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4 Seahawks Combine Stars Who Didn't Pan Out
Drafting is an inexact science and combine numbers help make the process more accurate. Teams can project the likelihood of each players’ success based on years of data, employing athletic thresholds. Also: speed wins.
However, the underwear Olympiad is by no means a guarantor of success. From intriguing Day 3 projects, to high round busts, to players who go on to experience success away from Seattle, the Seahawks have selected prospects who fall into each bracket over the years.
Sadly, the talents of Jameson Konz, Garrett Scott, and Kristjan Sokoli are ineligible for this article. Instead, here are four athletic Seahawks who did star at the combine, yet could not succeed in Seattle.
Obum Gwacham
Gwacham was an exciting Day 3 pick with the potential upside of playing some LEO defensive end and SAM linebacker. His Oregon State track team background as a high and triple jumper meant he was going to test explosively. Sure enough, after Gwacham measured in at 6-foot-5, 246 pounds, the EDGE jumped 36 inches vertically (81st percentile) and 121 inches in the broad jump (82nd percentile). Impressive leaps coupled with 34 3/8-inch long arms (80th percentile) and a 4.28 second short-shuttle (80th percentile) gave Gwacham a profile to work with.
Seattle presumably hoped to sneak Gwacham onto their practice squad when they waived him during final roster cuts in September 2015. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the Saints immediately claimed Gwacham off waivers. He has bounced around the fringes of various teams, going from the Cardinals to the New York Jets, to the Arizona Hotshots of the defunct AAF, and to the Indianapolis Colts. Now 28, Gwacham is on the injured reserved list for the Tampa Bay Vipers of the XFL.
Christine Michael
Ahhh. Michael came into the 2013 combine totally rocked up at 5-foot-10 and weighing 220 pounds. He then tested off the charts. His 4.54 40-yard dash was boosted by an outstanding 1.51 second 10-yard split (89th percentile). His other numbers were even sillier: he posted a 125 inch broad jump (88th percentile), 27 bench press reps (94th percentile), 4.02 second 20-yard shuttle (95th percentile), a 6.69 second 3-cone drill (96th percentile), and a 43-inch vertical jump (98th percentile). Unsurprisingly, his college tape at Texas A&M was full of electric physicality.
Despite having Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, Michael’s athletic talent was too tempting for John Schneider to pass up. The front office's focus in this period was heavily SPARQ orientated. Perhaps Schneider underestimated Lynch’s durability too? Whatever the balance, Michael can be called a bust. The running back made visible, repeated mistakes, which spoke of not knowing the playbook or being able to read NFL defenses. This trend continued onto Dallas, Green Bay, and Indianapolis.
Michael is currently playing for the St Louis Battlehawks in the XFL. We will always have the trademark spin move, the mixtape, and the American flag outfit though. And a 4.3 yards per carry career average in the NFL isn’t terrible.
Aaron Curry
Curry was the “safest pick in the draft,” supposedly. Tim Ruskell taking the Wake Forest product fourth overall was an indictment of the general manager’s approach to talent evaluation. Off the Seahawks after two seasons and out of the league in six, Curry is in the conversation for biggest draft bust of all time. In franchise history? There’s no question.
In this excellent 2017 Sports Illustrated article by Jonathan Jones, Curry described his poor upbringing and the impact getting a six-year, up-to $60 million contract had on him.
“One of my motivations was being able to change the financial dynamic of my family,” Curry said. “But if you have a motivation that can be gained, what do you now? My goal was to get paid, and I got paid. And me looking back on it now, I got what I wanted. Now what? I look back on it and I realize I was a victim of having a motivation that wasn’t everlasting, that wasn’t going to keep me going when things got hard. I had a goal that wasn’t fulfilling.”
Curry got paid and stopped working at the level needed to succeed in the NFL. Then injuries curtailed his career once he started to figure things out.
But those combine numbers!!! The 6-foot-2, 254 pound linebacker ran a 4.52 40-yard dash with an ungodly 1.50 10-yard split. Curry’s 37-inch vertical jump and 124-inch broad jump put him in elite company too. What a shame that Curry’s success in Indianapolis could not translate to the pro game. What really stands out watching his Seahawks tape is the slow and/or incorrect play diagnosis and recognition. His hips also looked tight, which is hinted at by his 7.15 second 3-cone drill.
Michael Bates
Bates didn’t play for the Seahawks in the season after he was drafted. The receiver had long contract negotiations with the front office that saw him hold out in his rookie year. Plus, Bates was busy winning a Bronze medal in the 200 meters at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics with a time of 20.38 seconds.
At 5-foot-8, 187 pounds, the University of Arizona standout ran a 4.48 40-yard dash and leaped 34.5 inches. Such dynamism proved useful throughout his career, particularly the top-end speed of a 200 meter runner. Indeed, in his maiden year of 1993, Bates led Seattle with 22 special teams tackles in a Pro Bowl alternate campaign.
After the Seahawks waived Bates in 1995 following the additions of Joey Galloway and Ricky Proehl, Bates truly announced himself to the NFL. His best football came in Carolina once the Panthers claimed him off waivers. He became known as a kick return specialist, his peak statistics coming in 1996 with 33 kicks returned for 998 yards - a 30.2 yard per return average. This special teams reputation was good enough to see him named to the NFL 1990s All-Decade team.
Bates also played for the Browns, the Redskins, the Jets, and the Cowboys in a 10-year career. He finished with 9,110 total kick return yards (Seventh all time) and five kick return touchdowns (tied for ninth).
