:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/32697041/20140124_kkt_al2_127.0.jpg)
We've spent the past few months agonizing over how the Seahawks' front office works, and now that the draft is upon us, it's time to review what we have learned.
- The Seahawks set their grades and board based on how well they think the prospects can compete (and where their potential is) with regards to the players on their team.
- John Schneider and Pete Carroll place a lot of trust on their respective scouts and coaches, so that the guys the Seahawks draft are the ones that fit within the system.
- The ability to "tip the field" is something Schneider especially looks for in terms of separating players. This is also echoed by Carroll, who is flexible in his approach to fit in any players he sees with an ability to make plays.
- However, the board isn't strictly vertical; Just because a player is graded higher than another doesn't mean he will be drafted before him. (We saw this last year with OLB John Loutleiei, who was given a fifth-round grade but ultimately picked up in UDFA).
- SPARQ - developed initially for high school athletes - has been used as a metric to measure athleticism and another tool for the Seahawks FO to rank players. (TE Luke Willson and DT Greg Scruggs had been referred to by Schneider as the 2nd and 9th best tester in their position groups respectively).
- Schneider bases his methods and philosophy based off Ron Wolf, which he studied under back when he was a scout for the Packers. That means he won't hesitate to be aggressive in grabbing a player he likes.
- The Seahawks will never enter the draft with an intention to fill a specific hole or weakness.
- Meanwhile, Carroll's connections within high school recruiting has given the Seahawks an inside edge in terms of scouting the same players (now in college). The Seahawks have shown no hesitance in selecting players Carroll knows from before hand.
- Schneider would like to leave the draft every year with around 10 picks or so, not including players he picks up via UDFA (which is valued just as the draft itself)
In the 2014 draft, the Seahawks:
- Enter with these selections: 1/32, 2/64, 4/132, 5/146, 5/172, 6/208 and all seven selections for next year, with a possibility of including four additional compensatory picks
- Have these positions cited as areas of need: OT, LEO, WR, DT, DB and LB
So in order to bridge the connections the whole Field Gulls team has discovered, here's a spreadsheet I made compiling (triangulating? By the way, I take no credit for this):
- Zach's SPARQ Data on all players
- Davis' record of pre-Draft visitss record of pre-draft visits
- John's breakdown of where a majority of the Seahawks draft picks come from
- Jared's observations observations of current draftees that are compared to current Seahawks
- My own observations of Carroll's previous recruiting history
- Height/Arm Length/Other measureables Seahawks use to weed out players.
- And finally, Derek's horizontal Draft board for the Seahawks.
So instead of having four different pages to look at, you can have all of the information in one accessible spot.
SEAHAWKS 2014 NFL DRAFT - ULTIMATE FIELD GULLS DRAFT BOARD
With any luck, this will finally complete the final draft board from which will the Seahawks will select from on Thursday.