Rick Spielman's Draft Record

[HardcoreVikesFan]

My biggest knock on Rick is his drafting ability past round one. Besides Blair Walsh, Josh Robinson, Robert Blanton, Gerald Hodges, Rhett Ellison, Jarius Wright, we haven't had great success outside of round 1. Now, I fully understand that the draft is totally unpredictable and it is not always fair to expect players in rounds 2 -7 to always pan out. But, we haven't really had great success outside of round one since Rick has had full control of the roster.


That being said, it is also time for some of Rick's first rounders to step-up. Kalil just frustrates me to no end. Sharrif Floyd is a ghost out on the field. Patterson needs to win against press coverage. Harrison Smith and Xavier look like future stars. The jury is still out on Teddy and Anthony.

[Purple bruise]

My biggest knock on Rick is his drafting ability past round one. Besides Blair Walsh, Josh Robinson, Robert Blanton, Gerald Hodges, Rhett Ellison, Jarius Wright, we haven't had great success outside of round 1. Now, I fully understand that the draft is totally unpredictable and it is not always fair to expect players in rounds 2 -7 to always pan out. But, we haven't really had great success outside of round one since Rick has had full control of the roster.


That being said, it is also time for some of Rick's first rounders to step-up. Kalil just frustrates me to no end. Sharrif Floyd is a ghost out on the field. Patterson needs to win against press coverage. Harrison Smith and Xavier look like future stars. The jury is still out on Teddy and Anthony.

I doubt that the jury is still out on Barr. He is the real deal, no doubt about it.

[S197]

My biggest knock on Rick is his drafting ability past round one. Besides Blair Walsh, Josh Robinson, Robert Blanton, Gerald Hodges, Rhett Ellison, Jarius Wright, we haven't had great success outside of round 1. Now, I fully understand that the draft is totally unpredictable and it is not always fair to expect players in rounds 2 -7 to always pan out. But, we haven't really had great success outside of round one since Rick has had full control of the roster.

I think he's done well in mid-rounds in certain areas. Both sides of the line as an example where they found Sullivan, Fusco, Robison, and Griffen in the mid-rounds. Stephen might be another good find. I think what has hurt the team is the amount that they missed in the secondary on both early and mid-round picks. Harrison Smith being the exception.

[nightowl]

I'm late to the party here but I feel the need to chime in, and I apologize for the wall of text.

First off I don't think it's proper to give either Blame or Credit to Rick regarding anything that happened before 2011. Because of the oddball way the authority was split up via the TOA it's impossible and unfair to either credit or blame Rick for anything because we don't know for sure who was making what calls and when. Though most of us suspect by the end Childress had grabbed way more than his fair share of control.

You also have to take into account that Spielman doesn't just pick who he wants without input from others. Drafting and Free Agency is a team effort involving front office people, Coaches and Scouts. The Coaches give the GM and Scouts a grocery list of what kind of players they need and they go find them the GM ultimately chooses but he makes his decisions based heavily on the opinion of others.

I tried to find an article I read a while back that delved into how the draft and Free Agency really run. It really put the onus on the Free Agents as well as the Mid to Late round picks on the coaches and the scouts who would stick their necks out for guys who caught their eye. That's the Tom Brady story, Dick Rehbein who was the Patriots quarterbacks coach stumped for Brady when they were looking for a late round QB project.

Of course this doesn't exonerate Rick, it does call into question what the reason for this is. Was the previous coaching staff inept at assisting in the draft process. do the scouts suck? Does Spielman listen to the wrong people or make the wrong choices? I don't know.

I do believe though, on most of the major decisions he has made the correct calls. Lets start with the first round picks.

2011
Christian Ponder - This stain won't wash out. Hes the living embodiment of the Tide Stick talking stain commercial. Wherever Rick goes, whenever the wind blows, it'll whisper ponder sucks

2012
Matt Kalil - Even though he's free falling into Bust Status, this was at the time, the right call. The Vikes needed help everywhere and the three candidates for this pick were Kalil, Justin Blackmon and Morris Claiborne. Claiborne has been a disaster in Dallas and I believe he didn't even start for them when they were the worst D in the league last year. Blackmon has been suspended or injured for more games than he's actually played. At least Kalil was able to play well enough to be a Pro Bowl alternate and he was touted as the Best LT prospect in that draft. What's happened since then with him is Matt Kalil's fault not Rick Spielman's

Harrison Smith - They say this one was the Coaching staff falling in love with him during the pre draft process. Fine, but give credit to Rick for going and getting him. Most people, many on this board thought he was a lunatic for trading up into the first to get him. Still think that way?

