I’m really glad to see that Hutch is consulting with the Hawks. Another testament to the Hawks culture. Even though Hutch wasn’t one of Pete’s guys, he is still part of the team (Once a Hawk, always a Hawk). I think that’s cool, especially on a professional level.
I think the biggest takeaway for me is that when the Hawks want to know about a player, they go see that player. It is assuring to no end that they don’t rely on all the media frenzy information and mis-information that we have to sort through. I can accept whomever they draft in part by knowing that they have the capacity to really research these players directly & for themselves. They don’t have to sift through the noise.
It's a good year for IOL options, would have been better with Van Pran (seriously, many really good prospects did not declare this year, making those who did to avoid College level competition at their positions stand out all the more... not naming names...). Tippmann would be better shifted to G than C, and with his size i'd feel ok using him as T in an injury cover situation. 1st Rd is over selling him, but he'll definitely be gone on Day 2.
Schmitz will probably be the only Centre who'll go Day 1, and even that's uncertain. But Day 2 could easily have JMS, TIppmann, Wypler (my preference for the Hawks, and the player who looks to better fit JS/PC desires at the position), Mauch, Stromberg and possibly Oluwatimi all going as possible Centres. Add on Avila, Ekiyor, Curtis and Daniels as Guards - that's a lot of IOL players going in the 2nd/3rd we could easily see a few of them available to the'Hawks at #123.
#52 should be the earliest we look at the position, and can get a reliable good option. #123 we could add a second good player, otherwise slide back to the 6th/7th for a Broeker, Kipper, Scruggs, Forsyth, Galvin. It's a good IOL draft class.
Bijan at #5, Ade Ade at #20, Mazi at #37, Wypler at #52, Pickens at #83, Daniels at #123 - 6 picks to power up the trenches in our first 6, that'd be a very nice draft and a team with staying power in January.
I remember reading about Hutchinson's role with the team when they drafted Stone Forsyth. It's fair to assume that he has provided input on every OL draft pick, and on a ton of guys not picked, over the last few years.
I don't see why meeting with a prospect should have any more meaning than wanting to learn more. Hutch could just as well tell them he thinks Tippman is only worth a 5th round pick as he might the #20 pick.
Pauline did this same shit last year. He heard someone in the Seahawks org did some research into Ridder and then turned it into some elaborate tale of draft trades and negotiations in the works and presented it as fact. It was all bullshit.
I don't want people to get sidetracked by the Tony Pauline part, that's why I included my previous reports on his rumors. To hopefully just say, let's set that aside and note the meetings because I think that part is consequential and verifiable.
Totally. Pauline is just annoying because he gets play his same tricks year after year and gets away with it. The story is that a Seahawks consultant that knows a bit about playing IOL met with one of the top IOL prospects in this year's draft. I believe that, and it's exciting! I don't believe that he knows anything more regarding the Seahawks intentions.
He actually seems to be a lot more calmer this year. I am pretty sure I was the only one calling him out last year. Linked article in the article notes his track records on rumors that I created. I think that says enough. I'd prefer to just focus on the meeting part. It doesn't matter what else Pauline said and even in the article, I said what you're saying and I wouldn't worry about the "trade back" part or the "draft value" part.
Ok. I'm calm now. It is really cool that Hutch is consulting for the team these last few years. I'm glad we were all able to come back together after the poison pill debacle.
So there are three 6'6 centers in the NFL. Two of them were drafted by the Seahawks. Ethan Pocic, Justin Britt (drafted as RT). Tippmann is 6'6 and has position versatility.
the 'Hawks still have a ton of holes at the moment, imo. too many for my liking. as Joe used to point out often in his video days, we have talent on the roster. but we have lacked elite level or near-elite level talent. drafting a great center will raise the floor of the rest of the O-line. same with taking a Carter/Anderson/Wilson/Robinson: add great players to a solid lineup and now everyone looks better. current players take a smidgen less snaps/responsibilities and new baddies do they baddie thing and PRESTO we got ourselves a very competitive roster again. RE center I'm not alone in thinking that since the Unger trade we really have never been the same. I'm hoping we focus on elite(ish) players while continuing to develop the other pretty good to very good players already on the roster. seriously, this is the most exciting and interesting draft in probably forever for our 'Hawks. Keep it coming, Joe!!! what an off-season!!!
