Post Senior Bowl mock

/ seattleseamocks

By Jared Stanger

We’re just beyond the finish of the week-long Senior Bowl practice and game, the Seahawks have some additional coaching additions on the heels of the Klint Kubiak hire, and so I wanted to get down on the record some adjustments to my most recent Seahawk mock draft.

Most of this comes from running my overall thoughts through an online mock draft simulator just to add some additional levels of cross-checking. I still think a good way of fixing some of the cap issues, while adding capital, is to trade DK Metcalf. I think there are a lot of teams that have cap space for an expensive player, have draftpicks to trade, need a WR1, and in a time when the draft may not have many high-end WR to be found. So, I think that trade still makes sense. Will John Schneider have the stones to do it? That is pretty doubtful, in my mind.

Instead of including the draft capital from trading DK, I’ve over-traded within the simulator. I have five trades that I made. I keep coming back to the idea that we want to come out of this draft with 13 draftpicks. That’s another unlikely outcome. I think I looked and the maximum players Schneider has picked in a single year is 11. Here are the trades:

#1.18 to Baltimore for their picks #1.27 and #2.59. I think Baltimore and Detroit make for the best trade-back partners as the value of the 18 pick should allow us to also get the late-2nd round pick from either of those teams.

There has been some media coverage of the idea that this draft there probably aren’t that many true 1st round talents. Daniel Jeremiah recently tweeted that there won’t be much different between the 20th player picked and the 40th player picked. So, once you’re down to 27, you might as well go down again. I trade pick #27 to Kansas City for pick #1.32 and #3.96.

Personally, I like the talent available in the 3rd round, maybe down into the top 120 overall. I’m gonna look to acquire as many 3rd round picks as I can. I move pick #1.32 to Arizona for pick #2.47 plus #3.78.

The fourth trade sends pick #2.50 to New England for picks #3.69, #3.77, and #4.105. And the fifth pick sends #3.96 to San Francisco for pick #3.99 and #4.112.

Final board has the Seahawks completely move out of the 1st round, but end up with 14 picks. Obviously, that’s even too many picks for what I intended to do, and if we make the DK trade we don’t need that much movement within the draft. But here is the players I end up with all of that draft capital.

Draft board: #2.47, #2.59, #3.69, #3.77, #3.78, #3.82, #3.99, #4.105, #4.112, #4.137, #5.173, #6.187, #6.212, #7.236

#2.47 – DE, Boston College, Donovan Ezeiruaku

In past mocks, I’ve had Seattle draft OL in the 1st round and take a safety, Nick Emmanwori, with an early pick. I’m not sure John Schneider would do the former, and the latter was openly a luxury pick. I’ve kind of cut the fat a bit in this early part of this mock.

Edge is a strong group in this draft class, and it’s good draft practice to take players from the positions of strength in any given year. It’s still not totally clear if Mike Macdonald wants to employ a 6’2″/248lb edge rusher like Ezeiruaku. In 2023 with Baltimore, Macdonald had a diverse cast of DL. Nnamdi Madubuike was 6’3″/305lbs (65% defense snaps), Jadeveon Clowney was 6’5″/266lbs (57% snaps), Kyle Van Noy was 6’3″/255lbs (42% snaps), Michael Pierce at 6’0″/355lbs (55% snaps), etc.

In 2021, when Macdonald went to Michigan to DC, he had Aidan Hutchinson at 265lbs, David Ojabo at 250lbs, Mazi Smith at 326lbs, Mike Morris at 278lbs. Again, a high variance of bodytypes, but these weren’t necessarily players that Macdonald had a hand in recruiting.

So it remains to be seen exactly what structure Macdonald would choose in his DL room given the time and resources to build them to his ideal. What I do know is that when you study the history of edge rushers; one of the predictive traits historically is pointing towards a group of players this year that includes Abdul Carter, Mike Green, Ezeiruaku, Landon Jackson, Bradyn Swinson, and Oluwafemi Oladejo. I like the value of EZ in the 2nd over Green in the 1st or Swinson in, say, the 3rd.

