RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks didn’t just double down on running backs in this year’s NFL draft, they tripled down.
The Seahawks made ball carrier a position of prominence by selecting two more running backs on Saturday’s third and final day of the NFL draft.
Seattle had already selected Notre Dame’s C.J. Prosise during Friday’s third round. On Saturday the Seahawks drafted Arkansas’ Alex Collins in the fifth round and Clemson’s Zac Brooks in the seventh, adding three more to the stable of running backs seeking to replace the retired Marshawn Lynch.
“From a numbers standpoint it was really strong all the way through (the draft),” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said about Seattle’s strategy of loading up on running backs. “That’s why you saw a group of them not start going until a little bit later because everyone saw the depth all the way through.”
Collins and Brooks were two of five players Seattle selected during Saturday’s rounds 4-7. The Seahawks traded up in the fifth round to select Maryland defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson. They also tabbed TCU center Joey Hunt in the sixth round and California receiver Kenny Lawler in the seventh.
In total Seattle made 10 selections over the draft’s three days. The Seahawks ended up going heavy on the offensive side of the ball, with eight of the 10 picks being offensive players. Seattle also emphasized the trenches with five selections being either offensive linemen or defensive tackles.
“John has always worked to make this the most competitive roster we can make it,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said. “It just feels like the adding of the big guys inside on both sides of the ball really is going to help us. It’s going to make it feel like it’s very competitive throughout the roster, which brings out the best in everyone. We’ve always championed that. I think this draft in particular makes me feel like we’ve really bolstered areas. You’re going to have to battle for your spots and everybody’s going to have to bring your best, and you couldn’t really ask for more than that.”
That competition is going to be hot and heavy at running back as the Seahawks have turned every stone in their efforts to replace Lynch, who was the team’s offensive cornerstone for five-plus seasons.
Seattle already has what it believes is the answer as Lynch’s successor in Thomas Rawls, who as an undrafted rookie gained 830 yards on 147 carries in seven starts last season. However, Rawls saw his season end when he suffered a broken ankle and torn ligaments in Seattle’s Week 13 victory at Baltimore. The team has said Rawls is progressing well in his recovery and should be ready for the start of the season.
The Seahawks also re-signed restricted free agent Christine Michael, though they didn’t re-sign third-down back Fred Jackson. With three running backs typically kept on the roster, the depth added in the draft via Prosise, Collins and Brooks gives the Seahawks plenty of insurance should Rawls stall in his recovery.
“Thomas gives us a great element in his style of play,” Carroll said. “We love the way he’s physical and aggressive and tough. (Prosise) really has special qualities he can add to the third-down aspect to our offense. We’re hoping the other guys complement what we already get from Thomas. Each guy has his stuff. We think we can fit that together.
“But I think the message about who we are and what we’re all about is Thomas,” Carroll added. “We’re really excited to continue to see that.”
While Prosise is tabbed for third-down duties, Collins and Brooks will be battling it out with Michael to be Rawls’ backup, and Collins and Brooks couldn’t come with more different college backgrounds.
Collins, selected 171st overall, saw plenty of the ball during his three seasons at Arkansas, becoming just the third player in SEC history to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing in three consecutive seasons. Last season as a junior, the 5-foot-10, 217-pounder racked up 1,577 yards on 271 carries and scored 20 touchdowns. The knock on Collins is his ball security as he fumbled 16 times during his three seasons.
Meanwhile, Brooks hardly saw the ball at all during his three years at Clemson. Recruited out of high school primarily as a receiver, the 6-foot, 200-pounder was the Tigers’ third option out of the backfield last season as a junior, carrying the ball just 42 times for 242 yards and three TDs. However, Brooks impressed during testing at Clemson’s pro day.
While the running backs received much of the attention Saturday, it was Jefferson who prompted the Seahawks to trade up in the fifth round — just the fourth time since Schneider became Seattle’s general manager in 2010 that the Seahawks traded up for a player. Seattle sent a 2017 fourth-rounder and a seventh-rounder (225th overall) to the New England Patriots for the right to select Jefferson at No. 147. The Seahawks also received a seventh-rounder (243rd overall) in the deal.
Jefferson, who measures up at 6-foot-4 and 291 pounds, is coming off a junior season in which he recorded 39 tackles — 12.5 for loss — and 6.5 sacks for Maryland en route to earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. That was one year after his 2014 was wiped out by a torn ACL in his knee. He’s considered most likely to contribute inside on passing downs.
“He’s a man,” Schneider said. “He’s just a solid individual, very active, plays very hard. We didn’t see a ton of players like him after that. We usually don’t do that sort of thing (trade up), but looking at our compensatory picks coming next year we thought this was a wise decision.”
In the sixth round the Seahawks stockpiled another offensive lineman by taking Hunt. Hunt, who made 36 starts during his career at TCU, is undersized for an NFL lineman at 6-foot-1 and 300 pounds. However, he makes up for his lack of size with his intelligence, being named first-team All-Big-12 as a senior.
Then in the seventh round Seattle concluded the draft by adding two more skill position players in Lawler and Brooks. Lawler, who measures in at 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, was the primary target of first-overall selection Jared Goff at Cal. Last season as a junior he caught 53 passes for 658 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Extra points
In the aftermath of the draft comes the flurry to sign rookie non-drafted free agents and invites to rookie camp. Among the players who reportedly agreed to deals with the Seahawks was TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin. Seattle needed to add a quarterback because Russell Wilson is currently the only QB on the roster. Schneider said he’s also been in contact with the agent for Tarvaris Jackson, who served as Wilson’s backup the past three seasons and remains a free agent. … Speaking of quarterbacks, Oregon’s Vernon Adams will be attending the Seahawks’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis according to multiple reports. Adams broke several passing records at Eastern Washington University before transferring to Oregon to finish his career, but went undrafted. … Other undrafted rookie who reportedly agreed to deals with the Seahawks include Oregon linebacker Christian French and USC running back Tre Madden. … Seattle’s rookie minicamp takes place next weekend from Friday through Sunday. … Schneider said Lynch still hasn’t filed his retirement papers and did not know when that would happen, but emphasized that Lynch is committed to retiring.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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