Seahawks 2018 Draft Class

The 2018 draft has concluded and Seahawks fans should be thrilled with their team's latest additions. Having more needs than the past several drafts, the Seahawks had their work cut out for them. Especially considering their relative lack of pick depth.

Seattle hit on several major areas of need while executing the trademark trading back to accumulate additional draft picks.

My favorite pick was our very first.  After trading back a few spots to pick up an extra 3rd and 6th pick, the Seahawks pulled the trigger on San Diego State running back, Rashaad Penny.

This pick didn't win over all Seahawks fans.  There were many who thought they made the pick too early, something John Schneider promptly refuted, suggesting that there was a team that contacted him immediately after the selection in an attempt to pry Penny away from Schneider.

Others complained that our rushing woes were no fault of the current stable of Seahawks backs, but rather the offensive line to blame. I simply don't agree with this line of thinking.  Over the past few seasons, Seattle has invested in their offensive line considerably while relying on undrafted and unproven running backs.

It hasn't worked and it was looking like they were doomed to repeat themselves.  We all like Chris Carson, but turning the backfield keys directly over to him, coming off a serious injury with a small but impressive body of work would have been uncomfortably similar to what we did with Thomas Rawls in his second season.  You might remember-- that didn't work.

Penny lead all of college football in total yardage.  He figures to work in conjunction with Carson, McKissic, Davis and Prosise (if he can stay healthy) to form an impressive backfield group.

Seattle didn't neglect its line, either.  They added the best blocking tight end in the draft, local kid Will Dissly out of Washington, and took a long-armed Ohio State tackle, Jamarco Jones, late in the 5th round.

The undeniably most touching moment of the draft was when the Seahawks selected Shaquem Griffin in the fifth round, reuniting the Griffin twins in Seattle. Shaquem, whose brother was a rookie cornerback for the Seahawks last year, lost his left hand at 4 years old but went on to be the player of the year last season.  He figures to contribute heavily in special teams as a rookie.

The Seahawks hope they got their Michael Bennett of the future in 3rd round choice, Rasheem Green out of USC. Evidently, fifth round choice Tre Flowers is physically identical to Richard Sherman.  We will all be thrilled if these two come anywhere close to the production of their predecessors.

The most interesting draft choice made by the Seahawks this weekend was when they traded up with the Denver Broncos to draft Michael Dixon, a punter from Texas.  This move allegedly caused the Broncos war room to erupt with laughter.

What does this mean for Jon Ryan?  Likely, it spells the end of his long career in Seattle.  Ryan, the Ginja Ninja, is beloved by the fan base and is the longest tenured player on the team, but noticeably declined last season.  Ryan is still an extremely competent punter, so I hope that the Seahawks might be able to recoup a draft pick through a trade rather than outright cutting him.

With their last pick, the Seahawks drafted quarterback Alex McGough. I wasn't aware of McGough prior to his selection, but after watching his tape, I'm just as comfortable with him backing up Wilson this season as I am with Austin Davis or the other no-name guy on the team's depth chart.

Here's a list of undrafted free agents scooped up once the draft concluded.


TCU WR Taj Williams
Missouri DE Marcell Frazier
Idaho State OL Skyler Phillips
Texas DT Poona Ford
Purdue DT Eddy Wilson
Oregon LS Tanner Carew
Oklahoma State C Brad Lundblade
Slippery Rock DE/FB Marcus Martin
Utah QB Troy Williams
Florida State LB Jacob Pugh
USC OL Viane Talamaivao
Eastern Washington DL Albert Havili
Vanderbilt WR Caleb Scott
USC S Chris Hawkins
FAU WR John Franklin III
West Virginia WR Ka’Raun White
Texas S Jason Hall
Oklahoma LB Emmanuel Beal
Michigan FB Khalid Hill


Mini Camp Invite: Texas Tech RB Justin Stockton
Mini Camp Invite: Tennessee State OL Ty Allen
Mini Camp Invite: ECU CB DaShaun Amos
Mini Camp Invite: NW Missouri State CB Marcus Jones
Mini Camp Invite: Texas State LB Easy Anyama

Worth Every Penny

San Diego State's Rashaad Penny, the NCAA's leading rusher last season, was the Seahawks selection with the 27th pick in the 2018 Draft. This marks only the third time in franchise history that the Seahawks took a running back in the first round of the draft.

