Amidst all the pomp and circumstance of the NFL draft, often lost in the shuffle is the signing of undrafted rookie free agents. However, the importance of those rookie free agents is not lost on Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider.
Schneider talked to 710 AM radio Monday, and during the conversation he provided the first concrete information on the undrafted rookies the Seahawks signed in the wake of last weekend’s draft.
“We signed 13 rookie free agents and we had draftable grades on all of them,” said Schneider, who added that almost all the signings happened during a one-hour frenzy after the draft concluded Saturday. “So you’ve got a room of personnel guys and coaches after the draft who are so excited because we have a drafted class over here, and we have a rookie free agent class over here that everyone’s really jacked up about.”
Seattle’s title-contending teams of recent years have relied significantly on undrafted free agents. At one point last season 24 of the players on the Seahawks’ 53-man roster were undrafted free agents. Among the former undrafted free agents who made significant contributions last season were receivers Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, tackle Garry Gilliam and defensive back DeShawn Shead. Thomas Rawls, who went unselected in last year’s draft, gained 830 yards on 147 carries to announce himself as Seattle’s heir apparent at running back.
Schneider did not list all 13 of Seattle’s undrafted free-agent signings, but he did mention seven by name.
The most significant of those is TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin. Boykin was the Big-12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2014, and over his collegiate career he threw for 10,727 yards and 86 touchdowns, adding another 2,049 yards and 27 TDs on the ground. However Boykin, who is listed at 6-foot and 212 pounds, had an off-field incident in January in which he allegedly punched a policeman, an incident that caused him to be suspended for the Alamo Bowl. Schneider said the incident was the reason why Boykin wasn’t drafted.
The other players Schneider mentioned were USC running back Tre Madden, East Carolina linebacker Montese Overton, Oregon linebacker Christian French, Ohio State safety Tyvis Powell, Colorado State cornerback DeAndre Elliot and Florida Atlantic defensive tackle Brandin Bryant.
Schneider said Madden, who’s listed at 6-foot and 223 pounds and gained 452 yards on 85 carries last season, and Bryant, who tips the scales at 6-foot-3 and 289 pounds, will be given a shot at fullback when rookie minicamp opens Friday. The Seahawks have no returning fullbacks currently on the roster. Schneider also said he was surprised that Powell was available, and that Overton and French will be part of the competition to fill the void at strong-side linebacker left when Bruce Irvin signed as a free agent with the Oakland Raiders.
“Some of (the undrafted rookies signed by Seattle) have a little rawness to them that our staff feels like we can help them out with,” Schneider said. “They have speed, toughness, that aggressive style, confidence — all these guys are very confident players.”
Schneider didn’t say anything about undrafted rookies who weren’t signed, but received invitations to attend Seattle’s rookie minicamp, which takes place Friday through Sunday at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Two intriguing names who reportedly received invitations are Washington defensive tackle Taniela Tupou and Oregon quarterback Vernon Adams.
Tupou, a graduate of Archbishop Murphy High School, had 37 tackles as a senior for the Huskies, including 5.5 for loss. However, the 6-foot-2, 280-pounder took some reps at fullback during Washington’s pro day, and with the lack of fullbacks on Seattle’s roster that may be his best avenue toward earning a contract.
Adams was a star at Eastern Washington University before transferring to Oregon for his senior season, where he completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 2,643 yards and 26 touchdowns versus just six interceptions. However, at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds he was considered by most scouts to be too small to be an NFL quarterback, a label once attached to current Seahawks starter Russell Wilson.
Later Monday the Seahawks added a third quarterback to the mix by signing free agent Jake Heaps. Heaps attended Skyline High School in Sammamish, where he was largely considered the top quarterback recruit in the country his senior year. However, he had a nomadic collegiate career, playing at BYU, Kansas and Miami and failing to establish himself at any of the three schools. He signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the New York Jets last spring, but was released in August and not picked up by any other team. He’ll join Boykin and Adams at rookie minicamp as the three try to convince the Seahawks they deserve a chance to back up Wilson.
In other subjects Schneider touched upon:
¦ Schneider said third-round draft pick Rees Odhiambo will start off as a left guard. Odhiambo played left tackle at Boise State. However, now he will provide competition for Justin Britt, who started at left guard for the Seahawks last season.
¦ It seems that No. 24 will be getting a year off. After the draft was completed, Baldwin tweeted the following in support of retiring running back Marshawn Lynch: “Dear @PeteCarroll, We are thrilled with the new teammates. One condition. Nobody wears #24 for years to come. Sincerely, The Players.” Schneider was asked about that, to which he responded: “One of my very last conversations with Marshawn was that nobody was going to wear 24 this year during the regular season.”
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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