The Doug Lange Network 

April 26, 2019 

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Armed with just 4 picks and heading into the NFL Draft, the Seahawks had two big objectives. Add a defensive lineman and get more draft picks. Saying goodbye to star edge rusher Frank Clark earlier this week made both goals obtainable.

 

By the time round 1 of the draft came to a close Thursday night, Seattle had their guy in Texas Christian University defensive end  L.J. Collier along with 8 upcoming picks on Friday and Saturday. 

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After trading Clark to the Chiefs for the 29th pick and a second round   selection next year, the Seahawks followed a familiar game plan to get their guy and amass more selections. For the 8th year in a row the Seattle traded down in the first round, sending their 21st pick to Green Bay for pick 30 and two 4th rounders at No. 114 and No. 118. 

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Then at 29 GM John Schneider and Coach Pete Carroll selected Collier. The 6-foot-2, 283 pound defensive end totaled 14.5 sacks and 205 tackles for loss during his 4-years at TCU. 

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"L.J. fits us. He's a heavy-handed, tough, chip on his shoulder guy, said Schneider. 

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MORE: Hear from John Schneider following the pick at No. 29

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Carroll, who said Collier would play the five technique, compared him to a former Seahawk star who also hailed form the lone star state. 

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"The guy that I saw pop up on the TV that he's a lot like is Michael Bennett," said Carroll. "He has the versatility and the style and the penetration ability, he's really slippery."

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When asked via conference call to describe what kind of player he was, Collier sounded like a a soon-to-be fan favorite for the 12's. 

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"I'm a hard nosed, physical guy . I play every down, I'm not just a pass rusher, I'm. an all-around player," said Collier. "That's what I bring to the game. I get off the ball and go 110% every time."

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MORE: Listen to L.J. Collier's full post-draft teleconference

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Seattle made another deal at No. 30 sending the pick to the New York Giants in exchange for picks in the second round (37th overall), the 4th round (142) and the 5th round (152). 

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It would have been a far different night without the Clark deal. Carroll said the organization had every intention of doing a long-term deal with the the former Michigan wolverine, but the market just went crazy. So they made the difficult financial decision to move him and so far, the early returns look good. 

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"Look what happened," said Carroll. "With the movement we made in this draft we were able to get back in this thing with numbers that really that really can help our roster and that was part of it. It was going to create a flexibility for us. 

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Carroll and company had to weigh the reality of a hard trade decision that ultimately turned 4 picks into 9 for the Hawks. 

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"I think that is a result of us making this deal. So it worked out and we're going to make the most of it. We wish him (Clark) the best. We loved him, we really did and hate that we couldn't stay together," said Carroll. "Frank had a great opportunity that we weren't going to be able to afford him here. We love him so much that we're happy for him in that regard."

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The Seahawks now turn their attention to a second round pick at No. 37 and a third round selection at No. 92. Or will they continue to wheel and deal looking for more picks. 

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We'll find out Friday at 4:00pm when round gets underway. We'll cover it all from the VMAC right here on The Doug Lange Network. 

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Other Local Highlights:

Andre Dillard was the first in-state player selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Washington State University offensive lineman was selected at No. 22 by Philadelphia. The Eagles made a deal with Baltimore to move up from No. 25 to get the All-american and two-time All-Pac-12 Conference selection. 

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The Washington Huskies had one player selected in the first round. Offensive tackle Kaleb McGary went 31st to the Atlanta Falcons. McGary won the 2018 Morris Trophy as the top offensive lineman in the Pac-12 Winner. He was an 
All-Pac-12 First Team selection in 2018 and 2017. 

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- Doug Lange

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