His predecessors-- Curt Warner and Shaun Alexander.

Warner went on to be the rookie of the year while being selected to three Pro Bowls before injuries prematurely ended his career. Alexander made three Pro Bowls and was named the 2005 MVP.  Both were home run draft picks.

That's a lot to live up to. Big shoes to fill, but Penny seems up for the challenge. There are many who think Seattle reached here, echoing the same concerns I remember hearing when Seattle took Bruce Irvin with the 15th pick in the 2012 Draft. 

Perhaps the Seahawks could have traded down, acquired extra picks, and still ended up with Penny, but John Schneider would have us believe that one team tried to coerce him to trade Penny to them. 

Just like the 2012 Draft, I'm thankful Seattle took their guy when they had the chance. Don't forget, they were able to pick up an additional 3rd and 6th round selections in the process. Penny looks to be incredibly versatile-- catching passes out of the backfield, running physically through the middle, and has tremendous lateral shiftiness in space. 

The only knock on him seems to be with his abilities in pass protection. Penny himself has admitted this, but every indication is that he is a fast and willing learner. 

I think the Seahawks had a tremendous first day of the draft. They accumulated much needed draft depth and addressed a major area of concern. Seattle has been deficient in there run game ever since Marshawn Lynch departed, largely in part to neglecting the position in previous drafts. 

Below is a fascinating vignette that compares Penny against the second overall selection, Saquon Barkley. I think Barkley might be slightly faster and a little more explosive, but Penny appears more well-rounded and otherwise identical. All indcations are that he's a great kid off the field and a potential futre leader. 

Meet your newest Seahawk, Rashaad Penny.

2018 Seahawks Draft Preview

The long wait is nearly over.  Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 2018 NFL Draft, ending months of speculation.

Recently, I was able to catch up with our pal and resident draft expert, Adam Householder.  He's so important now (his words), I was only permitted to ask him three questions pertaining to tomorrow's draft. 

Enjoy!
1. The Seahawks have traded out of the first round 4 of the previous 5 drafts. Given their lack of mid-round picks, it seems an inevitability that they trade out of the first round again. What player, if available to them at 18, would merit the Seahawks making a pick rather than trading it? I think there are only a few players Seattle considers staying put for, but I’ll also qualify that and say I think it is highly unlikely Seattle does not trade back, if not multiple times.

University of Washington DT Vita Vea would be one of those players. Yes, he is an incredible—perhaps generational—talent, but one of the main considerations that would justify staying put would be the value in his versatility. Losing Michael Bennett, and accepting the likelihood that last year’s first selection Malik McDowell may never play in a Seahawks uniform, there is a lot of room for an impactful player of Vea’s caliber. Another player the Seahawks consider staying put for is Leighton Vander Esch. Vander Esch has versatility as a pass rusher and versatile linebacker capable of any spot, but his ceiling is exceptional, and may be too tempting to pass on. 2. Seattle has more needs heading into this draft than anytime in recent memory. What do you see as their most pressing need? Who do you think can satisfy that need and what pick will Seattle take him?
The way I see it, Pete and John both want to win in the trenches and have a dominating run game. Seattle thrived on being the more physical team for years, and I believe they will look to get back to that with this draft. Possibly OG/C Billy Price or OT Kolton Miller.
A guy I’m personally not super high on but fits their profile could also be OG/C Austin Corbett. That being said, I don’t think the first pick will necessarily address Seattle’s biggest need—which I personally see as being a 5Tech DT/DE—but instead have exceptional upside and a path to opportunity.
Ultimately, I predict the Seahawks will end up with a handful of picks spreading between rounds 2 and 3.

