D'Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan Broncos.
The annual draft is a time when NFL teams can fill holes and strengthen their roster. Unfortunately, the Seattle Seahawks didn’t accomplish that in 2021.
Maybe the last thing the team needed so early in the draft was a wide receiver. So like many of you, I yelled at my television in disbelief when the announcement of wide receiver D’Wayne Eskridge was made.
Eskridge is a 5-9 speedster from Western Michigan, the same school as Antonio Brown. He is known for his ability to break free from coverage and take off. Aside from his offensive role at WMU, Eskridge also played some cornerback.
Still a third receiver? What were Schneider and Carroll thinking?
The thing that makes the pick even worse is that Russell Wilson couldn’t have been clearer in his post-Super Bowl comments. RW3 is tired of getting knocked on his butt. Getting guard Gabe Jackson from Las Vegas should have been a start of building up the line, not the culmination.
Those who believe Eskridge is the missing piece who can put the Seahawks over the top are missing the point. He’s got talent. I don’t question his ability. I question why the Seahawks would draft another receiver when they have more pressing needs like an offensive lineman or a replacement for K.J. Wright.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t matter that Eskridge can blow off the top of a defense with his speed if Wilson doesn’t have time to throw or is running for his life because Seattle can’t protect him.
Right tackle Brandon Shell‘s pass blocking skills are far below average. Center Ethan Pocic needed too much help from his guards last season. They aren’t good enough to start on championship-caliber teams. If this is news, you haven’t been watching.
2021 was the year to draft and develop a good tackle. Instead, Schneider and Carroll drafted a third receiver. Unless there is an injury to either Tyler Lockett or D.K. Metcalf, the chances that Eskridge becomes one of the top two are extremely limited. It’s also important to remember; the Seahawks like to use dual tight end sets. The number three WR doesn’t always get on the field.
Maybe they use three-wides 70-ish percent of the time. The Seahawks needed someone who can be an every-down contributor. Not to mention a player who can help keep Russ upright.
If the Seahawks, for some reason, didn’t think there was an offensive lineman worth selecting, then they should have drafted linebacker Nick Bolton.
Truthfully, even if Eskridge makes a Pro Bowl in a few years, he’s not what the Seahawks need now or even a year from now. Their window for contention won’t last too much longer, two, three years tops. That’s why it was necessary to shore up the offensive line.
There must be some sort of draft plan the Seahawks skipped over in their pre-event presser. Otherwise, why the need for undersized players who might excel returning kicks.
The Seattle Seahawks made their second selection of the draft in Round 4. It was slightly delayed after they traded down, moving from 129 to 137. With the pick, they chose cornerback Tre Brown from Oklahoma. Don’t get me wrong. This is the NFL, and teams can never have enough good corners.
Teams, however, like cornerbacks who can contest catches. Then there is the whole point of avoiding penalties. Brown had 14 penalties for holding or pass interference called against him over the past two seasons. He’ll need lots of coaching up to be successful in the pros.
Stone Forsythe wasn’t a terrible pick. Then again, there was a reason why Forsyth lasted until the end of Round 6 (208th overall). At almost 6-9 and 310-pounds, he’s a very poor run-blocker who was out of his depth against SEC run blockers.
There is good news.
Given enough time, Forsyth could become a decent NFL offensive tackle. Do the Seattle Seahawks, more importantly, Russell Wilson, have the time to wait for it to happen?
Let me make one other thing clear. Because someone is a fan or covers a team, they don’t have to agree with everything the team does. When someone can prove that 100 percent of their decisions are correct, then the narrative changes. Until then, they are open to criticism. Their job is to help the team, and management failed on this one.
I certainly make mistakes, and there are many readers out there ready to point it out. It’s part of the job. Schneider and Carroll know it’s the same for them, only the stakes are higher.
What do you think about the Seattle Seahawks 2021 NFL draft class? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.