'I Beat Myself Up!' Seahawks GM John Schneider Reflects on Draft Lessons Learned
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Calling the shots since receiving his first general manager gig with the Seahawks back in 2010, John Schneider has rightfully earned a reputation as one of the premier talent evaluators in the NFL.
Building a perennial contender in the NFC with 10 playoff appearances in 13 seasons, Schneider has found great success unearthing late round gems, including drafting "Legion of Boom" members Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman in the fifth round of the 2010 and 2011 drafts respectively. He's also landed future Hall of Fame talents Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner on day two of a historic 2012 draft haul.
But like every other executive in the league, Schneider has been far from perfect and though he has a sterling resume that stacks up against anyone else in the industry, mistakes have been made over the years. There have undoubtedly been early round misses that haven't worked out for Seattle such as reaching for defensive end L.J. Collier in 2019 and the infamous second round selection of defensive tackle Malik McDowell, who never played a down for the team after an ATV accident.
On the opening day of his 14th combine with the Seahawks, Schneider took a step back to reflect on those prior mishaps and how learning from them helped him and the rest of the front office and scouting department reel in an outstanding 2022 class a year ago.
"I think I talked about it before, the lessons you learn along the way," Schneider remarked. "I'm Catholic, so I beat myself up a little bit. The mistakes I've made, and why. Comparing players and purely drafting for need."
As Schneider has indicated several times in recent years, maintaining lofty standards set with him and coach Pete Carroll running the show on draft weekend became more challenging once Seattle started making deep playoff runs in 2012. Picking late in rounds, and sometimes not having first round picks at all due to trades, the team failed to bring in near as many impactful players during the 2013 and 2014 drafts.
But some of that also boiled down to the lack of opportunities on a star-laden roster featuring numerous All-Pro and Pro Bowl talents and outstanding depth across the board, which made making the team incredibly difficult. Schneider referenced recent comments from long-time NFL quarterback Brady Quinn, who lost the backup job behind Russell Wilson to Tarvaris Jackson in 2013.
In retrospect, though there were still some great picks along the way such as receiver Tyler Lockett in 2015, Schneider wonders if the organization did enough homework on many of the players drafted in the years following the franchise-altering 2012 class.
"Some of the background information we had on players from a confidence standpoint or a swagger standpoint weren't necessarily able to compete with the Richard Shermans and the Kam Chancellors and the Bobby Wagners and the K.J.s [Wright]. Earl Thomas, you know what I mean?" Schneider said. "We knew we had to do a little better job in that regard [like] in 2010, '11, '12, picking players and building this thing."
While Schneider hasn't delved specifically into the ill-fated McDowell pick and didn't discuss it on Tuesday, it's evident the Seahawks have placed a greater emphasis on the character element of player evaluation since then. They haven't taken chances on prospects with red flags, instead stockpiling mature rookies and preferencing former team captains, including second-round pick Boye Mafe, third-round pick Abraham Lucas, and fourth-round pick Coby Bryant in last year's decorated class.
Along with overhauling how they seek out answers on the character of prospects during a draft cycle, Schneider individually has pledged not to force the issue to fill a position of need. Back in 2019, after a bunch of pass rushers came flying off the board in quick succession in the first round, Seattle may have panicked picking Collier with the 29th overall pick simply because of the position he played.
While nobody knows what happened behind closed doors in the draft room that night except for those who participated in the festivities, Schneider and Carroll seemed uncharacteristically somber after selecting Collier during their post-round press conference with local media. The draft board didn't fall the way they hoped it would and four years later, unfortunately, that selection didn't pan out at all.
Moving forward with his 14th draft with the Seahawks approaching, Schneider intends to avoid such pitfalls, instead aiming to draft the best football player rather than settling for a player at a position of need and failing to maximize the value of a high draft pick in the process. In a joking manner, he also made it clear he isn't going to dwell on the opinions of others after the fact.
"We're not going to push people. We're not going to - that's one of the things we've done in the past I was addressing earlier - we're not going to push guys into a spot just because of a specific need. I always tell people, you get through the draft into Friday night or Thursday night, it's like a red carpet event, right? And then you have Saturday and Sunday, and then, you know, Monday, everybody rips people like myself, and makes fun of us for all the decisions we make. And then we move on to next year."
Employing a differentiated approach compared to earlier years at the helm, what does that mean for the Seahawks plans starting this week at the combine and culminating with the 2023 NFL Draft in April?
Coming off an unexpected playoff appearance, it's anyone's guess what Schneider and Carroll will choose to do with an abundance of draft capital, including the No. 5 overall pick and four picks in the first 52 selections. Assuming Geno Smith re-signs, they already will have their quarterback in place, giving them immense flexibility to attack other positions or pursue a future franchise signal caller if they wish.
Based on Schneider's comments, it will interesting to see whether or not Georgia star defensive tackle Jalen Carter remains on their big board after being charged with two misdemeanors for racing and reckless driving in Georgia on Wednesday. Based on their recent track record following the McDowell fiasco, such a red flag may take him out of consideration, depending how things play out in coming weeks with his legal situation.
Beyond the Carter conundrum, nobody should be surprised if the Seahawks zig when everybody else zags with their two first round selections. If they are truly prioritizing picking the best player available and neither of the top pass rushers remain on the board, they could trade down from No. 5 overall and think outside the box by selecting Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, USC receiver Jordan Addison, or even versatile Alabama safety Brian Branch.
Once they get back on the clock with pick No. 20, Schneider could aim to shore up the interior offensive line with a top center or guard prospect such as Minnesota's John Michael Schmitz or Florida's O'Cyrus Torrence. Or he could dip into a deep stable of pass rushers such as Iowa State's Will McDonald among other options.
No matter the game plan come draft weekend, front offices always have to be ready for wrenches to be thrown into the mix. If there's a rapid run on quarterbacks before Seattle is on the clock, Alabama's Will Anderson or Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson could fall right into Schneider's lap to add a blue chip edge defender to the fold. If those players go quickly and Carter is off the board, trading down may indeed be the best alternative.
Luckily, the Seahawks find themselves in an advantageous position where they could go any number of directions. As long as Schneider keeps all he has learned over the years in mind and follows through seeking the best players and right characters to add to the locker room, the team should be poised to improve short and long-term with an infusion of dynamic talent to help close the gap in the NFC West.
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