I had a chance to talk with Rob Rang, senior draft analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, and get his thoughts on last week’s Senior Bowl, including a couple players who helped themselves heading into April’s draft

And at the top of Rang’s list was Cal receiver Marvin Jones, who he believes elevated his draft stock with a solid performance during practices and in the game on Saturday.

“The one guy that immediately jumps out is Cal wide receiver Marvin Jones,” Rang said. “During the week of practice he was the best receiver on the field. He was kind of thought of as just a guy. A 6-2, 200 pounds, he was a good looking player and caught everything thrown to him.”

However, Jones did suffer a knee injury during the game, which could affect his draft evaluation down the road.

Along with Jones, Rang said fellow Pac-12 receiver Jeron Criner of Arizona played well.

Read more »

Our annual preview of this year’s NFL draft begins today with the half-hour video above produced by TNT media guru Joe Barrentine.

In the video Rob Rang, senior draft analyst for NFLDraftScout.com and myself discuss some of the top draft prospects among this year’s group that we believe the Seattle Seahawks might have their eye on as they prepare for April’s draft.

That group includes quarterbacks like Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill and Ryan Lindley of San Diego State, along with a group of talented pass rushers like North Carolina’s Quinton Coples, Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw and Nick Perry of USC.

So check out the video. And below you can find a breakout of each player, which includes a link to highlights of each player, along with a quick comment from Rang.

Read more »

Clemson product Byron Maxwell, a sixth round selection picked 173rd overall by the Seattle Seahawks in this year’s draft, is exactly the type of player teams take a late flyer on – a raw talent with great physical tools.

There’s no denying that Maxwell has the physical ability to play in the NFL. At 6-foot-1 and 207 pounds, he bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times, ran a 4.46 40-yard dash and broad jumped 10 feet, 4 inches, all marks that placed him among the top 10 corners at February’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Maxwell, 21, is a hard hitter and was a valuable special teams player at Clemson, finishing with 45 career special teams tackles.

Read more »

Defensive line was one of the Seattle Seahawks most pressing needs heading into this year’s draft.

And with plenty of talented defensive linemen available in the first round, the smart money was on the Seahawks grabbing one of those prospects on the first day.

Yet the Seahawks waited to the final day of the draft to select LSU defensive lineman Pep Levingston 205th overall in the seventh round.

With Brandon Mebane likely a free agent once a new CBA is agreed to, Seattle will have to look to free agency to shore up holes on the defensive front. However, general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll like Levingston’s versatility.

Read more »

Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com and Doug Farrar of Yahoo Sports join Eric Williams of The News Tribune to talk about the Seattle Seahawks’ draft in the video below.

Here’s the full seven rounds of the NFL Draft.

1. Carolina Panthers — Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
2. Denver Broncos — Von Miller, DE, Texas A&M
3. Buffalo Bills — Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama
4. Cincinnati Bengals — A.J. Green, WR, Georgia
5. Arizona Cardinals — Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU
6. Atlanta Falcons (from Cleveland) — Julio Jones, WR, Alabama
7. San Francisco — Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri
8. Tennessee Titans — Jake Locker, QB, Washington
9. Dallas Cowboys — Tyron Smith, OT, USC
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Washington) — Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri
11. Houston Texans — J.J. Watt, DE, Wisconsin
12. Minnesota Vikings — Christian Ponder, QB, Florida St.
13. Detroit Lions — Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn
14. St. Louis — Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina
15. Miami — Mike Pouncey, C, Florida
16. Washington (from Jacksonville) — Ryan Kerrigan, DE/OLB, Purdue
17. New England (from Oakland) — Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
18. San Diego — Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
19. New York Giants — Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska
20. Tampa Bay — Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
21. Cleveland (from Kansas City) — Phil Taylor, DT, Baylor
22. Indianapolis — Anthony Castonzo, OT, Boston College
23. Philadelphia — Danny Watkins, G, Baylor
24. New Orleans — Cameron Jordan, DE, California
25. Seattle — James Carpenter, OT, Alabama
26. Kansas City — Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pitt
27. Baltimore — Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
28. New Orleans (from New England) — Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama
29. Chicago — Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
30. New York Jets — Muhammad Wilkerson, DT, Temple
31. Pittsburgh — Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio St.
32. Green Bay — Derek Sherrod, OT, Mississippi St.

Read more »

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider said they were pleased with how the draft turned out today.

In all, the Seahawks drafted two offensive linemen, two outside linebackers, two cornerbacks, a free safety, a defensive end and wide receiver.

“Overall, I think we really improved the athleticism and the speed of our team,” Schneider said. “And then we were able to do some things up front to help us from a strength and toughness standpoint.”

Added Carroll: “We think we have found guys that we’re looking for. And we really don’t care what anybody else thinks, or anybody else’s opinion. We know what we thought about them, and it worked out very well.”

Read more »

First round (No. 25) – James Carpenter, OT, Alabama
Third round (No. 75) – John Moffitt, OG, Wisconsin
Fourth round (No. 99) – K.J. Wright, OLB, Mississippi State
Fourth round (No. 107) – Kris Durham, WR, Georgia
Fifth round (No. 154) – Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford
Fifth round (No. 156) – Mark Legree, FS, Appalachian State
Sixth round (No. 173) – Byron Maxwell, CB, Clemson
Seventh round (No. 205) – Lazarius Levingston, DE, LSU
Seventh round (No. 242) – Malcolm Smith, LB, USC