Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft 4.0: The final stretch

Pick 84: Seattle Seahawks select Amani Hooker, Safety Iowa

Amani Hooker’s profile is probably going to remind some Seahawks fans of Tedric Thompson, but the two players are completely different. But before you freak out, let’s learn a little about Hooker. Certainly, the production is off the charts. In 13 games, he picked off 4 passes, had 7 pass breakups, 65 tackles, and 3.5 tackles for loss.

Hooker tested well at the NFL combine and has drawn some comparisons to Deon Bucannon thanks to his time at Iowa playing both safety and nickel linebacker.  Unlike other college safeties, Hooker doesn’t just rely on his athleticism to make plays. He diagnosis route concepts well and understands the defense.

This is important because he isn’t the “twitchiest” athlete and is often described as having “tight hips”. This does leave him with little margin for error and if he is fooled or missteps, he may not be able to recover.

He is a solid contributor in the run game as well. He understands pursuit angles and usually brings down his man on the first attempt. He does need to refine his technique but isn’t afraid to stick his nose into a pile.

Hooker is going to make plays in the passing game and has a chance to be a ball-hawking safety that Tedric Thompson hasn’t become. The Seattle Seahawks want to take the ball away, so adding somebody with that skill is worth taking the risk on.

Currently, Seattle is willing to consider moving Bradley McDougald to free and start Delano Hill at strong. Hill did flash last year and McDougald can cover the free safety position just fine. But Pete Carroll is willing to use multiple safeties in his nickel and dime defenses, so they shouldn’t shy away from adding a player of Hooker’s ability.