My Draft Scenario

Here is my pre-Combine Mock Draft.

Round 1 - Landon Collins S Alabama. If KC can get over an assumed Alabama bias, I think they make the right choice in Collins. The SS spot now becomes a battle with Shamarko. I believe Troy does not come back. And in reality, if he does, the selection should stay the same. Other options - I liked Quinton Rollins but with only 1 yr, we need someone who can step in and start relatively early. I am not sold on any of the OLB prospects who will be available at 22. Plus I have FA notes below. If OT Andrus Peat Stanford falls, I would be happy with this pick. If Collins does not make it past Cincy, one pick before us, I believe you have to go Maxx Williams TE Minn.

Round 2 - This one is a real struggle as I believe there will be many worthy candidates. I have to go corner and Alex Carter out of Stanford. 6' and 200lbs. I think he's perfectly valued at this spot. If he is gone, I would jump on Nate Orchard OLB Utah or Arik Armstead DE Oregon (or Anthony Harris S Virginia if we don't go Collins in rnd 1). After the first 15 of the draft, it seems to me the players most likely available at 1.16 thru 2.16 are just about equal (at our positions of need). If we can get a trade down and pick up another 2nd rounder and a 5th, that would be a great too.

Round 3 - Markus Golden OLB Missouri. A DE convert, who shows good hands and hustle. 6'2 255lbs. Will need some development to a full time OLB role. I'm interested in seeing his shuttle and cone times this next week. A couple other guys in the mix are Laken Tomlinson OG Duke (versatile competitor), Malcolm Brown NT Texas to rotate along the DL, and Jaquiski Tartt S Samford if Collins and Harris are not available.

Round 4 - David Johnson RB Northern Iowa. 6'1 215lbs. A definite rushing/receiving threat. Perfect replacement for Bell's suspension and back up. Jeff Heuermann TE OSU could be an option if Johnson is not available and Williams was not selected in rnd 1.

Round 5 - Damian Swann CB Georgia. 5'11 180 Probably the nickel/slot corner and took coaching very well at Shrine Bowl. Have to double dip at the CB position in this draft and Swann or another corner should be in play here. WR Tre McBride another Shrine game standout from Tomlin's alma mater could be a nice alternative here also.

Round 6 - Tyler Kroft TE Rutgers. Obviously if Williams or Heuermann are selected they go another position. He's a solid all around TE if they are not complacent with the position after getting Blanchflower last year. Craig Mager CB Texas St could be another CB depending on how rnd 5 goes. There also has to be an off. lineman who would offer good value.

Round 7 - Tough to project here but QB Shane Carden out of ECU could be a nice pick up and push Landry Jones off the roster finally. He's mentally superior to Jones imo. Defensive end Noah Spence could be a selection here as well although he was suspended for all of 2014 at Ohio state. He would have to pass all the checks from KC and crew, but that would give them their annual OSU selection in the draft, lol. Any LBer who can contribute on special teams may be added here as well. Maurice Falls OLB ECU ran a 4.47 40 and has a vertical of 36", 425lb bench and 645 squat. Danny Smith could work with that.

Free agency: Re-sign Moats for OLB depth and injury starter, Worilds probably walks so another FA OLB needs signed. RB Roy Helu would be nice.

 

I'd be fine with Collins Rd 1 as he'll lay the lumber. I would not shy away from Rollins because of his lack of experience. His thievery skills will translate well from the court to the field. Double-moves and the long ball may be his initial weakness, but with Polamalu out of the lineup our safeties should be in place to cover the deep field.

I'd be very happy with any of your 2nd round selections, especially Armstead. I think we could go Harris in the 2nd even if we take Collins in the 1st.

For all the talk out there about Brown (Malcolm), do you think he lasts until the 3rd? I guess Nix did last year, but I see Brown as a better prospect. A lot of people are talking 1st.

I think re-signing Moats should be one of our top FA priorities.

 

i agree on almost everything you wrote , just i would add mauldin and jalen collins in rd 2 or 3

 

I thought he might go higher as well, but you are right, I kind of modeled it after last years position with Nix. I think Shelton, Goldman and Phillips may go in rounds 1-2. Depends on how teams view the NT. Seems like a lot of 3-4 teams are set at NT. Ngata may be a free agent too. I would like the pick (great character by all accounts too) but with all the variable fronts, the position as a whole may slip spots in the draft.

