2022 NFL draft: Twitter reactions to Seahawks selecting WSU’s Abe Lucas

Seattle’s picks have generally had positive buzz and Abe Lucas is another hit.

The Seattle Seahawks went into this draft knowing their consistent weakness was the offensive line, and they made it a point to deal with it. Seattle used their first pick to select Charles Cross, and three selections later the Seahawks drafted tackle Abraham Lucas from Washington State University.

With all the 12’s east of the Cascade Mountains likely thrilled, Lucas is staying in the Pacific Northwest and will help anchor Seattle’s much maligned big men up front.

Seattle’s picks have generally had positive buzz and Abe Lucas is another hit.

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Seahawks agree to terms with Geno Smith on 1-year deal

The Seattle Seahawks love having an experienced backup quarterback, and Geno Smith is a good bet to win the job over UDFA Anthony Gordon.

The Seattle Seahawks have agreed to terms with quarterback Geno Smith on a one-year deal, according to multiple sources – including Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

The move has not been made official, per the NFL transaction report, nor has a corresponding roster move been made to keep the roster at 90 players.

It was always expected the Seahawks would bring in someone to compete with former Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon, who Seattle signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2020 NFL draft.

Gordon was among the best quarterbacks in college football last season, but coach Pete Carroll has always preferred his backup to Russell Wilson to be someone with NFL experience. Smith not only has that, but he has a full year of experience in Seattle’s offensive scheme under his belt, despite not playing a single down last year thanks to Wilson’s impeccable record of health.

Gordon will still be given every chance to win the backup job over the summer, but considering the likelihood of a condensed training camp and Carroll’s preference for a veteran, it seems like a good chance that the Seahawks will go into 2020 with the same quarterback room they had last year.

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A look at the signing bonuses for Seahawks undrafted free agents

The Seattle Seahawks gave out signing bonuses to a handful of their undrafted free agents, including WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon.

Shortly after the NFL draft concluded, the Seattle Seahawks brought a whopping 17 undrafted free agents onto the roster to compete for spots in this unique, mostly virtual offseason.

Most of them won’t make the final roster, but with a bigger gameday roster and a bigger practice squad to work with, it makes sense for Pete Carroll and his staff to take a look at as many interesting players as they can get their hands on.

While it’s not always a direct correlation, we do have an idea who the team might be favoring by looking at the signing bonuses given out to Seattle’s undrafted free agents, information that was revealed by ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

Anthony Gordon, the quarterback from Washington State who was unexpectedly left undrafted, got the biggest bonus at $12,500 dollars. He was followed by $11,500 for Mississippi State tackle Tommy Champion, $10,000 each for Maryland tight end Tyler Mabry and Baylor safety Chris Miller, and $8,000 for Albany defensive end Eli Mencer.

The signing bonuses are usually more an indication that other teams were interested in said prospects, not necessarily that they have a better chance of making the active roster.

Gordon is the most likely candidate to break camp with the team, as he is the only other quarterback on the roster besides Russell Wilson.

Champion and Mencer seem like they have decent chances as well, playing at positions of need for the Seahawks that also don’t have a ton of depth.

Until we can see these guys on the field, which may be a while, it will be hard to know what Seattle has with their undrafted free agent pool – although this team has had plenty of success finding diamonds in the rough in recent years.

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3 undrafted free agents who could make Seahawks roster

The Seattle Seahawks have 17 undrafted free agents vying for roster spots this summer. Here are three that could make it.

The Seattle Seahawks have now signed a whopping 17 undrafted free agents to the 90-man roster, after reportedly coming to terms with 12 more on Monday afternoon.

Add in the eight draft picks and the Seahawks have 25 first-year players vying for spots on the active roster this summer.

While most of the draft picks are expected to earn a spot, that is not the case for the undrafted guys. Seattle has had plenty of success with undrafted free agents in the past, including Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Poona Ford, but for the most part they are camp fodder who end up getting cut in early September.

Still, of the 17 newcomers, there are a handful who appear to have the tools, athleticism, and performance to make this squad out of camp.

Here are the three with the best chance, and why they could find themselves on the field in Week 1.

PFF ranks Anthony Gordon 2nd best undrafted free agent

Pro Football Focus ranked QB Anthony Gordon, who recently agreed to terms with the Seattle Seahawks, the second best undrafted free agent.

