Prospects connected to the Seahawks a month away from the 2019 NFL Draft’s conclusion

For those who have been following along with the Seahawks Draft Board this year, you’ll know a section has been added on prospects connected to the Seattle Seahawks. That could be top-30 visits, local visits, workouts or a pro day connection.

We’re now a month away from the final day of the 2019 NFL Draft. Over the last week, reported visits and interest has begun to ramp up. A visit could be for any reason, be it a smokescreen, interest in the prospect’s teammate, or legitimate interest. Last year, I had the names of 25/30 top-30 visits. Of those 25, five ended up in Seattle in some capacity: Alex McGough, Jacob Pugh, Poona Ford, Khalid Hill and Simeon Thomas.

With that in mind, let’s see where we’re at a month out from the draft, plus some odds and ends:

Top-30 Visits

To this point, there are five top-30 visits reported for the Seahawks. Of those five, two fit into Seattle’s athletic profile and appear on the Seahawks Draft Board.

Parris Campbell (WR, Ohio State)

Campbell is a tremendous athlete who has a similar body type to a pair of former Seattle receivers, Golden Tate and Percy Harvin. He’s built solidly, and his frame lends itself to a gadget player role, meaning he’ll carve out a place for himself within an offense even as he refines his game. That refinement in Campbell’s game will be necessary, but he possesses the skill set Pete Carroll remains fascinated by.

L.J. Collier (EDGE, TCU)

The Seahawks have clearly defined thresholds at EDGE, and Collier meets one—broad jump. His agility tests (three cone and short shuttle) were awful (23rd and 12th percentile), and he is highly unlikely to be a target. (In Collier’s defense, he wins with power—not agility or flexibility.) It’s worth noting that two of Collier’s teammates, Ben Banogu and Ty Summers, do fit Seattle’s mold at EDGE and linebacker respectively.

Dre Greenlaw (LB, Arkansas)

While digging into the linebacker class earlier this month, I reached out to a Razorbacks beat writer to try and get Greenlaw’s testing numbers. The results, like Collier, were simply not Seahawk-y. He only meets Seattle’s weight threshold, and his explosiveness—highly valued by the Seahawks at the position—falls short by quite a bit. One of the surest tacklers in college football is unlikely to land in Seattle.

Darnell Savage Jr (S, Maryland)

An explosive athlete who is a joy to watch, Savage is undersized compared to the safeties drafted by the Seahawks previously. There is reason to believe he could fit in Seattle, but it would require a fairly drastic shift in scheme from Carroll—unlikely at this stage in his coaching career.

Jace Sternberger (TE, Texas A&M)

After barely seeing the field during two seasons at Kansas, Sternberger transferred to the Aggies and enjoyed a great 2018, posting 17.3 yards per reception on 48 catches, with 10 touchdowns. Sternberger isn’t a special athlete, but the Seahawks don’t generally target particularly athletic tight ends. Likely a late day two or early day three selection, Sternberger would require a fairly high investment.

Odds and Ends

As the draft inches closer, we’ll start to hear of Seattle’s brass traveling to workout prospects, like they did in 2018 with Dallas Goedert, Christian Kirk, Kyle Allen and others. For now, here’s what we have:

Drew Lewis (LB, Colorado)

A linebacker who checks most of the Seahawks’ boxes at the position reportedly spent time with Seattle at his pro day.

Justin Hollins (LB/EDGE, Oregon)

A potential fit in the Bruce Irvin/Barkevious Mingo role in Carroll’s defense, Hollins was pictured at the Ducks’ pro day being worked out by Seahawks linebacker coach John Glenn.

Connor Strachan (LB, Boston College)

A player Tony Pauline calls “one of the best coverage units players in this year’s draft,” Strachan reportedly spent time talking at length with Seattle personnel at the Screaming Eagles’ pro day.

Saivion Smith (CB, Alabama)

A long cornerback (33 1/4” arms) who fits into the Seahawks’ size and athletic ideals is a target of Seattle as a “last day sleeper,” again per Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com.

Draft connections began to heat up last week, and that will only grow over the next month in the lead up to the 2019 NFL Draft. By the time the draft arrives, we should expect to have the names of upwards of 45-50 prospects connected to the Seahawks in some capacity. It’s just getting started.