 

if we get out of this draft with Collins and swann, I would be thrilled. swann can just play football. he doesn't have the measurables everyone will want but he makes plays. I love the kid.

Collins goes without saying. I think he is one of the top 5 players in this draft. if we can get him at 22, it would be the steal of the draft. for the record Thomas could not keep him of the field. he would continue to be a backup

 

http://seahawksdraftblog.com/damian-swann-could-be-a-future-seahawks-cb-friday-notes

good article on swann.

 

http://www.bigblueview.com/2015/1/2...ospect-profile-david-johnson-rb-northern-iowa

article on RB David Johnson with a Bell comparison at the end.

 

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article7911855.html

article on OLB Markus Golden. Team captain which I didn't know. "I take pride in not having loafs". Love it.

another one

http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/st...aking-strong-impression-at-senior-bowl-012315

 

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...n_nfl_draft_chances_despite_dip_in_stats.html

tyler kroft article

 

Sign me up....the only doubt I have though is with LC not that I don't think he is a good player but isn't he more of a SS. We have Mitchell and I don't like his fit as a FS. Unless we plan on letting Mitchell go I think we really need a ball hawk back there. If you tell me LC can be that then let's roll.....

 

would you take tj clemmings if falls at 22 ?

 

I believe LC's strengths are more suited for SS. We would have to remain with Mitchell at FS. If Mitchell is a swing and miss again next year, they can cut him and have less of a hit due to his contract I think. Then they would have to address it in the 2016 offseason.

 

I probably would not, I know he's new to the position having played defensive end, so the refinement is not there. He seemed to extend his arms a lot and leave them there in pass pro, just asking the rushers to knock them away. But he's good in the run game, definitely a RT.

He could become very good with time but not enough for me to warrant passing up on some defensive talent in the first. He seems best with a team drafting late in the first that can afford a project. He may go to Green Bay and help with the potential loss of Bulaga.

 

i tend to agree i would ask the price of roos from tenessee

 

bama's defensive backfield got exposed late in the year. Collins coverage ability will really be exposed in the pros. he's a good thumper but we need better coverage back there.

harris from Virginia plays all over the field. Drummond from mich. st. is another good one at safety. rowe, gunter, grant all can pull double duty as corners or safety. there are many safeties in this one that could be good and not first round picks.

we also have a couple here already that could very well make some noise and are better cover safeties. I wouldn't mind teaming lewis back up with Drummond as they did in college as a possibility. especially if we managed to come away with waynes as the corner by some miracle. that "no fly zone" bunch from mich.st. the year before last was pretty darn good against the pass.

if we keep Mitchell, I don't want to waste a first round pick on another clone of his in Collins. I believe they are the same player.





I agree about clemmings. I think he drops out of the first. if you need a RT he may fit that bill but first round is pretty high for him I think. there are better options.


to be honest I'm leaning toward a scenario like this:

1. eli Harold OLB
2. clive walford TE - if they don't want a TE this early grab Anthony harris as a safety here and drop Drummond in the 4th for another position.
3. kevin white CB
4. kurtis Drummond S

 

i agree also on this ... if we lookat safeties in rd 2 harris and tartt are the best , then there are others like the one from stanford in late round but with all the safeties we have already i would take one of the two i mentioned in the second . then a cb and olb in first and third .. maybe trading down and up we can have with our first 3 picks
pj williams /carter /rollins ,
harris/tartt
mauldin/golden

 

I just think if we are serious about replacing heath in another year or two, walford is the guy.


koyack- 50 games- 44 receptions- 532 yards- 5 TD's
walford- 51 games- 126 receptions- 1,822 yards- 15 TD's
Williams- 25 games- 61 receptions- 986 yards- 13 TD's
james- 36 games- 78 receptions- 1,005 yards- 11 TD's

no use settling on a guy more in line with blanchflower just to pick one. walford, Williams, james, bibbs, Pruitt, boyle are all pretty good TE's. they have the best combo of size, speed and blocking ability to go with their receiving skills.

as for OLB, if we don't get Gregory or ray or beasly, I think porter can work with Harold from virginia or hunter from LSU or kikaha from washington and make us a good compliment to JJ. they are not flashy but solid players.

 

Harold is definitely a high motor guy. Would be interesting to see what he weighs in at the combine. I think he's listed in the 235-245 range which is pretty lean for our OLBs. Seems to have some trouble with contact which will not help holding the edge in the run game.

