Georgia vs Texas, Illinois center impresses, Jalen Milroe struggles & South Carolina’s defense shines – Seahawks Draft Blog

Georgia vs Texas

John Schneider attended this game, unsurprisingly given it featured a number of future NFL players. I’ve got some Schneider-related thoughts coming later in the piece.

This was a really disappointing showing from Texas. Their offensive line, featuring big name players at left tackle, center and right tackle, lost the battle in the trenches. Steve Sarkisian’s game plan felt overly conservative in the first half and they couldn’t get anything going. The run wasn’t working and it put a lot of pressure on Quinn Ewers against a feverish Georgia front seven. Ewers shrank in the moment, became flustered and the entire Texas offense needed half-time to re-set and get back on track. By that point, they were already trailing 23-0.

On Ewers, he did not play well. The two big question marks with him going into the season were health and consistency. The fact he’s had an injury and since returning has looked a shadow of the player who started the season, speaks to the problem. After three years at Texas you have to ask whether he’ll ever be able to stay healthy and avoid being a rollercoaster quarterback — looking excellent some of the time and then having games where he looks like this.

I do think some of the reaction to the weekend has been OTT though. I’ve seen people online clipping snaps blaming him for the protection issues, making unrealistic expectations of the quarterback during a game where Texas effectively ran into a defensive buzzsaw. The O-line had no push in the running game and once the scoreline grew things unravelled. There were also drops, including on a trick-play that could’ve opened things up. Ewers’ adjusted completion percentage for the game was 71.8% compared to the reality of 58.1%. That’s a considerable difference.

It doesn’t excuse the quarterback playing well within himself but I think an inordinate portion of the blame has been put on his shoulders. There was plenty to go around in that first half.

More on Ewers later.

The best player on the field by some distance was Georgia linebacker Jalon Walker. His ability to play the edge and win 1v1 adds to his roaming athleticism and power as a conventional linebacker. I think he’s overtaken Abdul Carter as the best versatile defensive chess piece for the 2025 draft — although both players will be high picks. I think he’d be an ideal player for Mike Macdonald’s defense but he’s unlikely to be in range. In a draft class with very limited legit round one options, I think teams will take a chance on both Walker and Carter early.

Walker finished with three sacks and led the Georgia defense in tackles (eight).

Mykel Williams has missed a lot of the season through injury and he was spelled in this game too because he isn’t 100% — yet he still produced two big sacks and flashed the kind of talent that could move him into the early part of round one. Can he build on this performance and finish the year playing with this level of impact? He’s a fantastic looking inside/out rusher in terms of physical build but he’s never had consistent production.

The third key player for Georgia was Trevor Etienne. He ran for 87 yards on 19 carries but his impact felt greater that his stat-line. He showed great suddenness and dynamism hitting the line and was by far the best skill player on show in the game. He deserves a solid day two grade and could be an electric complementary runner as a one-two punch at the next level. It’s a tremendous looking running back class for 2025.

As mentioned, Texas’ O-line was a let down.

Kelvin Banks Jr doesn’t have a left tackle frame and will almost certainly need to kick inside to guard at the next level but he had a torrid time against Walker when they lined up against each other. He gave up a couple of pressures and a sack but in his first real test of the season, it didn’t feel like he was making a case to stick at tackle with his frame. I do think he could be an excellent guard but not the top-10 pick left tackle pick some are making out.

Cameron Williams the right tackle is admired by some online but he looked lost with his technique. He clearly has the frame to be a NFL tackle but his feet and body weren’t aligned and he gave up a number of pressures. He’s started to get some draft buzz but from a Seahawks perspective, I think drafting him would create another Germain Ifedi situation. He looks the part but he badly needs more game experience and time to work on his technique. He gave up four pressures and a sack against Georgia and on some reps looked all over the place.

I’m a big fan of center Jake Powers and in fairness of all the players on the line, he was the one who played well. He has a good anchor, he’s nicely sized for the position, he’s a good athlete as a former four-star recruit and I’ve graded him firmly in the day two range. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up having a very good NFL career.

As was the case against Alabama, Carson Beck was awful. He had two interceptions and nearly had a third in the first half alone. His ball placement was wildly erratic again. He makes his receivers work hard on nearly every throw, leading to tipped pass interceptions and incompletions that should be routine catches.

It didn’t get much better after half-time. He came out throwing near-interceptions again before finally landing one, leading to all of the drama around a flag for DPI that was eventually overturned — with fans throwing bottles and beer cans onto the field in protest at the initial call. Beck simply didn’t seem to be on the same page as his receiver — adding to the concerns about accuracy and ball placement.

