However, there’s a late flag regarding Fautanu’s health.
One of the prospects who has been most frequently connected with the Seahawks has been Washington left tackle Troy Fautanu. He is by far the most popular mock draft pick at No. 16 overall and at least in theory would fit in like a glove with Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff, who he worked with the last two seasons.
“Washington OT Troy Fautanu’s knee was flagged. That one was described to me as the sort of issue that shouldn’t be a problem in the short term, but could wind up impacting his longevity in the pros…”
This is pretty far from ideal, especially considering that Seattle’s starting right tackle Abe Lucas has a long-term knee problem of his own that kept him on the sidelines for 11 games last season.
Fautanu is still an excellent prospect overall and a great fit for what Seattle wants to do, but this could be disqualifying – especially considering the depth at offensive tackle in this draft class there’s no need to roll the dice on a prospect with a medical red flag.
The real focus of this draft should be at the line of scrimmage, which is where the biggest gulf is between Seattle and potential Super Bowl teams.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider likes to talk about drafting quarterbacks every year, which is what the Packers front office would have taught him when he was coming up as an executive. However, in practice Seattle has mostly avoided drafting quarterbacks and seems to strongly prefer players with pro experience over rookies at this spot.
The 2024 NFL draft offers a deep and strong class of QBs. However, the latest buzz coming via Adam Schefter at ESPN suggests they won’t be picking one because they feel comfortable with Sam Howell backing up Geno Smith. Here’s what Schefter is hearing regarding Seattle.
“With regards to Penix, though, it should be pointed out that the Seahawks are high on quarterback Sam Howell, whom they traded for last month, and feel he offers some unique advantages. The 23-year-old Howell started 18 NFL games for the Commanders, is the same age as Penix (and Daniels) and is one year younger than Bo Nix (Oregon). Macdonald and the Seahawks feel they have invested in their future at the position with a player who already has game experience. Bypassing a quarterback also would be consistent with Seattle and continue an odd trend for the franchise.”
This does make sense on some levels, especially considering Howell’s age compared to most of the ’24 quarterbacks. The Seahawks also have a very solid starter in Geno Smith, who seems to be getting better with age rather than declining.
Then again, we have to remember that teams gain exactly nothing from even suggesting their plans to a reporter – especially with three days to go before the draft. Also, history shows the team rarely if ever goes with the conventional wisdom about what they’re planning. Seattle has also met with several QBs, including JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix and Spencer Rattler.
Our best guess is that they would like to take a quarterback but won’t force it. If Michael Penix is still on the board at No. 16 overall or Rattler at 81 then they will at least strongly consider it.
However, the real focus of this draft should be at the line of scrimmage, which is where the biggest gulf is between Seattle and potential Super Bowl teams. Last season they were dominated on both sides of the line by every contender they played with the exception of Detroit.
Over the years Green Bay has proven there’s value in the long run in drafting quarterbacks before you need them. However, the quickest path back to the playoffs for this team right now is building up those offensive and defensive lines.
New head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff have been busy over the last couple of months preparing for this day.
The Seattle Seahawks are back in the building at the VMAC today for the start of the team’s voluntary offseason program. New head coach Mike Macdonald and his staff have been busy over the last couple of months preparing for this day, forgoing the Scouting Combine so that they could focus on installing new game plans in all three phases.
Macdonald comes to Seattle from Baltimore, where he served as the Ravens’ defensive coordinator last season when they led the league in every meaningful defensive category. On offense the Seahawks will be learning from Ryan Grubb, who did superb work with the Washington Huskies over the last two seasons. Jim Harbaugh’s son Jay will be taking over as special teams coordinator, fresh off a national title at Michigan.
Learning the playbook is all players will be focused on for this first phase of the offseason and as we approach the preseason practices will get increasingly physical.
Other teams with first-year head coaches that will start their offseason program today include the Patriots, Panthers and Titans.
