Seattle Seahawks front office members made a number of trades, but ended up with a first-round pick, a second-round pick and three third-round picks.
John Schneider and friends certainly had a lot to work with, and they did well to add players who not only fill needs, but add significant talent and upside to an already young and exciting Seahawks team. Here’s a look at the team’s picks.
1st Round Pick, 31st Overall, OT Germain Ifedi
Initially assigned the 26th-overall pick, the Seattle Seahawks traded down five spots with the Denver Broncos. For moving down just five place, Pete Carroll and company netted an extra third-round draft pick.
When it came to picking at 31, Seattle took offensive lineman Germain Ifedi. The Texas A&M product is extremely physical up front and could potentially start right away. What’s more, Ifedi could stay a starter for a long time. He has significant potential thanks to tremendous length and strength.
He isn’t a finished product by any means, but the presence of offensive line coach Tom Cable, Seattle can take some more risks with offensive lineman. The team knows they can eventually be coached up. Ifedi has a pretty solid base to begin with, and should only improve under Cable’s tutelage.
2nd Round Pick, 49th Overall, DT Jarran Reed
Seattle used the team’s second round pick to snag the last player left in the green room, Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed.
Reed should also contribute right away after earning a reputation as a tremendous run stopper. That’s where he’ll earn a living with the Seahawks, stuffing the run. The fact that Seattle got a defensive tackle with first-round talent with the 49th-overall pick is fantastic for the team moving forward.
Defensive line was a need for the Hawks entering the draft, and adding Reed gives the team a potential impact player on the line.
New Seahawk C.J. Prosise played wide receiver at Notre Dame before transitioning to running back. Physical and elusive, he can also contribute in the pass game thanks to his background as a wide out.
In his only season as a starter in the backfield the former receiver ran for 1,029 yards on 6.6 yards per carry. He found the endzone 11 times while also adding 26 catches for 308 yards and another score through the air.
As a pass-catching compliment to Thomas Rawls, this is an excellent pick. You can bet the Seahawks will try to get him the ball in different ways, lining him up in different spots and things of the like.
3rd Round, 94th Overall Pick— TE Nick Vannett
Seattle had two third-round picks, the team’s own and the pick they got from Denver when the Broncos wanted to move up a few spots in the first round to take Paxton Lynch. The Seahawks used the pick from John Elway and company on athletic tight end Nick Vannett.
Athletic with solid hands, Vannett gives Seattle some legitimate depth at tight end. With Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson already in the fold, Vannett gives the team another quality tight end. At 6’6” with serious athleticism, the Ohio State product will contribute. Did I mention he’s a solid blocker? The Seahawks got a good one here.
3rd Round, 97th Overall Pick— Rees Odhiambo
The Hawks’ last third round pick came via a compensation selection. Seattle took another offensive lineman, this time selecting Boise State’sRees Odhiambo. Originally from Kenya, the lineman will likely see time at both guard and tackle. Strong and athletic, if he can stay healthy, he could be a long-term solution for the Seahawks on the offensive line.
Carroll, Cable and the rest of the Seahawks’ coaching staff values guys who can play multiple positions up front, and that’s Odhiambo. At worst, he’ll be a solid depth piece. However, he could easily develop into a starter.
Gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, whatever you want to call it… that one was tough. To come so close to repeating and get that close to scoring. This one will stay with Seattle, team and fans alike, for a long time.
Still, the Seahawks will be back strong for next season, and you can bet that coaches and players alike will be looking to make up for the Super Bowl loss with a ring next year. Here’s why they’re poised to get back to the Super Bowl-
1. Returning Talent
For the most part, the band will be back together next season. The Seahawks will see a small number of their core hit free agency, most notably Byron Maxwell and Jermaine Kearse (more on that later). Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, should he return, will be rejoined on offense by promising receiver Paul Richardson (once he returns from injury), the emerging Riccardo Lockette, Super Bowl breakout Chris Matthews and the vastly underrated Doug Baldwin. Kearse could return, while Luke Willson and Tony Moeaki provide a solid outlet for passes at the tight end position. Like Richardson, Zach Miller will also be coming back from injury.