Donovan isn’t the tallest guy in the group at 6’2″, but his arm measurement at the Senior Bowl was 34.5″ with over a 6’10” wingspan. The NFL leaders in sacks in 2024 included Nik Bonitto at 240lbs (#2.64), Van Noy at 255lbs (#2.40), Micah Parsons at 245lbs (#1.12), TJ Watt at 252lbs (#1.30), Andrew Van Ginkel at 242lbs (#5.151), Will Anderson at 243lbs (#1.3), and Will Mcdonald at 236lbs (#1.15). Those were all top 15 in sacks. That’s 47% of the top passrushers in the league were under 255lbs last year, and 20% were drafted in the 2nd round or later.

On the current Seahawk roster, Derick Hall is 254lbs, Dre’mont Jones is 281lbs, Boye Mafe is 261lbs, Uchenna Nwosu is 265lbs, Mike Morris is 295lbs. Again, no pattern within the group, but maybe now the pattern across three teams is variety.

The other thing that I want this mock to be is: an anticipation of the NFL Combine. I’m avoiding guys that I think will test average to below average at the Combine, and trying to get ahead on guys that I think will test well. Ezeiruaku, to me, ticks a lot of boxes.

#2.59 – LB, South Carolina, Demetrius Knight

This is the first of a few points in this mock draft where I’m getting out ahead of future trend. Knight showed up to Mobile for the Senior Bowl at 6’1″/246lbs with 33″+ arms. I think he’s gonna be a riser throughout this draft process. I think there are guys in this draft that are pretenders at the linebacker spot. Knight is not that. Knight is the real deal. Knight is a grown-ass man. And that’s really all I’m gonna say about him at this time.

#3.69 – RB, Kansas State, DJ Giddens

There are a few points in this draft that I consider “cut points”. In a deep RB class, I don’t think getting Giddens in the 3rd round is a “must-have”. I have a list of what I’m looking for in a running back, and Giddens hits a lot of what I’m looking for. He’s 6’1″/212lbs with 1343 rushing yards last year. So this is a luxury pick that I’m giving myself because I’ve acquired all of these third round picks.

#3.77 – QB, Louisville, Tyler Shough

Another point where I’m getting out ahead of trend. I’ve been on Shough for most of the year, and he’s not a third round pick right now. He’s probably, at best, a fifth rounder. Shough’s rise is not going to come from the Combine. This is not Joe Milton. Shough’s rise is going to come as everyone gets deeper into the game tape, and the private meetings at the Combine, and the realize the benefit to going through three college programs, with a couple times in his career he was forced to sit and study while recovering from injuries…this is a smart player. And it’s a grown ass man.

#3.78 – OT, UConn, Chase Lundt

I’m not going to get into the specifics of how/why I’m landing on Lundt in a very strong OT class. Some people are going to hate drafting an OL from Connecticut exactly one year after drafting Christian Haynes from the same program. But deal with it.

Lundt is listed 6’8″/305lbs, and that’s kind of all we have on him until the Combine.

#3.82 – CB, California, Nohl Williams

I ignored cornerback for entirely too long this year. But when I did delve into it, I was immediately struck by Williams. His production in 2024 was top-tier, and that might seem like the reason I’m targeting him, but it’s not. He was at the Shrine Bowl, but for some reason I can’t find his official weigh-in. He was listed 6’1″/200lbs by Cal.

#3.99 – DT, Nebraska, Ty Robinson

Robinson is a long-standing member of my mock drafts. His official Senior Bowl weigh-in came out as 6’5″/296lbs. The floor here is Brent Urban, who played for Macdonald in Baltimore as an over-sized DE. Robinson has DE/DT versatility in his Nebraska tape. I don’t think you want to use him primarily as a DE, but he has that in his bag for jumbo, short-yardage packages.

#4.105 – TE, Oregon, Terrance Ferguson

I’ve said it before and I still think it holds merit…if you trade DK, the primary replacement targets MIGHT go to a tight end, not a wide receiver. Especially in this TE class. If we can find a guy that is pushing 250lbs and runs under a 4.6 forty…that’s a nice get.

