Seattle Seahawks Draft Grades: Mixed Reviews From NFL Analysts On Seahawks Draft Picks
Seattle Seahawks draft grades are across the board this season. The first Seahawks draft pick was Texas A&M guard Germain Idedi with the No. 31 selection. A report from NFL.com gave the Seahawks an A grade for that pick. NFL analyst Chad Reuter explained the first-round grade.
“Trading down to grab an extra third-round pick in this very deep draft deserves a big grade. Then, the Seahawks got an equally big player in Ifedi, who can dominate at guard or tackle with some technique coaching.”
Then a report came out from Sports Illustrated with its first-round Seahawks draft grades. It was far less flattering, as SI NFL analyst Doug Farrar gave the Seahawks a C for the pick. It was among the worst grades that he handed out for the first-round selections. Bad grades from SI are nothing new for the Seahawks, but this review didn’t take into account how the team also acquired an additional draft selection and still wound up with an offensive lineman that they were targeting.
“The Seahawks have had all sorts of issues with their offensive line over the last few seasons, so it’s at least good that they’re addressing it in the first round for the first time since they took Russell Okung in 2010. However, Ifedi is a bit of a tweener at this point: very strong in his run sets but a work in progress as a pass protector. Perhaps the idea is to move him inside or see how he’ll work at right tackle, but this doesn’t do much for the worst position group in the NFL.”
A report from USA Today found some middle ground for Germain Ifedi, giving the Seattle Seahawks a draft grade of a B+ for the first-round pick.
“Russell Wilson is a happy man. The Seahawks offensive line was a mess last year and just lost left tackle Russell Okung in free agency. Now Seattle has a blindside protector with the potential to develop into a Pro Bowl if offensive line coach Tom Cable can coach him up.”
On Day 2 of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks made four selections that helped raise the profile of the team. Those picks were Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed, Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise, Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett, and Boise State guard Rees Odhiambo. Getting four selections really helps with draft grades, as it gives the analysts more players to focus on.
NFL.com gave the Seahawks an A as the draft grade for Day 2 (rounds two and three). Yahoo! Sports split up the grades based on the players, giving Jarran Reed an A-, C.J. Prosise a B, Nick Vannett a B, and Rees Odhiambo a B+. The combined grades worked out to a high B from Yahoo!, which was really good for the two rounds. CBS Sports also weighed in on Day 2, giving Reed an A, Prosise a B, Vannett a B+, and Odhiambo a B-. An early look at round 5 has yielded the Seahawks a draft grade of an A for selecting Quinton Jefferson.
The Seahawks were very active in the draft, making three big trades to improve the 2016 draft class. On Day 1, the Seahawks traded the No. 26 pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for the No. 31 (first-round) and No. 94 (third-round) picks. On Day 2, the Seahawks made a trade with the Chicago Bears to move up to the No. 49 selection in the second round. That pick required giving up a later second-round pick and a fourth-round pick for this year. Then on Day 3, the Seahawks pulled off a trade with the New England Patriots, one that was designed to move up in the fifth round.
Trade:#Seahawks get 147, 243 this year (seventh)
Patriots get 225 (seventh) and a fourth-rounder in 2017— Stephen Cohen (@scohenPI) April 30, 2016
The moves created a situation where the Seahawks have 10 draft picks, giving the team a lot of young depth to work with when the summer camps get started. It should lead to a lot of positional battles when the preseason games get started in August and create some added excitement for Seahawks fans.
Seattle Seahawks 2016 NFL Draft Picks (Updated)
Round 1 (31): Germain Ifedi, OG, Texas A&M
Round 2 (49): Jarran Reed, DT, Alabama
Round 3 (90): C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame
Round 3 (94): Nick Vannett, TE, Ohio State
Round 3 (97): Rees Odhiambo, OG, Boise St.
Round 5 (147): Quinton Jefferson, DT, Maryland
Round 5 (171)
Round 6 (215)
Round 7 (243)
Round 7 (247)
As the final rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft play out, Seattle Seahawks fans can keep up with the live picks on a site the team created.
[Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images]
