Overall, I'm pleased with our draft. Carroll's comments indicate Williams will be the starting 3 Tech, and I think he's got a shot to flourish. Alan Branch was competent but I think Williams offers more even though he has a lot to learn about the position.
I've seen Hill listed as a possible 3 Tech but I would think he makes more sense rotating in behind Mebane as a 1 Tech. Hill and Mebane both bust their ass off trying to get into the defensive backfield.
We have a wealth of options along the defensive line.
nuke the whales wrote:This seems to be a typical Schneider draft--a pick at the top that makes a lot of people wonder followed by a ton of value in the middle rounds.
The last few picks tend to follow a pattern: Drafting some one with little to zero name recognition, perhaps from a school you've never heard, and then hearing the team has some wacky plan for them. Or seeing people who know the player chime and and claim the Hawks landed someone special. They don't tend to go for familiar players from big programs who lack upside in the role they played in college.
For example, Jared Smith: A DT from Hew Hampshire with average height and weight. Mayock talked about liking certain aspects of his game, but yet the Seahawks announced him as a guard. And sure enough, just like Sweezy last year we've got a guy that Cable's studied intently and met with privately who he intends to convert. Who knows how these little experiments will work out but what a boon it can be to find OL bargains late instead of drafting a guard #7 overall like Arizona did.
And there's Spencer Ware. Another RB added late who draws comparisons to Lynch and Marion Barber. Sure enough, the Hawks have said they intend to use him at fullback [and RB].
I've never heard of Ty Powell and figured he might be in the mix for a WLB spot. But no, he's being viewed as a LEO. And in reading up on him, several draftniks had him on their list as a potential 3rd rounder and physical specimen. His combine numbers were fairly interesting.
The RT we picked is also a small school guy. I was confused earlier as I saw Okung tweeted him and made an Oklahoma State reference, which made zero sense as the guy was from school I'd never heard of. But it makes sense now, as Bowie was a RT for Oklahoma State before leaving due to getting into a little bit of trouble.
Boy, PC/JS don't give a damn about off the field stuff. At least, they don't sweat the small stuff. At the time I appreciated Ruskell's approach of avoidance. A player with off the field trouble was deemed a distraction and a danger to existing talent. But that approach limits you so severely. How many players on this roster would have been crossed off the list by Ruskell solely due to attitude concerns? Lynch? Tate? I could go on? It's refreshing to have a GM that knows how to build the sort of locker room that can handle someone with nebulous "character issues" and open doors that were previously closed. Bowie's kind of a good example. His "character issues" were some rule violations that caused him to go to a different school. The Seahawks see fit to give this guy a chance, and he's going to be paired with Okung--a guy he knows from Oklahoma State who apparently recruited him. A 6'4, 339 lb. tackle who Ruskell would have ignored completely. We can grab that kind of guy in the 7th round and see if it works.
They appear to bringing in UDFAs of little consequence, because players know they're probably not making this roster. That's awesome.