A look at seven players the Seattle Seahawks could select in the 2020 NFL draft, following their moves in free agency.
The Seattle Seahawks, through the first week of free agency, have made a handful of moves to further solidify areas of need on the 2020 roster.
Those moves have almost certainly altered their draft board, putting heavier emphasis on some positions while making other positions less important.
Here at the Seahawks Wire, we have altered our draft projections as well. Using The Draft Network’s mock draft machine, we ran another potential mock draft based on Seattle’s updated needs, and the loss of a fifth round pick thanks to the Quinton Dunbar trade.
Here is a write-up of each of the seven mocked selections for the Seahawks, and why the picks would make sense for Pete Carroll, John Schneider and company as they look to build a Super Bowl contender in 2020.
ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper projects the Seattle Seahawks select Penn State defensive end, Yetur Gross-Matos, in his Mock Draft 3.0.
The NFL offseason is in full swing despite the coronavirus outbreak and the league’s premier event is just a month away. As of now, the NFL draft is still scheduled for April 23-25, however, the format is likely to be much different, with reports of an in-studio broadcast and cameras at team headquarters replacing the live action.
Pundits are still pumping out their mocks, including ESPN draft analyst, Mel Kiper. In his latest Mock Draft 3.0, Kiper has the Seahawks selecting Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos with the No. 27 pick overall.
2020 Mock Draft 3.0:
1. Cincinnati: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU 2. Washington: Chase Young, DE, Ohio State 3. Detroit: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio Statehttps://t.co/LDSuo8QRRU
“This is a tough one for me because the Seahawks are still in the hunt to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney,” Kiper writes. “If they spend a bunch of money to bring Clowney back, they might not want to spend the capital on an edge rusher here, particularly after drafting L.J. Collier in Round 1 last year. Still, the 6-foot-6, 266-pound Gross-Matos makes a lot of sense, because we know that Pete Carroll likes big defensive ends who could move inside and rush the passer on passing downs.
“Offensive tackle should be an option here, and Seattle also has an extra second-round pick.”
The Seahawks and Clowney have yet to reach a deal and the silence on the progress of the negotiations has been deafening. Kiper is correct – until Seattle knows whether or not Clowney will be back in the lineup it needs to keep its options open.
The Vikings address the edge, along with their thin defensive backfield.
The Vikings are now stocked with two first-round picks after trading Stefon Diggs to the Bills.
As part of that deal, the Vikings received the Bills’ No. 22 pick, along with other picks.
The Vikings own their own first-round pick, which is 25th overall.
Who will the Vikings pick?
That’s a great question!
Will Brinson over at CBS Sports has the Vikings going defense with both picks in his recent mock draft.
With the 22nd pick, he has the Vikings taking Penn State edge Yetur Gross-Matos. With Everson Griffen on his way out, this picks makes sense.
Here’s what Brinson wrote about the pick:
Adding a cornerback will definitely be a priority for Minnesota but they can wait a few picks with the options on the board. Here, they focus on replacing Everson Griffin and/or improving their defensive line and getting better against the run.
With the 25th pick, Brinson has the Vikings taking LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton. Considering the team will be without Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander and Xavier Rhodes in 2020, this move makes sense. The Vikings have yet to sign a corner in free agency.
Here’s what Brinson wrote about the pick:
The Vikings not only love drafting cornerbacks but they actually need to draft a cornerback now. No one’s better at finding talent there than Mike Zimmer.
There’s plenty of time between now and the draft, but the Vikings also have plenty of holes to fill.
That didn’t stop USA TODAY from mocking pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos to the Seahawks in their latest mock draft, even with the new additions.
“Regardless of whether Jadeveon Clowney re-signs or bolts, Seattle’s pass rush could stand for an infusion of speed even after Bruce Irvin’s return,” Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz wrote.
Gross-Matos recorded 17 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss in his final two years at Penn State, and with some refinement most scouts believe he will become an above average or elite pass rusher at the next level.
With or without Clowney, the Seahawks need more bodies to come in and get to the quarterback next year, and if they choose to keep pick No. 27 in the draft, Gross-Matos would be an excellent addition to the team.
Everything NFL draft fans need to know about Penn State edge defender prospect Yetur Gross-Matos
Yetur Gross-Matos | EDGE | Penn State
Elevator Pitch
A lengthy edge defender with plus athleticism and plenty of physical tools, Gross-Matos is a low-floor, high-ceiling prospect who’s a major work in progress but has the potential to be a talented pass-rusher at the next level. His upside should be enough to get him selected somewhere in the first round.
