Seahawks Pro Day Notebook: Alabama, BYU, and South Carolina
With NFL Scouting Combine testing cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the significance of pro days has increased dramatically in 2021. Once an event which people looked at skeptically, they are now of great importance. The concern regarding inflated and inaccurate numbers remains valid, but where else can you get the testing numbers of NFL Draft prospects? Nowhere. The months of March and April are going to be busy as each school showcases their eligible stars.
Over the next several weeks, Matty F. Brown and Corbin Smith will take a deep dive into testing numbers for prospects who may be on the Seahawks radar heading towards the 2021 NFL Draft. Continuing the series, the duo examines pro day results for Alabama, BYU, and South Carolina from a week ago.
Alabama
Last year, Trevon Diggs was the clear Alabama corner Seahawks-fit given his length and press technique aggression. 2021’s way-too-obvious candidate is Patrick Surtain II. Surtain’s dad was a 1998 second-round pick and spent 11 seasons in the NFL, playing corner for the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs.
Surtain Jr. measured in at 6-foot-2-inches, 208-pounds with 32 1/2-inch arms. He ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash. He jumped 39-inches in the vertical and 10-foot-11-inches in the broad. He finished his Pro Day with 18 bench press reps. Surtain’s tape alone made him many evaluators’ cornerback No. 1. Even in years where John Schneider has a first round pick, he has still opted to wait on taking a corner early. Surtain II won’t be a Seahawk, although he may land in one of the other Seattle-tree defensive schemes like Dallas. - Matty F. Brown
If there's one position group Seattle watched closely at Alabama's first pro day, it would be the offensive line group. Though the team didn't get to see center Landon Dickerson work out as he recovers from a torn ACL, tackle Alex Leatherwood and guard Deonte Brown could be potential Day 2 options and turned in stellar workouts.
Hovering around 360 pounds at the Senior Bowl in late January, Brown showed up nearly 20 pounds lighter for his pro day, weighing in at 344 pounds. That's noteworthy for one of college football's best body movers, showing his commitment to getting into better shape for NFL teams. While his 5.57-second 40-time and 1.96-second 10-yard split were slow for guard standards and he didn't bench, he did post a 27-inch vertical jump, showing some unexpected explosiveness at his size.
As for Leatherwood, his biggest critics who questioned his athletic ability were silenced a bit in Tuscaloosa. Measuring in at 6-foot-5, 312 pounds, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds and posted a ridiculous 34 1/2-inch vertical. Both of those test scores would have finished in the top five among offensive linemen at last year's NFL Scouting Combine.
After being named a unanimous All-American selection in 2020, those numbers combined with his length and power as a blocker should bolster Leatherwood's case as a second-round pick and potentially put him back into the discussion as a first-round selection. If he does slip to when the Seahawks pick at No. 56, his upside and pedigree may make him impossible for the team to pass up despite tackle not being an immediate need. -Corbin Smith
BYU
A corner who will be available when Seattle picks is Chris Wilcox. Prior to testing, Wilcox was considered a Day 3 selection. A major reason for this was his injury history, after Wilcox had his 2018 season ended by an ankle injury and his 2019 curtailed by a leg injury. He also had zero interceptions in college.
Despite the lack of picks, Wilcox put together an exciting 2020. In the seven games of his final year, he allowed just nine catches for 106 yards and no touchdowns. Furthermore, he played clean coverage and was penalized zero times.
Wilcox satisfied the height and weight parameters that the Seahawks pay attention, measuring 6-foot-2 and weighing 198 pounds. His arm length numbers have not been reported, although Yahoo’s Eric Edholm wrote in December 2020 that Wilcox was under that magic 32-inch mark. It’s fair to conclude that certain pro day numbers aren’t reported for a reason: to protect the stock of each player.
BYU players were flying, as Wilcox ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash before improving to a time of 4.31-seconds on the following run. A 37.5-inch vertical jump and 10-foot-6-inch broad jump were really nice numbers too. His 4.20-seconds short-shuttle was fine. The only downside was a 7.19-second 3-cone time, suggesting his agility isn’t quite there and that, rather than the slot, the sideline should be his permanent NFL friend. His bench press numbers weren’t released. Wilcox had a day of testing that establishes, assuming the physicals are okay, he is now certain to be drafted. Time to dig into that senior-year footage... - Matty F. Brown
Expected to be a top-three pick, all eyes were on star quarterback Zach Wilson at BYU's pro day. But the Cougars also had several standouts in the trenches who performed well in athletic testing that could be appealing mid-round options for the Seahawks.
