NFL Draft philosophy and player evaluation

Certain NFL media analysts are very easy to respect. Ben Fennell of nfl.com is one of them. The guy grinds more all-22 tape tape than most NFL quarterbacks. He’s one of those guys that when he starts talking Xs and Os, I stop and listen.

On Wednesday, he posted some interesting lessons on NFL Draft philosophy and player evaluations to twitter. None of them were new or groundbreaking, but all are pertinent to the Seahawks and help explain why they’ve been so good over the last few years.

Going through some notes that a NFL front office exec gave me years ago... Some great nuggets on their organizational philosophy..
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 8, 2015

These were all great. Lets go through them one at a time:

'Don't just talk about what a player cannot do, talk about what he can do. Don't predict the round - predict what he can do for our team'
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 8, 2015

This is a philosophical approach which is common for most of the NFL’s best organizations. “Concentrate on ‘where a player wins’ and how that fits into our team” is a characteristic philosophy of good teams.

While the none Seahawks’ leaders haven’t said those words in verbatim to the press, it is clear that this is how they they approach roster building. Very few coaching staffs would have the foresight to turn a 330 lbs. failed defensive tackle into a defensive end. The same goes for a changing a 1-trick pass rusher with great physical talents into an incredible strong-side linebacker.

'Players from losing programs rarely get a fair chance to develop and are often blamed for the losing. They will be mis-evaluated'
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 8, 2015

This is a common mistake, especially for offensive players. Keenan Allen is a great example. He was the top WR on my draft board that year, but fell because of an injury and that he played for a bad Cal team with no quarterback.

The opposite is also true. Players from good teams tend to be rated higher than their talent level suggests. This is why so many Alabama players have disappointed in the NFL in recent years. They are often good players that are taken a round too early because the talent around them makes them look better than they are.

Bobby Wagner played on a bad Utah State team. K.J Wright played on a bad Mississippi State team. There are plenty of other examples of the Seahawks getting value by properly evaluating the individual instead of the team he plays for.

'Must have players that can run the offense. Hard to get ball to players that we need to run plays for. Works in September,dies in November'
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 8, 2015

The Seahawks learned this lesson with Percy Harvin. The Seahawks couldn’t simply run their offense with Harvin and have him contribute. They had to engineer ways to put the ball in his hands. It didn’t work.

The same has been true for Tavon Austin in St. Louis and Cordarrelle Patterson in Minnesota. There are only so many ways to force the ball to that type of player. Eventually they must learn how to contribute within the flow of the offense or they’ll find the descriptor “journeyman” attached to their name fairly quickly.

'If you think a player is a developmental guy - then he WILL be a starter... We do not develop backups. Time is money.'
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 8, 2015

The Seahawks clearly believe in this philosophy, and it it a big part of why they’ve played in two straight Super Bowls. They only draft superior athletes in the late rounds. These players either develop into starters or they’re gone fairly quickly.

Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, Kam Chancellor, J.R. Sweezy, Malcolm Smith… the list goes on and on. All are great athletes that needed to develop into being quality football players. Not all of these projects work out, but hit on a few and it makes a major difference in terms of on-field results.

'3-4 year starters will have bad games - do not kill them for it'
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 8, 2015

This seems to be done selectively by the draft media. If they like a player, then they have no trouble throwing out bad days. If they don’t like a player, than they knit-pick those rare bad games to death.

An easy example here is Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota this year. He had an couple of off-games as a freshman (three years ago) when he played with a torn ligament in his knee. Somehow, that’s being held against him now.

For Seattle, Jodan Hill is a good example. He had a couple of brutal games his senior season, which was why he fell as far as he did. He also had a few outstanding games. Seattle clearly saw his potential, and he was a big part of Seattle’s 2014 defense.

Overall, it is easy to see how each of these ideals can lead to success in the NFL if used properly. During the Carroll/Schneider era, the Seahawks have demonstrated that they are successful because they approach player evaluation the right way.

Next: Russell Wilson's first three seasons were historic

More from 12th Man Rising

Home/Seattle Seahawks Draft