The combination of size and athleticism gives Gross-Matos a very high ceiling at the next level.
He has great length with long arms off the edge, and his frame has the potential to add even more strength to it. He’s impressive from an athletic standpoint, as he fires off the ball well on a consistent basis. Gross-Matos’ flexibility and fluidity is top-notch, too, as he is capable of changing direction seamlessly in space and sinking his hips to rip and dip underneath offensive tackles. He has the agility to cut inside on stunts, and his fluidity in coverage makes him a valuable three-down defender.
Gross-Matos has plenty of range as a tackler in space, given his long frame and the mobility he possesses. He has shown some potential in regards to the technique in his hands, as well. He plays with quick hands and has been able to shed blocks in pass-rushing situations. His production at the collegiate level was also impressive, as he tallied 17 sacks and 34.5 tackles for a loss in his two seasons as a starter.
Weaknesses
Though his physical attributes are enticing, Gross-Matos still has a ways to go as a technician when rushing the passer. His pad level can be more consistent – his ability to generate power in his lower body isn’t all that great, and despite his flexible hips, he struggles with being the lower man on a regular basis. He’s a top-heavy defender who doesn’t offer a lot of anchor strength to hold blocks in run support yet.
Gross-Matos doesn’t have an extensive array of pass-rushing techniques yet, and there are some cases in which he struggles with keeping a plan when he rushes the quarterback. He doesn’t pack a powerful punch at the initial point of contact, and his ability to disengage with blockers in space isn’t all that great. His tackles for a loss numbers are impressive, but a lot of them took place when he was schemed in space, as opposed to plugging up holes.
Penn State defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos grew up a fan of the New York Giants and would love to play in East Rutherford.
The New York Giants are in need of several pass rushers this offseason, and the 2020 NFL Draft will present a multitude of options.
However, whether general manager Dave Gettleman invests early picks in the pass rush is another question. After all, the Giants seem to be prioritizing cornerback and are also in desperate need of an offensive tackle.
But should the Giants wait until Round 2 to snag a pass rusher, Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos is an intriguing option. And as fate would have it, he grew up a Big Blue fan who loved former defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul.
“When I was growing up my favorite team was the Giants,” Gross-Matos, via Sports Illustrated. “Jason Pierre-Paul — I was a big fan of his growing up.”
The 6-foot 5, 270-pound Gross-Matos is perfectly designed to play defensive end in a 4-3 system, but it’s unclear how he might fit with the Giants and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who has simply defined his scheme as “multiple.”
Gross-Matos could play both outside in the 4-3 and inside in the 3-4, which is similar to the role Leonard Williams would have if retained this offseason.
In his two seasons as a starter at Penn State, Gross-Matos recorded 17.5 sacks and 35 tackles for loss.
The legal tampering period starts next week, just days ahead of the new league year and the official start of free agency, which could shake things up for a few teams ahead of the NFL draft in April.
Most analysts tightened up their mocks following the scouting combine in Indianapolis and are giving it another shot before free agency kicks off on March 18.
“Though far from a finished product, Gross-Matos is a tantalizing project for a Seahawks defense desperate for some speed off the edge,” Middlehurst-Schwartz notes.
Seattle is always looking to beef up the defensive line but also must decide whether or not to re-sign some key players (think Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed) to the roster or let them test the free-agent market ahead of the draft.
2020 NFL Mock Drafts following the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine from Bills Wire staff.
The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine concluded with some stellar performances both on and off the field. The amateur extravaganza has caused some names to rise on draft boards while other players created more questions about their respective futures.
Based on these evaluations, the Bills Wire staff has determined some interesting possibilities for Buffalo’s selections during the upcoming draft. Editor Nick Wojton, along with staff writers Justin DiLoro, McKenna Middlebrook, Kyle Silagyi, and Matt Johnson, have all played the role of Bills general manager Brandon Beane.
