2022 NFL Draft

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

I think Penny is a talented dude too and he has finally started showing he has the chops to be great, but he has to show it all season before I’ll anoint him. Fingers crossed that he does with some timely spelling by this Walker fella. Penny has most certainly not lived up to his draft status, but, if his best is yet to come, we could potentially have a formidable rushing attack.

[NorthHawk]

Walker just might end up being the starting RB to start the season, he’s that good.

[Hawktawk]

Walker just might end up being the starting RB to start the season, he’s that good.

that’s fine with me. I’ll say the same as I say of Geno and Locke . If he plays like last year and Locke beats him look out. Even more so with Penney although my money is on him barring injury . He averaged 6.7 ypc in his first 6 starts set an NFL record in the process . Yeah if the rook is better hell yeah . Strap it on

[TriCitySam]

As I looked at it, Penny was not a reach. There were those, PFF being one, who felt he was a 1st round talent. He was quick and broke tackles, ranked above Chubb. Granted, until recently, he didn't play to his college level. But to say they reached, is not correct by the pros who rated him going into the draft. Easy to look back and say they messed up - but going into the draft? He had all the things you looked for in a back. Don't judge the rationale now, at the time he fit.

[RiverDog]

Walker just might end up being the starting RB to start the season, he’s that good.

If Carson isn't coming back, then it's going to create a bit of a problem as Walker and Penny are similar in that their weakness is blocking and receiving, so they won't be complimenting each other, they'll be competing for 1st and 2nd down snaps, and with the OL in a bit of turmoil, we're going to need a good 3rd down back that can help out in pass protection. With Dee Jay Dallas being a good receiver out of the backfield, we could be seeing a running back by committee approach.

[Hawktawk]

Walker just might end up being the starting RB to start the season, he’s that good.

If Carson isn't coming back, then it's going to create a bit of a problem as Walker and Penny are similar in that their weakness is blocking and receiving, so they won't be complimenting each other, they'll be competing for 1st and 2nd down snaps, and with the OL in a bit of turmoil, we're going to need a good 3rd down back that can help out in pass protection. With Dee Jay Dallas being a good receiver out of the backfield, we could be seeing a running back by committee approach.

Penney had 360 yards rushing in his last 2 games . He’s going to be the feature back barring injury or this rook being all world

[RiverDog]

Walker just might end up being the starting RB to start the season, he’s that good.

If Carson isn't coming back, then it's going to create a bit of a problem as Walker and Penny are similar in that their weakness is blocking and receiving, so they won't be complimenting each other, they'll be competing for 1st and 2nd down snaps, and with the OL in a bit of turmoil, we're going to need a good 3rd down back that can help out in pass protection. With Dee Jay Dallas being a good receiver out of the backfield, we could be seeing a running back by committee approach.

Penney had 360 yards rushing in his last 2 games . He’s going to be the feature back barring injury or this rook being all world

They didn't draft Walker simply as insurance in case Penny gets hurt. He's going to get his touches, and being that he's not a great 3rd down back, it's going to come at Penny's expense. I could easily see a scenario where Penny gets 12-15 touches, Walker gets 6-8, and 4 or 5 to Dee Jay Dallas. Running back by committee.

[tarlhawk]

Interesting post by PFF in assigning an A- overall to our draft...it concerned their talking about Kenneth Walker III...

Kenneth Walker is one of the best pure runners to come out of college football in the past five years. Last season, Walker was one of two FBS running backs since 2017 to average over 4.0 rushing yards after contact per attempt and 0.3 missed tackles forced per carry on 250-plus carries; the other was his new teammate Rashaad Penny in 2017.

[obiken]

From SB nation:
Seattle Seahawks

Best pick: Charles Cross, OT (9)
Worst pick: None


I have zero problems with anything the Seahawks did in this draft. The team had a clear understanding it needed to improved its roster at every position but quarterback, and nailed the draft. I admire Seattle having an understanding of its position in a post-Russell Wilson rebuild, as well as knowing a QB-rich 2023 draft is around the corner. The Seahawks found value all over each round and have positioned themselves to rebound quickly as soon as they find a passer. Grade: A

Drafts like this 3-4 years ago would have went a long ways!

