Obviously the big story from the start of Seahawks rookie minicamp was Frank Clark and what he had to say in his first face-to-face meeting with the local media, but there was also a football practice on Friday, so here’s a bit on what we saw.
Play was sloppy at times, which is to be expected with so many players practicing together for the first time. There were fumbled snaps, a lot of dropped passes and blown assignments, but there were a few highlights as well, among them:
—Third-round pick Tyler Lockett stood out as one of the more explosive players on the field, making a few nice catches, including one touchdown. He was “all over the field” as Pete Carroll put it.
— Frank Clark missed part of practice with cramps, but when he was on the field he played both left and right defensive end. Carroll said they’re still figuring out how they’ll use Clark, but that they see him as someone who can play multiple spots on the line, including perhaps as an interior pass-rusher. Clark was able to get to the quarterback a couple of times, which a second-round pick probably should be able to do against undrafted rookies and tryout players.
—Sixth-round pick Obum Gwacham looks thin for a defensive end—not surprising considering he was a receiver before his final year at Oregon State—but also looked very quick at times, blowing past blockers on a couple of occasions.
—While several receivers struggled to catch the ball, seventh-round pick Ryan Murphy, a strong safety out of Oregon State, had a spectacular diving interception.
—Eric Pinkins, a sixth-round pick in 2014, was able to participate in rookie minicamp because he missed last year with injuries, and the college safety, who Seattle tried at cornerback early last offseason, was playing outside linebacker. Carroll said Pinkins weighs about 230 pounds and that they’ll give him a look there this minicamp.
—Former Washington receiver Kevin Smith, who spent time with Seattle last offseason as well, made several catches, including a touchdown late in practice. Smith again is fighting an uphill battle to make the team, but the extra time he has spent practicing with an NFL team showed against a lot of inexperienced players Friday.
—Former Ohio State RB Rod Smith, one of Seattle’s undrafted rookies, showed pretty good agility for a 6-3 running back, but it’s always a little dangerous to get overly excited about a running back before the pads come on.
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