It’s been a long time coming but we are finally here, Seahawks fans. We are less than one week away from the NFL Draft so it is time for another Mock Draft!
As I have done in all my mock draft, we start with the standard disclaimer. Remember, we are working with incomplete information. Nobody pegged Bruce Irvin as a first-round pick when the Seahawks selected him 15th overall in 2012. As it turns out, at least two teams wanted to take him in round 1.
No matter how much we think we know, it only takes one team to completely embarrass your evaluation. There is a good chance that somebody we see as a 5th round pick will go in the second. It just happens.
Now, as of right now, the Seahawks own just four draft picks. We have to assume that Seattle is going to trade down unless there are a few surprising trades of veteran players. With that in mind, Seattle will start with picks 21, 84, 124, 159.
Frank Clark is still a Seahawk, but reports indicate that now that Russell Wilson is under contract, the trade talks for Clark have ramped up. FanSided’s own Matt Verderame reported that Seattle was listening and that any offers would have to include at least a second round pick.
Mike Garafolo stated in late March that the Seahawks should ask for a high first round pick and then some for Clark. So while I would say a Clark trade has a decent shot of happening, we aren’t going to assume one for this mock.
But the Seahawks will certainly want more than 4 picks, so we need to find a way to acquire more picks, which means trading down.
Finding trades can be difficult, but in our scenario, our first trade comes from the New England Patriots trading up to land their Rob Gronkowski replacement:
The Seahawks trade picks 21 and a 2020 4th to New England for picks 32 and 64.
One way for Seattle to recoup draft picks for the 2019 draft is to borrow from their 2020 pool. John Schneider has been very careful to not forfeit any of his 4 compensatory picks that will come Seattle’s way, including a projected 3rd for Earl Thomas and a 4th for Justin Coleman. With 2, 4th round picks, Seattle sacrifices one to pick up a top 70 pick.
Now the Seahawks have picks 32, 64, 84, 124, 159. Pretty good, but not great. Schneider typically likes to have 8 or more picks, so work still needs to be done. So Seattle trades down one more time:
The Seahawks trade picks 32 to Tampa Bay for picks 39 and 107.
This gives the Seahawks picks 39, 64, 84, 107, 124, and 159. John Schneider may not be done dealing yet, but at pick 39 is when he makes his first pick.
Seattle Seahawks select Parris Campbell, WR Ohio State
I may be in the minority here, but I firmly believe the Seahawks are going to take a wide receiver much earlier than anybody expects. And when you look at all the visits to the VMAC this year, there are quite a few wide receivers coming in. Parris Campbell is one of these players who has come in for a visit.
With the news Doug Baldwin is having 4 surgeries this off-season and is at least contemplating retirement, it is time for the Seahawks to prepare for life after Baldwin. Tyler Lockett took a major step forward in 2018 but Russell Wilson will need more.
Campbell certainly shares some on the field traits as former Seahawks wideout Percy Harvin. Now before you throw a fit, think of how much healthy Percy Harvin changed the Seahawks offense. He opened up Seattle’s running game and gave the team a home run hitter.
Campbell can do the same. The 5’11”, 205 lbs wideout can fly, posting a 4.31-second forty-yard dash, and a 4.03 20-yard shuttle, both of which inside the 90th percentile of NFL athletes. Campbell’s testing numbers backed up the explosiveness he showed on tape, posting a 40 inch vertical and an 11’3″ broad jump, both in the 92nd percentile or better.
Obviously, an athlete as explosive as Campbell has warts or he wouldn’t be available anywhere near the 39th pick. It is tough to truly get a sense of what a WR can do in an Urban Meyer offense, particularly in the way of route running.
Around 70% of Campbell’s touches in 2018 came with 5% of the line of scrimmage. It is impossible to grade route running when screens and jet sweeps account for most of the production. That’s not to say Campbell can’t run routes now or vastly improve in the future, it is just difficult to know what skills he is working with right now.
There are also legitimate concerns about his ability to beat press coverage. His strength isn’t anything to write home about, so he will need to use his quickness to get open more often than not.
Personally, I don’t know if Campbell is the right WR to take here. I prefer Deebo Samuel, but the Seahawks are certainly intrigued by the massive home run hitter Campbell is, so let’s stick with him here and see what happens.
Pick 64: Seahawks select Zach Allen, DL Boston College
Zach Allen is an interesting fit for Seattle because he isn’t a true edge rusher or “Leo”. He also isn’t an insanely gifted athlete relative to others at his position. But there are 3 criteria that Allen does fit: length, agile, and motor.
Allen’s 34 3/4 inch arms are 90th percentile. His 4.36 20-yard shuttle ranks in the 78th percentile. And by watching even a few minutes of his film, the motor is evident. Seattle tries to identify players who love football and after the risk they took on Malik McDowell, they have been true to this philosophy.
Allen doesn’t have a set position. His best spot may be as a 5-technique like Red Bryant. He is smart and instinctual on the field. This helps Allen get more from his athleticism than most would. Allen is advanced with his hand technique and is able to stack and shed blockers.
Allen has a long track record of production at BC both in the passing game and running game. His long arms certainly come in handy. He knocked down 19 passes in his years at Boston College, allowing him to disrupt the passing game even when he doesn’t get home.
Most years, Zach Allen would be a top 50 pick and a team who loves his intangibles may still take him there. But this class is loaded up with pass rushing prospects, so guys will fall through the cracks. While the Seahawks typically want better athlete’s than Allen, the production and tape is too much to ignore.
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.