The Seattle Seahawks went to work just minutes after the conclusion of the 2020 NFL draft, reportedly agreeing to terms with a handful of undrafted free agents.

No signings have been made official, but one of the reported additions is Washington State University quarterback Anthony Gordon – who would become just the second quarterback on Seattle’s roster behind Russell Wilson.

Gordon will surely face competition during training camp to be Wilson’s backup during the 2020 season, but there is little doubt Seattle found themselves a strong contender for the job, based on his college production and the recent success of his predecessor, Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew.

In fact, Gordon was named the second best undrafted free agent who has agreed to terms with a new team, according to Pro Football Focus.

PFF had Gordon No. 82 overall on their draft board, which falls behind University of Washington tight end Hunter Bryant – who went undrafted and agreed to terms with the Detroit Lions.

“NFL teams often fall in love with the quarterbacks who have ideal size and big arms while discounting the most important trait a quarterback needs to be successful — accuracy,” Ben Linsey of PFF wrote in the article. “He joins Russell Wilson as the only quarterbacks on the roster at the moment, in prime position to earn a backup job in the same state he played in college.”

Gordon was expected to get drafted on Day 3 of the NFL draft. His free-fall out of the draft entirely could be a blessing in disguise though, as he gets to develop under superstar Russell Wilson – which should help him hone his skills in the short-term, and could potentially land him a cushy job as his backup during the 2020 campaign.

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Seahawks plan to sign Washington State QB Anthony Gordon as UDFA

The Seattle Seahawks finally added a 2nd quarterback to the roster, signing Washington State star Anthony Gordon as an undrafted free agent.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see the 2020 NFL draft end without Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon – who threw for a whopping 5,579 passing yards last year – getting drafted.

However, it worked out to the benefit of the Seattle Seahawks, who reportedly agreed to sign him as an undrafted free agent, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

With Geno Smith still an undrafted free agent, Gordon becomes just the second quarterback on Seattle’s roster, behind Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks will certainly bring in one or two more players to compete with Gordon during training camp, but at least for the moment he has the edge on the backup quarterback job.

Gordon’s numbers from his lone season as a starter in Mike Leach’s air raid offense at Washington State are eye-popping. He posted a 48-to-16 touchdown-to-interception ratio with over 5,500 passing yards and a stellar 71.6% completion rate – earning him lots of comparisons to the team’s starter in 2018, Gardner Minshew.

Gordon does not have the awareness and arm strength Minshew has, however, and will have to work on those and a handful of other things to become a successful NFL starter at the next level.

Getting to learn under Russell Wilson will be extremely helpful in that regard, and if he performs well in camp and the preseason there’s a good chance he heads into the 2020 regular season with the Seahawks.

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Could the Seahawks pursue WSU receiver Dezmon Patmon?

The Seattle Seahawks love big, speedy wide receivers, and Washington State’s Dezmon Patmon could be an intriguing addition.

Over the past two seasons, the Seattle Seahawks have dipped into the local talent pool by selecting players from the University of Washington in back-to-back drafts.

However, even though the program improved tremendously with coach Mike Leach at the helm, Seattle rarely tapped into the pool of players from UW’s rival, Washington State University.

Part of that is simply a schematic issue, as Leach ran an air raid offense with tons of passing and very little defense, which didn’t leave a lot of NFL-caliber players at positions Pete Carroll and his staff like to target in the draft.

The group of WSU Cougars who are hoping to hear their name called in 2020 are more of the same, though one name could be of interest to Seattle: Receiver Dezmon Patmon.

Patmon had over 750 receiving yards in each of the past two seasons, leading WSU with 816 and five touchdowns as a junior and hauling in eight scores last year.

Patmon will appeal to the Seahawks much in the way DK Metcalf did, as a big-bodied receiver with surprising speed. Patmon is six-foot-four and 225 pounds, which makes his 4.48 40-yard dash time extremely impressive. It was first among all PAC-12 receivers and 19th overall at the combine.

Patmon doesn’t have the ball skills and physicality that Metcalf has, and he had drop issues in college, but it’s not hard to imagine the Seahawks taking him on as a project if he is available as an undrafted free agent.

With Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Phillip Dorsett, David Moore, Malik Turner and John Ursua in the mix, Seattle does not need an immediate impact receiver. Patmon would be a nice player to stash on the practice squad and develop into a more physical, tougher receiver.

If it works, he could be another diamond in the rough and might even open up the door for more Cougars to make their way west to Seattle.

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