Redrafting the Seahawks 2018 NFL draft class
By Lee Vowell
Round five
Round five, pick 141
Seahawks chose: Shaquem Griffin
Should have chosen: D.J. Reed
I really hope that Griffin becomes a very good player. He is fast and likes to tackle people. My fear is that with the strength of NFL players, his missing hand will cause him issues. He was giving a shot at getting bunches of snaps early in the season with K.J. Wright’s knee injury but Griffin was not good. And he was actually very bad in pass coverage where big receivers could use their hands to keep Griffin off them.
Seattle does need help at safety, though. Earl Thomas was threatening to hold out all offseason and even if he didn’t it wasn’t likely Thomas would return after 2018. Picking Reed would have helped Seattle this year after Thomas’s injury and beyond. As the season went on, Reed developed into a solid safety with the potential to be much better.
Round five, pick 146
Seahawks chose: Tre Flowers
Should have chosen: Flowers
Seattle’s two picks after Griffin might be home runs, though. Flowers might have been the Seahawks best outside corner by the end of the season, surpassing Shaquill Griffin. The converted college safety was still learning how to be an NFL corner. By 2020, he might be a Pro Bowler.
Round five, pick 149
Seahawks chose: Michael Dickson
Should have chosen: Dickson
With the 149th pick, Seattle did draft an actual Pro Bowler. For most of the season, Dickson led the NFL in net yards per punt. He will be the punter in Seattle for the next 10 years at least. And in his rookie year he was named First-Team All-Pro by the AP.
Round five, pick 168
Seahawks chose: Jamarco Jones
Should have chosen: Marquez Valdes-Scantling
I know the Seahawks are always in need of offensive line help but they also need a big receiver. Jones was a bit of a risk anyway. The tackle from Ohio State had a terrible combine and then followed that by missing his rookie season with an ankle injury.
Valdes-Scantling, on the other hand, was targeted 73 times in Green Bay and averaged 15.3 yards per catch. Plus, his 6-foot-four-inch height and 4.37 40 speed would be a nice add for the Seahawks for the next several years.