 

hopefully that's where Timmons can come in. keeping him close to the line more this year and allowing shazier to use his speed in more of a pursuit and coverage role frees up Timmons for the short area damage he's so good at. 10 lbs of muscle on Harold would make him quite formidable in a year or two. nearly every rookie needs some weight room training in the pros. the insticts seem to be there. shedding blocks seem to be there. hunter seems to be in that same mold. my preference would be kikaha.

I wouldn't be opposed to walford in the first either and one of the other OLB's in the second. I think he's gonna be a stud. it's all a work in progress.

harris I love though from Virginia as a safety. that guy is all over the place when you watch film on him or any other Virginia defender.

to be honest, I don't think KC gets a top TE until heath is gone. too much money tied up at that position. if egnew can block, he's got the receiving skills for a TE already here. blanchflower we will wait and see.

 

That's kind of my fear as well. I don't think they are giving up on Mitchell and Shamarko as well They are both more in the box players. I really want a center fielder back there ,I'm tired of our safeties being nowhere to be found on the deep balls.

 

I watch bama every week. I go to games and watch on tv. Collins is not a liability in any phase. he had to cover for a lot of inexperience in that secondary. they have lost a lot the past two seasons. he made sure the defense lined up properly and made plays all over the field. bama plays a ton of man coverage. the big plays came at the expense of inexperienced corners. cyrus jones was the only one with any experience at all.

nick perry was playing out of position at the other safety. trust me landon is the real deal. he plays hurt, he plays hard, and he plays smart. he is ready because of the system to play right away. see hightower, mosley, and Upshaw. he wont be there but if he is then its the no brainer pick of the draft

 

We need impact defenders at every position except maybe ILB and DL. I feel Collins fits that mold so if he's there it wouldn't be stupid if we took him as he'd likely bring the most impact to our defense. That would go a long way towards reclaiming the physicality title back from Baltimore, and if I see Crockett Gilmore or Owen Daniels celebrate another big 1st down or TD against us, I think I'll puke.

And if the deep field is truly a concern, even with Mitchell, Thomas and Collins, then we could still pick up a center-fielder later in the draft, like even in the 2nd, and it wouldn't be a waste. We need DB's not only CB's. If we got two new stud safeties I'd be fine with our returning CB's as they would be good enough. It all depends on how the dominoes fall.

 

The NFL's increasing infatuation with the passing game has made safety one of the more valued positions in today's defenses. An example of this came last year, when an unprecedented five safeties were selected in the first round. That's music to the ears of versatile ballhawks like Harris.

After seeing time in every game as a true freshman and emerging as a quality starter a year later (finished third on the team with 87 tackles), Harris exploded onto the national scene as a junior, leading the country with eight interceptions -- the most for the Cavs since Ronde Barber also picked off eight passes in 1994. Harris was far from just a one-trick pony, however, recording 80 tackles.

With opponents much more aware of his ball-skills in 2014, Harris' big plays dropped as a senior. He recorded just two interceptions but did show off his improved awareness and physicality as an open-field tackler, recording a career-high 108 tackles.
With a demonstrated knack for making game-changing plays and the versatility to play the deep middle or drop down in the box in run support, Harris ranks as one of the best all-around safeties of the 2015 draft.

 

STRENGTHS: Well-built athlete with light feet and fluid hips to change direction quickly. Forceful and reliable open-field tackler who often rips at the ball aggressively as he's taking opponents to the ground.

Better working downhill when he can attack the action, but has shown improvement in pass coverage, learning from past mistakes and improving his awareness in the deep half of the field.

Fluid in space and displays cornerback traits with his footwork, hips and transitional quickness to line up in man or zone coverage. At his best reading and reacting in the run game, attacking downhill like a physical missile with the technique and power to finish stops without hesitation.

WEAKNESSES: Trusts his eyes and can be deceived with good play-action or by savvy quarterbacks who will look one way and fire the other. Much more effective coming downhill in run support or protecting the middle on crossing routes than with his back turned to the quarterback. Possesses good but not elite speed and doesn't show the burst to recover when beaten initially. Doesn't possess great hands for the interception, dropping multiple potential interceptions over his career. Struggles of past Saban-coached defensive backs in the NFL is reason for concern.
Compares To: T.J. Ward, Broncos - If allowed to attack, Collins' aggression, physicality and knack for creating big plays could lead to him becoming a star in the NFL. He isn't a top-notch cover safety, however, and therefore should be complemented with other speedier options in the secondary.