Arguably the most impressive workout came from versatile offensive lineman Brady Christensen, who measured in at 6-foot-6, 302 pounds and put up historic numbers in his athletic testing. He ran the 40-yard dash in a speedy 4.89 seconds, repped 225 pounds 30 times on bench press, and then established a new record for the longest broad jump (124 inches) by an offensive lineman per Mockdraftable.
These fantastic testing numbers put prior concerns about his athleticism to rest and coupled with Christensen's dominance at the college level, he should be solidly in the discussion as a Day 2 selection. Earning an elite 96.0 grade while allowing just one sack and two quarterback hurries in 2020, he earned First-Team All-American honors from Pro Football Focus. For his career, he allowed three sacks and 24 quarterback hurries on over 2,500 offensive snaps, which could make him an ideal heir apparent candidate for Duane Brown in Seattle.
Defensively, if the Seahawks find themselves still in the market for a nose tackle despite recently signing Al Woods, Khyiris Tonga could be an intriguing option. Known for his bullying presence in the trenches, he weighed in at 325 pounds and put up 35 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. He also displayed decent athleticism with a 5.10-second 40-yard dash and a 1.74-second 10-yard split.
On the field, Tonga amassed 130 tackles over four seasons and emerged as a pass rusher during his senior season, setting a new career-high with 3.5 sacks. Boasting light feet for a player of his size and capable of tracking down running backs and quarterbacks unlike few at his position, he should be available for consideration in the fourth round or later. -Corbin Smith
South Carolina
Like Surtain, Jaycee Horn is unanimously regarded as a first round corner. His pro day only confirmed this, with his 6-foot and 6/8-inch, 205-pound frame leaping 41.5-inches in the vertical and 11-foot-11-inches in the broad. His 33-inch arms pumped him to a blistering 4.39-second 40-yard dash and 19 bench press reps—one rep more than Surtain II.
However, South Carolina has a more attainable corner for the Seahawks. The more these testing numbers come out, the more it becomes obvious that the 2021 draft is loaded with long and athletic cornerbacks that should make Pete Carroll grin.
Israel Mukuamu measured 6-foot-4 and 1/8-inches and weighed 212 pounds. His hips and footwork are better than his height would suggest though, with some fluidity and transitional quickness. He had a condor-like 34-inch arm length and 80 3/4-inch wingspan. Nursing a hamstring injury, Mukuamu decided not to run the 40-yard dash, 3-cone, or short-shuttle. He had jumps of 36.5 inches in the vertical and 9-foot-11-inches in the broad. Seattle may be turned off by his 13 bench press reps.
Mukuamu not participating in the runs just means evaluators must weight his tape more heavily. He has some of the movement skills you’d want to see, stuff which goes some way to alleviating any potential concerns over a lack of pro day figures—long speed does matter but the disadvantage can be negated by effective press technique.
The Gamecocks deployed Mukuamu in the slot and as a deep safety in addition to outside corner. The 21-year old has startling ball skills, racking up seven interceptions and 10 pass deflections in 23 college games. His profile looks like an obvious Day 2 corner. - Matty F. Brown
Considering the recent addition of Gabe Jackson, the Seahawks won't be in the market for an instant starter at guard. But if Schneider has interest in adding depth at the position and snagging a potential diamond in the rough, Sadarius Hutcherson presents an intriguing prospect who could develop into a starter down the road with adequate coaching.
Weighing in at 321 pounds with a 79 3/4-inch wingspan, Hutcherson's former basketball background and well-documented explosiveness were put on display at the Gamecocks' pro day. He ran a respectable 5.01-second 40-yard dash and posted a 31 1/2-inch vertical jump along with 36 reps on bench press, turning in a strong all-around workout.
These traits can be seen on the field, but Hutcherson's biggest issues have revolved around shoddy technique and balance problems. He has the ability to blow defenders off the line of scrimmage and can be a nightmare climbing to the second level, but his pass sets offer much to be desired due to poor footwork and hand placement. He's a bit of a project, but would make sense for Seattle on Day 3. -Corbin Smith
Here is the full schedule of upcoming pro days:
Tuesday, March 30: Alabama, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Louisville, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Tulane, Washington
Wednesday, March 31: Boise State, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana State, Notre Dame, Wake Forest
Thursday, April 1: Appalachian State, UCF, Minnesota, Charlotte, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, South Florida, Western Kentucky
Friday, April 2: Oregon, Tulsa
Wednesday, April 7: Texas Tech
Friday, April 9: UAB, Ball State, Houston, Rice
There are also private companies hosting combine‐style events. We've already seen the EXOS Combine on March 3 and the House of Athlete combine March 5.