Defensively, Seattle will welcome back a host of players from injured reserve. Brandon Mebane, one of the game’s best defensive tackles, will be healthy. Promising youngsters Jordan Hill, Jesse Williams, Cassius Marsh and Kevin Pierre-Louis will return as well.
Other than the returning injured players, the majority of the starting defense is under contract with Maxwell, Malcolm Smith and Kevin Williams the only prominent free agents.
2. Few Free Agent Priorities
One of the main reasons the Hawks won their first Super Bowl was due to the additions of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, players they were able to poach from other teams in free agency. Last offseason, the team was limited in free agency and had to spend most of their offseason cash on retaining the likes of Bennett and Avril.
While Seattle will spend this offseason thanks to potential extensions for Russell Wilson, Marshawn Lynch and Bobby Wagner, the team won’t have as many key players hit free agency as last season when the team lost Golden Tate, Breno Giacomini, Paul McQuistan, Brandon Browner, Clinton McDonald and Walter Thurmond. The team also had to cut defensive lineman Red Bryant and Chris Clemons.
Things will be much different this time around. Notable Seahawks hitting free agency include Byron Maxwell, Jermaine Kearse, James Carpenter, Malcolm Smith and Kevin Williams.
Besides handing out potential extensions, the ‘Hawks should focus on bringing back Maxwell. Since last season he’s seamlessly stepped in the Legion of Boom’s starting contingent. The cornerback will be one of the most sought-after free agents should he hit the open market. The question becomes whether the Seahawks brass trusts Tharold Simon to take over for Maxwell, similar to the recent transition of Maxwell for Browner.
While Carpenter may be brought back, the team can withstand the potential losses of Smith and Williams. The respective emergences of Kevin Pierre-Louis as well as Jordan Hill (5.5 sacks in the last six regular season game) should more than make up for the respective Super Bowl MVP and former Viking if Smith and Williams aren’t retained.
3. Continued Youth Development
Seattle can afford to let Smith and Williams go thanks to the development and potential of the aforementioned duo of Pierre-Louis and Hill. These two are just two of the latest players undervalued in the draft that Seattle has developed into quality contributors or starters, joining the likes of Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Wilson, Wagner, J.R. Sweezy, Kearse, Baldwin, Willson, K.J. Wright, Smith, Lockette, Jeremy Lane, Simon and Robert Turbin among others.
Quite frankly, Seattle is the best at finding and developing talent—few NFL teams come close.
The continued development of players like Chris Matthews, Sweezy, Simon, Hill, Pierre-Louis and Cassius Marsh will only improve the Seahawks’ depth and quality heading into next season.
In Conclusion
The Seahawks loss in the Super Bowl was incredibly tough, it may go down as one of the most gut-wrenching and painful losses in the history of the NFL, let alone American sports. Still, if there was ever a group to rebound from it, come back strong and make good, it would be the current group of Seahawks.
Remember, the last time Seattle was dealt a heartbreaking (albeit less painful) playoff loss it was Atlanta a few years ago. The Hawks responded with a ring the next year.
Seven—the number of incomplete passes by Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson was 15 of 22 on his passes and is 32 of 44 in terms of passes completed and attempted over his past two games.
Two
Two—the number of interceptions thrown by 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The Niners QB has thrown eight interceptions against Seattle dating back to the beginning of last season. He’s only tossed two touchdowns during that span.
102
102—the number of receiving yards by Seahawks tight ends Tony Moeaki and Luke Willson. The duo combined for five catches.
28
28—the number of rushing yards by Niners running back Frank Gore. Gore has 42 yards on 21 carries in his last two games against the Seahawks.
Four
Four—the number of sacks by the Seahawks. Seattle’s pass rush continues to get back on track, and may well be back. Kaepernick was also hit five times.
77.3—Russell Wilson’s completion percentage during the game. It was the QB’s most efficient game of the season, and possibly his best as well.