3. Give us the name of a sleeper pick that you expect to go on day 2 or 3 who could have an immediate impact on this roster? Perhaps someone you think that could be a starter right away. One of my favorite prospects in this year’s draft as late pick but still be able to have an early impact is University of Michigan FB Khalid Hill. Hill originally went to Michigan as a TE before converting to a FB. Hill was used regularly and successfully as a short yardage back, in addition to his valuable skill set as an able receiver. Hill fits the Seahawks H-Back role perfectly and has the pedigree of coming out of a Harbaugh system—one both Pete and John have incredible respect for. My predictions for this draft will be multiple trades back, collecting a bevvy of picks between the second and third rounds, and then going after specific targets rather than wade through the clusters. In short, Schneider is about to go bananas. For the sake of ease, I have a few trade scenario predictions, but I think it’s possible Schneider makes more than five trades this draft.
- Trade back from 18 with New England in exchange for picks 23 (1st), 95 (3rd), and a 2019 4th rd. pick. - Trade back from 23 with Minnesota in exchange for picks 30 (1st), 94 (3rd), and a 2019 5th rd. - Trade back from 30 with Miami in exchange for pick 42 and a 2019 2nd rd. - Trade Earl Thomas to Dallas in exchange for pick 50 and a 2019 1st rd. - Picks 42(2nd), 50(2nd), 94(3rd), 95(3rd), 120 (4th), 141 (5th), 146 (5th), 156 (5th), 168 (5th), 226 (7th), 248 (7th) 2nd: OG/C Billy Price 2nd: TE Dallas Goedert 3rd: OLB/S Shaquem Griffin 3rd: RB Kalen Ballage/RB Jaylen Samuels/LEO Josh Sweat 4th: CB Holton Hill 5th: DE/DT Andrew Brown 5th: CB Tony Brown 5th: FB Khalid Hill 5th: OT Cole Madison 7th: DT Poona Ford 7th: QB Kyle Allen

Adam Householder is a freelance reporter for the Snohomish Tribune and frequent contributor to SeahawksFTW.com

www.AdamHouseholder.com

Seahawks 2018 Schedule

There you have it-- the Seahawks 2018 schedule is now official.

Altogether, it's a relatively favorable schedule.  Rough start with 5 of the first 7 games taking the team on the road, including the Seahawks first trip across the pond to London. However, they get a mid-season bye and a bevy of home games in the latter portion of the season.

Both games against the 49ers occur in the first half of December, almost guaranteeing that Richard Sherman will be active to face his former team. Seattle also reignites the rivalry against Aaron Rodgers on a Thursday Night game. The Fail Mary game was a prime time match up as well-- so brace yourselves for plenty of throwback references. 

I like to stick by my idea that, if the team can start the season 4-2 or better, the playoffs are a reasonable expectation.  There's plenty of evidence suggesting they might just do that this year.  Denver is in a bit of a rebuild, Chicago is still unproven. Dallas comes in for the home opener with the momentum of the 12s in Seattle's corner. We don't yet know what to expect from Arizona, but I'm certainly not threatened by Sam Bradford. Hell, Carson Palmer had been healthier than him recently.

Rams will be the cream of the crop in the NFC West, at least until proven otherwise. I'll surrender that game to them, despite being at home. Oakland should rebound under Jon Gruden, but even if we lose the game in the UK-- Seattle should have a winning record heading into the bye.

It should be an exciting year we're looking forward to. With the draft coming up next Thursday, we'll be sure to call upon our resident draft expert, Adam Householder.  Stay tuned!

Predraft Presumptions

Welcome to the worst part of the NFL calendar year.

Free agency has cooled down and the draft is still weeks away. We've just come out of March Madness and baseball is underway.  Meaningful football games are still months away.

