Saturday 14 February 2009

Weekend mocks

Matt McGuire has updated his two round mock draft. The Seahawks take Michael Crabtree (WR, Texas Tech) in the first round and add Sean Smith (CB/S, Utah) in the second.

Draft Tek's software has predicted a new mock draft after a few changes to the big board. The Seahawks take Crabtree in the first round and add LeSean McCoy (RB, Pittsburgh) with their second pick, Eric Wood (C, Louisville) in the third and Rashad Johnson (S, Alabama) in the fourth round.

Michael Abromowitz is another who thinks Crabtree is Seattle bound. He predicts the Seahawks will take Jamon Meredith (OT, South Carolina) in the second round and Derek Pegues (S, Mississippi State) in the third.

Keeping with our look at what blogs based on other teams are predicting, here are a range of mock drafts to check out: Inside the Eagles, NE Patriots Draft, Titan Sized, Bronco Madness.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

surprised McGuire didn't have us trading up to the #1 spot to take Beanie Wells.

Kevin said...

Crabtree seems to be the consensus pick at this point, but if the Seahawks don't pick Crabtree, which prospect is most likely on their radar?

Rob Staton said...

Hi Karazekevin,

There are a few options for Seattle if Crabtree isnt available. It's well documented that this is a deep offensive line class, so they may invest in one of Eugene Monroe, Andre Smith, Jason Smith or Michael Oher. Having said that, there is also a lot of money invested into Sean Locklear with incentives to play LT in his contract. With Walter Jones expected back (as is being touted for now) the team will be left with a big decision if they do invest in a LT. It may make Andre Smith more of an enticing proposition as he could be pushed into the interior at guard, eventually replacing Locklear at RT. But then you have to ask, do you want to pay $10M a year for a guard when you balked at less to keep Steve Hutchinson?

Another possibility is quarter back. Matt Stafford is very likely to go to Detroit first overall, but if he did fall to the Seahawks would be a steal as a long term investment to eventually replace Hasselbeck. Mark Sanchez is another option if the team deemed him worthy of a top five pick. However, he only started 16 games for USC and has had some off field issues - doesn't sound much like a Ruskell pick.

Then of course you could look at the defensive side of the ball. Aaron Curry is an exceptional linebacker from Wake Forest. If the team didn't re-sign Leroy Hill it opens the door to making Curry an option. If they sign Hill, I would be suprised if they added a fourth expensive linebacker to the team.

Everette Brown is the best pass rushing DE in this class. He hasn't got great size and that could be exploited against the run. But if he can bulk up and make a good show at the combine, his stock could rise. At the moment, he's more of a 3-4 DE/LB hybrid, so he needs to show he can work in a 4-3.

Malcolm Jenkins at Ohio State has been suggested as an option by NFL Draft Scout's Rob Rang. Jenkins played corner back for the Buckeye's but I'm almost certain he will have to change to safety in the NFL. His recovery speed is an issue and his skill set matches perfectly to safety. Great vision, reads the QB, super open field tackler, loves to push up to the LOS and tackle RB's and WR's. He could be a very exciting prospect at safety. But you're essentially taking someone 4th overall and paying them a ton of money to change position. Not sure I'm on board with that.

Then there are the 'wild card' options. Knowshon Moreno is a triple threat running back from Georgia who I am very positive will have a great career in the NFL. Would it be too early to take him - a reach? Maybe, but he's such a dynamic prospect that a bit of a gamble could really pay off.

Trading down? Maybe, but it's incredibly unlikely in the top five picks due to the money involved.

Anonymous said...

FYI, Scott Wright talks through the options for the Seahawks at #4 in his latest blog entry (http://www.draftcountdown.com/blog/Wright-Stuff-Blog.php#feb13). He thinks the Hawks could go a lot of different ways besides Crabtree.

Rob Staton said...

Thanks for the link Steve, I hadn't noticed it previously.