Rob Rang has updated his mock draft. The Seahawks have moved down a few spots on the draft board, but still take Taylor Mays. I had another chance to watch Mays yesterday in action against Oregon State and all the concerns expressed during the 2009 season were once again confirmed. Seattle add Trent Williams (OT, Oklahoma) later on, not a move I'm a fan of personally.
Charley Casserly believes the recent injury problems suffered by Sam Bradford could help him in the long term: "My experience with Dr. James Andrews, the renowned orthopedic surgeon who will do the surgery, is flawless. If he tells you something, you can count on it. We never had a surgery by Andrews on one of our players that was not successful. So if I was with a team and he told me Bradford was going to be fine, I would believe it."
Wes Bunting ponders whether Bradford's decision was financially motivated: "with all the concern about the possibility of a rookie pay scale, plus the fact Bradford has already lost out on a potentially huge payday by opting not to come out for the 2009 draft, I get the feeling money was a significant factor in his decision."
Matt McGuire voices some concerns about Bradford's pro-prospects: "The bottom line is there are more questions than answers with Bradford at this point and he can't do anything to answer the questions. The Combine and Pro Day mean nothing. It isn't a game environment and he is throwing to wide-open receivers."
Chad Reuter lists two of my favorite prospects, Charles Brown (OT, USC) and C.J. Spiller (RB, Clemson) amongst those who helped their stock this week: "Brown might not reach No. 2 overall like Jason Smith did, but the athleticism he has shown in wins over Notre Dame and Oregon State gives him a real chance to make the top 10... Spiller bounced some runs outside to gain 81 yards on 14 carries. His all-around game will remind scouts of former first-round picks Felix Jones and Chris Johnson, especially when his sub-4.4 track speed lights up the 40-yard dash at the Combine."
Todd McShay thinks Texas safety Earl Thomas is rising up draft boards: "Should Thomas leave school following this season the overall safety class would become very strong. Eric Berry ranks as the No. 1 overall player on the board, and while USC's Taylor Mays remains in the top half of the first round Thomas could become legitimate competition for the No. 2 spot in the safety class."
Calvin Watkins reports that Oklahoma State wide out Dez Bryant will remain suspended for the rest of the 2009 season, effectively ending his college career. He'll enter the 2010 draft competing with Damian Williams to be the first receiver taken. For more on this story, check the video below:
4 comments:
With a draft full of question marks, I think the biggest question for the Seahawks is who will be in charge of draft board come April?
I know it's been speculated that Tim Ruskell will be in charge, and I still believe he might. However, I have seen a rumor on multiple sites that Homlgren might want to come back in Ruskell's spot. Personally, I am ALL for this move and I'm sure many Seahawks fans would be thrilled.
Now, it's just a rumor and so it wouldnt make sense to assume anything. But, without Ruskell, who knows what our team would look like going into this offseason. Would someone like Homlgren clean house in some of our weaker positions (Like RB)? Would Mora and Knapp be safe?
I'd be very surprised if the Seahawks removed Ruskell and appointed Holmgren. Having allowed Ruskell to appoint Jim Mora, I think the team must take a long term approach by retaining Ruskell. This is his team that he's shaping, to change things now would be unwise. Look at Kansas City - who drafted for a 4-3 defense then completely removed everyone involved with those picks for Scott Pioli, who has since switched to a 3-4 with disastrous results and a roster that is worthless in most parts. The team would be wise to tie up Ruskell sooner rather than later to give long term security and direction.
But is it the right direction? Sure, keeping Ruskell would likely keep things unified, but isn't the bigger question whether or not that is really where we want to go? I'm not saying Homlgren would fix all of our issues in one season, but I do think if Paul Allen believes Homlgren would do a better job, he should hire him.
I think what I don't like is that Ruskell has been our GM since '05 but he's still shaping things. Whether it's Ruskell's fault or not, we have gone down every season since '05. Blame injuries, blame whatever, but if he's heading us towards an iceberg, maybe it's time to abandon ship and get a new captain. If we retain him, how many more years do we have to wait until he's finished shaping our team?
I think Ruskell (and this probably goes against popular opinion right now) has done more good than bad. Clearly the Hutch situation has been flogged to death and it was a huge error. However, he inherited a superb, productive offense that has aged badly over recent years. If he'd been GM a couple of years earlier - with the offense working and his eye for defensive talent I think we'd have had a great team at one point and more time to rebuild the offense.
He's drafted better than most GM's for me. Next year is a big year and he has to hit on those three early picks. However - I think we can often get into the impression that the grass is greener on the other side. Holmgren is in the past and the Seahawks have moved on. If he was GM or whatever, it'd be his team again. Everybody refers to Miami as Bill Parcell's toy, I'm not sure Seattle want to go back to a situation where it's Holmgren's. If Mora was retained, he'd be in the same situation as Holmgren last year with the pendulum dangling at all times.
I'm prepared to give Ruskell the benefit of the doubt for now. I think we could use more dynamism to our offense and with a defensive minded HC and GM that is a concern. However, we're clearly at the start of a rebuild and the Ruskell/Mora partnership deserves time to try and get things right.
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