Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft Q and A with 12th Man Rising

Leading up to the draft I thought it would be a good idea to have little question and answer sessions with experts of every team to give you a better look into what the team might be planning on doing for he N.F.L. draft. Today we have a conversation with Keith Myers of the Seahawks blog 12thmanrising.

Scouting reports for every player mentioned can be found here

1). AFter free agency what are the Seahawks biggest needs?
Linebacker. The Seahawks could still use 2 starters, though they did sign some insurance for the position in case the can’t get the right players via the draft. After that, they mostly just need depth at almost every position. They could also use a Guard to replace Robert Gallery, but my suspicions are that they will simply fill that spot with someone currently on the roster.

2). Since Pete Carroll has come to Seattle have the Seahawks followed a draft philosophy?

Surprise everyone with odd picks, then have them work out really well. The Carpenter-Moffitt duo last season comes to mind. The Seahawks were blasted by the media for both picks, but by the end of the season the offensive line had really grown to become a strength for the Seahawks. Another way to characterize their drafts is just bigger, stronger, and faster. Carroll and GM John Schneider often look for unique athletes with skills that can be exploited, rather than lesser versions of complete players, especially in the later rounds. The results is that the Seahawks are now a very athletic and physical team, as opposed to being full of undersized players before Carroll took over.

3). Is Matt Flynn the Answer at QB or do you expect them to take a QB somewhat early in the draft?

I think he’s the QB for 2012. Whether or not he’s the QB beyond that depends on his play. I just don’t see the Seahawks taking a QB this year, unless someone they like falls a lot further than expected. ESPN’s Mark Clayton recently said on his local radio show that Pete Carroll thinks that last season’s UDFA Josh Portis would be a third round pick this year. With Flynn and Tarvaris Jackson already on the roster, I don’t think they give up on Portis unless a major upgrade falls in their lap, and I just don’t see that player in this year’s QB class.

4). Who is a player the Seahawks seem to be interested onto?

Melvin Ingram is the player most often talked about by those who know the Seahawks and their unique defense. He’d play OLB in the base defense, and move up to DE on passing downs, thus filling both Seahawks 2 biggest pre-draft needs.

5). Could you describe a little bit about the Seahawks defensive philosophy to our readers?

It’s different than most teams Officially it’s a 3-4/4-3 hybrid defense, but that doesn’t describe it very well. One way to think of it is a very unbalanced defensive line, that really features a 330 lb run stopper at DE instead of the usual pass rush specialist you find at that position. Opposite him on the other side of the line, is a 250 lb. former LB who is the exact opposite in terms of abilities. He rushes the passers extremely well, but doesn’t hold up against the running game when they run right at him.

The entire setup is about creating mismatches that the coaches can exploit. Very few tackles, who are use to smaller pass rushers, can stand up to the strength of Red Bryant. Similarly, Chris Clemons’s pure speed off the end is also too much for most teams to contain for an entire game.

6). Are there any young players the Seahawks are expecting to step up and fill the needs from Question 1?

I don’t think so. Not in those positions. The Guard most likely to win the starting job is Paul McQuistan. He’s 29 and not what you’d call a young player. The players on the roster at LB who might fill in are LeRoy Hill and Barrett Ruud, neither of which are young either.

There are a few young players who the Seahawks are counting on though. Dexter Davis, who’s missed the past 2 season because of injuries, could very well be the answer at situation pass rusher. The coaches love him and think he could be a double digit sack guy even with very limited playing time.

Similarly, there’s a couple WRs who the Seahawks expect to have a major impact, those being Kris Durham and Ricardo Lockette. Both were rookies last season and had very limited rolls, but both appear to be in the long term plans for the Seahawks at the position.

7). Who is a player the Seahawks fans want in round one?

That would seem to be LB Luke Kuechley. Someone compared him to Brian Urlacher in a scouting report, and now he’s all the fans are talking about. The problem is that I don’t buy into the idea that the Seahawks would really be interested. Carroll talks about wanting to be very fast and physical at LB, and Keuchly is a smart instinctual player, but not an exceptional athlete for his position. I just don’t see the Seahawks going in that direction.

8). Overall how did the 2011 class play last year?

The results are mixed. 5th round pick Richard Sherman was the best of the class. He stepped in just before mid season when the Seahawks lost a pair of top corners, and proceeded to be one of the top 10 CBs in the league. LB KJ Wright also played very well. He beat out Aaron Curry for starting job on the strong side, which led to Curry being dealt to the Raiders.

The first 2 picks, OT James Carpenter and OG John Moffitt, both started for most of the year and were predictably shaky in the early going. As the season wore on, both improved, and Moffitt was particularly impressive the last couple of games before he was injured. Ultimately, the fact that both these lineman finished the year on IR was a huge blow for the Seahawks.

9). You’re a guy who follows the draft…who are some of your overrated underrated players?

Overrated:

Qunitin Coples – great athlete, but poor technique limits his effectiveness

Luke Kuechly – like I said above, he’s not the great athlete people want him to be. He’s really smart and will likely be a pro-bowler, but he wont be the transcendent player.

Justin Blackmon – He’s not a true deep threat. Think of him like a Michael Crabtree. He’ll be a playmaker, but he wont be a Reggie Wayne, Randy Moss, Megatron type #1 receiver.

Just about any QB. I keep reading everyone fawning over one QB or another. Other than Luck and RG3, all are flawed in more ways than one, and are a long way from being serviceable NFL players

Underrated:

David DeCastro – Hard to call a guy who might go in the top 10 underrated, but people don’t realize just how good he is. I read that a scout said he’s the best guard he’d ever seen. I know he’s only a guard, but he’ll dominate for the next decade for whatever team picks him.

Lavonte David – He’s an OLB who isn’t the typical 3-4 pass rusher. Instead, he’s just an all around great player who can cover TEs and backs, as well as play great against the run. Expect him to make a huge impact for a 4-3 defense, and be available mid round 2.

Dont’a Hightower – I get that he’s a bit slow, but the dude is pure power. He profiles well as a 3-4 ILB or as a 4-3 MLB as long as he’s the LB who comes off the field in the nickel package. Seahawks and Steelers fans will recognize the name Levon Kirkland from a decade ago. Same type of player.

10). Anything else to add?

Being a Seahawks fan in the Pete Carroll Era has brought about an unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable benefit: Watch draft pundit squirm and try and justify why they gave the Seahawks an “F” or “D” draft grade a year later when they’re forced to regrade the draft as an “A” or a “B.” It’s happened both years that PC has been here. Be careful not to grade his draft’s too harshly just because it doesn’t make sense at the time.

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