Seahawks replace defensive holes and plan for the future following NFL Draft last weekend
May 6, 2015
The Seattle Seahawks went into the 2015 draft with high hopes after past success. This draft may not have the biggest names, but I believe the Seahawks filled the few holes they had and added depth in other areas. As usual, the Seahawks made some surprising picks in this draft.
Frank Clark
With the team’s first selection of the draft, the Seahawks took a defensive end from the University of Michigan. This was the most interesting pick of the draft in my eyes; Clark was dismissed from the Michigan football team two games before the season ended after being arrested for domestic violence. There is little doubt in anyone’s eyes that he has the tools to be a good defensive end, but the biggest question mark is his off-the-field issues.
Tyler Lockett
The Seahawks traded up for him, moving to the 69 pick. Lockett is a wide receiver from Kansas State University. The biggest advantage of this pick is that Lockett was a good college kickoff and punt returner. The Seahawks’ return game was pathetic this last season, so finding a player to hold down the return job was very important in the draft. On top of that, he had the fifth most yards in the nation on deep balls. A deep receiving threat would be a nice compliment to Jimmy Graham inside.
Terry Poole and Mark Glowinski
I am combing these two picks because I believe they were brought in to compete against each other for the center job with the loser adding depth to the inside of the offensive line. Both players lined up at center in parts of their college career and are almost identical size. Poole stands 6-foot-5, 307-pounds, while Glowinski is 6-foot-4, 307-pounds.
Adding a center became a priority for the Seahawks after trading away Max Unger to the New Orleans Saints. Along with that opening, we lost James Carpenter this off-season to the New York Jets so finding a replacement there would be an added bonus.
Tye Smith
In the fifth round, the Seahawks added support at the corner position. Smith is a 6-foot, 190 -pound corner that fits the build of physical corners that the Seahawks love having. Smith played college ball at Townson University. Losing Byron Maxwell in free agency and the slow development of Tharold Simon forced the Seahawks into looking for more depth at the corner position.
Obum Gwatcham
This is a definite project pick for the Seahawks. Gwatcham is a defensive end from Oregon State University. He only played one year as a defensive end; prior to that he was a wide receiver. His late transition most likely shows there is a lot of development left. Coming from the wide receiver position, it is easy to see that he will be a fast pass rushing defensive end, very similar to Cliff Avril. This could be a very nice get for a sixth rounder if he continues to develop.
Kristjan Soloi
The offensive line was a major area of concern after losing two starters this off-season, so the Seahawks drafted Soloi to get more depth in the sixth round at the guard position. Soloi is an offensive guard from the University of Buffalo. He stands at 6-foot-5, 290 pounds, and is a very athletic lineman, which normally works well in a zone blocking scheme, like the Seahawks have.
Ryan Murphy
With their final pick in the seventh round, the Seahawks took a safety from Oregon State University (OSU). Murphy is a player that has a ton of experience starting in college. He started 38 games over four years for OSU and is a consistent player that shows great durability. The Seahawks saw their back safety leave this off-season so adding some more depth in that spot was a very good thing.