Much to my surprise, the most common individual predicted to be taken by the 'Hawks in the first round was Erasmus James, a defensive end out of Wisconsin that had long thought to be long gone before the 'Hawks would get to choose. Apparently, recent health issues have dropped him down the board, and as he's been called the best pass rusher in the draft, he would be a good fit at DE for Seattle.
Following James on as the most commonly predicted draft picks are a quartet of defensive ends, David Pollack from Georgia, Matt Roth from Iowa, Dan Cody from Oklahoma and Demarcus Ware from Troy State.
The last commonly predicted draftee is Fabian Washington, a cornerback out of Nebraska. The remaining 22% or so were all individuals mentioned only once including CBs Marlin Jackson from Michigan, Carlos Rogers from Auburn, and Justin Miller from Clemson, LB's Channing Crowder from Florida and Kevin Burnett from Tennesee.
The merits of Matt Roth and David Pollack have both been expounded upon greatly on this blog already, and their appearance on several mock drafts comes as no surprise. The appearance of Erasmus James, however, is worth discussing, since he may in fact be a superior talent than those we've previously expressed our desire for, it was simply always assumed that he'd be long gone.
The other most notable statistics from this research is how nearly everybody and their mother predicts that the 'Hawks will grab a defensive end in the first round, with a focus on the pass rush. This just goes to show that we're pretty much on the ball around here, since that has been most of our main concern all along.
Also of note, is the significance of drafting a cornerback. All of the mocks that I looked at have been updated this month, so should include the impact of signing Kelly Herndon on their predictions.
I took the liberty of determining the average predicted draft position for several 12 Seahawks Street blog favorites and found that Pollack's and Roth's average posistions are 20.5 and 30.3 respectively, putting them both in the range where they could be available. Also, some of you can quit having "special" dreams about Shawne Merriman, as it's been nearly universally predicted that he will be taken by Dallas at the 11th pick (his average position is 10.4). Lastly, it had been suggested that Justin Tuck would be a useful pick, but at an average draft position of 42, he would be quite a stretch for the 'Hawks.
I also perused what second round mocks were available, and while none of them really suggested the same players, there was a marked trend that the 'Hawks will draft for offense in round #2. This is opposite from the believe (97% predicted) that they will take defense in the first round. Several of the predictions are for RB's in the second round, leading to the conclusion that most prognosticators expect a relatively serious problem with Alexanders playing time or employment with the 'Hawks.
Check - great post, but you need to touch up some of the text wrapping around the graphics.
ReplyDeleteIf you Edit this post and go into Compose mode, you can grab the pictures in WYSIWYG mode, and reduce them slightly to fit better in the frame.
Then you can add a few hard returns in the text areas that are wrapping funky around the pix.
If you need help, holler, and I'll hop in if needed.
Oops...meant to post this here!
ReplyDeleteI've never had the time to follow college football that closely, so I'm getting an education via this blog and the fan sites about who and where we will be picking.
I've always liked the draft show though, cuz it gives you so much optimism and promise for the coming year, which tends to carry you through the summer until the season starts.
However, now that I've found these on-line resources, it's like the season never ended.
I've been a Seahawks fan since they were born, but I've NEVER been THIS into it in APRIL before in my LIFE!
check, outstanding post!!!
ReplyDeleteYou should really link this to other sites like the P-I and .net they would love it! Very well done!
Erasmus James is a very solid pass rusher but I am a little concerned about his health myself. I am also not convinced that he'll slide to #23, but if he does, he'll be the best player on the board. I am still hoping to see Matt Roth in a Seahawks uniform this season, what a complete animal he is! I also really like Pollack. Pollack is a bit undersized, but he too, is an outstanding pass rusher. I will be ecstatic if the Hawks get any of those three with the first pick.
I think part of the reason I love this post so much is that it precisely states exactly what I have been saying for over a month now. Forget Merriman, it's not going to happen, forget Tuck, he's a huge reach, try thinking more along the lines of David Pollack or Earasmus James(if they slide to us) or more likely, Matt Roth, who will be available isn't a reach and has all the qualities Ruskell and co. is looking for, hard worker, intelligent, BRUTALLY AGGRESSIVE, not blazing fast but quick, and most of all, never ever takes plays off and plays whistle to whistle. Pollack and Erasmus also fit the mold of great work ethic aggressive players. In fact they both have more polished and ready for the NFL pass rush skills than does Roth, which is part of the reason I don't see them falling to us, though if they did (and James has had some injury concerns so he might) they would be awesome picks. Bottom line, I would be elated with any of those three guys, and realistically we should be able to get one of them.
ReplyDeleteAgain, great post check!
Check,
ReplyDelete*wiping tear from eye*
I love you, man!
This is a great post, seeing all these mock drafts individually can make you crazy, thanks for spending the time to collate them.
ReplyDeleteI think James is a pretty good candidate for bust based on his weight and prior injuries to his legs; ankles knees and hip, but his game is great. I like Pollack the best for the DE's. He's the heaviest of the three, but still quick and high effort. I love when the scouts/analysts call a top five prospect at his position an "overachiever", they always write it as a bad thing, but I would rather have the lesser prospect who is motivated than the best prospect who is lackadaisical.
Roth is also a great prospect for us at DE, you gotta love a guy this tough, and who has the skills. He would be my second choice, but not a bad one at all. I suspect we'll get either Pollack or Roth.