Unless we know Pauline is a reliable Seahawks insider who has gotten solid info from inside the VMAC before, this entire "scoop" could be complete BS, because it sure stinks of it.
Doesn't this sort of bullshit happen all the time though? It's not like teams are regularly meeting with the media right now, so confirming this tweet isn't easy anyway, and teams don't have much incentive to confirm on the record which players they're showing specific interest in a month before the draft.
I don't believe that it makes any sense to make up a meeting. There would be no purpose. He could just say "Seahawks are interested" and that would have the same effect. So it makes no sense to make up a meeting where he specifically names the people in the meeting.
How do you feel about the Seahawks potentially drafting a center?
I'm fine with them drafting a Center but pretty sure Schneider isn't going to leak any plans to trade back to anyone, which is the first whiff of BS in his report.
There was nothing in my article that even suggested that that part of the report is what I was interested in. I don't know what is exactly upsetting about reporting a meeting between the Seahawks and a prospect. It's the only part of the report that I've written about and I don't see why it would be upsetting.
They need a center ,and have for a long while. I'm not saying go 1st round ,but second round is fine. Get it fixed ,and Oh by the way most of the truly good to decent Centers aren't tackles or guards.
I'd say Hutch might be out of a job if he is talking to Tony Pauline, was it? I put very little stock in this stuff, but it's nice to know Hutch is consulting for them.
Here's what I hear, and that is that from a supply and demand standpoint, it's a buyers market for Centers. Sure every team that needs a center bad enough to spend a first round pick to get their pick of the litter will only push all the other first rounders down. After all of them have their center, Ricky Stromberg is still undrafted. And don't forget guard and tackle converts to the Center position. If Stromberg is still there in the fifth round, we'd get a great bargain. But the guys who go ahead of him are good, too.
We've spent cap on a Center already. One who is proven and a significant improvement over last years' Center. I'm not saying it isn't happening, I'm just saying the Center position is as deep as the Marrianna Trench.
Nearly everyone wants a long term answer at center. But spending a first round pick on is one pretty rich when the supply outstrips the demand. Food for thought, though.
We do have a starting center but I don't know that I'd call the position deep, I think we only have Hunt behind him (but I could be wrong) and Brown is only on a one year contract so if he turns out to be really good he'll be more expensive next year and if he's bad we'll need another new center. I'm not saying draft one in the first round but it would be nice to get a good to great center playing on a rookie contract and Brown would give us a year before that center gets thrown into the carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen.
I don't believe that this necessarily has to imply that Steven Hutchinson directly contacted Tony Pauline. It would not be surprising if a reporter got bad information on reported "interested". It would be highly unusual for a reporter to say that a meeting actually happened because it would be very easy to debunk that.
I get that, and I am not suggesting the meeting didn't happen. I believe it happened. I believe we have interest in him. What I question is that anyone from the Seahawks organization said anything concrete like about what round a player is being considered. That kind of information is never given by Seahawks representatives. Just as players interviewed might be getting interviewed because they hope to nab them if they go undrafted. Being interviewed tells us that if they pass the interview they may be considered under some unknown situations. Like, going undrafted or falling past a certain level.
Joe Tippmann isn't going undrafted but is Seattle preparing in case of a Creed Humphrey fall to the late second round or the third round? It would make sense.
Thankfully for us, I have been very diligent about calling out Tony Pauline, rumors, and am only writing about the prospect meeting and not the reported value or trading down.
Center? Cool. Very cool...most Definitely about his consulting the Hawks. That dude was the nastiest OG in his 'OG' era. Yes - check some film on him. Sheer feistiness.
Few would know about the position than Steve Hutchinson. It seems like there never are very many elite Centers in college. I suspect it is because the tradition of putting those O-Linemen who are less gifted athletically to the inside. Shorter armed athletes are often placed at center as well. Having a top-end, truly elite player at any position, Center included, gives a competitive edge.