Here is Bills Wire’s post-combine, four-round mock draft below:
Round 1: Buffalo Bills | pick No. 22
Clemson Tigers wide receiver Tee Higgins, Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Nick’s Pick:
WR Justin Jefferson, LSU
This pick is not going to be cemented until the dust has settled after free agency. Do the Bills add some pass-rushing help there? What about a top wideout? That will clearly dictate things but the overlying truth is the Bills have lacked a true wide receiver prospect for the entirety of Sean McDermott and Beane’s time with the club. Zay Jones was a flop. That needs to be addressed and this is the deepest playmaker class the duo is going to see. Jefferson, at 6-foot-1, isn’t the massively large target some Bills observers had in mind. But he’s a great route runner and at the combine, showed he has speed, running a 4.43 40-yard dash time. Oh, and his hands? He had 111 catches, 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns… just last season alone. For what it’s worth, the Bills did meet with Jefferson at the combine as well.
Justin’s Pick:
WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
Let’s not mess around here. The Bills are in need of a playmaker at the wide receiver position, and Higgins looks to be the best fit at this point in the draft. It’s no secret that the draft is deep at the receiver position. However, Buffalo should take the best player who can give quarterback Josh Allen a dynamic playmaker out wide. Higgins, along with incumbents John Brown and Cole Beasley, help create a solid starting trio. Higgins averaged a stellar 19.8 yards per catch this past year. He’s the type of receiver that can aid in Allen finding his mojo with respect to the deep ball. At 6-foot-4, the Clemson product gives the Bills a large target who can complete in contested catches. He has experience at all receiver positions, runs a full route tree, and wins battles against corners. Oh, and Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Higgins? AJ Green. Let’s not overthink this one.
McKenna’s Pick:
EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
The Buffalo Bills have two areas of concern heading into the 2020 draft, wide receiver and edge rusher. With a loaded wide receiver class, the Buffalo Bills can find receiver talent in later rounds. Gross-Matos recorded 18.5 sacks at Penn State, during his three-year career at Penn State. Standing at 6-6-foot-5, he uses his length and speed to reach the opposing quarterback. Gross-Matos also comes from a 4-3 defense in college, so he’ll fit in with McDermott’s dominant defense.
Kyle’s Pick:
DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
Yes, wide receiver is undeniably Buffalo’s biggest need at this point in time. With that being said, there’s likely not a wideout who is worth selecting at No. 22 if Jerry Jeudy, Ceedee Lamb, and Henry Ruggs are off the board, this due in large part to the depth of this year’s receiving class. Let’s instead allow the Bills to make a luxury pick, this coming in the form of Epenesa. Buffalo is in need of a young and potentially dominant player at defensive end, and Epenesa, the 6-foot-5 pass rusher who tallied 26.5 sacks throughout his collegiate career, certainly fits the bill. He’s a tenacious defender who typically wins with strength, something he did often throughout college. He’d be a tremendous rotational piece in his rookie season, learning from the likes of Jerry Hughes and (potentially) Trent Murphy before taking over as a full-time starter in 2021. His iffy-combine may be a cause of concern for some, but tape typically doesn’t lie. Epenesa has that in his favor.
Matt’s Pick:
EDGE K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU
Rush defense was a flaw that plagued the Bills defense for a majority of the season. Perhaps, even the difference between a home playoff game last season, giving up an average of 4.3 per carry, and many crucial first downs.
This is a good draft for helping to strengthen that aspect of an otherwise solid defense, and where the Bills are picking in this year’s draft, there are a couple of options here to bolster that line. Whether it’s Epenesa, Gross-Matos, or Chaisson, the Bills are in a good slot for a defensive end. Chaisson has good size for the position and is a disruptive force. As a sophomore in 2019, he had 34 tackles and 6.5 sacks, as well as a national title with LSU. Oh, he was first-team All-SEC selection by the way, too.
A young player, ripe for grooming in a culture-based team. I believe that he would be a good fit on this Bills defense, but regardless of who is available at this point on the defensive line, Bills will have some quality athletes to choose from.
Buffalo Bills select DE Yetur Gross-Matos in Daniel Jeremiah’s post-combine mock draft.
NFL.com’s draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah reflected on the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine that was last week and decided a pass rusher looks best for the Bills in the first-round of the upcoming draft.
With the No. 22 overall pick in his last mock draft following the combine, the Bills go with an increasingly popular pick, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos.
Here’s Jeremiah’s explanation for the selection:
The Bills could go WR here, but Gross-Matos is a big-upside player at a position of need.
In the NFL.com simulation, things follow the norm in recent mocks as Gross-Matos is the third pass rusher off the board. He’s typically the third or forth to be selected and in this scenario, Ohio State’s Chase Young goes No. 2 overall to the Redskins while LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson falls to the Bucs at No. 14.