2013
Sharrif Floyd - This ones difficult. He wasn't supposed to be there when they picked. He was at one time(rightly or wrongly) projected to go much higher. In the end he probably went where he should've gone. This is a wait and see one because it's too early.

Xavier Rhodes - This was the pick extorted from Seattle for Harvin, he's looking like a solid investment so far.

Cordarrelle Patterson - Needing a playmaker after trading away the best one they had they gambled and moved back into the first to get one. It's early and he's raw, but it looks promising.

2014

Anthony Barr - Early returns look good, but still too early. Traded down and still got the player they wanted

Teddy Bridgewater - They learned a lesson from the Ponder fiasco. They didn't panic and overdraft a QB. They played the draft board and maybe had the best QB in the draft fall into a position where they could move up and get him. If Bridgewater lives up to his potential, this will be looked at as a Masterstroke... doubly so if Barr achieves Stud status.

Coaches He's only been allowed to hire one coach and we're only 6 games into that era. We can't judge the Zimmer hire yet because the guy has to deal an avalanche of bad luck so far. I thought it was the right hire and still do, but we'll see.

Frazier. Don't pretend for one second this was Rick's fault. He got dealt a bad hand. When Wilf fired Childress he still owed him money. Add in Frazier did well enough as interim coach that it was difficult to deny him the shot. This one was forced on him by the Wilf's, then AD had his amazing run and carried them to the playoffs in 2012. So they gave Frazier a 1 year extension. I don't think you can justifiably blame Rick too much if at all here.

Free Agency has been a little rough because up until this year the Vikes have been staying out of the FA pool as much as possible.

2011 - QB Donovan McNabb,
McNabb was the only major signing. He was a Frazier request so Rick only gets a little splatter on him for it, but in the end he has to get the Coach what he wants/needs.


2012 - WR Jerome Simpson, TE John Carlson, OT/G Geoff Schwartz were the only ones of note.
Simpson was another attempt at adding some talent, any talent to the worst WR corps in the league. Should've been cut loose after the first time he got in trouble with us.
Many hated the Carlson pickup, I didn't mind it. It was an attempt to stay with the trend of 2 TE sets and Carlson was a guy who had talent but unfortunately had the football equivalent of a glass jaw. The money they paid was never really that much. This one didn't work out, but it's mountain of mole hill stuff to hear people complain about it.
I wish Schwartz had been kept around.

2013 - WR Greg Jennings, ILB Desmond Bishop, Josh Freeman
Jennings was signed to add some talent to the WR Corps. Had to overpay to get him to come. Bishop was a desperation singing trying to find a live body for a position of need. I still don't know what the Heck went on with Freeman, everybody went into CYA mode on that one.

2014 - DT Linval Joseph & CB Captain Munnerlyn.
Joseph and Munnerlyn were the major pickups here. Both looked like good pickups that fit needs. The Vikes got destroyed by slot receivers last year, Munnerlyn was supposed to help with that. Captain appears to be a disappointment so far. Haven't heard too much either way on Joseph yet.

Overall I see why some want him gone. I came close to actually convincing myself he should go. Right now, I think he should be allowed more time to work with this staff because it's the one he chose, and I want to see what effect having better football people around him will have with their input.

[Mothman]

Discovered another interesting statistic: Drafted players who NEVER played in the NFL from 2007-2014

90 players total
2.8125 per team average

Teams with 0 - 4
Teams with 1 - 9
Teams with 2 - 8
Teams with 3 - 4
Teams with 4 - 3 (MIN, CIN, TEN)
Teams with 5 - 3 (CHI, WAS, STL)
Teams with 6 - 1 (NE)

That's an interesting one but it's tough to know exactly to read it. In some cases, a drafted player might not make the roster just because there wasn't room for him, especially if a team is making quite a few 'extra" picks each year due to trades, etc. On the other hand, when they don't catch on with other teams later, it makes you wonder: did they simply lack what it takes? How fast does the window of opportunity close for a player in that position? Did they spend a few years on a practice squad (or squads0 and never advance up to a 53 man roster?