As far as spending premium draft capital on a non-priority position. The 2022 20th selection ('little hands' Kenny Pickett) garnered a guaranteed, $15,315,000.00 contract over 4 years. This year choosing Tippmann at 20 will tickle nearly $6,000,000 a year? - Shoot! That rookie will immediately be the 10th highest paid Center in the NFL. That seriously seems rich.
Thinking this through, a first-round Center is a Luxury I would choose not to afford. There are very good crop of Centers from the 2nd through the 4th-rounds. It'd be Cooler to have a difference-making defender who is capable of taking over a game at 20.
One attribute that Tippman has that neither Schmitz nor Wypler have is serious size. Haven't seen his film, but it seems likely that his anchor and drive as a blocker are more impressive than we've seen at center in Seattle for a long time. He's just as likely a worse mover to the second level, however, than what we've had...
There is zero doubt that a top level center is a key part of the OL rebuild. What I don’t know is whether a very high pick at that position has a good tendency to pan out well. All I know is: I want Geno to be very well protected. I don’t think the value of that can be overstated.
“ many centers are late risers because most draft analysts and predicters and “experts” don’t know how the hell to rate them until they’re told by the teams making them pick how good they actually are.”
Crazy to me that there’s such a drop off in the ability to grade talent once you go from NFL organizations to the rest of the world. I get that I don’t have the understanding of what makes a prospect special (or not) but you’d think as long as these “experts” have been doing it, the Mel Kipers and so forth would be more dialed in.
i agree to some extent,TurtleMan. but I would add that properly evaluating the center position requires a deeper dive than other positions on the field. a great center doesn't stand out in the same way that a WR1/2 stands out, or a great CB1 or RB1. kiper and these other goofballs are just that: goofballs. there are other reasons to think these guys are knuckleheads without judging what would be a correction in there evaluations.
Tea leaves! Tea leaves! I'm so tired of tea leaves!
Why isn't the draft here already?
I’m really glad to see that Hutch is consulting with the Hawks. Another testament to the Hawks culture. Even though Hutch wasn’t one of Pete’s guys, he is still part of the team (Once a Hawk, always a Hawk). I think that’s cool, especially on a professional level.
I think the biggest takeaway for me is that when the Hawks want to know about a player, they go see that player. It is assuring to no end that they don’t rely on all the media frenzy information and mis-information that we have to sort through. I can accept whomever they draft in part by knowing that they have the capacity to really research these players directly & for themselves. They don’t have to sift through the noise.
It's a good year for IOL options, would have been better with Van Pran (seriously, many really good prospects did not declare this year, making those who did to avoid College level competition at their positions stand out all the more... not naming names...). Tippmann would be better shifted to G than C, and with his size i'd feel ok using him as T in an injury cover situation. 1st Rd is over selling him, but he'll definitely be gone on Day 2.
Schmitz will probably be the only Centre who'll go Day 1, and even that's uncertain. But Day 2 could easily have JMS, TIppmann, Wypler (my preference for the Hawks, and the player who looks to better fit JS/PC desires at the position), Mauch, Stromberg and possibly Oluwatimi all going as possible Centres. Add on Avila, Ekiyor, Curtis and Daniels as Guards - that's a lot of IOL players going in the 2nd/3rd we could easily see a few of them available to the'Hawks at #123.
#52 should be the earliest we look at the position, and can get a reliable good option. #123 we could add a second good player, otherwise slide back to the 6th/7th for a Broeker, Kipper, Scruggs, Forsyth, Galvin. It's a good IOL draft class.
Bijan at #5, Ade Ade at #20, Mazi at #37, Wypler at #52, Pickens at #83, Daniels at #123 - 6 picks to power up the trenches in our first 6, that'd be a very nice draft and a team with staying power in January.
Could be that Seattle is getting ready in case he's available at #52
I remember reading about Hutchinson's role with the team when they drafted Stone Forsyth. It's fair to assume that he has provided input on every OL draft pick, and on a ton of guys not picked, over the last few years.
I don't see why meeting with a prospect should have any more meaning than wanting to learn more. Hutch could just as well tell them he thinks Tippman is only worth a 5th round pick as he might the #20 pick.
