Outside Linebacker: Seahawks draft prospects, post combine

Matthew Thomas – 6’3″ – 232 lbs. – 4.58 sec. 40 – 4.28 sec. 20 yard – Florida State

This was a highly recruited 5 star prospect coming out of high school.  He was expected to do more, but he did produce every year.  Just not up to his expectations.  Thomas looks very smooth moving laterally, but got too high in his back pedal.  Tried to guess in the change of direction drill rather than react, made things look choppy.  Feels a bit more like an athlete playing linebacker, than a linebacker who is an athlete.  Thomas is such an easy mover, I found myself liking him in every drill throughout the day.  He wasn’t perfect, but there was a lot of good things to watch.  His off field stuff and injury history are a concern.  Depends on where you can get him in the draft for me.

Fred Warner – 6’3″ – 236 lbs. – 4.64 sec. 40 – 4.28 sec. 20 yard – BYU

Warner showed excellent lateral movement.  Feet were a little too close together in the back pedal, didn’t have his head over his toes.  This can create balance issues.  For a guy they said is better in coverage, he put his foot in the ground and came forward very well.  Throughout the day it didn’t feel like his drills were overly impressive, but they were better than average.  Pair that with his high football IQ and pass coverage skills and this is a player to watch.  Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network said he covers like a corner, evidenced by his 7 career interceptions.  This guy is just a good football player, and I would like to see him in a Seahawk uniform.

Edge Rushers

Kemoko Turay – 6’5″ – 253 lbs. – 4.66 sec. 40 – DNP 20 yard – Rutgers

Turay had his thigh wrapped, and he pulled up on the 40.  He skipped all the drills until the mirror drill, and he shouldn’t have done that drill either. The Rutgers standout couldn’t back pedal and didn’t have the forward leg drive because of the injury.  I give him credit for showing the heart and desire to get out there though.  Need to wait for his pro day to judge him.

Ogbonnia Okoronkwo – 6’1″ – 253 lbs. – 4.77 sec. 40 – DNP 20 yard -Oklahoma

Okoronwo is super thick.  He struggled a bit in the drill to transition back and forward around the bags.  Not a natural linebacker; tight hipped.  Showed better movement in the mirror drill than expected based on his earlier performances, but really flubbed the catch.  Showed bad hands all day.  He hasn’t had to try to catch the ball much in his career.  This guy played going forward rushing the passer his entire career at Oklahoma.  It will take him a bit, but there is something there to work with.  He looks like a guy who stands up for 2 downs then moves to rush end on passing downs.  If he were just a bit taller and longer, he would be a top-notch defensive end prospect.

Genard Avery – 6’0″ – 242 lbs. – 4.60 sec. 40 – 4.36 sec. 20 yard – Memphis

I don’t know what to make of this guy.  He looks like a middle linebacker, but played a rush end at Memphis.  In linebacker drills his track and react drill displayed tight hips.  He is very strong and makes a lot of tackles, but he is a bit limited athletically.  Definitely looked great coming forward, but struggles sifting through trash and getting to the sideline.  Probably should be a 2 down middle linebacker only, rush end or maybe a fullback.

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Leon Jacobs – 6’3″- 246 lbs. – 4.49 sec. 40 – 4.44 sec. 20 yard – Wisconsin

Jacobs is super thick, but actually a nice athlete.  He has tight hips, but not terrible.   The Wisconsin product’s hands weren’t great, and he was stiff in his transitions in the mirror drill.  He feels like he would be at his best coming forward.  He can do more, but should he?