[obiken]

From SB nation:
Seattle Seahawks

Best pick: Charles Cross, OT (9)
Worst pick: None


I have zero problems with anything the Seahawks did in this draft. The team had a clear understanding it needed to improved its roster at every position but quarterback, and nailed the draft. I admire Seattle having an understanding of its position in a post-Russell Wilson rebuild, as well as knowing a QB-rich 2023 draft is around the corner. The Seahawks found value all over each round and have positioned themselves to rebound quickly as soon as they find a passer. Grade: A

I agree with him, but the RB pick could have been put off you had greater needs to address. River, Cbob, other disagree I am not sold out to a minor point. The big thing is Drafts like this 3-4 years ago, would have went a long ways!

[NorthHawk]

Don’t put much stock in these types of ratings.
Our 2012 draft was almost universally panned but ended up being one of the best in our history.

[RiverDog]

Drafts like this 3-4 years ago would have went a long ways!

That's the truth. Had we devoted more resources to the OL over the past few years, we wouldn't be trying to play catch up this season, and there's no greater example than our first pick last season when we bypassed Creed Humphrey to take a 3rd WR in an offense where we already had two Pro Bowl receivers. Now we have a huge hole at center with nothing but a band aid solution.

[obiken]

That's the truth. Had we devoted more resources to the OL over the past few years, we wouldn't be trying to play catch up this season, and there's no greater example than our first pick last season when we bypassed Creed Humphrey to take a 3rd WR in an offense where we already had two Pro Bowl receivers. Now we have a huge hole at center with nothing but a band aid solution.

I think the Tackle from WSU may end up being the steal of the draft.

[Old but Slow]

I keep returning to the thought (somebody in here brought it up) that PC/JS are better at building a team than they are maintaining one.

The selection of Lucas is a good example of that (and I agree with obiken that he is going to open some eyes) as is the general tenor of the selections. And doubling up on positions with 2 tackles, 2 corners, and 2 wide receivers fits with the competition model that seems to have lessened recently.

I am still smiling a lot, and I saved a bundle on my furniture repair budget.

[Hawktawk]

Walker just might end up being the starting RB to start the season, he’s that good.

If Carson isn't coming back, then it's going to create a bit of a problem as Walker and Penny are similar in that their weakness is blocking and receiving, so they won't be complimenting each other, they'll be competing for 1st and 2nd down snaps, and with the OL in a bit of turmoil, we're going to need a good 3rd down back that can help out in pass protection. With Dee Jay Dallas being a good receiver out of the backfield, we could be seeing a running back by committee approach.

Penney had 360 yards rushing in his last 2 games . He’s going to be the feature back barring injury or this rook being all world

They didn't draft Walker simply as insurance in case Penny gets hurt. He's going to get his touches, and being that he's not a great 3rd down back, it's going to come at Penny's expense. I could easily see a scenario where Penny gets 12-15 touches, Walker gets 6-8, and 4 or 5 to Dee Jay Dallas. Running back by committee.[/quote]

M if Dee Jay is taking carries away from either of these guys it’s the dumbest thing I ever heard of . Penney was the second most efficient runner in the league behind Josh Allen . He had more yards after contact last 6 games then Jonathan Taylor had ….this other guy sounds like another explosive player another handoff from a house call. If he beats out Penney I’m fine with it . Sounds like the possibility of 2 backs over 1 K. Dee Jay isn’t remotely capable of their level .
Homer should be the occasional change of pace guy due to his special teams play . Collins and Dee Jay not so much . Unneeded .

[tarlhawk]

I think DeeJay will be exposed to waivers during first cuts and Collins not re-signed/Carson traded. Penny should get the lion's share of touches with Walker as a rookie having the "hot hand" capability Pete Carrol mentioned in how nice it will be having Penny and Walker to emphasize his running plans for 2022 (and beyond?) I think Travis Homer wins over Dallas due to Special Teams play and best QB pass pro RB currently on team.

