Jim Nagy: Seahawks Landed 'Second Draft Class' Via Undrafted Free Agency
After executing trades to acquire Jamal Adams, Carlos Dunlap, and Gabe Jackson, the Seahawks entered the 2021 NFL Draft with a league-low three draft picks. To the surprise of some, general manager John Schneider stuck at that number, exiting the three-day event with only three new players.
However, not everyone was taken aback by Schneider's unusual lack of aggressiveness trying to recoup picks. Among those, Senior Bowl director and former NFL scout Jim Nagy didn't expect many fireworks this year, especially after a conversation he had with the renowned executive prior to the second round.
"I think there was some feeling - and not just with Seattle - really, it was league wide... I think there was some feeling that this draft was pretty good through the fourth or fifth round and then there was a little bit of a drop off," Nagy said on the Locked On Seahawks podcast. "If they were to trade, they would have been trading a lot of next year's commodities, so I don't think they wanted to give that up."
"As hard as it was, I think it would have been funny to see John and how he was operating on draft weekend, probably chomping at the bit. I'm sure rookie free agency was fun for him, but it's hard to see John going through a draft weekend with three picks."
As Nagy mentioned, with the NCAA providing a waiver for seniors to return to school due to the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically impacting the 2020 season, only around 700 players signed with agents. This is a significantly lower number than normal, which negatively impacted the talent pool for this year's draft class.
On the flip side, so many players returning to school compared to a typical year will create what Nagy deemed a "bloated" 2022 draft class. With the expectation among teams that next season will allow for the return of more conventional scouting methods and a traditional college football season, those future picks were viewed as gold.
As a result, like most NFL general managers, Schneider opted to sit pat for the most part and protect those future assets rather than wheel-and-deal as he's accustomed to doing. While he did conduct two draft weekend trades, a fourth-round trade down ultimately was made to help swing a trade up in the sixth-round for Florida tackle Stone Forsythe, bringing the Seahawks back to a total of three draft picks.
If there was a plus to having minimal draft capital, the situation made Seattle more enticing to prospects who didn't hear their name called and were seeking a legitimate shot to compete for an NFL roster spot. From Nagy's perspective, Schneider took full advantage of the opportunity by signing an impressive crop of undrafted players.
"I felt like they had a second draft class," Nagy stated. "Maybe part of it, the recruiting, was that they only had three picks, so that was a really nice recruiting pitch for those John and everyone."
Playing a central role in determining which players get invited to the Senior Bowl, Nagy has strong ties with several of Seattle's undrafted signings who participated in the all-star showcase back in January. Among those players, Schneider and his staff quickly snagged South Dakota State receiver Cade Johnson.
One of the most decorated prospects coming from the FCS level in this year's draft class, Johnson accumulated 2,872 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns in three seasons starring for the Jackrabbits. Despite not playing in any games in 2020 due to COVID, he earned an invite to Mobile and held his own against top-flight competition.
Now more than two weeks removed from the draft, Nagy still doesn't understand how Johnson slipped through the cracks, but the Seahawks should be the benefactor of his unexpected free fall.
"I was shocked Cade Johnson didn't go," Nagy remarked. "Small school guy and then came down here and had a great week. Did about everything he could do at receiver, getting open, catching the ball, going into the game and playing gunner on punt team, making a tackle as a gunner. He did everything he could do. High, high character guy. It just didn't make sense to me that he didn't go."
Johnson wasn't the only notable Senior Bowl alum who made his way to Seattle through undrafted free agency. North Carolina Central cornerback Bryan Mills and California tackle Jake Curhan also signed with the team and recently participated in rookie minicamp.
Like Johnson, Nagy thought Mills and Curhan would hear their names called on day three of the draft. But that ultimately didn't happen for different reasons for both players.
Weighing under 175 pounds and coming from an FCS program, Mills didn't test as well as expected at his pro day, which significantly hurt his draft stock. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.60 seconds, posted a mediocre 7.2-second 3-cone drill time, and only repped 225 pounds twice on the bench press.
Still, considering Mills' length (6-foot-2, 32-inch arms) and ball skills (five interceptions in 2019), Nagy expected the lanky cornerback would be selected at some point between the fourth and seventh rounds. Given those attributes, Nagy sees landing in Seattle as a potential blessing for him.
"Good football player on tape, never saw a speed deficiency. Just didn't test great," Nagy said of Mills. "He's a 180-pound guy, maybe a little less than that, and he just didn't test great. He's really a one school player coming out of JUCO, so I can see there's a little development there. But I still thought he would go safely on day three."
As for Curhan, who started 40 out of 42 career college games for the Bears at right tackle, Nagy said several teams had him as a "fringe starting right tackle" in the NFL. In fact, he interestingly indicated a majority of teams had higher grades on him than Forsythe going into the draft process.
But several teams reportedly took the 6-foot-5, 316-pound Curhan off their draft boards after medical tests revealed a heart-related issue. The Seahawks obviously felt good about his prognosis, quickly offering him to a contract after the seventh round concluded, and now he will compete for a reserve spot against Forsythe, Cedric Ogbuehi, and Tommy Champion.
Looking at the Seahawks undrafted class as a whole, Nagy also name-dropped several signees who were on the radar as potential Senior Bowl invitees, including Texas A&M tackle Jared Hocker, Florida Atlantic running back B.J. Emmons, and Louisiana Monroe running back Josh Johnson. All three were strongly considered to play in Mobile and received notable buzz from NFL scouts.
With such talents rounding out the group and ready to compete this summer, Nagy doesn't think Schneider and his staff could have done much better finding potential difference makers with such minimal draft assets. He's expecting some intense competitions as a result, particularly at running back, receiver, cornerback, and along the offensive line.
"I'm not saying this because those guys are my friends and I'm close to those guys. I really feel like they nailed rookie free agency."