Beck has a day three grade on my horizontal board and I wouldn’t draft him. I don’t think he can start at quarterback at the next level with what he’s shown this year. Without Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey he looks lost. He’s thrown eight interceptions and it could’ve been more. I don’t see upside to make up for the lack of accuracy and anticipation. He isn’t someone, in my opinion, with a NFL starting future.

I feel differently with Ewers from an upside perspective. When you watch his games against the likes of Alabama and Washington last season, and Michigan this season (I know Michigan aren’t good — but their defense has a number of first and second day NFL draft picks) you see top-end ability that translates.

NFL teams have been monitoring Ewers for a long time. I appreciate recruiting grades mean little when you’ve had three or four years of college tape to analyse — but it does provide an indication on how people felt about Ewers that he was graded above even Caleb Williams within the 2022 recruiting class.

According to 247 Sports, a recruiting service, Ewers became only the sixth ever player to receive a 1.0000 ranking in their composite — along with Jadeveon Clowney, Robert Nkemdiche, Rashan Gary, Vince Young and Ernie Sims. Not all of these players went on to have amazing NFL careers but the talent and potential was clear — and all were very highly touted as a consequence and drafted early.

I think to anyone who watches a lot of quarterback tape — the good flashes from Ewers make it fairly obvious why he was so highly rated. He has natural gifts as a passer that very few quarterbacks have. The deep throws he delivered against Alabama last year are some of the best you’ll see at any level of football. His whip-like release is, at times, reminiscent of Aaron Rodgers. There is no doubt in my mind that there are scouts and GM’s out there who appreciate Ewers’ upside.

I suspect most of these same evaluators will also share the concerns we’ve raised on this blog about his ability to stay healthy and play with consistency. The importance of the position means some teams will believe it’s worthwhile taking a chance on him to see if they can coach him into the prospect his talent indicates he can be. There will be others that scoff at the prospect of that idea based on games like the one on Saturday.

I don’t think Schneider was in Texas just to watch Ewers. Far from it. I bet he was a big reason why he attended that game though. He has the kind of natural gifts I think Schneider is waiting for at the position. I think he wants to invest in a special talent — it’s just so difficult to find those players at this position. It’s why he doesn’t ‘just take shots’ at quarterback. Ewers has the talent even if there are other issues that are a concern.

He’s not typically the kind of quarterback I’d expect Schneider to like. I think it’s pretty clear he has a type, as we’ve discussed many times. This is the GM who traded for Charlie Whitehurst and Drew Lock. He really rated Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. He likes big, athletic gunslingers in the physical mould of Brett Favre — who he worked with in Green Bay. Russell Wilson didn’t have the height but he too was a great example of that same playing style. I reckon Schneider was probably a fan of Drake Maye and watching him for the Pats on Sunday, it was easy to think he’s a Schneider type.

Ewers neither has the frame nor the mad creative skills to improv and make things happen. I think he’s a good athlete and could maybe develop those traits. Nevertheless, I’d still keep an eye on Ewers. If he isn’t going to go as early as some thought a few weeks ago, it could play into Seattle’s hands. I do think Schneider is set on drafting a QB — not necessarily to start right away but at least to develop in the background — as we saw the Packers do with both Rodgers and Jordan Love. It’s also worth remembering they spent a second round pick on Brian Brohm shortly after using a first rounder on Rodgers.

The Packers mentality has been to draft to develop. I can imagine Ewers being someone Seattle invests in to see if he can progress in their system. I’m not convinced Sam Howell has done enough to feel like that development slot is taken. And they do need to keep adding youth at the position with Geno Smith now 34 and contracted only until the end of 2025 (I don’t believe a big extension, that some have called for, is likely — and believe they will take this year-to-year with Geno).

I think Schneider means it when he says he wants to draft a quarterback every year — it’s simply that the options haven’t been there. He might be prepared to take a shot on Ewers, using a pick to let him sit and develop for a year or two. It might not work out, as it didn’t for Brohm in Green Bay. I just wouldn’t be shocked if Seattle thought Ewers’ talent was worth investing in.

I say all this while acknowledging that in the presence of Schneider on Saturday there were times in the Georgia game where he looked small, slightly timid and a little bit like a deer in the headlights. He had six turnover worthy plays compared to just one big time throw. Yet you only have to put on the Alabama game last year, seeing him go on the road in the toughest environment and winning with style and pro-level skill to understand why he shouldn’t be written off.

Ewers would be a good quarterback for Kalen DeBoer at Alabama. He has the skill-set to work within the system he operated at Fresno State and Washington. I’m not sure it’s likely that Ewers stays another year in college and transfers for a second time — but stranger things have happened. DeBoer really elevated Michael Penix and Jake Haener’s stock. That also brings you onto the thought that he also might fit Ryan Grubb.