[NorthHawk]

I can see them keeping 4 RB's:
Walker
Penny
Collins
Homer

But there might be a UFA that we keep as well for insurance when Penny does his annual IR duty.

[tarlhawk]

I can see them keeping 4 RB's:
Walker
Penny
Collins
Homer

But there might be a UFA that we keep as well for insurance when Penny does his annual IR duty.

Collins is an unsigned unrestricted free agent currently...and Josh Johnson has some upside as a short yardage look.

[NorthHawk]

Doesn't mean he can't be re-signed.

[RiverDog]

I think DeeJay will be exposed to waivers during first cuts and Collins not re-signed/Carson traded. Penny should get the lion's share of touches with Walker as a rookie having the "hot hand" capability Pete Carrol mentioned in how nice it will be having Penny and Walker to emphasize his running plans for 2022 (and beyond?) I think Travis Homer wins over Dallas due to Special Teams play and best QB pass pro RB currently on team.

I agree with this. Homer isn't as good of a pure running back as Dallas, but he's a better all around back and special teamer. I could also see him getting a number of touches in passing situations, until or unless they get some confidence in either Penny or Walker's pass blocking.

[Hawktawk]

[quote="RiverDog"] m
DeeJay will be exposed to waivers during first cuts and Collins not re-signed/Carson traded. Penny should get the lion's share of touches with Walker as a rookie having the "hot hand" capability Pete Carrol mentioned in how nice it will be having Penny and Walker to emphasize his running plans for 2022 (and beyond?) I think Travis Homer wins over Dallas due to Special Teams play and best QB pass pro RB currently on team.

I agree with this. Homer isn't as good of a pure running back as Dallas, but he's a better all around back and special teamer. I could also see him getting a number of touches in passing situations, until or unless they get some confidence in either Penny or Walker's pass blocking.




Penney pass blocked just fine down the stretch . Jesus it was 6 career starts . I saw him stuff a couple guys vs AZ. As for Walker he’s a different runner than Penney entirely and can provide a devastating change up based on my film study . He’s more likely to make lateral moves whereas Penney is a true north south runner who is extremely good at setting up his blocks . Reminds me of a bit more physical Shaun Alexander with another gear . Both have home run potential . Homer is a st stud and deceptively capable back . Dee Jay was alright returning kicks but has never had more than 1 impactful games I can recall .
And for the detractors that say Penney couldn’t do squat till the last 6 games I did a little research . In 2019 on the road vs the Eagles Penney went for 138 on 14 carries, a 9.2 average sharing carries with Carson who was a plodder in comparison . I recall him blowing into the second level and a safety came in for a kill shot and Penney blew him up and didn’t even slow down . Pete left Carson starting the next couple weeks as Penney had another game with a 5.9 ypc on limited touches .

In week 15 he caught a pass in the left flat and was doing 100’mph and 16 yards downfield a DB clearly targeted his knee very successfully . I think it was AZ . It was his only touch of the game and last for most of a season . Had he been the starter maybe that’s not his play . Had he been the healthy starter who knows how that postseason may have gone .
I’m super excited for this offense and thus running game . Gonna shock the world baby

[NorthHawk]

Nick Foles is a prime example of a player that gets streaky then fades away.
I'm not saying Penny will do that, but there's more chance he goes back to his previous form than not.

[NorthHawk]

Here's a story about Walker.

https://theathletic.com/3279468/2022/05 ... th-walker/

It's behind a paywall but you can copy it and paste it into a notepad or word document (highlight all, copy and paste).
Word works best because of the formatting.

[c_hawkbob]

copy it and paste it

I sure can't.

[NorthHawk]

Open word or another doc creator like notepad (but notepad doesn’t format well if at all)
click on the link
don’t scroll down
cntrl A (this highlights the article)
cntrl c (copy)
go to the document
cntrl v (to paste)

[c_hawkbob]

Had no idea about Ctrl A, but that did the trick, thanks!