At the combine, Gross-Matos elected not to run the 40-yard dash as he’s already known for his speed (Young also did not), but he did notch the fourth-highest vertical jump among defensive linemen at 34 inches. He did have a middling performance at the bench press with only 21 reps, though.
Gross-Matos would certainly fit the Bills, who run a rotation along their defensive line and could be in danger of losing Shaq Lawson via free agency this offseason. He had 9.5 total sacks last season.
With the Combine in the rear view mirror, whose stock is rising, whose is falling and how has the board potentially changed?
Ah, mock draft season. With Indianapolis behind us, we can now start to imagine how the draft could play out given what we saw from the prospects at the 2020 Scouting Combine. Whose stock is rising, whose is falling, and how could — I repeat, how could — that impact the draft?
Here’s just one man’s shot at putting it together.
We can work our way into this mock with a selection that makes the most sense. The Bengals are moving on from Andy Dalton, and Joe Burrow’s magical season has rocketed him to the top of many draft boards. His decision-making, pocket presence and leadership abilities are perfect for what Cincinnati needs right now. Plus, the storyline of “local boy comes home” is sure to get fans excited.
Schematically, Burrow is a fit for what Bengals head coach Zac Taylor is looking to do offensively. With some weapons around him and some additions to the offensive line, Burrow could be in position to contribute early in his career.
2. Washington Redskins: Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State
(Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sport)
There does seem to be some smoke building around the idea of Washington doing this year what the Arizona Cardinals did a season ago: Let a new regime pick their quarterback. Last year the Cardinals hired Kliff Kingsbury and let him pick the quarterback he wanted to build around. The result? Arizona moved on from Josh Rosen after a single season and drafted Kyler Murray.
Could the same thing happen to Dwayne Haskins? Rumors around Indianapolis last week seemed to indicate that it was at least a possibility. Washington reportedly met with Tua Tagovailoa and the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that new head coach Ron Rivera told the Alabama passer that, according to a source, “[t]hey want to bring in Tua, just get it going and compete.”
My thinking here is this: This is lying season. Most people believe the draft begins at the second pick, and Washington holds a lot of cards. They could stay pat and select the best overall player in the draft, the Ohio State edge rusher. But if a team is dying to move up to draft a quarterback, they’ll entertain offers. One way to drive up the price? Float the idea that you are in the quarterback market as well.
For now, I think these are all smoke screens. Washington stays pat and takes the pass rusher.
3. Detroit Lions: Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State
(Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports)
Here is where things could really get sporty.
There are concerns in Detroit regarding the status of quarterback Matthew Stafford. Back injuries the past few seasons have some wondering if it is time to prepare for a world without Stafford in Detroit. The issue is, Stafford’s contract is such that it makes much more sense from a salary cap perspective to move on from Stafford in 2021, rather than 2020.
Under Stafford’s contract, if he were to be traded or cut before June 1st, the Lions would be hit with $32 million in dead cap space for 2020, and would have a cap “savings” of minus $10.7 million for the 2020 league year.
However, if they decide to move on from Stafford prior to 2021, they would actually free up around $14M of cap space.
So the thinking here could be: Draft Tagovailoa, redshirt him for a season while Stafford plays through 2020, and then move on when Tagovailoa is fully healthy and it makes more sense from a cap perspective.
So it is a possibility that the Lions could go with a quarterback here.
At the same time, Matt Patricia must be feeling the urge to win now, and the idea of drafting a quarterback to simply redshirt him while the flames are fanned under your seat cannot feel too pleasant. In the end Detroit entertains the idea of Tagovailoa, but goes with the potential shutdown corner in Okudah.
4. Los Angeles Chargers (via trade with New York Giants): Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Now we have our first trade.
A running theme of this mock draft so far has been the Alabama quarterback. In the mix to Washington with the second pick. A potential option for Detroit with the third pick. Now this draft enters a stretch where quarterback is a possibility for a number of teams, including the Chargers at six and the Carolina Panthers at seven.
Tagovailoa has been linked to the Dolphins for a long time now, and the Chargers can read the tea leaves as well as anyone else. If they decide that Tagovailoa is their quarterback of the future, they’ll need to get in front of Miami to ensure that he is wearing the powder blues next season.
