5 Observations From Day 3 of Seahawks Rookie Minicamp
Taking it easy in a light, walkthrough-driven final session, the Seahawks wrapped up their annual three-day rookie minicamp at the VMAC on Sunday and will now transition towards the start of organized team activities on May 23.
While not much could be gleaned football-wise from Sunday's short practice and not all of the players participating this weekend will be with the team for the next phase, coach Pete Carroll appreciated how incoming rookies attacked their playbook and hit the ground running on the field.
"We wanted to learn about our players as much as we could and in a weekend's time about who they are and also try to gain as much as we can about them as football players," Carroll said. "Meanwhile, we're letting them know about who we are and what they can expect about being part of this program in this culture and it really worked out well. It was fun, we had a good time doing it, they worked really hard, they just studied every second - we filled up up their days as much as we could - and they got Seahawks 24/7 while they were here, so it was great."
As Seattle put a bow on minicamp, here are five observations from Sunday's third session through Carroll's perspective:
1. For the most part, all eyes remained glued on Seattle's new draft class.
Trying to evaluate players during offseason minicamps can be a futile exercise, particularly in glorified walkthroughs like Sunday's session. But when asked to identify standouts from this weekend, Carroll unsurprisingly cited the Seahawks nine-player draft class as a whole, indicating he was pleased with how that group handled their first action with the team.
In particular, Carroll continued to heap praise on first-round pick Charles Cross and third-round pick Abraham Lucas, as the pair of tackles have impressed since their arrival and got off to a fast start this weekend.
"I was so caught by the draft picks. I thought everybody was able to show something," Carroll responded. "The tackles jump out right off the bat. Both guys look well-equipped physically, they look like they can move like we would hope they can move, they're both bright kids and will pick up their stuff, so the process is under way and I'm fired up about that."
On the opposite side of the line, Carroll didn't get a chance to see as many reps from fifth-round pick Tyreke Smith as hoped due to an undisclosed injury. But second-round pick Boye Mafe's put his array of physical tools on display in a non-contact setting, as the linebacker's speed and quickness were evident shooting off the edge during drill work and team drills.
"Boye [Mafe] did a really good job, and he really had a chance to show," Carroll said. "It's just like molding clay. He's such a new player to what we're doing. It's going to be really exciting to see what he can do because he's got great physical tools."
Carroll also continued to talk up running back Ken Walker III, saying the second-round pick "can do everything" out of the backfield and has hit the ground running with an already-established background in pro-style run concepts. He also referenced seventh-round wideouts Bo Melton and Dareke Young, who bring a "uniqueness" to Seattle's receiver room with vastly different skill sets and abilities.
2. With Cross and Lucas impressing early, Carroll thinks the Seahawks have quality depth at tackle moving towards the season.
Prior to last week's draft, the Seahawks had only three tackles on their roster with a combined five NFL starts under their belts. With veterans Duane Brown and Brandon Shell still unsigned and limited experience at the position as a whole, they aggressively double-dipped at the position in the first three rounds with two athletic, standout pass protecting prospects, using a top-10 pick on Cross and a third-round pick on Lucas.
With Cross and Lucas added to the fold and already making waves, while adding another tackle at some point remains likely, Carroll seems content with Seattle's current depth at the position thanks to the return of second-year players Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan. Forsythe, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 draft, only saw 14 snaps last year on offense, but the undrafted Curhan wound up starting five games in place of Shell to close out the season and performed admirably.
"I'm excited about the competition of it. Yeah. We'll see how it goes, and it's a great opportunity for Stone [Forsythe]. This is his chance. And Jake [Curhan] got to start a resume last year playing, and did a nice job, and so they'll come back. I've already talked to these guys, they see the game differently already as they do when they from the Freshman to Sophomore year, it just flips so much. So, we'll see if they can take advantage of what they see new, and I know Jake is really fired up about coming back, and just not being in the blur of camp and all that. So, we'll see how it goes."
Looking towards training camp, Cross will likely be the favorite competing against Forsythe at the left tackle spot. As for Lucas, he and Curhan will vie for snaps on the right side. Behind them, Greg Eiland is the only other tackle currently under contract.