[Hawktawk]

Nick Foles is a prime example of a player that gets streaky then fades away.
I'm not saying Penny will do that, but there's more chance he goes back to his previous form than not.

Foles looked pretty good against Russ
I have no idea what will happen with Penney but I have some clues . He has off the charts physical skills as his per carry stats and touchdown runs in his limited action showed . He retained the speed after the injury took over a year of his career which is remarkable . He got better almost every start except the Rams where he was held to 39 yards on 10 carries as Dee Jay plodded along with 11 carries about the same result . As I’ve said taking a carry from Penney to give to Dee Jay is just dumb . What if Penney got all 21 of those carries? But last 3 135, 175 , 190 plus .
Beyond the remarkable play he said he wanted to be here after the season and he left money on the table to come back . Why do that if you don’t have a point to prove . Having fans rag on him for being injured for 3 seasons I’m surprised he wanted to come back . The biggest question to me is what it’s been..can he stay healthy . If he does he will play excellent . If he matched last 6 last year he’s Derrick Henry type good . Foles as a comparison ? Meh. There is a lot more nuance to being a QB, frankly I think Foles could start in the league still but he’s been hurt a lot too. I can’t think of another example of a back basically riding the pine then getting in rythm and suddenly hurt bad then a season and 2/3 ds later he’s setting NFL records . He’s a 4 year vet with about a year of mileage on him . Might wind up a steal after all unless this Walker kid eats up his Touches . May the best man win

[Hawk Sista]

River said:

They didn't draft Walker simply as insurance in case Penny gets hurt. He's going to get his touches, and being that he's not a great 3rd down back, it's going to come at Penny's expense

There is a difference between not being great and not getting an opportunity. Walker never dropped a pass for the Spartans, for example, and some “analysts” said he wasn’t a good receiver out of the backfield w/ only 19 catches. This says more about Spartan style football that it does about Walker’s capacity.

[c_hawkbob]

They didn't draft Walker simply as insurance in case Penny gets hurt. He's going to get his touches, and being that he's not a great 3rd down back, it's going to come at Penny's expense

There is a difference between not being great and not getting an opportunity. Walker never dropped a pass for the Spartans, for example, and some “analysts” said he wasn’t a good receiver out of the backfield w/ only 19 catches. This says more about Spartan style football that it does about Walker’s capacity.

The more I read about and watch Walker the more I suspect he'll be #1 on our depth chart soon. I didn't like the pick when it happened because I thought the position was way low on our priority list, be he looks like he could be a great one.

[Hawktawk]

They didn't draft Walker simply as insurance in case Penny gets hurt. He's going to get his touches, and being that he's not a great 3rd down back, it's going to come at Penny's expense

There is a difference between not being great and not getting an opportunity. Walker never dropped a pass for the Spartans, for example, and some “analysts” said he wasn’t a good receiver out of the backfield w/ only 19 catches. This says more about Spartan style football that it does about Walker’s capacity.[/quote]
The more I read about and watch Walker the more I suspect he'll be #1 on our depth chart soon. I didn't like the pick when it happened because I thought the position was way low on our priority list, be he looks like he could be a great one.[/quote]

You must suspect Penney will regress or be injured then or Walker is better then 6.1 ypc for his career with 10 or more touches. 360 yards last 2 games . If he can beat that look out . May the best man win . I like the pick . It’s just lots of people on this forum root against Penney so you can win a 4 year old argument . Razz old HT when he goes splat .