Seahawks send 3 assistants to watch Michigan Pro Day
By and large, the initial waves of free agency have come and gone. Now, teams are gearing up in full force for the 2024 NFL draft. Such is the case for the Seattle Seahawks, who have taken a trip to Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The reigning National Champions, the Michigan Wolverines, are hosting their annual pro day for their NFL prospects. In attendance are coaching representatives for the Seahawks.
PRO-DAY UPDATE: Only fitting that national champs @UMichFootball, with record 18 Combine invitees, have biggest NFL turnout for pro-day.
Here's list of NFL attendees who'll be in Ann Arbor today, including former UM & current Chargers coaches Jim Harbaugh, Jesse Minter, & Ben… pic.twitter.com/yWQF0LbPxj
Seattle’s offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb made the trek to Michigan. He was joined by offensive line coach Scott Huff and linebackers coach Josh Bynes. Interestingly, head coach Mike Macdonald was not there. Seeing as though he was previously defensive coordinator for the Wolverines, his absence is at the very least notable.
Still, having top assistants there does mean quite a bit, especially when one is the man in total control of the offense.
The biggest name is of course quarterback JJ McCarthy, whom the Seahawks have met with. By nature of them acquiring Sam Howell via trade, it seems unlikely McCarthy will end up in Seattle. But then again, this is the NFL, and nothing is ever truly impossible.
Macdonald’s instinct to give Grubb the reins may remind Seahawks fans of their last head coach.
Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald won’t commit to saying that Geno Smith will start Week 1, even though he’s obviously the best candidate on the roster to do so right now. However, Macdonald has committed to offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who was the most important hire that he made while building up his 23 assistants deep 2024 coaching staff.
Last week when Macdonald was on Sports Radio 93.3 KJR radio, he said he wants to empower Grubb and trusts him to build his scheme, per the team website.
“I want to empower him to build the offense the way he sees it, but one of the reasons I was so excited about hiring him is just the type of person he is, and his track record throughout his entire career, and how he sees the game. I felt like our value system as people and as football coaches align, so I have all the trust in him in the world in how he builds his scheme out and how he empowers our staff. He’s very much in control of what we’re doing.”
Macdonald’s instinct to give Grubb the reins may remind Seahawks fans of their last head coach. One of the things that endeared Pete Carroll to players and assistants was empowering them. Sometimes to his own detriment Carroll let his coordinators call their own shots. (Can you imagine Pete not running the ball at the one-yard line?)
In any case, while we’re happy with Macdonald, keeping Grubb around may be difficult. The impetus behind hiring an offensive head coach is that talented play callers tend to move on to a head coach job after only a year or two max of success. Just how long they Seahawks will be able to retain Grubb if he does live up to the hype could be one of their major challenges in the coming years.
If you go by Daniel Jeremiah’s rankings at NFL.com, Penix is now up to No. 33 overall in this class.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. put on a show at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. While it helped not to have most of the top QB prospects throwing, Penix was the most impressive performer at his position this past weekend and his draft stock is on the rise.
If you go by Daniel Jeremiah’s rankings at NFL.com, Penix is now up to No. 33 overall in this class, up five spots from the last rankings. Here’s what Jeremiah had to say about No. 9’s game.
“Penix… has a unique, whippy, three-quarters delivery from the left side, and the ball explodes out of his hand. He can hang on his back foot and effortlessly drive the ball 55 yards… He does have issues getting throws up and down in the middle of the field. His ball can stay flat. He is quick to process and consistently gets to No. 3 in the route progression… He’s been through a litany of injuries during his career, but he managed to overcome them and led Washington to the national title game. Overall, durability is a legitimate concern, but I believe in his combination of vision, accuracy and arm strength.”
Unlike Penix, Seattle’s front office met with Michigan’s JJ McCarthy and LSU’s Jayden Daniels at the combine, but they already have plenty of intel on Penix via offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
If they are intent on drafting Penix the Seahawks have to figure out the best way to go about it. At this point picking Penix at No. 16 overall would be a bad reach and Seattle has no second-round selection right now thanks to the Leonard Williams trade. If Penix is their preferred QB, trading down and targeting him late in the first or early in the second round is the way to go.
