Seahawks: 2016 Shadow Draft
By Keith Myers
My 2016 Shadow Draft for the Seattle Seahawks. This is an alternate-reality draft where I pick Seattle’s players instead of John Schneider.
One of my favorite things to do during the NFL draft is to shadow draft for the Seattle Seahawks. I’ve been doing them since the 90s, and this will be the 5th one that I’ve published here on 12th Man Rising.
I wrote about shadow drafts early in the week, but in case you missed it here’s what they are. Whenever Seattle picks a player, I pick one too. As the draft progresses, I assume that the team took my players, so the end result is an entire draft class of my creation.
This isn’t a mock draft, since the players picked are from the pool of players that were actually available at the time Seattle’s selection was made.
Round 1 (Pick 31)
My Pick: Jarran Reed, NT, Alabama
Seattle’s pick: Germain Ifedi, OT, Texas A&M
My pick here was “anyone but Ifedi please.” The guy I really wanted was Vernon Butler, but he went to Carolina just one pick earlier. I grabbed Reed in a moment of panic after losing Butler, as he was the top NT left on my board. Originally I was going to grab Billings from Baylor, but then I noticed Reed was still available. I expected him to be gone much earlier.
Seattle picked Reed, in the second round.
Round 2 (Pick 49)
My Pick: Su’a Cravens, OLB/SS, Southern Cal
Seattle’s pick: Jarran Reed, NT, Alabama
An OT was what I really wanted in this round, but the Seahawks moved up and there wasn’t good value at the position here at 49. Cravens was a target though, and someone I think would have been tremendous in Seattle’s scheme. He’s a guy that can really run, and his coverage skills are tremendous. He’s definitely a Seahawks-y player.
Cravens went to Washington at pick 53
Round 3 (Pick 90)
My Pick: Connor McGovern, OG, Missouri
Seattle’s pick: C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame
With no OL yet, I was ecstatic that McGoverns dropped to me here. He’s a highly athletic guard that fit’s Seattle scheme very well. I think he’d be an instant upgrade at LG for the Seahawks.
The NFL didn’t think as highly of McGovern as I did. He went to Denver way down at pick 144
Round 3 (Pick 94)
My Pick: Nick Vannett, TE, Ohio State
Seattle’s pick: Nick Vannett, TE, Ohio State
I’ve been driving the Vannett-to-Seattle hype train for quite a while now. He is a perfect match for what Seattle needs to make the offense work. They finally got the blocker that they need to keep Jimmy Graham away from blocking responsibilities. John Schneider agreed.
Round 3 (Pick 97)
My Pick: Kenneth Dixon, RB,
Seattle’s pick: Rees Odhiambo, OG, Boise State
Odhiambo wasn’t even on my radar bcause of his injuries. I also already had an OG, so I went with what I felt was the best RB for Seattle scheme in this draft. Dixon is a tremendous receiver and pass blocker, making him a nice replacement for Robert Turbin and Fred Jackson as the third down back. He can also run the ball, so he’d be able to backup Rawls in a way that those other 2 couldn’t.
Dixon went a lot later, at pick 134 to the Ravens
Round 5 (Pick 141)
My Pick: Joe Dahl, OL, Washington State
Seattle’s pick: Quinton Jefferson, DT, Maryland
Dahl actually fell MUCH further than I expected. This kid can play. I get that teams are scared off by the spread offense WSU ran, but Dahl found a way to impress in every game he played. He’s got a LT’s feet, though perhaps not ideal length for an OT. Dahl can line up anywhere on the line. I think he can even be a center in the NFL.
Cincinnati took Dahl at pick 151
Round 5 (Pick 171)
My Pick: Maurice Canady, CB, Virginia
Seattle’s pick: Alex Collins, RB, Arkansas
Canady was my pick to be this year’s project CB for Kris Richard to turn into a star. He’s got the length and athleticism that the Seahawks covet, but his technique needs and overhaul. That is just like every other CB Seattle has drafted under Pete Carroll.
Baltimore took Canady with pick 209
Round 6 (Pick 215)
My Pick: Travis Feeney, OLB, Washington
Seattle’s pick: Joey Hunt, OC, TCU
My Cravens pick back in round 2 made me think twice about double-dipping at LB, but Feeney was worth it to me. He’s such a fantastic athlete, and he is a tremendous football player. Had it not been for all the injuries, he’d have been a day 2 pick.
Pittsburgh took Feeney with pick 220.
Round 7 (Pick 243)
My Pick: James Cowser, DE, Southern Utah
Seattle’s pick: Kenny Lawyer, WR, California
Cowser is an undersized edge rusher from a tiny school. All he did in college was break Jared Allen’s career sack record with 42.5. He isn’t a high SPARQ athlete, but his first step is crazy fast.
Cowser went undrafted, and signed with Oakland.
Round 7 (Pick 247)
My Pick: Vernon Adams, QB, Oregon
Seattle’s pick: Zac Brooks, RB, Clemson
Seattle needs a backup QB, and Vernon Adams is one of the few in this draft class that I think has real potential. I know that there are a lot of question marks about his durability and size, but between the ears, Adams has the makeup of a great NFL QB.
Adams went undrafted, and didn’t even get a contract offer as an UDFA. He’ll be coming to Seattle for a tryout at the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp next week.
Final Thoughts
It is impossible to judge shadow drafts until the players have a year or 2 under their belt. We need to see if developmental players develop as projected. Overall thought I don’t think I did too bad.
My draft has far more balance than Schneider’s. I managed to get a CB and LBs, which are positions the Seahawks skipped to take extra RBs and a third offensive lineman. I clearly missed on draft value though. There were a few picks that went far later than where I selected them.
The one thing I would have liked to add was an inside pass rusher. The Seahawks got Jefferson, which was a nice pick.
Schneider’s drafting skills make me look bad. I’ll take solace in the fact that Schneider’s drafting skills make most NFL GMs look bad too.