[NorthHawk]

Nobody in this forum wants Penny to fail. Absolutely Nobody.
However, over 4 years he's only had one stretch where he lived up to his draft position and has been unavailable for much of each year.
So we can't trust him to be healthy at any time during the season.
Maybe he will be injury free this year. That would be great, but if he isn't able to play a number of games, it's real good to have another
RB that is as good or maybe better than Penny on the team. It's insurance, but it's also a pick with a huge upside and that's where many
of us are hoping Walker is spectacular with the availability that Penny and Carson can't provide.
This year we won't have Wilson to drop dimes on deep receivers, and I expect us to run a lot more because of the dropoff in QB talent.
If not, we are going to be in a big mess, so RB is crucial to any success we have. And specifically with Penny, even our FO isn't sure
about him as they only gave him a 1 year prove it type deal.
So RB by default became a high priority this draft.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Not a lot of deep dimes being dropped by Wilson lately. I’m hoping we‘ll see some efficiency from Lock or Smith. Play within the offense, move the chains with short and mid routes, and hopefully hit some deep strikes when the opportunity presents itself.

[c_hawkbob]

Hey Tawk, instead of telling everyone what they "must think" (you're really not very good at it), maybe just stick to telling us what you think.

[RiverDog]

It’s just lots of people on this forum root against Penney so you can win a 4 year old argument . Razz old HT when he goes splat .

Now that's a ton of crap. We're all diehard Seahawk fans, and to think that any one of us, let alone 'lots" of us would root against a Hawks player hoping that he'd fail, knowing that our team would very likely fail with him simply to razz another poster is absurd.

[RiverDog]

Not a lot of deep dimes being dropped by Wilson lately. I’m hoping we‘ll see some efficiency from Lock or Smith. Play within the offense, move the chains with short and mid routes, and hopefully hit some deep strikes when the opportunity presents itself.

Both quarterbacks have a very poor career TD/INT ratio (Geno's is 34 TD's/37 INT's, Lock's 25 TD's/20 INT) and our OL is likely to be pretty green, so giving them a diet rich in short and mid range throws makes a ton of sense.

[Aseahawkfan]

Everyone on here would love Penny to blow up and suddenly become a superstar. We would all absolutely love it. If he became some runaway train racking up yards challenging for MVP like Shaun Alexander or just brutalizing opponents like Beastmode, then we would all be jumping for joy. Just some of us feel like the dude has to prove it like Alexander and Beast did for years. When Penny first got here, we all saw a big back with speed and were hoping he would be the next big Seattle RB making everything in the offense work better. But he started off slow, hit a lot of bumps, and hasn't lit things up until that six game stint in year 4. If he can build that into an amazing second contract career, that would be great.

I'm not gonna label him some kind of superstar before he proves it. It's the NFL. There are no could've, would've, should'ves. There's only production over years and championships. Everything done in the open, on the field, tracked and measured, and easily categorized in the W-L column or the stat sheet. That's why sports are great. No real debates save perhaps between the very top players on might be a little bit better than the other to be the absolute best. Otherwise, we all know who the best guy are. They earn being called the best or at least good enough to earn their contracts and help the team win.

So if Penny helps us in the future, awesome. I hope he succeeds. But he's gotta prove it and earn it like all the other Seattle greats. Even Pete makes the players earn it. Always Compete. The NFL isn't a trophy for participating club. It's a lay it all on the line for the ultimate football championship contested on a yearly basis.

[Hawktawk]

Everyone on here would love Penny to blow up and suddenly become a superstar. We would all absolutely love it. If he became some runaway train racking up yards challenging for MVP like Shaun Alexander or just brutalizing opponents like Beastmode, then we would all be jumping for joy. Just some of us feel like the dude has to prove it like Alexander and Beast did for years. When Penny first got here, we all saw a big back with speed and were hoping he would be the next big Seattle RB making everything in the offense work better. But he started off slow, hit a lot of bumps, and hasn't lit things up until that six game stint in year 4. If he can build that into an amazing second contract career, that would be great.

I'm not gonna label him some kind of superstar before he proves it. It's the NFL. There are no could've, would've, should'ves. There's only production over years and championships. Everything done in the open, on the field, tracked and measured, and easily categorized in the W-L column or the stat sheet. That's why sports are great. No real debates save perhaps between the very top players on might be a little bit better than the other to be the absolute best. Otherwise, we all know who the best guy are. They earn being called the best or at least good enough to earn their contracts and help the team win.