In the end, it's probably a stat you don't want to be leading, although NE is still doing pretty well...

[Mothman]

My biggest knock on Rick is his drafting ability past round one. Besides Blair Walsh, Josh Robinson, Robert Blanton, Gerald Hodges, Rhett Ellison, Jarius Wright, we haven't had great success outside of round 1. Now, I fully understand that the draft is totally unpredictable and it is not always fair to expect players in rounds 2 -7 to always pan out. But, we haven't really had great success outside of round one since Rick has had full control of the roster.

I think it's too early to determine whether they've had success beyond the first round since Rick Spielman was promoted and given full control of the roster. It usually takes a good 3 years to really get a handle on how a draft is working out. Spielman was promoted in 2012. The Vikes non-first round picks since then:

Year/round
2014 3 72 Scott Crichton DE
2014 3 96 Jerick McKinnon RB
2014 5 145 David Yankey OL
2014 6 182 Antone Exum CB
2014 6 184 Kendall James CB
2014 7 220 Shamar Stephen DT
2014 7 223 Brandon Watts LB
2014 7 225 Jabari Price CB
2013 4 120 Gerald Hodges LB
2013 5 155 Jeff Locke P
2013 6 196 Jeff Baca OL
2013 7 213 Michael Mauti LB
2013 7 214 Travis Bond OL
2013 7 229 Everett Dawkins DT
2012 3 66 Josh Robinson DB
2012 4 118 Jarius Wright WR
2012 4 128 Rhett Ellison FB
2012 4 134 Greg Childs WR
2012 5 139 Robert Blanton DB
2012 6 175 Blair Walsh K
2012 7 210 Audie Cole LB
2012 7 219 Trevor Guyton DE

I see some value and potential value there, including some players who could end up becoming valuable long term starters. It's just too soon to tell.

[Pondering Her Percy]

I'm late to the party here but I feel the need to chime in, and I apologize for the wall of text.

First off I don't think it's proper to give either Blame or Credit to Rick regarding anything that happened before 2011. Because of the oddball way the authority was split up via the TOA it's impossible and unfair to either credit or blame Rick for anything because we don't know for sure who was making what calls and when. Though most of us suspect by the end Childress had grabbed way more than his fair share of control.

You also have to take into account that Spielman doesn't just pick who he wants without input from others. Drafting and Free Agency is a team effort involving front office people, Coaches and Scouts. The Coaches give the GM and Scouts a grocery list of what kind of players they need and they go find them the GM ultimately chooses but he makes his decisions based heavily on the opinion of others.

I tried to find an article I read a while back that delved into how the draft and Free Agency really run. It really put the onus on the Free Agents as well as the Mid to Late round picks on the coaches and the scouts who would stick their necks out for guys who caught their eye. That's the Tom Brady story, Dick Rehbein who was the Patriots quarterbacks coach stumped for Brady when they were looking for a late round QB project.

Of course this doesn't exonerate Rick, it does call into question what the reason for this is. Was the previous coaching staff inept at assisting in the draft process. do the scouts suck? Does Spielman listen to the wrong people or make the wrong choices? I don't know.

I do believe though, on most of the major decisions he has made the correct calls. Lets start with the first round picks.

2011
Christian Ponder - This stain won't wash out. Hes the living embodiment of the Tide Stick talking stain commercial. Wherever Rick goes, whenever the wind blows, it'll whisper ponder sucks

2012
Matt Kalil - Even though he's free falling into Bust Status, this was at the time, the right call. The Vikes needed help everywhere and the three candidates for this pick were Kalil, Justin Blackmon and Morris Claiborne. Claiborne has been a disaster in Dallas and I believe he didn't even start for them when they were the worst D in the league last year. Blackmon has been suspended or injured for more games than he's actually played. At least Kalil was able to play well enough to be a Pro Bowl alternate and he was touted as the Best LT prospect in that draft. What's happened since then with him is Matt Kalil's fault not Rick Spielman's

Harrison Smith - They say this one was the Coaching staff falling in love with him during the pre draft process. Fine, but give credit to Rick for going and getting him. Most people, many on this board thought he was a lunatic for trading up into the first to get him. Still think that way?