Conceptually, while there might be better fits for Tagovailoa’s skill-set, such as the Panthers as we argued yesterday, the Chargers will have the time to build around Tagovailoa and construct an offense around his strengths: His accuracy in the short area, his processing speed, and his familiarity with run/pass option designs.
5. Miami Dolphins: Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
(Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
Interestingly enough, Miami might be just fine with the Chargers leap-frogging them, as they end up with the passer that some in the building have been targeting for over a year. It was just a year ago when reports out of Miami were that Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross was interested in two quarterbacks: Tagovailoa and Herbert.
Now, with both an option for the Dolphins in this year’s draft, many have linked Miami to Tagovailoa. But the decision to hire Chan Gailey as their offensive coordinator does give them a potential schematic fit with both quarterbacks. As we argued yesterday, the Dolphins are a great fit for Herbert’s skill-set, given his background in Oregon’s spread system. That would ease his transition to the pro game, and with both Rosen and Ryan Fitzpatrick in place, they could potentially move one of those players late in training camp, depending on Herbert’s progress as a rookie this summer.
6. New York Giants (via trade with Los Angeles Chargers): Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said a number of things during his media session in Indianapolis that stuck with me. Two in particular. One I will take to heart, and the other I will ignore with this move to trade down and select the Georgia offensive tackle.
When addressing the media, Gettleman indicated that trading down does carry a bit of risk. What if you trade down, he theorized, from four to eight with four players that you like on your board? You might miss out on all of them is the fear he expressed.
But given how Gettleman could play the board, and still select one of the four impressive offensive tackles in this draft, gives him an option to pick up some additional selections in this draft and continue to build around Daniel Jones.
So while I dismissed the idea of Gettleman’s trade down fear, I will take to heart something else he said. He was asked about the most important position to help a young quarterback and he instantly delivered an incredible response: “Offensive line. I’ve found that it is hard to complete a pass when lying on your back.” And in, perhaps, a shot at all the discussion over Gettleman’s thoughts on analytics he added: “I’ve done that study.”
Here, the Giants trade back and get an NFL ready offensive tackle with experience on both the right and the left sides of the line. Given his SEC pedigree, Thomas has faced some imposing pass rushers during his time in Athens, and he’ll be ready to go up against some of what the NFL has to offer. The combine might have vaulted Tristan Wirfs and Mekhi Becton up many boards, but something tells me that Gettleman will value what Thomas put on tape.
The Panthers could go in a number of directions with this pick. Quarterback is in play, depending on what new head coach Matt Rhule decides to do with Cam Newton and how he handles Kyle Allen and last year’s draft pick Will Grier. Rhule has said all the right things about Newton, he likes Grier dating back to their games against each other in the Big 12, and Allen showed promise at times last year. So it is likely that Rhule keeps all three in Carolina and looks to address other needs.
Offensive line is also an area they could address, and given what we saw from Tristan Wirfs, Mekhi Becton at the combine as well as what we saw on film all season from Jedrick Wills Jr., any one of those players could be in play if the board falls this way.
They also have needs on the defensive side of the football. They could use help up front, they could use some help at linebacker in the wake of Luke Kuechly’s retirement, and they could also use some help in the secondary.
In Simmons, they could get help at all three levels of their defense. They would get a player who has lined up on the defensive line, in the slot, as a box safety and even as a boundary cornerback. They would also get an explosive athlete who posted a 4.39 40-yard dash at the combine, to go with a vertical leap of 39” and a broad jump of 11’. All while measuring in at 6’3 and ½” and weighing 238 pounds. He is an absolute freak of nature, and would revamp their defense in an instant.
In a draft that is talent-laden at the wide receiver position, we have yet to hear one WR called. That streak continues, as the Cardinals pass on every wide receiver on the board to address another glaring need: Offensive line. The Cardinals desperately need to protect Murray next season, and Becton can help in that effort.
Murray was sacked 48 times last season, tied with Russell Wilson and Matt Ryan for the most times sacked in the league. Now yes, sacks are not an offensive line statistic and the quarterback contributes to those sack totals, but the Cardinals do need to give him more time in the pocket. Murray was hurried 63 times last season, fifth-most in the league. With D.J. Humphries and Justin Murray as their starting tackles last season, this position could use a boost.
They get that in Becton. The massive left tackle showed some power and explosiveness both on film and during his combine workout. He has very fluid footwork for a man of his size, and his length will be an asset in Kingsbury’s offense. He could be the guy to protect Murray’s blindside for the next decade.
