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The Seahawks are finally a part of the offseason, watching guys leave and signing others. It starts to frame the plan going forward. Evidently I thought the plan was to draft all of NC State. Here’s my third Seahawks 7-round mock draft.
These mock drafts are not intended as a prediction of what will happen, they are merely a vehicle to look at different players that the front office may be looking at. With that, I will probably change who I draft just about every time, just to take a little bit closer look at more players at different levels of the draft at different positions. I will also trade out of the 1st every time I publish one of these. There are plenty of other places where you can learn about the first round and even the top of the second, here we want to look at all the other guys. In the end, we may find some draft crushes and know more names throughout the draft.
Disclaimers:
Big Board Order
I use different big board just about every time. None of them are perfect and I realize that none of them match. Some guys will go higher and some guys will go lower. The point is that we take a look at lots of guys, so don’t get too hung up on where someone is drafted.
Trades
I use fansided to simulate the drafts. I paid for the premium edition, so it lets me do trades. I realize that many trades aren’t realistic, but based on my wish to look at more possible players, I don’t care either.
Needs
We all know some of the basic needs that they have, but some basic rules are also in play with this front office. Since PC/JS have been here they have used 14 1st and 2nd round picks. Only 5 have been used on non-lineman: 2 WR, 1 RB, 1 FS and 1 ILB. Only 1 pick has been used in the 1st round on a non-lineman and that was Earl Thomas. Every time you see them saying they will grab a short-armed CB or some RB, remember, that would completely break with the mold. More likely is they do two things: they trade back as much as possible to maximize 2nd and 3rd round opportunities and they also lean towards four-year starters early on.
If you aren’t reading Rob over at Seahawks draft blog, you are doing it wrong.
Scouting
I am not a scout, nor do I pretend to be. I will give my thought process on drafting a guy, but will link and copy to other scouts and give you what they think of him, which is probably much higher quality than what you would get from me.
Here is my draft for today. As usual, I am super happy with it:
37: R2P5 G AUSTIN CORBETT NEVADA
67: R3P3 DL B.J. HILL NC STATE
89: R3P25 TE JAYLEN SAMUELS NC STATE
120: R4P20 RB ROYCE FREEMAN OREGON
141: R5P4 CB ISAAC YIADOM BOSTON COLLEGE
146: R5P9 DL KENTAVIUS STREET NC STATE
168: R5P31 LB FRED WARNER BRIGHAM YOUNG
226: R7P8 EDGE PETER KALAMBAYI STANFORD
Trades:
Seattle sends pick R1 P18 to Tenn for picks R1 P25 and R3 P25
Seattle sends picks R1 P25, R5 P19 and R7 P30 to Ind for picks R2 P5 and R3 P3
Pick-by-pick Breakdown
Seahawks at 37 (round 2, from Indy) select: G AUSTIN CORBETT, NEVADA
Measurements: 6-4 305, OT/OG
Testing: 5.15 40, 19 reps, 28” vert, 106” broad, 7.87 3 cone, 4.5 short shuttle
A consistent offensive lineman who will be moved inside after playing on the outside in college. TEF only 2.55, but mostly due to bench, his legs are explosive enough.
STRENGTHS: Compact, well-distributed frame with broad shoulders, a stout core and thick limbs. Shows good quickness off the ball, initiating the contact with defenders in the running game and showing good upper body strength, including an explosive punch. Powerful. Roll his hips on contact, creating the torque that can defenders off-balance and lead to pancake blocks. Efficient athlete with light enough feet and balance to get to the second level, with the awareness to locate and stalk defenders. Eases off the snap in pass protection, comfortably sliding to his left to protect the edge, showing the coordination to shift into a second gear to recover if late off the snap. Plays with his knees bent and on the balls of his feet, showing good lateral agility and balance to shuffle. Anchors well due to knee bend, a flexible core and his upper body strength. Highly competitive. Gives good effort until the echo of the whistle, often blocking downfield and multiple defenders on the same play. Voted a team captain in 2017. -- Rob Rang 1/15/2018
Bottom Line
While there will be several “adequates” on the checklist, teams may be looking for a more definitive strength to his game. Corbett is definitely sharp enough to move inside to guard or center and has good technique, but his average play strength and lack of length may be a concern. He has the size and talent to compete for a guard/center spot.