The Seahawks did not meet with Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. at the NFL Scouting Combine this past week. However, they did meet with a few other 2024 quarterback prospects, including LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Michigan’s JJ McCarthy.
While it might seem strange not to meet with Penix, we should keep in mind that just as no one prospect visit means too much, neither do non-visits. In any case, the Seahawks already know everything they need to know about Penix via offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who worked closely with him over the last two seasons. More good news for Penix-to-Seattle fans: he reportedly aced the interviews, the medicals were all clear and by all accounts he was the most impressiver thrower of the ball during QB drills.
The Seattle Seahawks have a tantalizing corps of offensive talent on their roster. It is why the Seahawks were a top destination for coaching candidates, and why they were able to land the best coordinator in this cycle in Mike Macdonald. Among the top contributors is wide receiver DK Metcalf.
Metcalf has continued to establish himself as one of the better receivers in the NFL, and he did so again in 2023. For a second-straight season (and third time in five years) Metcalf recorded over 1,000 yards receiving.
His efforts during the 2023 campaign gave him yet another Pro Bowl season. Below are the highlights from Metcalf’s dominant year.
I believe I speak for everyone when I say I am excited to see what Metcalf can do under offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. Easily Grubb’s biggest task for this offense is to find consistency for an incredibly talented offense that severely lacked any semblance of it in 2023.
Head coach Mike Macdonald has hired 23 assistants to join his inaugural staff for the 2024 NFL season.
The Seattle Seahawks revealed their complete coaching staff yesterday. At final tally, head coach Mike Macdonald has hired 23 assistants to join his inaugural staff for the 2024 NFL season.
Here’s a look at each of them, broken down by different phases of the game.
A new mock from Mel Kiper at ESPN has Seattle selecting Fautanu at No. 16 overall and playing him at left guard.
The Seahawks haven’t drafted a whole lot of players from Washington, at least not during the Pete Carroll era. That may change this year, as the team has hired former Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb as their new OC. Grubb’s offense was one of the best in college football in 2023 – and while his playcalling had something to do with it there was a ton of talent on that unit. Fans should expect to see at least one or two Washington players picked when Seattle is on the clock in the 2024 NFL draft.
The highest-ranked prospect for Washington is wide receiver Rome Odunze, who is projected to be a top-10 pick and therefore will be out of Seattle’s range. Next up there’s left tackle Troy Fautanu, who makes a lot of sense to draft given his familiarity with Grubb’s offense and the Seahawks’ desperate need to upgrade every part of their offensive line.
A new mock from Mel Kiper at ESPN has Seattle selecting Fautanu at No. 16 overall and playing him at left guard, replacing soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Damien Lewis.
“OK, so guard might not be the most exciting position for a mock draft, but I can assure you that Seahawks fans should be happy with Fautanu, who could stay near where he went to college. That’s because he’s a fun offensive line prospect to watch on tape. He has excellent feet and plays hard on every snap. Fautanu started 28 games at left tackle for the Huskies, but I see his future on the interior because of his 6-foot-4 frame. With Evan Brown, Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes all free agents, Seattle will have holes to fill along the interior of its line. And Seattle ranked 28th in rushing yards per game (92.9), surely new coordinator Ryan Grubb wants to see upgrades there. Fautanu would give this offense an instant boost.”
Fautanu (6-foot-4, 295 pounds) is the team’s most logical target if they intend to stay at that No. 16 overall spot. However, we’re not crazy about using him at guard. Fautanu may be slightly undersized for a pro tackle but we feel he could succeed on the blindside at the NFL level – better than Charles Cross has thus far, anyway.
While we like Fautanu, there’s also a good case to trade down from No. 16 and recoup the second-round pick the Seahawks lost to the Giants in the Leoanrd Williams trade. It’s unlikely Fautanu will still be available later in the first round, so the target then would most likely be his teammate, Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
Here’s the highlight reel for Fautanu.
Other Huskies who will be worth watching throughout draft season include Edge Bralen Trice (who they have already met with), running back Dillon Johnson, wide receivers Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk, tight ends Devin Culp and Jack Westover and right tackle Roger Rosengarten.