Pauline did this same shit last year. He heard someone in the Seahawks org did some research into Ridder and then turned it into some elaborate tale of draft trades and negotiations in the works and presented it as fact. It was all bullshit.
So I have a new scapegoat for Eskridge over Humphrey???
I don't want people to get sidetracked by the Tony Pauline part, that's why I included my previous reports on his rumors. To hopefully just say, let's set that aside and note the meetings because I think that part is consequential and verifiable.
Totally. Pauline is just annoying because he gets play his same tricks year after year and gets away with it. The story is that a Seahawks consultant that knows a bit about playing IOL met with one of the top IOL prospects in this year's draft. I believe that, and it's exciting! I don't believe that he knows anything more regarding the Seahawks intentions.
He actually seems to be a lot more calmer this year. I am pretty sure I was the only one calling him out last year. Linked article in the article notes his track records on rumors that I created. I think that says enough. I'd prefer to just focus on the meeting part. It doesn't matter what else Pauline said and even in the article, I said what you're saying and I wouldn't worry about the "trade back" part or the "draft value" part.
Ok. I'm calm now. It is really cool that Hutch is consulting for the team these last few years. I'm glad we were all able to come back together after the poison pill debacle.
So there are three 6'6 centers in the NFL. Two of them were drafted by the Seahawks. Ethan Pocic, Justin Britt (drafted as RT). Tippmann is 6'6 and has position versatility.
the 'Hawks still have a ton of holes at the moment, imo. too many for my liking. as Joe used to point out often in his video days, we have talent on the roster. but we have lacked elite level or near-elite level talent. drafting a great center will raise the floor of the rest of the O-line. same with taking a Carter/Anderson/Wilson/Robinson: add great players to a solid lineup and now everyone looks better. current players take a smidgen less snaps/responsibilities and new baddies do they baddie thing and PRESTO we got ourselves a very competitive roster again. RE center I'm not alone in thinking that since the Unger trade we really have never been the same. I'm hoping we focus on elite(ish) players while continuing to develop the other pretty good to very good players already on the roster. seriously, this is the most exciting and interesting draft in probably forever for our 'Hawks. Keep it coming, Joe!!! what an off-season!!!
Lots of interesting movement this year!
Unless we know Pauline is a reliable Seahawks insider who has gotten solid info from inside the VMAC before, this entire "scoop" could be complete BS, because it sure stinks of it.
I don't believe that easily confirmable meetings make sense as lies.
Doesn't this sort of bullshit happen all the time though? It's not like teams are regularly meeting with the media right now, so confirming this tweet isn't easy anyway, and teams don't have much incentive to confirm on the record which players they're showing specific interest in a month before the draft.
I don't believe that it makes any sense to make up a meeting. There would be no purpose. He could just say "Seahawks are interested" and that would have the same effect. So it makes no sense to make up a meeting where he specifically names the people in the meeting.
How do you feel about the Seahawks potentially drafting a center?
I'm fine with them drafting a Center but pretty sure Schneider isn't going to leak any plans to trade back to anyone, which is the first whiff of BS in his report.
There was nothing in my article that even suggested that that part of the report is what I was interested in. I don't know what is exactly upsetting about reporting a meeting between the Seahawks and a prospect. It's the only part of the report that I've written about and I don't see why it would be upsetting.
End of a long week and I couldn't let go of a dumb point I didn't need to argue over. Sorry.
They need a center ,and have for a long while. I'm not saying go 1st round ,but second round is fine. Get it fixed ,and Oh by the way most of the truly good to decent Centers aren't tackles or guards.
I'd say Hutch might be out of a job if he is talking to Tony Pauline, was it? I put very little stock in this stuff, but it's nice to know Hutch is consulting for them.
Here's what I hear, and that is that from a supply and demand standpoint, it's a buyers market for Centers. Sure every team that needs a center bad enough to spend a first round pick to get their pick of the litter will only push all the other first rounders down. After all of them have their center, Ricky Stromberg is still undrafted. And don't forget guard and tackle converts to the Center position. If Stromberg is still there in the fifth round, we'd get a great bargain. But the guys who go ahead of him are good, too.
We've spent cap on a Center already. One who is proven and a significant improvement over last years' Center. I'm not saying it isn't happening, I'm just saying the Center position is as deep as the Marrianna Trench.
