7-Round Mock Draft: The Penultimate

This is the second to last of these that I will be doing. The week of the draft we will go in a little bit different direction to help get everyone prepared.

These 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.

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:

Trades:

I really liked this trade concept that Samuel Gold pushed out on twitter the other day, so I just made it happen. It feels very possible.

- START: 21 (1), 84 (3), 124 (4), 159 (5)

- TRADE: 21 (1) to GB for 30 (1), 75 (3)

- TRADE: 30 (1) to CLE for 49 (2), 80 (3), 155 (5)

= FINISH: 49 (2), 75 (3), 80 (3), 84 (3), 124 (4), 155 (5), 159 (5)

Picks:

R2P17 S JUAN THORNHILL VIRGINIA

R3P11 EDGE JOE JACKSON MIAMI

R3P16 DL ZACH ALLEN BOSTON COLLEGE

R3P20 C ERIK MCCOY TEXAS A&M

R4P22 LB BLAKE CASHMAN MINNESOTA

R5P17 WR TRAVIS FULGHAM OLD DOMINION

R5P21 CB BLESSUAN AUSTIN RUTGERS

Pick-by-pick Breakdown

Seahawks at pick 2.17 (from Cle) select: Juan Thornhill, S/CB, Virginia

Measurements: 6-0 205, 31 1/8” Arms, 8.75” Hands

Testing: 4.42 40, 21 bench, 44” vert, 141” broad

A Safety who can play single high or come up and play nickel back as required.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/juan-thornhill?id=32195448-4f54-9495-af73-48eb17033beb

Three-year starter who proved he could bring his instincts and ball skills with him from cornerback to safety in 2018. Thornhill’s size and cover talent should allow defensive coordinators the freedom to deploy him around the field in a variety of ways depending on the matchups and his running mate at safety. While he could garner consideration as a corner, safety gives him his best opportunity to become an early starter.

Seahawks pick at 3.11 (from GB): Joe Jackson, DE, Miami

Measurements: 6-4 275, 34 1/8” arms, 10” hands

Testing: 22 bench, 27” vert, 109” broad

Developmental DE who is consistent against the run and developing as a pass rusher.

https://thedraftnetwork.com/player/joe-jackson

Racking up 21 tackles for loss and 14 sacks across his first two seasons as a Hurricane, Jackson has found production early in his career. A long, lean and athletic edge defender, Jackson is physically gifted and plays with a hot motor. So far that has carried him, but in order to become a coveted NFL Draft prospect, Jackson needs to evolve in several areas to fully take advantage of his gifts.

The primary concern I have with Jackson is his vision to read the offensive tackles set. Jackson is more of a reactive player that does not set up his attack well. Even when he wins out of the gate with his quick first step and initial vertical push, Jackson doesn’t naturally use his hands to soften angles when he is hip-to-hip with blockers. Missing opportunities to attack offensive tackles when they are in vulnerable positions, Jackson must become more nuanced with his technique and become a more refined player. Jackson needs to be more assertive with his hands and develop the mental processing skills needed to effectively attack the pocket. Developing counters is critical.

As a run defender, Jackson showcases good power at the point of attack when his leverage is right. Too often, his pads get high and he is easily reached and driven out of his gap. It’s imperative for Jackson to become dedicated to keeping his low pads so he can anchor and control his gap more consistently and play through contact.

Make no mistake about it, Jackson has upside but he needs to put it all together to be a more consistently effective player. His concerns are teachable and his upside is evident..

Seahawks select at 3.16 (from Cle): Zach Allen, DT/DE, Boston College

Measurements: 6-4 281, 34.75” arms, 10 1/8” hands

Testing: 5” 40, 24 Bench, 32” Vert, 112” Broad, 7.34” 3-cone, 4.36” SS

5-tech who can move inside out and immediately contribute in the rotation.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/amani-hooker?id=3219484f-4f28-9885-74ca-b4eda13809f8

Hard-charging defensive end who calls on initial quickness, play strength and outstanding instincts to counter his lack of length and athleticism. Allen’s toughness and ability to diagnose quickly could allow him to play early as a run defender, but limitations as a rusher could push him inside on passing downs. He has average starter’s potential and could be in consideration by odd or even fronts at defensive end.

Seahawks select at 3.20: Eric McCoy, C/G, Texas A&M

Measurements: 6-4 303, 33” arms, 9 5/8” hands

Testing: 4.89 40, 29 bench, 31” vert, 107” broad, 8.28” 3-cone, 4.62” SS

He can play G or C and ready to backup both now and become a starter down the line.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/erik-mccoy?id=32194d43-4360-1333-481d-eca6355623f4

Teams typically hunt for centers with the traits to withstand power or athleticism depending on their divisional competition. McCoy comes gift-wrapped in a thick, strong frame and proved he could hold up to both power (Dexter Lawrence) and athleticism (Quinnen Williams). He has some limitations in space, but he possesses more than enough body control and agility to compete on work-ups and cut-off blocks. With his ability match against base and sub-packages, McCoy could carry Day 2 draft value as a future starter.

Seahawks select at 4.22: Blake Cashman, LB, Minnesota

Measurements: 6-1 237, 30 1/8” arms, 8.75” hands

Testing: 4.5” 40, 18 bench, 37.5” vert, 124” broad, 6.95” 3-cone, 4.12” SS

Super Seahawky type player who has a floor of ST stud and potential WILL starter.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jalen-hurd?id=32194855-5208-0933-a42b-f137c6bf565f

Limited WILL linebacker who isn’t big and isn’t fast, but plays with determination and a nose for the ball. Former walk-ons usually have chips on their shoulders that are permanent fixtures and Cashman is no different. He’s made the most out of every opportunity he’s created for himself, but his lack of athletic traits and length create a small margin for error in his play. If he can improve in taking on blocks and play more instinctively, he could have a chance as a back-end backup and core special-teamer.

Seahawks select at 5.17 (from Cle): Travis Fulgham, WR, Old Dominion

Measurements: 6-2, 215, 33.75” arms, 9.5” hands

Testing: 4.58” 40, 15 Bench, 36.5” vert, 126” broad

Big target who wins the contested catches and is a willing blocker.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/travis-fulgham?id=32194655-4c11-9395-5f24-196b3c9defed

Fulgham is a big, competitive target with above-average ball skills, but a lack of separation traits could limit his ability to uncover against NFL press corners. Fulgham does his best work down the field, but he’ll need to run well at the combine as his tape doesn’t feature much vertical separation. While there might be some athletic impediments in his way, the former walk-on has the talent to go get the rock and has already proven an ability to play beyond expectations in the past.

Seahawks select at 5.21: Blessuan Austin, CB, Rutgers

Measurements: 6-1, 198, 32.5” arms, 10” hands

Testing: 15 Bench

Prototype CB, recovering from an ACL, but will be full up in the summer.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/blessuan-austin?id=32194155-5309-6790-50fd-eb17a263c4af

Tall cornerback with good length who possesses good change of direction talent and short-area quickness to stay within striking distance of ball production. Austin’s is a little inconsistent mirroring the release from press and he may lack upper body strength to re-route bigger cornerbacks in the league. While teams can figure which coverage is best suited to his talent, his draft value may end up being tied directly to concerns over durability which have already impacted my own grade.