2013
Sharrif Floyd - This ones difficult. He wasn't supposed to be there when they picked. He was at one time(rightly or wrongly) projected to go much higher. In the end he probably went where he should've gone. This is a wait and see one because it's too early.

Xavier Rhodes - This was the pick extorted from Seattle for Harvin, he's looking like a solid investment so far.

Cordarrelle Patterson - Needing a playmaker after trading away the best one they had they gambled and moved back into the first to get one. It's early and he's raw, but it looks promising.

2014

Anthony Barr - Early returns look good, but still too early. Traded down and still got the player they wanted

Teddy Bridgewater - They learned a lesson from the Ponder fiasco. They didn't panic and overdraft a QB. They played the draft board and maybe had the best QB in the draft fall into a position where they could move up and get him. If Bridgewater lives up to his potential, this will be looked at as a Masterstroke... doubly so if Barr achieves Stud status.

Coaches He's only been allowed to hire one coach and we're only 6 games into that era. We can't judge the Zimmer hire yet because the guy has to deal an avalanche of bad luck so far. I thought it was the right hire and still do, but we'll see.

Frazier. Don't pretend for one second this was Rick's fault. He got dealt a bad hand. When Wilf fired Childress he still owed him money. Add in Frazier did well enough as interim coach that it was difficult to deny him the shot. This one was forced on him by the Wilf's, then AD had his amazing run and carried them to the playoffs in 2012. So they gave Frazier a 1 year extension. I don't think you can justifiably blame Rick too much if at all here.

Free Agency has been a little rough because up until this year the Vikes have been staying out of the FA pool as much as possible.

2011 - QB Donovan McNabb,
McNabb was the only major signing. He was a Frazier request so Rick only gets a little splatter on him for it, but in the end he has to get the Coach what he wants/needs.


2012 - WR Jerome Simpson, TE John Carlson, OT/G Geoff Schwartz were the only ones of note.
Simpson was another attempt at adding some talent, any talent to the worst WR corps in the league. Should've been cut loose after the first time he got in trouble with us.
Many hated the Carlson pickup, I didn't mind it. It was an attempt to stay with the trend of 2 TE sets and Carlson was a guy who had talent but unfortunately had the football equivalent of a glass jaw. The money they paid was never really that much. This one didn't work out, but it's mountain of mole hill stuff to hear people complain about it.
I wish Schwartz had been kept around.

2013 - WR Greg Jennings, ILB Desmond Bishop, Josh Freeman
Jennings was signed to add some talent to the WR Corps. Had to overpay to get him to come. Bishop was a desperation singing trying to find a live body for a position of need. I still don't know what the Heck went on with Freeman, everybody went into CYA mode on that one.

2014 - DT Linval Joseph & CB Captain Munnerlyn.
Joseph and Munnerlyn were the major pickups here. Both looked like good pickups that fit needs. The Vikes got destroyed by slot receivers last year, Munnerlyn was supposed to help with that. Captain appears to be a disappointment so far. Haven't heard too much either way on Joseph yet.

Overall I see why some want him gone. I came close to actually convincing myself he should go. Right now, I think he should be allowed more time to work with this staff because it's the one he chose, and I want to see what effect having better football people around him will have with their input.

Great post!! This is very similar to what I've been saying as well

[Mothman]

Nightowl, that was a good post. No need to apologize for the wall of text. when it's worth reading, that's never an issue. :)Hopefully, someone will feel the same about this wall of text...

A few points based off of your comments:

- You did a nice job of articulating that we're really not in a very good position to assess Spielman's overall performance, particularly prior to 2011, because we just don't have enough information about his exact role, who made what decision, etc. We know he was involved, probably very involved, so we can't exactly whitewash those years but without a lot more info, assigning him much credit or blame for them is next to impossible.

Regarding a few of those major decisions you mentioned:

Christian Ponder: you basically described the story as it's being written and will likely be remembered. I'm not convinced its entirely fair but history is often unfair. I think a lot of fans really do see Ponder as a stain on Spielman's drafting record. I see him as an understandable misfire, due in part to the circumstances at the time and due in part to the potential upside that was clearly there. More on that momentarily...

