The Seahawks pulled off more draft wizardry. They moved down for a safety then moved back up again and stole a star receiver.
Yes, the Seahawks had to trade away Frank Clark to get to five picks, but I’m trying very hard not to think about that right now. They did select J.R. Collier in the first round to plug Clark’s role, though. Then John Schneider pulled off his usual magic tricks and loaded up on draft picks. Suddenly the team that started the week with just four picks had eight left, including the 37th pick overall, the fifth of the second round.
Of course, the Seahawks weren’t nearly finished. When their turn came they traded down again, this time moving down ten spots with the Panthers to add another third-round selection. With so many excellent players still on the board, Pete Carroll and Schneider obviously felt they could still get a player that fit their system and their needs.
I felt the Hawks would either go for either a safety or a wide receiver at this spot. A few likely candidates for the Seahawks at this spot were Taylor Rapp of Washington, Juan Thornhill of Virginia, and Nasir Adderly of Delaware. We had profiles on Rapp and on Thornhill as well. Okay, so we missed on Marquise Blair. That’s okay, so did 31 NFL teams.
For an in-depth look at Blair, look at our own Colby Patnode’s article. He’s 6’1″, rangy, runs a 4.48 40, and hits like a linebacker. For those concerned that he only had two picks last year, the great Kam Chancellor never had more than two picks in college, either. No, he isn’t Chancellor. He’s a free safety, he’s much smaller, and besides, nobody is Kam Chancellor. I’m just saying that college stats only begin to tell the story of a player’s talent.
Literally moments before posting this, Seattle moved back up into the second round and stole perhaps the stud receiver of the NFL draft, D.K Metcalf. Here’s an in-depth look at this pick, again from Colby Patnode. Let me just add that Mr. Patnode called this one early:
BTW, picks 77 and 114 get you back into the late second round. Something to keep an eye on. #Seahawks
— Colby Patnode (@CPat11) April 26, 2019
Will the Seahawks trade down from the third round and pick up half a dozen sixth and seventh round selections? Please, no. I’m the main cheerleader for fifth-round stories like Richard Sherman and seventh-round stars like Chris Carson, but I’m not crazy. Those are major stories precisely because they’re so unusual. Schneider’s move to get Metcalf was brilliant, but I’m sure he isn’t done yet.