Pick 107: Seattle Seahawks select Isaiah Johnson, CB Houston
This isn’t the first time I have mocked Johnson to the Seahawks. In my last mock draft, I had the Seahawks selecting him with the 84th pick and posited that he could be long gone by then. But there hasn’t been much movement on him in recent mock drafts, so his stock may be stabilizing.
Here is what I wrote last time:
"Try and picture the ideal cornerback for Seattle. Did you get it? Congratulations, you just thought of Isaiah Johnson. Let’s just run down the checklist, shall we? Height, 6’2″. Length, 33-inch arms. Wingspan? 79 inches. Speed? He ran a 4.4 forty yard dash. In addition, he also ranked in the 96th percentile in the broad jump (133 inches), the 74th percentile in the 20-yard shuttle, and 68th percentile in the 3-cone. Add that all up, and you get a similar athletic profile to Lonnie Johnson of Kentucky, another known Seahawks target. He also profiles similarly to Tharold Simon the former Seahawks corner."
The Seahawks saw Shaquill Griffin take a step back in 2019, or at the very least, didn’t take a step forward. The Seahawks saw some good things from Tre Flowers, but they are also going to be breaking in a new nickel corner, Akeem King.
The Seahawks secondary needs more talent, but aside from Griffin, the Seahawks don’t take corners before the 4th round. Carroll is a whiz of a DB coach, so if anybody can take Johnson from raw athlete to polished corner in a year or two, it is Pete Carroll.
Pick 124: Seattle Seahawks select Ryan Finley, QB NCST
Yes, the Seattle Seahawks just gave the biggest contract in NFL history to quarterback Russell Wilson. But the only other QB on the 90 man roster is Paxton Lynch. Addressing the QB position should be high on the priority list for Schneider and company.
A fourth-round pick may seem extreme for a guy destined to be a backup for the next 4-years, but teams have cashed in on turning late round picks into future draft capital at the position. The Seahawks have basically ignored the position since they selected Wilson, but now is the time for that to change.
Ryan Finley, the senior from Russell Wilson’s first college home, North Carolina State, would be an excellent selection in the late 4th round. In 2018, Finley completed 68% of his passes for 3,928 yards and a 25:11 TD/INT ratio. But we know how important college stats are for college QBs… they aren’t. So what does Finley bring to the table?
A 3-year starter at NC State, Finley produced a PFF focus grade of 89.9 which is very good. Finley is a prototypical west coast offense QB. He understands route concepts. He knows how to progress through his options on any given play.
Finley can read defenses and can dominate teams in the intermediate passing game with touch and accuracy. He led all of college football in completed passes between 10-19 yards. Finley also shows good pocket awareness and is a good enough athlete to make plays with his legs. So why is he a 4th round pick?
Well, he doesn’t have the big arm that wows NFL scouts. He posses enough arm strength to make all the throws but relies more on touch and accuracy than arm talent. The lack of arm talent limits his down the field effectiveness.
Finley also struggled against elite competition, raising questions as to whether he can beat NFL man defenses. But Finley’s accuracy, touch, decision making, athleticism, and intangibles should give him a decade long career in the NFL or longer.
Personally, I am a big fan of Finley and would take him ahead of Daniel Jones of Duke, who is getting the first-round buzz. He reminds me a bit of Matt Hasselbeck, a name Seahawks fans should be quite familiar with.
Pick 159: Seattle Seahawks select Darwin Thompson, RB Utah State
In all likelihood, the Seahawks will trade for more picks in this draft. But whether they select him in the 5th or with the later picks they acquire, Darwin Thompson seems like a great fit for the Seattle. In fact, the Seahawks have met with Thompson twice, so there is likely some serious interest from the team.
Thompson is 5’8″, 190 lbs. His size will likely stop him from being an every-down back, but he does not lack the skill set to be such a player. Thompson was overlooked for a combine invite but absolutely stole the show at the Utah State Pro Day.
For starters, Thompson ran the forty at an unofficial time of 4.50 while most reports had him between 4.5-4.56. But perhaps more importantly for the Seahawks, he showed off his explosiveness with an incredible 39 inch vertical (would have ranked third at the combine) and a 10’6″ broad jump (which would have ranked 5th).
Thompson also nailed the bench press, putting up 225 lbs 28 times. Thompson compares himself to Tarik Cohen and when you watch some tape, it is easy to see. PFF gave Thompson the 19th highest grade of all the RBs in the country.
PFF also love Thompson’s abilities after contact, which is a big indicator for the Seahawks. They rank Thomson 2nd in the country at elusiveness rating, 19th in avoided tackles, 15th in yards after contact, and 8th in yards after contact per attempt.
Thompson is basically a little ball of muscle with explosive athleticism. The Seahawks love these type of athletes and after the departure of Mike Davis, still need to find a 3rd down back. Thankfully, Darwin Thompson is a skilled receiver as well.
Thompson ranked 27th in the country in PFF receiving grade, 5th in yards per reception, 1st in yards after contact per reception and tied for 5th in explosive plays. Thompson is a great athlete and football player, but two things are working against him.
Obviously, his size will prevent teams from seeing him as a workhorse back, thus limiting his upside. Second, the devaluation of running backs is a real thing in the NFL. A team that can use Thompson creatively can get a home run hitter, but his size will leave some to think his fuse will run short in the NFL.
Seattle needs a runner to push C.J. Prosise and J.D. McKissic and the bread crumbs being left by the team seems to indicate a serious interest in the Utah State Aggie.
As we crawl closer to draft day, things can still change dramatically. Frank Clark could be dealt away. Ethan Pocic may get traded. Seattle could trade 2020 picks for help this year. Almost anything is possible in the coming days. But one thing is for sure, the Seahawks are entering a massive year in their programs attempt to climb to the top of the mountain again.