Three
Three—the number of sacks complied by the Seattle. The Seahawks finally got there pass rush going, and it showed. Cliff Avril finished with two while defensive tackle Jordan Hill added another.
Four
Four—number of catches for tight end Tony Moeaki. The former Chief racked up 34 yards on those four catches. With Zach Miller out for the season, Moeaki could play a large part in the offense going forward.
Eight
Eight—number of receivers to catch a pass from Wilson. Wilson likes to spread the ball around, and during the win over Arizona hit Moeaki, Riccardo Lockette, Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Kevin Norwood and Luke Willson for completions.
73
73—number of rushing yards by Wilson. The Super Bowl winning QB continues his ground assault on opposing defenses. He has rushed for at least 70 yards in five games this season, including his last three.
Next up for the Seahawks is Thanksgiving night showdown with the 49ers.
The Seattle Seahawks snapped a two game losing streak with a 13-9 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. It represented the third straight year in which they beat the Panthers on the road by scoring somewhere between 10-20 points. It took a last minute drive to do it, but the team pulled it off. As everyone (team and fans included) gets ready for next Sunday’s home match up against the Oakland Raiders, here are five stats to know from the win.
1. Four and 34
Or, the combined number of catches and receiving yards for rookie receivers Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood. The two rookie wideouts, who are widely perceived to see major increases in production thanks to Percy Harvin’s departure, had the four catches on only five targets. It’s not a huge output, especially considering it took two players to reach the total, but it’s worth mentioning that in all games, including the playoffs, Harvin only bettered 34 yards through the air three times. Additionally, he only bettered the four catches three times. The point is that his production will be easier to replace then most think.
2. 62
The number of rushing yards racked up by Marshawn Lynch on 14 carries. Since a Week Ten win over the Falcons last year, Beast Mode has topped 100 yards once, occurring during the 36-16, opening game drubbing of the Packers. If you take away a 25 yard run, Lynch’s totals shrink to 13 carries for 37 yards.
There’s apparently rift between Lynch’s camp and the Seahawks, prompting all sorts of talk of the two sides separating. Whether it be by trade, or the team simply cutting the running back, rumors have run rampant. The Seahawks have based a lot of their offensive identity around running the football. Marshawn Lynch is a big part of that. However, the team may be ok with moving on if Lynch keeps posting 62 yard performances.
Just to compare, here are four different running backs in the NFL and their game totals in terms of rushing yards this season-
Running back number one happens to be Kansas City’s Knile Davis. Number two is Lynch, number three is former Seahawk Justin Forsett while number four is former Washington State Cougar Chris Ivory.
3. Nine
Number of different receivers who caught passes from Russell Wilson. These included the previously mentioned rookies, Kevin Norwood and Paul Richardson as well as Lynch, Doug Baldwin, Robert Turbin, Luke Willson, Ricardo Lockette, Jermaine Kearse and Cooper Helfet.
4. One
Punt returned by Richard Sherman. In actuality, the cornerback called for a fair catch on the play. It’s only the second punt return in Sherman’s career. His other punt return was scored as a loss of six yards.
5. 58
Kicker Steven Hauschka’s longest field goal on the day. The place kicker made both of his field goals and only has one miss all year. Over the course of his four years in Seattle, Hauschka has only missed 11 field goals, and has only missed six in the last three years.
This isn’t going to be as plentiful as the last time I did this. Before that it was a Tigers-Rays regular season game in Tampa, a Euro 2012 semi-final where my Italians knocked off the mighty Germans 2-1 thanks to a brace from Mario Balotelli and that year’s NBA draft. This time I’m taking it a little easier. Seahawks/Titans is the only order of business.
1:05
Titans receiving the kickoff to start the game. Here comes Ryan Fitzpatrick. If these teams played last year in Seattle, it would have been interesting seeing as former UW Prodigy Jake Locker and old friend Matt Hasselbeck were the Titans options under center. Now Hasselbeck is making fun of Andrew Luck’s cellphone in Indianapolis and Jake Locker is out injured. Ergo Ryan Fitzpatrick.