So if Penny helps us in the future, awesome. I hope he succeeds. But he's gotta prove it and earn it like all the other Seattle greats. Even Pete makes the players earn it. Always Compete. The NFL isn't a trophy for participating club. It's a lay it all on the line for the ultimate football championship contested on a yearly basis.

Ok first of all my apologies . We’re all big fans who are team first . It’s like politics in a way we just don’t always agree on what’s best . It’s just tough in cyberspace to make your point . I’ve never said Penney will rule the world or do a damn thing . I’ve said IF he’s who he was down the stretch last year and stays healthy Walker better bring his lunch pail and hard hat to beat him out .

I see a team that had 2 very unusual occurrences last year involving forgotten players . One was Geno outperforming his career average completion by 10% throwing no picks in 3 starts , 17 -21 targeting DK for 251 yards , 4 TDs and a passer rating of 151.5 targeting DK.
Penney was more dramatic , hurt , riding the pine 4 years in. I’ve been on record since he was drafted as thinking hies a stud that needs touches and he goes off. But even his biggest fan on the forum had begun to believe he was finished . Last 6 he looked like a more physical SA with another gear with more yards after contact then Jonathan Taylor had yards last 6 games . It’s a snapshot . I get it but it’s an eye popping one .
Walker looks great . As I’ve said Penney is a slippery north south runner and a load , walker is more of a slasher but short and very fast and powerful . I could see 2 backs over 1 K. It’s going to help anyone behind center .

[RiverDog]

Back to topic.

I'm seeing a wide range of grades for our draft. NFL.com has us at a C+, SB Nation has us at a C- even though they didn't have a single pick that they'd consider our worst. USA Today gave us an A. PFF gave us an A-.

We drafted two bookends that should be good pass protectors, but as North Hawk is quick to point out, nearly every tackle in the league has a learning curve adjusting to the NFL as the college game is so pass happy. I didn't like spending such a high draft choice on a running back as they're injury prone and few are 3 down players, but I've since gotten somewhat comfortable with it after looking at Walker's profile and that it could be a heck of a value when you consider he was the best RB in the Big 10. His short, stocky body could make him less injury prone, like Russell was.

I was pleased for several reasons: We did not draft a quarterback. It's a weak class and I don't want to toss a rookie into the fire when we're rebuilding, especially now when we're likely to have two rookie tackles. We did not reach for any picks so far as I can tell. No Irvins, no Carpenters, no Michaels, no Colliers. We did not trade down and instead, took the best player available when our turn came. It's quite a change from past drafts.

My grade is a B+. What's yours?

[Aseahawkfan]

I never bother to grade. I watch the draft every year. Listen to the hype or depression. Then wait to see how the guys do on the field.

The thing I'm always surprised about is every single draft pick is usually made to sound like they have some 90% chance of making it with some great story or unique athletic skill set.

The reality is that even in the very best draft years, maybe 4 players make it on to the team. Maybe one of those guys is an amazing all pro. One of our best drafts ever in 2012 produced Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner as our amazing players.

Then we got some decent play from Irvin, Sweezy, Jeremy Lane, and Robert Turbin.

10 total picks in an amazing draft and we got two probably Hall of Famers and 4 more guys that started for a while, but we're kind of good depth or league average maybe starters. And that's an absolutely amazing draft.

Our 2010 draft netted Okung, Earl, Golden Tate, and Kam Chancellor. Okung was a solid starter. Golden an above average receiver. Kam and Earl two of the best safeties to ever play the position.

Everyone else barely memorable.

When I'm looking at this draft, if we get 2 amazing players, a few starters, and some depth, we've had an amazing draft. But out of the 9 picks, we'll be lucky if one is an all star starter, another is a decent starter, and maybe a few depth players.

It will probably take a few years until we see.

[NorthHawk]

Exactly.
The 2012 draft was widely panned by these types of clowns.
The reality is we won’t be able to accurately grade this draft for 3 or 4 years so anything now is
just wild speculation.