The Seattle Seahawks entered the draft in hopes of snagging some franchise-changing players. They looked to improve their roster after a disappointing 9-7 season in 2017 and landed themselves nine potential NFL stars after a solid Draft. Below is the Seattle Seahawks 2018 NFL Draft Review.
The team made a few trades in the draft, including:
- Traded 18th and 248th overall to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for 27th, 76th, and 186th overall.
- Traded 76th overall to Pittsburgh Steelers for 79th and 220th overall.
- Traded 156th and 226th overall to Denver Broncos in exchange for the 149th overall pick.
These trades allowed the Seahawks to get the players that they wanted:
- First round, 27th overall: Rashaad Penny, running back, San Diego State
- Third round, 79th overall: Rasheem Green, defensive end, USC
- Fourth round, 120th overall: Will Dissly, tight end, Washington
- Fifth round, 141st overall: Shaquem Griffin, linebacker, UCF
- Fifth round, 146th overall: Tre Flowers, cornerback, Oklahoma State
- Fifth round, 149th overall: Michael Dickson, punter, Texas
- Fifth round, 168th overall: Jamarco Jones, offensive tackle, Ohio State
- Sixth round, 186th overall: Jacob Martin, defensive end, Temple
- Seventh round, 220th overall: Alex McGough, quarterback, Florida International
Seahawks 2018 draft grade: 8.0/10
Seattle Seahawks 2018 NFL Draft Review
The Best Player: Rashaad Penny
Nobody expected the Seahawks to pick a running back in the first round of the draft. But Pete Carroll and John Schneider knew this was the player they wanted and didn’t want to wait until their next pick, in the third round, to take him. Rashaad Penny was picked with the 27th overall pick, who the Seahawks would have taken with their original 18th overall pick before trading down. The pick may have been so good that Schneider said a team actually called after the pick to try an acquire Penny from them.
The Seahawks have been looking to replace Marshawn Lynch for the past few years and may have finally found their guy. Penny’s measurables are a near match to Lynch’s at 5’11 and 220 pounds. In Penny’s final season at San Diego State, his stats saw a significant improvement and he rushed for 2,027 yards and 19 touchdowns on 275 attempts and also averaged 7.4 yards per carry. Penny also became the third running back to be taken in the first round in franchise history.
Another honorable mention for the Seahawks best selection is defensive end Rasheem Green out of USC. The Seahawks picked him at 79th overall, hoping he could fill in one of the holes in the defense. Green comes as a replacement to Michael Bennett, who was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, and Sheldon Richardson, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
Green is just one piece to help the Seahawks bolster their defense back up to being lethal and number one in the league again. In his three years at USC, he had 115 total tackles, 16.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles with one returned for a touchdown.
The Head-Scratcher: Michael Dickson
After a trade with the Denver Broncos, the Seahawks selected punter Michael Dickson from Texas with the 149th overall pick. This selection had fans scratching their heads as the team already has a decent punter, Jon Ryan, on the roster. Although Ryan has been in the league for 13 years, Seattle may want to create another young roster like their Super Bowl-winning team in 2013.
Seattle must have seen something they liked in him to trade up or even draft him. Dickson, who was rated as the best punter in the draft, averaged 47.4 yards per punt in his three seasons at Texas, one of the best marks in the country. Nearly half of his punts ended up somewhere between the opponent’s one and 20-yard-line.
The Surprise: Rashaad Penny and Michael Dickson
The really only surprises of the Seahawks draft were the aforementioned running back Penny and punter Dickson. Like previously mentioned Penny wasn’t expected to go in the first round and frankly the Seahawks weren’t expected to pick a guy at his position that early. While punters do get drafted at times, it’s probably the last position where you’ll hear their names called. But these two could contribute tremendously to the team.
The Steal: Shaquem Griffin
Shaquem Griffin is a tremendous player with versatility on the defensive side of the ball. The Seahawks were able to pick him 141st overall. Many were surprised that he slid that far but no one wanted to really admit why; because of the concern of him having one hand due to a birth condition.
But his condition has not stopped him from becoming a great player and individual. During his career at UCF, Griffin finished with 195 total tackles, 18.5 sacks, three interceptions, and four forced fumbles. He proved he’s just like the rest after his combine performance after benching 20 reps (yes, with one hand) and running a 4.38 40-yard-dash, the fastest time ever recorded by a linebacker at the combine.
The Seahawks took interest in him from early on. They drafted his twin brother, Shaquill Griffin, the year before and also were the only ones to speak to him after his combine performance. Since the Seahawks defense has been declining and after losing several players, Griffin will add some spark to the linebacker position.
Most Likely to Turn Head During Training Camp: Will Dissly
After the loss of tight ends Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson this past off-season, the Seahawks needed to bring in a new tight end to help improve the offense. The Seahawks picked Will Dissly with the 120th overall pick in hopes of not just seeing him as a receiver but as a blocking tight end. Carroll even described Dissly as the best blocking tight end in the draft.
Dissly was originally a defensive end (which his size at 6’4″ and 265 pounds shows) but switched to tight end in his final two years at the University of Washington. He had 21 receptions for 289 yards and two touchdowns in his final season. It’s clear the Seahawks will expect to use him as an additional blocker to the long project called the offensive line.
The Rest
With the 146th overall pick, the Seahawks selected Tre Flowers, who played safety at Oklahoma State but was listed as a cornerback. Flowers will contribute to the Seahawks secondary and be among those to possibly replace Richard Sherman. Flowers finished his career at Oklahoma State with 284 total tackles, four interceptions, and four forced fumbles.
Fans were waiting to see when the Seahawks would draft an offensive lineman. Seattle did so with the 168th overall pick, when they selected tackle Jamarco Jones. Jones could be an immediate improvement for the offensive line. He’s 6’4″ and 299 pounds and has ideal upper body strength. In his final collegiate season, he earned first-team all-conference honors.
With the 186th overall pick, the Seahawks added another defensive end to replace Bennett and Richardson; Jacob Martin from Temple. As a senior, he had eight sacks and eleven tackles for a loss. His speed and explosiveness could leave an offense in pieces.
With the Seahawks final pick of the draft, they drafted quarterback Alex McGough out of Florida International. He became the second quarterback to be drafted under Carroll and Schneider. McGough threw for 9,091 yards and 65 touchdowns along with 37 interceptions in his college career. He managed to keep his quarterback rating above 110 for all four of his seasons at FIU. The Seahawks have been looking for a backup quarterback since they released Trevone Boykin after his arrest for domestic violence. McGough has a real chance to develop under top-five quarterback, Russell Wilson.
Main Photo:Embed from Getty Images