1:12
Russell Wilson starts the game off with a completion to Luke Willson after Tennessee punts away. Max Unger is back in the fold, Michael Bowie starting at right tackle.
1:13
For Tennessee to have any success, the general consensus is to put pressure on Russell Wilson. Good luck in the loud noise. Honestly, good luck. It’s so loud in there you can’t think about what you want for lunch, let alone play an NFL game.
1:17
High snaps continue for the Titans as they have second and 14 inside the 10. Chris Johnson is lined up on the “H” in Seahawks in the endzone pre-snap.
1:23
Titans score first on a field goal after showing a somewhat dejected-looking Jake Locker on the sidelines. Here’s hoping they don’t continually show the Ferndale native on the sidelines unable to play in his home state. A sad drinking game for any who partake in it.
1:28
Seahawks utilizing the read-option more and more as Russell Wilson gets a first down on a run. Also concerning that the Titans moved the ball somewhat easily on their first drive. They took it from inside the 10 to a short field-goal. All this is concerning considering that the Seahawks have generally shut down Chris Johnson. It’s been all Ryan Fitzpatrick. Seahawks have to improve; teams of their quality and ambitions can’t let Ryan Fitzpatrick carve them up at home. It’s a recipe for disaster.
1:33
The Titans have nearly double the yards the Seahawks do so far, not good. As I say this, Earl Thomas picks off Fitzpatrick on a high throw. Looks like he thought 6’1 Nate Washington was as tall as Kareem Abdul-Jabar.
1:35
Supposedly the Titans repeatedly watched tape of Marshawn Lynch’s Beast Quake against the Saints. That’s positive thinking. Also, it never gets old watching it. Go ahead, indulge yourself.
1:41
CBS graphic shows Ryan Fitzpatrick is tied for the fourth most giveaways by a quarterback since 2011 with an astounding 50. Fifty. Titans backed into a corner with turnover-happy Fitzpatrick in Seattle against a team that forces a lot of turnovers. Going to be a long day if the Titans’ QB can’t buck his recent trend of turnovers.
1:42
Another semi-dejected Locker sideline shot. That’s two.
1:44
Fitzpatrick throws another high pass on a completed slant rout on third down. You have to wonder if the noise is a factor with all the high snaps and throws. Meanwhile Chris Johnson runs into another wall running the ball.
1:46
Titans left tackle Michael Roos went to college at Eastern Washington. So that’s fun.
1:49
Golden Tate gets hit in the head on his way out of bounds during a tackle. Multiple penalties not called by the refs.
1:50
“We’re in Seattle. It’s not raining.” This the latest from the commentators.IT DOESN’T RAIN EVERY DAY!
1:52
Seahawks going to run into money problems at some point in time. They will have to give Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, etc. The Seahawks should have money to spend long term with Sidney Rice and Zach Miller’s respective contracts coming off the books. ‘Hawks have long-term replacements lined up with Anthony McCoy, Luke Willson, Jermaine Kerse and Doug Baldwin respectively.
1:57
Beast Mode slams it into the endzone for his fourth rushing score of the year. Incidentally, also on fourth and one on the goal line.
2:08
Steven Hauschka being tested for concussion-like symptoms on the sidelines. Or at least that’s what it looks like. Not a good thing to see, let alone from your kicker, important position that. Also carries more importance considering how superb Hauschka has been this year on kicks.
2:10
Jon Ryan warming as if to kick a late field goal. Have to wonder who emergency holder is. Was previously Ryan’s gig.
2:12
Ryan lines up for the late field goal, bad hold, botched play results in a turnover. Tennessee returns it for touchdown. The importance of special teams, and even holding, becomes clearer than ever.
Halftime
Potential 10-3 lead turns into 10-7 deficit. Sighs heavily. Also Houston lost again. They could have at least been helpful and beat St. Louis for us.
2:40
So far no semi-dejected Jake Locker sightings in the second half. On a non-related note, Seahawks have to get into a more consistent flow on offense. Too much stop and go. Tennessee is much better than advertised.