It’ll be interesting to see if Ewers can return to his best form for the rest of the season and where his stock settles. At the moment I think he’s more top-50 than top-10. I don’t have any quarterback graded as a legit first round prospect for 2025. The Seahawks have other upcoming needs — particularly on the O-line and potentially other positions like linebacker. Yet eventually they will draft a quarterback to give themselves a chance to develop a long-term solution. It will be a far better plan to do that with Geno Smith under contract than forcing a rookie to play when he isn’t ready.

A final note on this game — I think Texas tight end Gunnar Helm — not a lofty draft prospect coming into the season — had a really good couple of catches in the fourth quarter to highlight how he will be a nice option for someone, probably at the top-end of day three. He’s having a good season.

Other notes from week eight

— Josh Kreutz the Illinois center is showing a lot of promise. He anchored the line well against Michigan — handling Kenneth Grant with ease and holding his own against top-10 pick Mason Graham. While it’s true Graham also had his wins — including a rag-doll push-pull move in the second quarter — Kreutz played fundamentally sound football, understood his assignments and did a mostly terrific job blocking straight-on. He’s tough, physical and was able to move defenders off the spot to creating running lanes. His pass-pro was sound. He’s not a center who loves to get up to the second level or move around to block in space but I think there’s a lot to like here. His father is the famous former Bears center Olin Kreutz — so he has the best bloodlines imaginable. I think he could be a day-two pick. He’s a fourth-year junior so might not declare but I hope he does. I want Seattle to build a leadership core through a tough, physical offensive line. Kreutz has the kind of playing mentality that fits that idea. He’s my fourth ranked center behind Logan Jones, Jake Powers and Parker Brailsford.

— I feel validated in the way we’ve cut through the hype on Jalen Milroe. For weeks people talked about his major development as a passer. The reality was exposed in brutal fashion against Tennessee. He didn’t look like a pro-prospect in this game. He was inaccurate and had an interception to end the game. If you put a cap on his running ability and force him to play as a more conventional passer, he can’t do it. You’d be drafting him mainly to be a threat with his legs, not with his arm. While he might be a tremendous runner — I don’t feel comfortable drafting a quarterback whose best characteristic isn’t throwing the football. I’m starting to think he might be better transferring to another school for next season, somewhere with a track record of producing highly successful running quarterbacks. I think Kalen DeBoer needs a better passer and Milroe, on the evidence he’s shown this season, should consider whether a change of scenery and a fresh start would be best for his career. I think it’s astonishing that analysts for the Athletic and PFF have been talking about Milroe as a first rounder or the top quarterback eligible for the draft.

— South Carolina’s defense is legit. I’ve been a big fan of Nick Emmanwori for months and he’s my #2 graded safety behind only Malaki Starks. He had two picks against Oklahoma, with the first showing off great range for a man his size. The second was pretty much thrown straight to him but he returned it for a pick-six. He’s asked to do a lot for a defensive back who is listed above 220lbs. There are some intriguing physical qualities here and they’ve shown up game after game. I think he’s solidly in the round two range at the moment. The Sooners had no answer for the defensive line. TJ Sanders and Tonka Hemingway dominated the interior. Kyle Kennard might not be the greatest athlete but he wins cleanly off the edge to create pressure every week. Linebacker Demetrius Knight seemed to be all over the field. This is a great looking unit with a lot of talent.

— Cam Ward played very well for Miami against Louisville and the Hurricanes remain unbeaten. I have to say though — there are a few other quarterbacks in this class wishing they had Ward’s schedule this year. Louisville’s defense was a shambles. Every week Miami’s opponent forgets how to play football in the fourth quarter. Ward had some excellent, highlight-reel throws in this contest. He also had some misses, a dropped interception and he took some sacks. I’d much rather spend every week complimenting Ward for the growth he’s shown — but while people keep projecting him as a high first round pick, I feel obliged to push back against the hype. He has improved his stock but I think he’s gone from a day three pick to a day two pick this season. That should be celebrated but I think some of the hype goes too far. As we’ve discussed a lot already this season, he still carries some old habits from the Washington State days.

— A final word on two players I’ve talked about a lot recently. Ricky White III had another touchdown for UNLV vs Oregon State. He ran a slant and extended his arms well away from his body to make a difficult catch look easy. I really believe White III has an X-factor quality, he reminds me a little bit of Nuk Hopkins at Clemson and he’s one of my favourite players in the 2025 class. Meanwhile, Bowling Green tight end Harold Fannin Jr had 10 catches for 171 yards against Kent State. He is a playmaker at his position and one of a number of exciting tight ends set to enter the NFL.

I will post an article this week discussing some of my favourite players in the class who could fit with the Seahawks.