Jerry McDonald is reporting at InsideBayArea.com that the Seattle Seahawks were present at Alex Mack's pro day on Wednesday. The California offensive lineman, weighed in at 307 lbs and 6'4" in height. He ran a 5.17 forty yard dash, after missing the combine through injury."Mack ended the day with assistant coaches from Baltimore, Seattle and Detroit, who peppered him with questions during a chalk talk and then adjourned to a film room for more probing of his football aptitude. Mack’s agent, Tim Younger, said his client has tentative visits scheduled with Baltimore, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle and Detroit." - Jerry McDonald
I'm not surprised by this news. Mack is a very intelligent, flexible lineman who could fit in at any position in the interior. He has the required athleticism to work in a zone blocking scheme and has prototypical size. Kyle Rota from College Talent Scout is particularly fond of Mack's abilities:
"I believe he will eventually be one of the best centers in the NFL. Mack is a rare player who is a great fit for any scheme – he has the traditional power to play in a man blocking scheme, and the quickness to get to the 2nd level in a zone blocking scheme. Like all college players, he needs to improve his hand use, but if any college player can I’d place my hopes on the high character, intelligent center from Cal." - Kyle Rota
Whether or not he'd be waiting for Seattle at the top of the second round remains to be seen. He could go in the early 20's, with a team like Minnesota potentially looking for a versatile offensive lineman. If Seattle are in position to draft Alex Mack he could well be playing in Seahawk blue in 2009 - he ticks every box Tim Ruskell look for.
8 comments:
I love Mack, but don't see us getting a shot at him given that Baltimore, Atlanta and Detroit all pick inbetween our first and second round selections, and are late enough picks to justify taking Mack (Lions have two picks to take him). I think Eric Wood is equally as talented, and should be available when we pick in the 2nd round, but I haven't heard much buzz about Seattle's interest in him, which leads me to believe they won't take him in the 2nd round and someone else will in that mid-second round selection.
Here's a Q&A with Eric Wood I read a while ago. Not sure if you saw it Chris:
http://profootball.scout.com/2/847165.html
I think all the teams you list would have Mack very high on their draft board. Having said that, I see a situation where they go elsewhere. Detroit need to improve defensively. If they go QB 1st overall, I personally believe they will spend their next two picks on the defense. In my latest mock draft I have them taking Peria Jerry and James Laurinaitis. They might also look at some of the corner backs who will also be around.
Atlanta themselves need to consider defense. Speaking to a Falcons fan this week, he seemed pretty sure they wouldn't take Brandon Pettigrew and would instead draft a linebacker. Baltimore are an obvious choice because they just lost their starting center. However, they may decide to try and take a linebacker to replace Bart Scott, or a receiver to help out Joe Flacco.
This is the interesting thing with prospects like Alex Mack. They are so hard to pin down in a mock draft. He could realisitically go in the 20's, but it wouldn't be a total shock if he did last to Seattle. Personally, I'll be surprised if he makes it into round two. Minnesota, Miami, Arizona and Pittsburgh are other teams who might consider adding him.
Also, the people over at Field Gulls are crazy over Patrick Chung SS. Is he a consideration with our 2nd round pick? And how much of an improvement over Brian Russel would he be?
BTW...any updates on how Hasselbeck, Walter Jones, and Kerney's health status are? All 3 of them must be near 100% for us to have a good chance of coming back to the playoffs this year.
I've not seen much of Patrick Chung personally, but I know Kyle Rota at College Talent Scout doesn't believe he's a good fit in our defensive scheme:
"Chung is a tough safety who excels in run support. He’s the 4th safety I’ve graded and is easily the best tackling. However, he is not really big and not exceptionally fast. He can be asked to drop back in deep coverage sometimes, but is a poor fit to do so all the time. He covers well in the short field, blitzes well, and is very intelligent. I feel if placed in the right situation (not a Cover-2 like Seattle has run recently) Chung could be a very good starting safety. He also plays tough, smart football and excels on special teams." - Kyle Rota
http://collegescout.wordpress.com/2009/01/18/patrick-chung-ss-oregon/
With regards to the injuries, the team is saying very little. It's hard to read. They say they expect Jones back, but he's had serious surgery and I don't think we'll see him on a field until Week 1 of the new season (if then). Hasselbeck is supposedly back to normal, but back's can be troublesome. Kerney is on schedule too and I think he'll start the season. The draft could indicate just how serious (or not) the team views these injuries.
Hey Rob,
I was searching other blogs and this one was really interesting:
http://seahawks2009.blogspot.com/
That expert shakes things up at the top with Detriot taking an OT. He has seattle taking Crabtree.
Check it out, and do u think that the top 4 of that mock draft seems reasonable? what r the chances that the Lions take Jason Smith?
Hi Rob,
Lifelong Seahawks fan and I really enjoy your site. For months, I have obsessed with the thought of Crabtree in a Seahawks jersey. While that would still be a thrill, I now wonder if a better scenario is trading down with Oakland or Green Bay, then picking Stafford. Not only would we gain a high pick (one would assume a third or if lucky a second round pick), we would save money on Stafford, who likely wouldn't garner interest from any of the teams 5-8.
How is this as a potential scenario? Get your future stud QB, and still have three first day picks to go RB, OL and S or WR.
Thanks for your input= keep up the great work!
Hey Rob, huge fan! I can't say that enough. I have a question. I have heard before that there is a lot of depth in OT in this years draft. If that is true, wouldn't it make sense for Seattle to not use their #4 pick on it? I am biased because I'm a huge supporter of us taking Crabtree, but it just seems like if we could get an OT round 2 it would make a lot of sense.
Annonymous - I would still be surprised if Stafford doesn't go first overall. If the team were to trade with Jacksonville in that situation you propose, I think they would take him. I think a more likely situation in that range of thinking would be if the team expects Mark Sanchez to drop out of the top ten. Then they could try to move down a bit. Having said that, it's notoriously hard to trade out of the top five picks these days.
Patrick - I think there is some good depth at offensive tackle this year but it's also considered a premium position. This means teams will reach for prospects if a run on tackles happens in the earlier picks. We could see Jason Smith, Eugene Monroe, Andre Smith and Michael Oher go in the top 15. That would mean any teams desperate for O line talent possibly reaching on Eben Britton, William Beatty and Jamon Meredith.
I know a lot of people see offensive tackle as a big need and that we should take one in the top five. I'm not one of those people, and like you if the team can get someone like Beatty (good scheme fit) in round two it makes sense. That way you've got someone who could be a longer term option at LT or RT post-Walter Jones without sitting on a $60m contract. Even ignoring the numbers, I'm not sure Eugene Monroe would be a great scheme fit for Seattle and I have reservations about him that early in the first round, so I'd be hesitant to pull the trigger.
I also believe that the team's greater concern on the O line is an interior issue. They could get lucky and land someone like Alex Mack in round two, or explore the possibility of Eric Wood, Herman Johnson or Max Unger in rounds 2-4.
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