Nearly everyone wants a long term answer at center. But spending a first round pick on is one pretty rich when the supply outstrips the demand. Food for thought, though.
We do have a starting center but I don't know that I'd call the position deep, I think we only have Hunt behind him (but I could be wrong) and Brown is only on a one year contract so if he turns out to be really good he'll be more expensive next year and if he's bad we'll need another new center. I'm not saying draft one in the first round but it would be nice to get a good to great center playing on a rookie contract and Brown would give us a year before that center gets thrown into the carbon dioxide, water vapor, oxygen and nitrogen.
I don't believe that this necessarily has to imply that Steven Hutchinson directly contacted Tony Pauline. It would not be surprising if a reporter got bad information on reported "interested". It would be highly unusual for a reporter to say that a meeting actually happened because it would be very easy to debunk that.
I get that, and I am not suggesting the meeting didn't happen. I believe it happened. I believe we have interest in him. What I question is that anyone from the Seahawks organization said anything concrete like about what round a player is being considered. That kind of information is never given by Seahawks representatives. Just as players interviewed might be getting interviewed because they hope to nab them if they go undrafted. Being interviewed tells us that if they pass the interview they may be considered under some unknown situations. Like, going undrafted or falling past a certain level.
Joe Tippmann isn't going undrafted but is Seattle preparing in case of a Creed Humphrey fall to the late second round or the third round? It would make sense.
Thankfully for us, I have been very diligent about calling out Tony Pauline, rumors, and am only writing about the prospect meeting and not the reported value or trading down.
I wonder if Hutch was on hand to meet with Jalen Carter. I suspect he would see what I would like to know from looking into his eye.
This ain't Seabiscuit.
Center? Cool. Very cool...most Definitely about his consulting the Hawks. That dude was the nastiest OG in his 'OG' era. Yes - check some film on him. Sheer feistiness.
Few would know about the position than Steve Hutchinson. It seems like there never are very many elite Centers in college. I suspect it is because the tradition of putting those O-Linemen who are less gifted athletically to the inside. Shorter armed athletes are often placed at center as well. Having a top-end, truly elite player at any position, Center included, gives a competitive edge.
As far as spending premium draft capital on a non-priority position. The 2022 20th selection ('little hands' Kenny Pickett) garnered a guaranteed, $15,315,000.00 contract over 4 years. This year choosing Tippmann at 20 will tickle nearly $6,000,000 a year? - Shoot! That rookie will immediately be the 10th highest paid Center in the NFL. That seriously seems rich.
Thinking this through, a first-round Center is a Luxury I would choose not to afford. There are very good crop of Centers from the 2nd through the 4th-rounds. It'd be Cooler to have a difference-making defender who is capable of taking over a game at 20.
Yes, that would be very cool...
One attribute that Tippman has that neither Schmitz nor Wypler have is serious size. Haven't seen his film, but it seems likely that his anchor and drive as a blocker are more impressive than we've seen at center in Seattle for a long time. He's just as likely a worse mover to the second level, however, than what we've had...
There is zero doubt that a top level center is a key part of the OL rebuild. What I don’t know is whether a very high pick at that position has a good tendency to pan out well. All I know is: I want Geno to be very well protected. I don’t think the value of that can be overstated.
Hutch meeting with a possible C draftee for the Seahawks? That's a Tip, Man!
“ many centers are late risers because most draft analysts and predicters and “experts” don’t know how the hell to rate them until they’re told by the teams making them pick how good they actually are.”
Crazy to me that there’s such a drop off in the ability to grade talent once you go from NFL organizations to the rest of the world. I get that I don’t have the understanding of what makes a prospect special (or not) but you’d think as long as these “experts” have been doing it, the Mel Kipers and so forth would be more dialed in.
i agree to some extent,TurtleMan. but I would add that properly evaluating the center position requires a deeper dive than other positions on the field. a great center doesn't stand out in the same way that a WR1/2 stands out, or a great CB1 or RB1. kiper and these other goofballs are just that: goofballs. there are other reasons to think these guys are knuckleheads without judging what would be a correction in there evaluations.