-Lance Zierlein
Seahawks pick at 67 (round 3,from Indy) DL BJ HILL, N.C. STATE
Measurements: 6-4 314
Testing: 4.99 40, 35 reps, 26½ vert, 101” broad, 4.53 short shuttle, 7.28 3-cone
A powerful one gap DL.
Hill possesses a prototypical frame for an NFL defensive tackle with broad shoulders and a stout lower body including thick limbs. He shows good initial quickness off the snap, keeping his pads low and creating a surge upfield with very good leg drive, arguably his best asset. Hill keeps his eyes trained on the ball, possessing the lateral agility and strength to slip off blocks and make tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. His core strength makes Hill a very effective bull rusher also he complements this with a solid rip move, as well as an occasional spin, leaving would-be tacklers guessing. For a big man, Hill shows impressive burst and acceleration, closing on the ball quickly and creating powerful collisions, including downfield, padding his statistics and earning the respect of teammates. Impressive durability, playing in 43 games over his career with 38 starts, not including the Senior Bowl... -- Rob Rang 1/31/2018
Bottom Line
Hill is a one-gapping, upfield defensive tackle with decent athleticism who seems to be able to find the football at an adequate rate despite lacking some play strength. While Hill’s production has been solid, he will have to develop more strength at the point of attack or become a more explosive upfield player to set himself apart and become a rotational defensive tackle.
-Lance Zierlein
Seahawks select at 89 (round 3, from Tenn): TE/FB/RB JAYLEN SAMUELS, N.C. STATE
Measurements: 5-11 223
Testing: 4.54 40, 18 reps, 34½” vert, 121” broad, 6.93 3 cone, 4.28 short shuttle
He lets us move smoothly from any set without have to leave the field. Can run, block and catch at a high level.
Strengths
Chameleon skill-set and comfortable filling multiple offensive roles. Coordinated route-runner with short-area quickness to separate from man coverage. Consistently extends and bails out inaccurate throws with his catch radius. Makes focused grabs in congestion. Open-field athleticism to sidestep and force missed tackles. Never concedes and runs through contact to finish. High football IQ and situational awareness. Assignment alert in pass protection…tough to find accurate words to describe his extreme competitive nature and isn’t shy letting the opponents know about it. Played every non-lineman position on offense, using his versatility to exploit defenses. Finished his career with almost 3,000 yards of total offense and didn’t miss a game the last four seasons. School’s all-time leader in receptions (202), consecutive games with a reception (41) and ranks second all-time in offensive touchdowns (47). – Dane Brugler 2/2/2018
via NFL.com:
Bottom Line
Some may see Samuels as a valuable hybrid talent, while others may see a player who offers roster flexibility but lacks a position where he can win consistently. Samuels isn’t a tight end and has to prove he can handle blocking duties well enough to be a fullback. He will, however, appeal to teams looking to disguise their attacks with more diversified personnel groupings. Samuels best fit may be with a zone-scheme team as a RB/FB with the ability to play slot receiver and become a core special teamer.
-Lance Zierlein
Seahawks select at 120 (round 4): RB ROYCE FREEMAN, OREGON
Measurements: 5-11 234, 32” arms, 9.5” hands
Testing: 4.54 40, 11 reps, 34” vert, 118” broad, 6.9” 3 cone, 4.16 shuttle
Big powerful back with good quickness who can catch enough to make D’s honor it. His comparison is Jerome Bettis.
Freeman possesses a compact, muscle-bound frame, including a stout lower half. He is powerful, running through arm tackles and showing impressive leg drive and natural forward lean to generate yards after contact. Perhaps most impressively, Freeman possesses very light feet for his size, picking his way through traffic and altering his gait to throw off would-be tacklers. Freeman is an alert, instinctive runner.
Bottom Line
Freeman became the leading rusher in Oregon history thanks to talent, consistency and elite productivity. Freeman’s high number of career carries will bother some teams as he doesn’t appear to play as fast as he did earlier in his career. He has outstanding size and is a natural runner with good vision who could step into an early starter’s role -- especially if teams believe he can handle third down snaps as well.
