For Seahawks, The Safe Pick Is At Safety
It’s the year of the defensive backs, and the Seahawks have a chance to draft quality players into their defensive scheme and reload for another playoff run. The question on everyone’s mind is whom will the Seahawks draft first? This pick is pretty split. Some mock draft experts have the Seahawks taking a cornerback at 26 while others have them taking a safety. In my opinion, safety is the safe play.
Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas are the best safety combination in the NFL. But age and injury are starting to creep up on this dynamic duo. Earl Thomas is coming back from a season where he first tore a muscle in his leg, followed by flying in to Chancellor and fracturing his tibia while facing the Panthers. While I was upset that Thomas was contemplating retirement, I knew where he was coming from.
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I’ve broken bones and torn a few muscles and I know that when it comes to sports, those injuries scare you and face you with your own mortality. The numbers don’t lie when it comes to losing Thomas. When Thomas was injured, our average points against went up almost seven points, our yards allowed increased and our streak of being a stingy defense faltered.
Chancellor has been seeing his fair share of injuries too in recent years. While he is the centerpiece in the Seahawks secondary, groin, foot and other various ailments have been slowly limiting his game play in the past few seasons. In fact, his last three seasons he has only started 37 of 48 games averaging 77% per season. For a team that depends on its safeties, that isn’t a high percentage to bank on. Therefore if you know that he is expected to miss about 4.68 games this season, it’s time to consider your options in the draft.
With the class this deep with defensive talent, if the Seahawks pass on Kevin King, I predict the Seahawks will select Obi Melifonwu out of Connecticut. Using the eye test alone, the prospect is 6’-4” and 224 pounds and has a similar build to Chancellor. Compared to wide receivers averaging around 6’ and 200 pounds, Melifonwu already gives the Seahawks a size advantage. For those that do not remember the impact the Legion of Boom had on Super Bowl 48, it was very apparent that Denver’s receivers were quite timid running through the middle of the field knowing they were going to have some personal time with our large physical defensive backs.
If I recall correctly, I’m sure I saw Eric Decker and Wes Welker almost stop mid route the moment they saw Chancellor scrambling towards them. Melifonwu’s size, raw athleticism and ability to match up one on one with tight ends or slot receivers earmarks him as a strong safety that should be considered as a first round pick.
Yes, the athlete has some weaknesses; he’s conservative, easy to tangle up in rub routes, waits for the ball to be in the air to make a move, plays too aggressive at the line, and has some issues with zone defense. But when you consider that he will be practicing and learning from Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas, he is the safe insurance pick that won’t let the quality of the backfield go down if he needs to be subbed in. Thomas can help train Melifonwu to not get caught up in the quarterback’s eyes, while Chancellor can help train him to take away underneath routes. The Seahawks have a great team of coaches on defense as well, so those other weaknesses will soon be obsolete if he takes his training to heart.
With the NFC West in the conundrum it’s in, Melifonwu’s size, hitting power and sheer athleticism are enticing enough for Seattle to take a gamble and select him for their first pick. With Chancellor entering the final year of his contract and Thomas coming back from a gut-wrenching injury, it only makes sense to bring in fresh young talent to replace and reload a strong defensive core to prepare for another drive for the Lombardi Trophy.
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