I started to include Ferguson prior to the Senior Bowl, and I’m keeping him after. New, official measurements: 6’5″/245lbs with 33 3/8″ arms. I like the combination of athleticism and blocking he brings. We just need him to pass medical testing for his past knee injuries.

#4.112 – OG, Iowa, Connor Colby

Colby, like all of my OL picks in this mock, is a very intentional pick. Listed 6’6″/310lbs and just a great value in the 4th round.

#4.137 – DT, Mississippi, JJ Pegues

Pegues, like Robinson, is a long-standing member of my mocks. We’re keeping him. Official Shrine Bowl measurements were 6’2″/323lbs with 33 1/4″ arms. He’s not a true nose tackle, but he can play there. He also can play running back and fullback, which may come into relevance in the new Kubiak scheme.

#5.173 – OL, Jacksonville State, Clay Webb

I had barely started to look at Webb prior to the Senior Bowl, but I was immediately impressed. He’s got recent history as a LG for Jacksonville, but prior to that he also was a center recruited to Georgia. He’s 6’3″/310lbs with 32 5/8″ arms. I think he might be a future center, but he might stay at guard for his rookie year until he can get more familiar with the playbook, when he’ll become the center.

#6.187 – WR, Tennessee, Dont’e Thornton

If DK becomes a trade chip, we need to find a replacement for him. A lot of recent talk has Seahawk fans connecting them to TCU’s Savion Williams, who might be 6’5″/225lbs. DK at Ole miss was 6’3″/228lbs. But I don’t think Williams is actually the comp for DK. They aren’t the same skillset.

Thornton was at the Shrine Bowl where he was not measured. He was listed by Tennessee as 6’5″/214lbs.

Savion this year had 60 catches for 611 yards and 6 TD. DK’s last year at Ole Miss he caught 26 passes for 569 yards and 5 TD. Thornton this year for the Vols caught 26 passes for 661 yards and 6 TD. See what I’m saying?

And it’s important to recognize that, I think, Thornton shows on tape that his hands aren’t perfect. He has a lot of double-catching on tape. But DK wasn’t a natural catcher when he came out of school. DK has worked on that, and improved. We’ll need Dont’e to do the same.

#6.212 – DT, Florida, Cam Jackson

This is another cut point in my mock. I don’t think this is a need pick.

The Seahawks DL snap counts last year: Leonard Williams 300lbs 66%, Jarran Reed 306lbs 60%, Dre’mont Jones 281lbs 55%, Byron Murphy 306lbs 40%, Johnathan Hankins 325lbs 34%, Roy Robertson Harris 290lbs 17%, Mike Morris 295lbs 6%, Quinton Bohanna 360lbs 0.6%. They didn’t use a true nose tackle, basically, at all. Hankins is a free agent, and whatever name you give his profile, I have his snaps going to Pegues.

I don’t think the mock drafts having Seattle drafting Michigan NT Kenneth Grant maybe don’t know what Macdonald wants to do. I think they showed this last year when they drafted Murphy, and passed on his Texas teammate T’vondre Sweat. They want their starting DL to have versatility. A true nose tackle is a specialty player that, I don’t think, they will invest in early. And they may not invest a pick in one at all. They may try to find a guy in rookie free agency.

Jackson weighed in at the Senior Bowl at 6’7″/339lbs with 34″ arms. I like his value late more than over-paying for, say, Deone Walker in the 2nd. I think Jackson is in a group with Yahya Black at 6’6″/337, 35″ arms and Jamaree Caldwell at 6’2″/342lbs, 32″ arms of guys you wait on until late.

#7.236 – WR, Auburn, Keandre Lambert-Smith

A second pick at WR would be another cut point. I don’t think we need to do this, but it’s a way to get ahead of UDFA. I really like Keandre, who is Kam Chancellor’s nephew. Only 6’0″/193lbs at the Shrine weigh-in, but he’s got 33″ arms and a nice catch radius. He reminds me a little bit of Terry Mclaurin, who I loved when he came out of Ohio State.

Lambert-Smith would be a really nice WR3 if the roster allows it, but he was Auburn’s leading receiver this year after leading Penn State in receiving in 2023. He CAN do that, too.

I love his ability in contested catches, and the route running is very solid.