-Lance Zierlein
Seahawks select at 141 (round 5): CB ISAAC YIADOM, BOSTON COLLEGE
Measurements: 6-1 190, 32.25” arms
Testing: 4.52 40, 8 reps, 120” broad, 4.18 short shuttle.
The long CB our coaches love.
Excellent blend of height and length for the position. Genuinely enjoys press-coverage. Play speed and hustle are not concerns with this player. Coordinated footwork in his pedal and transition. Stays on top of routes and leverages receivers with subtle contact. Outstanding feel with his back to the ball, turning to locate, track and play the ball with timing. Natural feel for pattern matching. Aggressively attacks blocks en route to the screen/flat ballcarrier. Lowers his shoulder and looks to wrap as a tackler. Confident and plays big in critical situations. Showed steady growth the last four years, turning in his most consistent season as a senior. – Dane Brugler 2/7/2018
Bottom Line
Yiadom looks long and lean, but he plays with adequate strength in disrupting routes and has the aggressiveness to challenge and muddle the catch-point. He’s more aware than instinctive, but can handle both zone and press-man responsibilities. Yiadom’s special teams value may move him ahead of similar cornerbacks in this draft. His man coverage skills need more work, but he has the talent to go from backup to starter within a couple of seasons.
-Lance Zierlein
Seahawks select at 146 (Round 5): DT/DE KENTAVIUS STREET, NC STATE
Measurements: 6-2 280
Testing: 4.83 40, 28 reps,
Powerfull rusher who can work inside and out depending on the situation.
STRENGTHS
Street possesses a short but compact frame with broad shoulders and very good overall weight distribution, including a stout lower half. Street is a terrific athlete with the lateral agility and burst to quickly close the gap when he has the ball carrier in his sights. He springs off the snap, exhibiting the burst and core flexibility to get skinny and slice through gaps, proving a consistent penetration threat when lined up inside as well as the juice to challenge the edge when rushing from the defensive end position. Street shows good coordination between his hands and feet, syncing a quick over-arm swim move with his lower body twists and torque. He is quick to turn and locate the ball, showing agility, acceleration and effort in his lateral and downfield pursuit. Street’s closing speed and compact frame help him generate explosive tackling power with some big pops on tape... Durable player with 46 game appearances at NC State... He is a very good athlete who may put up eye-popping test numbers... - Rob Rang 1/31/2018
STRENGTHS
Powerhouse with compact frame and a 700 pound squat to his name. Able to cave-in lesser tight ends who are tasked with trying to base block him. Shows some fight at the point of attack against tackles despite his lack of length. Heavy hitter when tackling. Runs through the ball carrier and makes sure they feel it. Straight-line pursuit speed appears to be faster than expected on tape. Won’t go to it often, but has access to an explosive spin move that can win as inside counter when he times it right. Uses low center of gravity and powerful rip move to play through a blocker’s edge once he gets the door open.
Seahawks select at 168 (Round 5): LB FRED WARNER, BYU
Measurements: 6-3 227
Testing: 4.64 40, 1.55 10 yard split, 21 REPS, 38.5” vert, 119 broad, 6.9 3-cone
Undersized, super explosive LB/SS who can rush and cover.
Bottom Line
Warner’s future success could largely depend on who takes him and how they use him. While most will view him as an outside linebacker, Warner moves around like a big safety. With his instincts and cover skills in space, finding a hybrid role in sub-packages might be where he is best utilized. Warner’s size, speed and workout at the Combine may play into his draft value more heavily than many other prospects. Warner should find immediate work as a backup who can help on special teams.
-Lance Zierlein
Seahawks select at 226 (Round 7): DE/LEO PETER KALAMBAYI, STANFORD
Measurements: 6-3 243, 33.5” ARMS
Testing: 4.56 40, 19 reps, 34” vert, 121” broad, 7.13 3 cone, 4.36 short shuttle,
Explosive LB/LEO ST project.
Bottom Line
Kalambayi is a well-built athlete with adequate strength, above average wingspan and sudden feet who hasn’t been able to match the production to his traits. Kalambayi looks the part and will test well, but his lack of instincts and feel as a pass rusher could leave teams frustrated. His strength at the point of attack and ability to handle and work around edge blockers may be a little bit underrated. Kalambayi has the talent to become a backup 3-4 SAM linebacker and with high-end special teams potential.
-Lance Zierlein