Rob Rang and Chad Reuter from NFL Draft Scout both updated their mock drafts today and have come to an agreement on who the Seahawks will draft. Eugene Monroe (OT, Virginia) is the popular choice after Seattle signed T.J. Houshmandzadeh this week.
"Monroe told media at the Combine that he admired current Seahawks tackle Walter Jones' play. With free-agent additions filling holes at defensive tackle (Colin Cole) and wide receiver (T.J. Houshmandzadeh), general manager Tim Ruskell might just help Monroe get a better view of the future Hall of Famer." - Rob Rang
"Walter Jones had microfracture surgery in December and is heading into his 13th season. Monroe is a very good player who could play on the right side if Jones returns for training camp. Michael Crabtree is the other potential pick here because Seattle needs a playmaker on offense." - Chad Reuter
Both make valid points in the sense that Seattle has improved other areas of the team in free agency - except the offensive line. Walter Jones is also coming off very serious surgery and is getting on in years - this could be a time to look towards the future. However, I have to express some scepticism over whether Monroe would be the pick. The Seahawks intend to deploy a zone blocking scheme with a greater emphasis on the running game. The two areas that I have concern for Monroe are his ability to play in such a system and his unimpressive run blocking. He also has questionable effort on the field, occasionally 'switching off' and his slightly larger midriff suggests his effort off the field is similarly inconsistent.
Taking an offensive tackle fourth overall is a similar investment to taking a quarter back. The Seahawks would be banking a young prospect to eventually replace an ageing veteran. I have no doubts that Seattle will have interest in Jason Smith - a prospect with big upside, would benefit from a year's grooming and whom can excel in the ZBS. I have to wonder if they'll simply turn to Monroe however if Smith is off the board. Interestingly, both have Seattle passing on Michael Crabtree. Even in the aftermath of Houshmandzadeh's arrival, I wouldn't be so quick to rule out him out.
3 comments:
I am a football fan, but admit that I have never played much outside of just with friends (I am a lousy sprinter, can not catch, and can not throw a football well). I keep hearing about Smith maybe being overrated due to blocking for a spread offense, which makes a bit of sense since the QB does not hold onto the ball as long in that system. What I am totally in the dark about is I keep reading "he never played out of a two point stance", which I take to mean he did not play with his hand on the ground. If somebody who knows more then me could explain this, I would apprciate it.
The only issue I have with Crabtree is that he is hurt... and his injury is somewhat unpredicable... if a team is going to invest millions of dollars in a player they have to be sure he is going to be around for many years and quite frankly that question has not been answered definately IMO..
It will be interesting to see if he falls and how far.... there is a definate chance he falls back to the hawks if they trade down... maybe the hawks would be interested then...now wouldn't that be sweet?
I don't think this particular injury will affect his stock. It certainly didn't for Jonathan Stewart last year. Crabtree is such a talented, dynamic prospect I think teams, even in the top five picks, will watch the game tape and make a judgement that he's worth the investment. He never missed a game for Texas Tech and a lot of the other prospects have had injuries more serious than this. Jason Smith suffered a worrying knee injury and there are some reports Eugene Monroe had a similar concern.
I've seen a lot of mocks where Crabtree falls to pick seven or worse and I'm struggling to believe that will actually happen.
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