Most of the first round picks Rick has chosen since 2011 have potential (you'd expect that from first rounders) but it's too early to tell if they will ultimately succeed or fail. There are choices there that can be questioned but I think we need to let things play out before we'll really know if some of those picks were good moves or bad. Most were understandable and justifiable at the very least.

I agree that Spielman should be allowed more time to work with the coach he chose. The whole point of letting the GM make that choice is so he can find a coach that works well with him, that shares a common vision for the team and how it should be put together. Firing Spielman now would just be undermining Zimmer.

As for Spielman being dealt a bad hand with Frazier or anyone pretending Frazier was somehow Spielman's "fault": I still don't see much to fault in that hire at all. It didn't work out but I don't think that automatically makes Frazier a bad coach or his hiring a bad decision. It was a difficult spot for Spielman because he didn't choose Frazier. It was an equally difficult spot for Frazier because he wasn't Spielman's choice and he never got a contract that reflected serious confidence in him or commitment to him. Neither man was dealt a winning hand with the state of the roster (or the cap, if I remember correctly). The Vikes were facing a massive rebuilding job going into 2011, a job that's still underway.

That brings us back to Ponder, the misfire at QB. How much of his failure, and Frazier's, and Spielman's (as the man who chose Ponder) was due to other factors? I don't know but I do know that McNabb, who was supposed to be a veteran bridge to Ponder, played like he didn't care and in all likelihood had to be pulled and replaced earlier than the Vikes wanted to start Ponder. I know that he didn't have a very good receiving corps, or a very good offensive line in his rookie year. Those areas were somewhat better in year 2 but still left a lot to be desired. Even now, they leave a lot to be desired. We will never know if Ponder could have been a successful NFL quarterback under different circumstances or not. He may just lack the right stuff but I think he also lacked "the right stuff" around him and to me, that's basically the story of the 3 year Frazier era in MN. The remarkable thing to me is that he coached a 10 win team to the playoffs, not that he had a losing record after 3 years. The team overachieved in 2012 and that reflects well on everybody involved. Coaches that take over teams in the kind of mess the Vikes were in by the end of 2010 rarely have immediate success and they need quite a bit to go right to build toward sustained success. One of those things is good, reliable QB play. Another is support from within the organization. I don't know if Frazier ever truly had the latter or if they were just hoping he'd convince them with back-to-back winning seasons in 2012-2013.

I'd say the biggest argument for or against Spielman at this point is probably the state of the team at the end of 2013 and the state of the team now. Where someone stands on that argument probably depends a great deal on how they feel about Zimmer and his staff and how they felt about a bunch of draft picks and free agents that haven't been Vikings long enough to really establish whether they are successes, failures or somewhere in-between. Like you, I see why some want him gone.

I'm not sure how to feel about him at this point. I feel like his grade is an "incomplete", if you know what I mean.

[HardcoreVikesFan]

That being said, it is also time for some of Rick's first rounders to step-up. Kalil just frustrates me to no end. Sharrif Floyd is a ghost out on the field. Patterson needs to win against press coverage. Harrison Smith and Xavier look like future stars. The jury is still out on Teddy and Anthony.

I doubt that the jury is still out on Barr. He is the real deal, no doubt about it.

It is though. Kalil was a Pro-Bowl player after his rookie season. Look how great he looks now. Barr looks good, but he still has a lot of room for improvement.

I think it's too early to determine whether they've had success beyond the first round since Rick Spielman was promoted and given full control of the roster. It usually takes a good 3 years to really get a handle on how a draft is working out. Spielman was promoted in 2012. The Vikes non-first round picks since then:

Year/round
2014 3 72 Scott Crichton DE
2014 3 96 Jerick McKinnon RB
2014 5 145 David Yankey OL
2014 6 182 Antone Exum CB
2014 6 184 Kendall James CB
2014 7 220 Shamar Stephen DT
2014 7 223 Brandon Watts LB
2014 7 225 Jabari Price CB
2013 4 120 Gerald Hodges LB
2013 5 155 Jeff Locke P
2013 6 196 Jeff Baca OL
2013 7 213 Michael Mauti LB
2013 7 214 Travis Bond OL
2013 7 229 Everett Dawkins DT
2012 3 66 Josh Robinson DB
2012 4 118 Jarius Wright WR
2012 4 128 Rhett Ellison FB
2012 4 134 Greg Childs WR
2012 5 139 Robert Blanton DB
2012 6 175 Blair Walsh K
2012 7 210 Audie Cole LB
2012 7 219 Trevor Guyton DE

I see some value and potential value there, including some players who could end up becoming valuable long term starters. It's just too soon to tell.

Out of the 21 picks in those three years: 5 are off the team for good. One is on the practice squad. 12 are back-ups. 4-5 are starters. In terms of numbers, that seems pretty good. Their overall talent however? Very subjective. IMO, there hasn't been enough shown by many of these guys. Also, 2014 is obviously skewed as it is a new coaching staff that wanted 'their guys.' Next year could see some of those players not return.

Idk. It is hard to say what will happen like you said. They could very well turn out to be good players yet. However, in terms of their draft position and the players selected after them? That is a whole other story that I really don't want to waste time getting into as the past cannot be changed.

[nightowl]

Nightowl, that was a good post. No need to apologize for the wall of text. when it's worth reading, that's never an issue. :)Hopefully, someone will feel the same about this wall of text...

Thanks, it just kinda flowed out, I didn't set out to write a novel.

I'm not sure how to feel about him at this point. I feel like his grade is an "incomplete", if you know what I mean.

That's where I stand, somewhere in the middle with a confused look on my face trying to figure out what's going on. I'm not thrilled with everything, but I see the silver lining, and I see there is a legitimate plan. I also see a man who is learning from mistakes. They panicked on the Ponder pick, they even admit it to a degree. In the same boat this year, needing a developmental QB, they didn't jump before needed. They played their cards and look to have made a fairly wise decision.

[84BreaksAnkles]

Terrific post and thank you!

Regarding Pondering her Percy's perspective in relation to only considering and evaluating 2012 classes and beyond; I agree.

What I wanted to see was Rickie's track-record against Superbowl-winning Franchise's draft classes so I looked up the last 3 team's records since 2011.

Seahawks
(Round-Name : Drafted As : College/University[Current status/Former or current attributes/impacts])
2011
1-James Carpenter : OT : Alabama [Starting LG, Major anchor for the defending champions run-game]
3-John Moffitt: OG : Wisconson [started 9 games as a rook before injury. PED's, SEA Attempted to trade, failed physical, traded to DEN, retired,stated "He was unhappy, ...didn't want to risk his health for money]
4-K.J. Wright : LB : Miss St [Starting ROLB, Tremendous LB with coverage abilities, and good pursuit, pivotal during SB-run]
4-Kris Durham : WR : Georgia [Currently 5th-String WR in TEN, bounced around to several teams, Practice-squadded, cut.. etc]
5-Richard Sherman : CB : Stanford [All-Pro Starting CB, arguably one of the top-3 cornerbacks in the league, beast]
5-Mark Legree : S : Appalachian St [After playing for 8 different teams' practice squards in 2 years, Mark finally found a home in the CFL]
6-Byron Maxwell : CB : Clemson [Starting CB, after Brandon Browner got suspended and subsequently let go, Byron has layed out a solid place for himself amongst the league's most formidable defensive backfield]
7-Lazarius Cortez Levingston : DE : LSU [Currently out of football, after being traded in 2012 to TB]

7-Malcolm Smith : LB : USC [Superbowl MVP, Starting MLB for the defending champs, solid beast]

[Pondering Her Percy]

Well let's compare John Schneider's recent draft classes from 2012 and 2013 to Rick Spielman's classes from 2012-2013 (figured this would be the most fair way because 2012 was Spielman's first year as GM and that's when we knew he had full control). Mind you, many of Seattle's picks aren't even on there roster anymore. Going off of who is still on the roster, their recent play, and if they provide depth.