3. A pair of undrafted rookie signees stand out along the offensive line and at linebacker.
While Carroll obviously paid the most attention to draft picks over the past couple of days, that doesn't mean that undrafted players didn't leave a positive impression on him in their first action as Seahawks either. In fact, he pointed out several players specifically on Sunday, including linebacker Vi Jones and guard Shamarious Gilmore.
Jones, whose father Robert starred for the Cowboys and played on three Super Bowl champions, comes from a football family. Both of his brothers - Cayleb Jones and Zay Jones - played at least one year in the league, with the latter recently signing a multi-year contract with the Jaguars. In his final season at North Carolina State, he produced 45 tackles and 6.0 sacks and he also blocked three kicks in 2020.
At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds with a near 80-inch wingspan and excellent speed, quickness, and explosiveness, Carroll says Jones "looks the part" as a potential contributor on defense and special teams.
“He's got a good general background of what he's played, and you can see, he's got a lot of athleticism. He's really fast, really fits the bill," Carroll said of Jones. "One of the guys that wasn't the draft picks that I totally picked up on, was excited to see him, and you can picture, he could be a special teamer. He could play a little bit outside, play a little inside backer for you, if you need him to, and he'll be able to match up with guys. So he had a good camp. A really good camp.”
As for Gilmore, the 6-foot-1, 302-pound guard out of Georgia State logged more than 4,000 snaps in his collegiate career and earned First-Team All-Sun Belt honors in 2021. A plus athlete for his position, his 4.39-second short shuttle nearly equaled fourth-round pick Coby Bryant, exhibiting his excellent quickness and mobility.
Given his experience, lateral quickness, and football savvy, Carroll foresees Gilmore throwing himself right into the competition for a roster spot behind starters Damien Lewis and Gabe Jackson as well as returning reserve Phil Haynes.
"He's played a ton of football. He's a good ball player, and he's been a leader in the program, and you can tell he's got a good awareness about him and good presence, and so we're happy to have him coming back. You don't have enough guys ever, so hopefully he'll be able to fit into it.”
4. Carroll loves what he's seen early from newcomers Sean Desai and Karl Scott on the defensive coaching staff.
Until the pads go on in August, it will be tough to assess how different Seattle's defense will look from a schematic standpoint. However, as Carroll noted on Sunday, Desai and Scott are already leaving their imprint on the program in a positive manner as assistants on coordinator Clint Hurtt's new-look defensive staff.
“These guys are doing a marvelous job. I'm really impressed," Carroll gushed. "I will say that forever on these guys. Their command of what we're doing and their attention to the process, the teaching process, is really something. We're teaching differently than we have.”
After spending nearly a decade with the Bears, including serving as defensive coordinator last season, Desai joined Seattle's staff as an associate head coach and will be expected to have a significant role in game planning among other things. After one season with the Vikings and three seasons at Alabama, Scott has take the reins as the team's passing game coordinator and will also be involved in play calling on Sundays.
As for how Desai and Scott are instructing players differently than their predecessors, Carroll didn't offer any specifics. But he was visibly fired up about the impact both coaches already have had so far and looks forward to seeing how much their presence will help the Seahawks' defense at all levels.
“Just the way we're breaking things down, and part of our own method, take you right back to objective behavior, and trying train guys how to learn stuff, and so it's good stuff," Carroll said.
5. A signing isn't imminent - or even likely - but the Seahawks have spoken with veteran linebacker K.J. Wright.
While rookies and eligible second-year players were the only ones on the field this weekend, Carroll was asked about a potential return for veteran linebacker K.J. Wright, who played his first 10 NFL seasons with the organization before spending last season with the Raiders. He currently ranks third on the franchise's all-time list in tackles and will likely be a Ring of Honor member once he hangs up his cleats.
Last week, Wright told Trey Wingo on the Half-Forgotten History podcast that he wanted to finish his career back with the Seahawks and would not entertain playing anywhere else in 2022.
Rather than completely dodge the question, Carroll smiled and responded, “I love K.J. I've already talked to him about stuff for the future and all that. I did hear that he talked about playing, and we've already talked about that.”
With Bobby Wagner now in Los Angeles and Ben Burr-Kirven and Jon Rhattigan recovering from torn ACLs, it's not completely out of the question Wright could return after a year away. But nothing Carroll said on Sunday suggested Seattle has any future plans for re-signing him and barring injuries down the line, with the team switching to a 3-4 defense and in the midst of a youth movement, a reunion seems improbable.