The only news that typically comes out of this period is of the unfortunate variety.  Off-field issues, mostly.  Nothing really good ever comes out during this limbo-like time frame.

This is when speculation dominates the headlines and bad ideas are rampant.  So, in the spirit of the (off) season, let's make some absurd, unfounded guesses for the coming year.

Pete Carroll wins his first 'Coach of the Year' award.

Let's face it-- it should've already happened. There were at least two seasons wherein Pete deserved this accolade, but instead saw it given to another of his peers.  With all of the roster turnover, many could argue that this season feels the least likely period of Carroll's career to snare this award.  However, that is precisely why I think he's (unintentionally) set up to win this year.

You could chalk up Pete's first roster overhaul to dumb luck.  As I've pointed out before, one excellent and one really good draft set this team up for long-term success.  By every account, this reboot felt at least premature and at best unnecessary.

If Carroll's team can overcome their personnel losses, the tremendous improvements made across their division, and still make the playoffs-- it will be extremely hard to deny him that accolade a third time.

Seahawks will fail to produce a 1,000 rusher for the 4th consecutive season.

The last Seahawk to finish the season with 1,000 rushing yards was Marshawn Lynch in 2014. Once again, it seems the Seahawks are content with placing the burden of the run game on another 2nd year back coming off of a serious injury.  It didn't work last time when Thomas Rawls was in that position-- and it would be foolish to assume that Chris Carson will have better luck.

Seattle hasn't given any indication that they plan to draft a running back in the first round, but they should.  Behind Carson is a bunch of guys that proved they didn't have the chops last season. Oh yeah, did I mention the Rams have Suh and Donald on their defensive front?

Seattle will reunite the Griffin Brothers.

This felt a lot more realistic when Shaquem was snubbed from the combine. Once the younger brother was invited and proceeded to put on one hell of a display-- his draft stock rose dramatically.

Shaquem appears to have a 3rd round grade on him, for which the Seahawks do not have a selection. However, the Seahawks now find themselves without Richard Sherman and have a desperate need at cornerback. The Seahawks could conceivably trade into the third round to fill that role by selecting Griffin.

Shaquem could play linebacker, corner or possibly even free safety.  A Griffin brother reunion would be much more than a heartwarming story-- it would provide the Seahawks with much needed defensive depth.


Earl Thomas will be traded before the draft.

Haven't we gone through enough this offseason? The prospect of losing perhaps the biggest personality on the team is unsettling for most fans, but it might be in the best interest of the future of the team.

Earl could net the Seahawks a handful of picks, including a first round selection.  If Seattle believes that they could potentially land a serviceable rookie with a high developmental ceiling to replace Thomas through the draft, they could save themselves the headache of trying to squeeze a long-term extension for Earl into their salary cap next year.

It would be tough on all of us to see Earl's name added to the long list of beloved players that have departed this offseason.  Still, it might be easier to swallow now, when we could recoup some of the loss through a trade, then to wait until next year when we could lose him outright-- especially if we're coming off of a losing season.


In an unprecedented move, Seattle will actually trade up in the first round of the draft.

Perhaps Seattle has learned from the past few drafts that conventional wisdom is conventional for a reason. While there are always gems to be found in the later stages of the draft, the top 25 players are generally universally agreed upon and selected in the first round.

Seattle has too many important roles to address to be gambling on late draft selections to fill them. Irrespective of an Earl Thomas trade, it would not be a terrible idea for Seattle to get ahead of that situation by trading up to select safety Derwin James out of Florida State.  James could study under Thomas, like Thomas did with Lawyer Milloy before him, while providing high-quality insurance behind MacDougald.  If Thomas is traded, James had shown he has the tools to be a day one starter.

Additionally, a trade up for hometown stud Vita Vea could address a pressing need on the defensive line.  Naz Jones showed great promise last year and Jarran Reed has been a quality starter, but both of them have had bouts with injury. Adding Vea to that mix would create a dominant defensive line that would tremendously benefit a young defensive backfield.