2012 Seattle Draft

1 Bruce Irvin- currently not even starting for them and is strictly a LEO rusher so I would have to say: MISS
2 Bobby Wagner- HIT
3 Russell Wilson- HIT
4 Robert Turbin- solid depth so I would say: HIT
4 Jaye Howard- not on roster: MISS
5 Korey Toomer- not on roster: MISS
6 Jeremy Lane- provides depth: HIT
6 Winston Guy- not on roster: MISS
7 J.R. Sweezy- starts but has struggled. Ranks 52 out of 70 guards on PFF. I will say HIT from a depth perspective
7 Greg Scruggs- provides depth: HIT

TOTAL: 6 HITS, 5 MISSES (3 not on roster)



2012 Minnesota Draft

1 Matt Kalil- even though he was the best pick out of him, Blackmon and Claiborne, he just hasn't played well: MISS
1 Harrison Smith- stud: HIT
3 Josh Robinson- with how he has improved this season and the depth he provides: HIT
4 Jarius Wright- another depth signing that has been reliable: HIT
4 Rhett Ellison- done nothing and it's hard to even count him as depth: MISS
4 Greg Childs- not on roster: MISS
5 Robert Blanton- shouldn't be starting and will be nothing but depth next year so I will grade him on depth: HIT
6 Blair Walsh- HIT
7 Audie Cole- provides decent depth: HIT
7 Trevor Guyton- not on roster: MISS

TOTAL: 6 HITS, 4 MISSES (2 not on roster)



2013 Seattle Draft

2 Christine Michael- supposedly a freak athlete but can't even beat out Turbin and has been inactive every week: MISS
3 Jordan Hill- solid depth: HIT
4 Chris Harper - not on roster: MISS
5 Jesse Williams- hasn't been healthy in 2 years: MISS
5 Tharold Simon- solid depth: HIT
5 Luke Willson- starting by default but has done nothing. Provides depth I guess?: HIT
6 Spencer Ware- not on roster: MISS
7 Ryan Seymour- not on roster: MISS
7 Ty Powell- not on roster: MISS
7 Jared Smith- not on roster: MISS
7 Michael Bowie- not on roster: MISS

TOTAL: 3 HITS, 8 MISSES (6 not on roster)



2013 Minnesota Draft

1 Sharrif Floyd - has started to play better this year and looked very good last game: HIT
1 Xavier Rhodes- looks very good: HIT
1 Cordarrelle Patterson- this is a toss up because as a WR he has struggled but if defenses are keying on you every game, I would have to still give it a HIT
4 Gerald Hodges- provides great depth and could be eventual starter: HIT
5 Jeff Locke- decent punter: HIT
6 Jeff Baca- not on roster: MISS
7 Michael Mauti- provides depth and special teams: HIT
7 Travis Bond- not on roster: MISS
7 Everett Dawkins- not on roster: MISS

TOTAL: 6 HITS, 3 MISSES (3 not on roster)


As many of you can see, Spielman's recent drafts were pretty decent. We are comparing them to one of the better teams in the NFL no less. Seattle's 2013 class was very poor. The 2012 classes are much closer. I didnt want to go off of the 2014 classes simply because it is too early. However, Seattle's does NOT look very promising so far.

Lets also not forget that Rick Spielman was the one that pretty much embarrassed Schneider by making the Harvin deal. We receive a 1st round, 3rd round and 7th round for him. While he does nothing in Seattle, is always hurt, and supposedly he has anger management issues, the Seahawks get a "MID-ROUND PICK" out of the whole deal. Makes Rick Spielman look pretty smart after all

[Demi]

As many of you can see, Spielman's recent drafts were pretty decent.

Well yeah, you named a half dozen guys as "HIT"s that if you were a Seahawks fan you would have named "MISS"s, but didn't....
Like us looking at Buffalo as a weak game on our schedule...every other team is looking at the Vikings as the weak game on their schedule....

[fiestavike]

4 Rhett Ellison- done nothing and it's hard to even count him as depth: MISS

Why is Rhett Ellison a miss? I would call him a hit for a 4th round pick. He's a solid and versatile player.

[maembe]

Why is Rhett Ellison a miss? I would call him a hit for a 4th round pick. He's a solid and versatile player.

For some reason there are a few people who really hate Rhett Ellison despite how well he's played. He's definitely a pretty obvious hit from that draft class.