Seattle Seahawks mock draft: Pre-Free Agency edition
By Keith Myers
With free agency about to begin, here is a quick Seattle Seahawks mock draft based on their current roster needs.
This draft was done using the On The Clock draft simulator by FanSpeak. This particular draft is based on Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller’s draft board. It was the best of the available options. See pic below if you want the results in a form other than paragraphs.
Getting Ohio State OT Taylor Decker in he first round was a bit of a surprise. He dropped far more than expected, and was a no-brainer selection when he was available there at No. 26.
The selection of wide receiver Sterling Shepard in round two will certainly raise some eyebrows. “The Seahawks don’t need another short receiver” will likely be the most common criticism of this pick.
Shepard was simply too good to pass up. He’s a guy who, like Tyler Lockett last year, has talent that overcomes a lack of size. Plus, with tremendous depth at DT in this year’s class, I thought I could get away with waiting to address the defensive line.
That plan paid off, as I was able to get two good DTs in round 3. Notre Dame’s Sheldon Day is a bit light at 293 pounds, but is otherwise very similar to Brandon Mebane coming out college. He’ll make a good 3-tech DT right away, and should be able to bulk up into a 1-tech over a couple of seasons.
Javon Hargrave out of South Carolina State is a highly athletic project. He’ll push Jordan Hill for playing time right away as an inside pass rusher, and should develop into a starting 3-tech DT by 2017.
In the fourth round, I was happy to see Washington State’s Joe Dahl still available. While his long-term position is at guard, he can play four positions on the offensive line. That’ll allow him to contribute as a rookie while he develops into an eventual starter.
After that, it just became taking the most “Seahawky” player available. Daryl Worley is a CB with long arms that is similar to Tye Smith from last season and many other Seattle CBs. Dan Vitale is very athletic FB in the Derick Coleman mold, but with more speed and better hands.
Taking a flyer on Cardale Jones was probably a waste of a pick. I like his size, athleticism, and deep ball (and Seattle needs a backup QB), but his inability to read a defense likely will mean he won’t have a great pro career. It just felt like it was worth a 7th round pick to see if Russell Wilson’s tape study acuity would rub off on Jones.
Finally Connor Wujciak was the most athletic DT at the NFL combine. He also isn’t viewed much of a prospect at DT. This selection is this year’s defense-to-offense conversion project. Wujciak is exactly the type of player that Tom Cable loves to work worth.
Here is the actual output from the mock draft simulator:
Overall, I think this mock draft turned out quite well, but it was hardly ideal. Three offensive linemen is probably one too many. There’s also no TE, LB or RB. Unfortunately, there were just never any players at those positions available when I felt drafting them offered appropriate value. Oh well…
So, how do you think I did with this one?