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If I were John and Pete (Part Seven)

College prospects and mock drafts!

By Frank T. Raines
John Schneider and Pete Carroll (2019) Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The internet is a funny thing. It is very informative, yet also inconsistent.

For example, back in Part Two of this series, I wrote:

Per DraftTek, the Seahawks currently have four picks in the 2021 draft: #56 (R2), #119 (R4), #150 (R5), and #182 (R6).

Per the commonly accepted “Trade Value Chart,” those picks are worth a total of 443.6 points . . . which is roughly equivalent to having the fourteenth pick in the 2nd round (#46 overall).

That is NOT going to get it done. Even with the unexplainable Schneider magic in overdrive, Seattle will NOT make a notable impact on their roster via the 2021 draft with the capital they currently have. The Seahawks need more - A LOT MORE.

Now, DraftTek says we have 5 picks but they are only worth 442.6 points.

Seattle has not made any moves in the past week.

John Schneider hasn’t (yet) traded the Seahawks’ 6th round pick for a pair of 7th round picks. And, yet, somehow, DraftTek now shows Seattle with FIVE picks instead of 4.

I am confused!

SCREENSHOT (taken 2/15/2021)

Seattle’s 2021 Draft Picks (DraftTek ScreenShot, 2021-02-15)

Interestingly, Seattle’s first three picks are still the same: #56 (R2); #119 (R4); and #150 (R5). But the #182 (R6) pick is G-O-N-E, and it has been replaced by #197 and #213 (both R7).

What is even MORE interesting is that DraftTek’s own 7-round mock draft, published on 2/10/2021, shows Seattle with only 4 picks, not 5.

Those picks are:

Taken as a whole, that draft class doesn’t look too bad.

After all, in Part Six of this series, I wrote:

. . . the media consensus appears to be that Seattle’s biggest needs are on the lines (EDGE, OT, IOL, IDL) followed by WR, CB, RB, TE, and LB; more or less in that order.

DraftTek clearly agrees as they grabbed two offensive linemen (an OT and an IOL) and two corners. But, just like Seattle’s front office did last offseason, the defensive line was completely ignored. And that’s despite EDGE being considered the Seahawks’ #1 need and interior D-linemen being need #3.

That got me curious.

Were there other 7-round mocks available and, if so, who did they predict the Seahawks would take with their 4 (or 5) picks?

I mean, I know there will be “full” mock drafts in April but it’s still February; how many would there be NOW?

Mock draft after mock draft after mock draft after mock draft.

All of them stopped after Pick #32.

I did find one that dared to go two rounds deep, but it didn’t tell me anything new:

  • R2: #50: CB Elijah Molden, Washington

Yay! We’re getting a corner from our local university. Go Huskies! And Go Hawks!

Then . . .

I found it . . .

AJ Schulte’s 7-round 2021 NFL Mock Draft (published 1/30/2021)

And . . .

AJ Schulte doesn’t think that Seattle will take the undersized UW cornerback at #50. Intrigued, I settled into my chair and flipped through the picks.

I never did figure out why all but the R2 are listed as being 4 slots behind where they actually / currently are, but it doesn’t matter.

I like this draft class.

A LOT !!

LG Trey Smith is exactly the type of player that Seattle needs to replace Mike Iupati. If the Seahawks were to pair Trey Smith with RG Damien Lewis, the interior of the offensive line would be SOLID for years to come.

The Round 4 selection of Trey Sermon made me pause.

I mean, yes, we need a running back (or two) if Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde leave in free agency, but would Seattle really spend an R4 on a running back when there are so many other needs?

But then I read that this particular running back broke Eddie George’s OSU record for rushing yards in a game when he went off for 331 yards on 29 carries (2 TDs) in the Big Ten Championship game a couple months back. And he proved it wasn’t a fluke by collecting 193 yards against Clemson in the CFB playoffs.

And that made me think about how Seattle’s run game has consistently NOT shown up in “the big games” the last few seasons. And I thought that maybe taking this running back with the R4 pick would be a good move.

Is Sermon as good as he looked in those two games? Probably not. But one former scout recently compared him to Josh Jacobs, and if Seattle can get him in the 4th round then I’ll just sit in the pews and say, “Amen!” (it’s a Sermon joke)

Taking an EDGE in the 5th round when some draft boards view him as a UDFA seems a bit dubious, and Safety seems like the one position that Seattle doesn’t need to address - at least not with limited draft capital. But, overall, I like this draft very much.

I don’t like it quite “enough” though.

Changing things up . . .

Taking a step back from my radical idea to jettison our franchise quarterback - and the young stud receiver who broke the franchise record for receiving yards in his second season . . .

(FOR NOW)

And assuming that Seattle is going into the NFL draft with only 4 (or 5) picks and that none of them are higher than #50 . . .

(FOR NOW)

If I were John and Pete, there would be specific players I would be interested in and positions that I would be looking to fill with each of Seattle’s picks.

For each of the picks, I will list three players that I would have on my “board” and that I would be thinking / hoping would be available when it came time to make the selection.

Those players will be listed as follows:

  • Option 1: This is the player that I would WANT to draft with the pick.
  • Option 2: Seems self-explanatory.

