Tuesday, 31 March 2009

Some thoughts on Crabtree & Tuesday links

I was fortunate enough to contact John McClain from the Houston Chronicle recently. John is one of my favourite journalists, you can catch up with his Chron.com blog and check out his thoughts on the Texans' draft plans via NFL.com.

Being based in Texas, I wanted to ask John about one thing in particular - Michael Crabtree. Opinion is so polarised on Crabtree amongst fans and experts alike. Some are put off by his injuries and speculated character issues, others are simply blown away by his stat sheet and eye catching performances for the Red Raiders.

"Crabtree's only problem is that he's a third-year sophomore, and not many senior receivers make an immediate impact, much less third-year sophomores. Every scout and coach I talk to loves the guy because of how hard he plays. He lacks great speed but makes up for it with his size, attitude and his get-the-ball-at-all-costs ability. He's a little immature at times, probably like we were at that age, but people who know him, play with him and are around him like and respect him. He'd be a great addition to any roster."
- John McClain, Houston Chronicle

Chad Reuter from NFL Draft Scout published an updated mock draft today. He has the Seahawks taking Crabtree in round one and Donald Brown in round two. "T.J. Houshmandzadeh was a nice signing, but he turns 32 years old in September and played across from Chad Ocho Cinco. Deion Branch started 11 and 8 games the past two seasons. Bobby Engram, who left as a free agent, led receivers with 489 yards. Still think WR isn't a need?" - Reuter

Rob Rang reports sources that suggest Matt Stafford impressed greatly in front of Detroit staff in a personal work out today. I contacted Rob this week to ask his opinion on what kind of interest the Seahawks might have in Knowshon Moreno. It's something we've discussed a lot recently on here. Rang really likes the Georgia running back, but isn't sure Seattle value him in the same way.

Mel Kiper and Todd McShay continue their weekly draft podcast series. On the agenda this week? The USC pro-day and an admittance of error on Kiper's behalf - he thinks he ranked Everette Brown badly. Interestingly, Kiper also thinks Duke Robinson (G, Oklahoma) has dropped to a 3rd-4th round grading.

Paul Burmeister talks to Charles Davis and Michael Lombardi regarding the wide receiver class in this year's draft. Davis has Crabtree top of his big board, so it's no surprise to see him listed as the best wide out. A noticeable absentee from the top five is Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey. It goes to show the relative strength of this positional class, only a year removed from a draft that saw zero first round picks in 2008.

Jennifer Allen looks at the influence USC quarter back Mark Sanchez may have on and off the field. It's the Trojans pro-day tomorrow, so expect a lot of attention focused on guys like Stafford and the three talented linebackers - Maualuga, Cushing and Matthews Jr.

Got a question? email - rob@seahawksdraftblog.com

7 comments:

Patrick said...

Thanks for all the updates Rob. Any information on Crabtree is very much appreciated. I haven't lost hope for Seahawks drafting him, and I really hope come April 25th his name is called. As much as a circus that it's been, how do you think Cutler will affect the draft?

Rob Staton said...

The Cutler situation is an interesting one. I still don't see a deal that would make it worth Denver's while. Michael Lombardi is reporting today that the Broncos are really high on Mark Sanchez. There's no guarantee he's still there at 12th overall, and is it such a great deal to lose a franchise QB and then be handcuffed into getting another via the draft? They will have created a problem for themselves. I have to believe any deal they do involves a third party who sends a QB to Denver, perhaps Cleveland will trade Brady Quinn?

Either way, I can't see the Seahawks being involved in any trade scenarios.

Patrick said...

Good! I see Quinn being a factor as well. I also hope they focus on Mark Sanchez because I just read Seattle sent half of their staff to check him out. I'm not a big Sanchez fan so I'm hoping this is just perhaps a smokescreen

Rob Staton said...

I think Seattle tend to send a lot of people to the USC pro-day. Considering how many high picks come out of that school, it's no surprise. Ruskell made a personal visit to the Georgia day, so it's nothing unheard of.

Big Joe said...

Patrick,

There are a number of top prospects at the USC Pro Day so a large Seahawk showing is not just pointed at Sanchez I think.

I do think it is a possibility that Detroit ends up with Cutler and so Staford would be there at 4.

How about Denver trades Cutler to Detroit for all three of their first picks, then trade thier 12th, 20th and 48th to us for the 4th overall pick. This gives Denver the first overall and the fourth, they take Curry first, then Stafford at 4. I think our front office boys could do some serious damage with the 12th, and 20th in the first round and the 37th and 48th in round 2. What do you think of my try at GMology Rob?

Rob Staton said...

I think the Seahawks would like that deal, but ultimately it probably isn't going to happen. I'd be surprised if Detroit gave up those early picks just to get Cutler. They need all the picks they can get to rebuild from a 0-16 season. They could essentially get Stafford and two other prospects for what they would get just getting Cutler.

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