campaign, he amassed 12 sacks (11 solo), 18 tackles for loss, and 18 quarterback hurries. He build on that great season in 2011, racking up 11 sacks (10 solo), 21 tackles for loss, 8 quarterback hurries, and a new skill displayed -- three blocked kicks. Any concern that he padded his stats against inferior opponents can be put to rest; Curry was a consistent disruptor of one type or another through the last two seasons. If he didn't have a sack, he'd have three hurries, or a forced fumble (six of those in 2011), or a special teams standout play.

The Shutdown 50 — #36: Chandler Jones, DE, Syracuse | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo! Sports
We continue this year's series with Syracuse defensive end Chandler Jones. Jones will tell you that he isn't even the toughest guy in his own family. That would be his brother, Ultimate Fighter Jon Jones. "I feel like Jon is the toughest, but the best football player I would say is me," Chandler told WICZ in Birmingham before one of his older brother's light heavyweight title defenses. Chandler could get some arguments on the football front from oldest brother Art Jones, who currently plays for the Ravens. But while Art was a fifth-round pick in 2010 and plays sparingly, Chandler is projected as an early round pick and likely starter, despite a low career sack total (10) and an injury-shortened 2011 season.

Draft team needs: Seattle Seahawks - NFL - CBSSports.com - NFLDraftScout.com
When league scouts talk about the Seattle Seahawks, they all say the same thing: Loads of young talent, but what about the quarterback?

In sports and society, quarterbacks rule all - Steve Rushin - SI.com
Before this sounds like a complaint, let me say I like quarterbacks as much as the next guy, and even sold Tommy Kramer two tins of Copenhagen at a Tom Thumb convenience store in Bloomington, Minn., when Two-Minute Tommy was the Vikings' QB and I was a red-smocked cashier, my parents having decided that a good way for a 16-year-old to make extra cash was to sell cigarettes, beer and Playboys to his neighbors.

2012 NFL Mock Draft has Michael Floyd as a big riser - Don Banks - SI.com
There's a lot to love about the young defense the Seahawks are assembling, but they've got to create more pressure on opposing passers. Coples could drop well into the teens, but he's got double-digit sack talent if Pete Carroll and Co. can figure out how to keep his intensity and effort level high at all times.

NFL Draft: Five prospects I would love to coach | National Football Post
Dre Kirkpatrick, RGIII, Luke Kuechly and more.

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Portland State aims for another draft pick "
Portland State had a player selected in the 2011 NFL Draft — tight end Julius Thomas in the fourth round — and the Football Championship Subdivision school could produce another draft pick in late April.

NFL.com Blogs " Blog Archive Speedy lineman, powerful leg impress at Purdue "
There were 15 NFL teams present, including Arizona Cardinals assistant head coach/offensive line coach Russ Grimm, when Purdue University held its pro day indoors on FieldTurf on March 9.

NFL.com news: Arian Foster, not Mark Sanchez, to Jets in 2009 draft re-do
Right now, no one is going to mistake the 2009 NFL Draft as one that defined a generation. Heck, it barely defined 2009. In fact, plenty of experts call it the worst draft of all time.

NFL.com news: Flacco a Chief? CJ2K to Cincy? Many changes in '08 draft re-do
This week on NFL.com, we're re-doing the first rounds of the past five drafts, and 2008 is next on the docket. You'll hear this draft mentioned often. Why? Because of the two young quarterbacks selected by Atlanta and Baltimore.

NFL DRAFT: Late Round Sleepers that can stick | National Football Post
Looking at late round options who have a chance to make NFL rosters.

Russell Wilson 1/27/2012 Senior Bowl Interview - YouTube
Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson stopped to chat with NEPatriotsDraft scouts Doug Kyed and Mike Loyko during 2012 Senior Bowl week.

Gruden Camp - Russell Wilson - ESPN Video - ESPN
ESPN Video: NFL QB hopeful Russell Wilson goes through Jon Gruden's camp.

NFL Mock Draft: Recapping a "Twitter Mock" with Russ Lande, Josh Liskiewitz, and Alex Brown | Articles
In an exercise of Mock Draft-ing and each of our own scouting, myself, Alex Brown of Optimum Scouting, Russ Lande of Sporting News, and Josh Liskiewitz of GM Jr combined to do a first round Mock Draft. Check out which draft evaluators picked when and who, and see just how crazy a first round can get when different NFL GMs play a role (just like the actual NFL Draft.)

Brian Billick breaks down the NFL Draft's tight ends - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN
When evaluating the final four playoff teams of the 2011 NFL season, one thing is clear, the value of tight ends in the NFL is at an all-time high. Similarly, if you look at the tight ends on display in those championship games, you will see that value has been found in a wide range of rounds in the NFL Draft.

Draft Grader: Seattle Seahawks | ProFootballFocus.com
It’s been an interesting couple of years in Seattle since Pete Carroll and John Schneider took charge of the Seahawks. Faced with an aging and declining roster, they’ve overseen a massive overhaul in talent, with some moves that have worked and some that haven’t. Continuing our Draft Grader series, we take a look at some of the talent Tim Ruskell had picked up for the two, while also examining their own first draft class. Each pick between the 2008 and 2010 draft classes gets a grade between +2.0 and -2.0 (in 0.5 increments) that depends upon: