Seattle Seahawks: Dueling Mock Drafts 1.0
Clint Prasky
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First Round, pick 9 overall
Clint – Ahmad Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
It’s pick number nine, and the Seattle Seahawks are on the clock. With the first pick of the new era, they select Ahmad Gardner, also known as “Sauce.” At 6’3″ and 200-pounds, Gardner has the size that Pete covets in his cornerbacks.
Sauce has a penchant for making big plays, evidenced by his game-winning pick-six against East Carolina back in 2019. He’s a good press cover corner with the ability to contest at the high point,
Gardner shows fantastic instincts and is a willing tackler in the flats. Last season, the Seahawks got beat often in coverage, especially in the short passing game. Some special sauce may be just what the Seahawks need to cover opposing receivers.
While Gardner is not overly physical to draw pass interference penalties, he gets physical when the time calls, including when it comes for tackling… For the NFL, Gardner looks like a No. 1 corner who has Pro Bowl potential early in his career. Before long, he could be one of the top cover corners in the league. – Charlie Campbell, Walter Football.
Sauce Gardner didn’t allow a TD on 1,059 coverage snaps in his career 🔒 pic.twitter.com/aqDoKkhach
— PFF (@PFF) March 5, 2022
Ed – Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
Evan Neal is the best tackle in this draft. Unfortunately, he played most of his college career at right tackle. Teams generally don’t invest a top ten pick in that position. It’s one of the reasons why Tristan Wirfs dropped to Tampa Bay at 13 in 2020 despite his high predraft grades.
The big man from Bama didn’t move to the left side until last year, which is the only reason why Neal would fall to the Seahawks at nine. At 6’7″, 360-pounds, he has the physical build of an NFL lineman. His hulking size comes with outstanding strength, agility, and speed.
A dominator in the run game, Neal’s size and reach make him hard to get around for pass rushers. He also has a mean streak that will discourage defensive linemen from going at him head-on.
He’s by no means a finished product. Ideally, Neal learns the NFL game as a RT before moving over to the blindside. That means the Seattle Seahawks will need to invest in a free agent left tackle for a few seasons.
Neal uses his massive frame and power to move defenders off the line of scrimmage when run blocking. Neal excels at playing in a phone booth and uses his weight to wear defenders down. In his pass sets, he uses his body mass and length to force defenders to run around him and out of the way of the quarterback. – The Draft Network.
Next Page 3 – Round 2a
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