2:43
Everything goes wrong for Seattle. Sidney Rice sticks the ball forward for no apparent reason after a catch for a first down. Titans knock the unprotected ball out and recover the fumble. In the ensuing pile-up to get the ball, ‘Hawks called for a flag. Extra 15 yards added on after Tennessee recovers the fumble. Fun times indeed.
2:46
Seahawks lose the challenge on the play. Why on earth did Sidney Rice reach the ball out? I just can’t wrap my head around it.
2:47
Fitzpatrick continues to make throws that look antsy. Lots of high snaps and throws.
2:51
Derek Coleman fumbles on a catch out of the backfield, ball gets knocked strait out of bounds. Seahawks catch somewhat of a break. Second down.
2:56
Who would have thought that Russell Wilson and Ryan Fitzpatrick would be out-rushing Marshawn Lynch and Chris Johnson? Strange times.
3:06
Titans have the ball after a Hauschka field goal. Great to see the kicker back out on the field. And another Locker sighting. That’s three if you’re playing along at home. Chris Johnson continually getting stopped on nearly every run. Only 33 yards so far. At least it’s a step up from last week’s 17 yards.
3:09
Seahawks got somewhat lucky with their scheduling this year. They got the AFC South in terms of another division they had to play outside of their own. It would have been easier if Seattle got Indy and Houston, the division’s best teams at home and had to travel to the two lesser teams on the road. However, it’s better for the team going forward to face the adversity on the road. The Seahawks are always going to be favored at home. Might as well face adversity, and gain from it, on the road than win some cupcake games. This will likely help the team in the playoffs and moving forward. Also the telecast just showed a seagull flying across the field. Strange.
3:10
Chris Johnson looks shaken up after a long screen play. Titans look short after Darius Reynaud tried to slam it in there for a first down on third and short. Titans going for it.
3:15
Tight end Luke Willson makes a nice block on a long run from Robert Turbin. The rookie has shown well in the running and passing game so far. Boy can Pete Carroll and friends draft ‘em.
3:20
Hauschka kicks a field goal to put the team up 13-10. 11:23 left in the game. Seahawks will get a test here in terms of closing out a close game.
3:23
RICHARD SHERMAN YOU ARE RIDICULOUS. The league’s best cornerback gets another pick. No dejected Locker shots following the pick. Seahawks back to work on offense.
3:25
The Seahawks outgaining the Titans 188 to 33 in terms of total yards. A huge turnaround from first half when they only outgained the Titans 153 to 121. Another example of Pete Carroll’s ability to make adjustments at half time. Not a terrible thing to have in your back pocket.
3:30
Sidney Rice makes a ridiculous catch on the sidelines, keeping both feet in bounds while falling out of bounds. That and a Beast Mode touchdown the next play equals a 20-10 lead for Seattle.
3:35
After signing Sidney Rice and trading for Percy Harvin, the team has now taken the Vikings top two offensive weapons, at the time, not named Adrian Peterson. Watch out Minnesota, we’re coming for Cordarelle Paterson in 2015.
3:41
Earl Thomas absolutely losing it after applying a big hit on Damian Williams. Sprints 30 yards and then knocks over Kam Chancellor. Did I mention all this was on an incompletion?
3:44
Another dejected Locker shot. That’s four.
3:45
Five on the dejected Locker shots.
3:46
A field goal pulls Tennessee within a score. Tennessee now has a dilemma whether to kick off and play the timeout game or to onside it. They kick it long and Jermaine Kearse rips off a big return.
3:53
Seahawks have to keep getting first downs and run down the clock. As I say this, Lynch rips off a big game. Six is the count on the Locker shots.
3:55
Seattle lines up in victory formation, runs the clock out. Game over. Seahawks move to 5-1. Next up for Seattle is Thursday in Arizona. Yikes. Crowd chanting “hey, hey, hey goodbye.” Got to love it.
You can see the post in it’s entirety over at knowhitter as well. That can be seen here.