Wildcard: A player that doesn’t necessarily fill a need, but that would be tempting and warrant at least some consideration - if Options 1 and 2 were gone.

Pretty simple, right?

Here goes!

R2, #50

I suspect that Smith is gone well before #50 and trading up to get him costs picks that I don’t have. My money is on taking the cornerback out of Ohio State here. But I really want Trey Smith so I can pair him with Damien Lewis and smile.

Wildcard at #50: LB Jabril Cox, LSU (6’2”, 233) - Yes, linebacker is super low on the priority list but from a “best player available” perspective, Cox is a worthwhile pick.

R4, #119

EDGE and OG are both huge areas of need. I would vastly prefer to get OG Trey Smith at #50 and take EDGE Rashad Weaver here, but I would be reasonably comfortable with getting my second choice with each of my first 2 picks.

Wildcard at #119: CB Aaron Robinson, UCF (6’1”, 193) - The last corner Seattle selected out of UCF worked out pretty well; why not another?

WORTH NOTING: If RB Trey Sermon were available, I would be tempted to take him. Most draft boards list him in the Top 100 though so he’s probably out of reach.

R5, #150

  • Option 1: DL(3T) Ta’Quon Graham, Texas (6’4”. 294)
  • Option 2: WR Amari Rodgers, Clemson (5’9”, 210)

I would prefer to grab the D-lineman here, but WR Amari Rodgers could be fun if Pete Carroll lets Shane Waldron implement a Rams-style offense in Seattle.

Wildcard at #150: QB Kellen Mond, Texas A&M (6’3”, 217) - This dual-threat QB holds the Aggies’ school records for total offense, passing yards, passing touchdowns, completions, and attempts.

If Seattle has an R6 instead of two R7s . . .

R6, #182

Honestly, it would just be fun to hear the announcers say Shakatoney whenever the EDGE out of Penn State makes a play. Plus, Shakatoney had 4 sacks in one game in 2018; all of them in the 4th quarter. Dude definitely knows how to close!

PFF First-Team selection Jonathan Marshall was the top-graded player on the Razorbacks’ defense and ranked second overall among SEC interior defensive linemen last season.

Wildcard at #182: RB Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State (5’9”, 215) - He missed some time in 2019, but posted nearly 1,400 yards his freshman season and picked it up again in 2020 with 848 yards in only 6 games. Ranks 5th all-time in school history for rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and 100-yard games.

If Seattle has two R7s instead of an R6 . . .

R7, #197

Some draft pundits think T.J. Vasher is a Day Two pick; others think he might go undrafted. Me, I think that if Seattle has the 197th pick and Vasher is still on the board then he is NOT going to go undrafted.

Per SI.com, Eli Howard is “a smart, instinctual player who coaches and players love.” In 43 college games, he recorded 101 tackles, 21.5 TFLs, 16.5 sacks, and 8 pass deflections.

Wildcard at #197: TE Noah Gray, Duke (6’4”, 240) - Considered one of the more underrated tight ends in the draft, Gray would fill Jacob Hollister’s role nicely.

R7, #213

At this point in the draft, I am weighing the pick against the likelihood that (a) the player will go undrafted, and (b) the player will sign with Seattle as a UDFA.

Honestly, both of these players probably go undrafted. Trading this pick to another team might make sense. But if Seattle doesn’t retain Nick Bellore, it is probably worth taking a flier on Mr. Mason.

Or the OT.

First off, Stone Forsythe has a cool name! When he is in a game, he can STONE-wall the defenders. It seems perfect. But that isn’t why he’s intriguing. Apparently he was ranked #6 in the nation by PFF for pass protection among tackles.

Wildcard at #213: CB Tre Brown, Oklahoma (5’10”, 188) - May be THE fastest player in the draft, but has trouble changing speed and sticking to receivers. Also really small for a Seattle DB. Yet still intriguing . . . because of the speed.

If I were John and Pete, I would feel pretty good about this draft class - particularly given the circumstances.

  • Rd. 2, #50: CB Shaun Wade, Ohio State (6’1”, 194)
  • Rd. 4, #119: OG Aaron Banks, Notre Dame (6’5”, 330)
  • Rd. 5, #150: DL(3T) Ta’Quon Graham, Texas (6’4”. 294)
  • Rd. 6, #182: TRADED FOR 2 R7s
  • Rd. 7, Pick 1: WR T.J. Vasher, Texas Tech (6’6”, 210)
  • Rd. 7, Pick 2: FB Ben Mason, Michigan (6’3”, 254)

If I were John and Pete, this is how I would see these 5 players fitting into Seattle’s roster:

Cornerback

Shaquill Griffin is not retained; Shaun Wade takes Griffin’s spot on the roster and is expected to start Week 1 opposite D.J. Reed.

Left Guard

Mike Iupati is not retained; Jordan Simmons is; Aaron Banks and Jordan Simmons compete for the starting spot.

Interior Defensive Line

Jarran Reed signs an extension; Poona Ford and Bryan Mone are retained; Ta’Quon Graham joins the rotation.

Wide Receiver

T.J. Vasher takes David Moore’s spot on the roster and is expected to challenge for the WR3 spot opposite (for now) Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf.

Fullback

Nick Bellore is not retained; Ben Mason takes his spot on the roster.

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