Round 2, Pick 56 Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern
State, 6’1, 335
At pick 56 it is extremely difficult to know who will be
available, let alone who the Seahawks will be interested in. I could make a
list of my top 50 players in the draft and have not a single one available at
the ‘Hawks first pick. So with this pick I decided to go with a small school
prospect who will fit in at the Hawks biggest area of need.
Williams is a monster tackle at nearly 340 pounds, but has
good speed and quickness considering his frame. He gets off the ball relatively
quickly and is able to generate some push as an interior pass rusher. He
certainly would be an upgrade to Alan Branch as a pass rusher. He doesn’t have
ideal lower body strength though, despite his massive upper body.
Williams would need to have his snaps monitored due to
limited endurance. He would likely be able to play somewhere around 20-30 snaps
a game as a rookie and hopefully develop into a 35-40 snap player in the NFL.
Round 3, Pick 87 Brennan Williams, OT, North Carolina, 6’6,
318
One of the ‘Hawks biggest needs coming into this upcoming
draft is to strengthen up their offensive line. Breno Giacomini will be
entering his contract year and isn’t a good enough player to warrant a big
money contract. Picking a tackle like Brennan Williams to sit his rookie year
and eventually move into the right tackle spot could provide big value for the
Seahawks down the road.
This short paragraph from ESPN’s evaluation of Williams
perfectly describes what the Seahawks look for in offensive linemen:
Aggressive and physical and plays with a nasty demeanor. Will mix it
up. Flashes a mean streak and looks to finish.
Williams is first and foremost an aggressive and physical,
“road grader”, run blocker, which is what Tom Cable likes to see from offensive
linemen. Williams doesn’t have elite quickness and footwork to consistently
mirror speed rushers in the NFL, but with some work on his footwork, could
develop into a better pass protector than Giacomini.
Williams would likely spend 2013 on the bench and get his
first real shot in 2014, when Giacomini is a free agent. Williams could likely
develop into an above average young starter at right tackle for the Seahawks.
Round 4, Pick
123 Matt Scott, QB, Arizona, 6’2, 213
While I believe the Seahawks have bigger needs (such as
Weakside linebacker) with this pick, I fail to see any player at linebacker
that has the potential as a quarterback such as Matt Scott. It’s very important
when you have a good starting QB to also have a quality backup. None of the two
backups to Russell Wilson on the roster right now (Brady Quinn and Josh Portis)
are too fantastic right now.
Scott showed his athleticism at the combine, timing at 4.63
seconds in the 40 yard dash. While at Arizona, Scott played in a spread offense
that utilized that read option, and would be able to play in the zone-read
elements of the Seahawks offense. As a thrower, Scott has slightly above
average arm strength and above average accuracy and touch. He was only a starter
for one year in Arizona, though, and will need to learn to make the reads that
a pro style offense demands.
Scott would be brought in to compete with Brady Quinn and
Josh Portis for the backup quarterback job. If he won, he would be stuck on the
bench for his whole Seahawks career unless something unfortunate happened to
Wilson. Still, Scott is the type of reliable backup the ‘Hawks need behind
their young star.
Round 5, Pick
138 Malliciah Goodman, DE, Clemson,
6’4, 276
Pete Carroll talks about how you can never have too many
pass rushers. Goodman would just be another pass rusher added to that defensive
line. I still believe the Seahawks defensive line needs work, even after free
agency. Michael Bennett is only signed for one year and Cliff Avril for only
two. Red Bryant was much less effective in 2012 after a great season in 2011.
Chris Clemons is 31 and coming off major knee surgery. Bruce Irvin, though
entering just his second season, is already 26 and far from an elite player.
Adding a couple young defensive linemen in the draft would be smart.
Malliciah Goodman has the type of length (6’4) that John
Schneider loves in his defensive linemen. He is an above average edge rusher,
with a mix of speed and power necessary to get to the passer on a consistent
basis. He has a frame similar to Jason Jones and Michael Bennett, which leads
one to wonder how Goodman could do in a role where he rotates between the
tackle and end positions, like Jones and Bennett.
It isn’t unconceivable that in 2015, Michael Bennett, Cliff
Avril, Red Bryant, and Chris Clemmons could all have moved on from the
Seahawks. Adding a young player like Goodman with tons of athletic talent could
help the Seahawks defense after losing many key pieces.
Round 5, Pick
158 Zaviar Gooden, OLB, Missouri, 6’2,
234
As I mentioned in part 1, the role of the weakside
linebacker in 2013 is likely going to be reduced due to additions of players
such as Antoine Winfield and Cliff Avril. Because of this, I think John
Schneider will wait to take a linebacker until the mid rounds of the draft.
Zaviar Gooden is a linebacker with a ton of athletic talent
that will be intriguing to the Seahawks. Gooden ran the fastest 40 time of all
linebackers at the combine, in addition to the fastest cone drill, shuttle, second
longest broad jump, and tied for the fifth most reps on the bench press of all
linebackers. At 6’2, 234 with those measurables, Gooden is a player Schneider
will drool over in the war room.
Round 6, Pick 195 Ryan Otten, TE, San Jose State, 6’5, 230
Zach Miller and Anthony McCoy both offer little in terms of
speed and athleticism at the tight end position. One position I’d like to see
the Seahawks target is an athletic ‘joker’ like Otten who can bring different
skills to the Seahawks’ tight end group.
Otten has a lankier frame than either Miller or McCoy, and
creates more separation from his defender than either of those two. He also is
an above average route runner and displays a good catch radius. Otten is not
the blocker that either of the other two is, but would be used as more of a
receiver in the Seahawks offense.
Round 7, Pick
220 Mark Harrison, WR, Rutgers, 6’3,
231
By this point in the draft, the ‘Hawks would likely be
looking for value picks. Harrison is a long receiver with a large catch radius,
similar to Sidney Rice. He has the top-end speed to beat defensive backs deep,
and is able to move inside to the slot as well. Harrison will have tough
completion to make the roster as a rookie.
Round 7, Pick
231 Latavius Murray, RB, Central
Florida, 6’3, 224
Latavius Murray isn’t quite the small, shifty scat back I
suspect the ‘Hawks will target in the draft, but he possesses qualities that
make me think he can be a quality NFL runner. He isn’t a super elusive athlete,
but has straight line speed to run past defenders. He is a bigger back and if
the ‘Hawks drafted him would likely be asked to play both halfback and
fullback.
Round 7, Pick
241 Gary Walker, FS, Idaho, 5’11, 190
Walker is a small-school prospect with speed and
athleticism. He would be able to compete to backup Earl Thomas.
Round 7, Pick
242 Jeremy Harris, CB, New Mexico
State, 6’2, 181
Harris fits the mold of a big cornerback who can
play press coverage. He would compete with Byron Maxwell for a spot on the
roster. The Seahawks had a private visit with
