The Seattle Seahawks have an interesting free agency ahead as it pertains to their secondary. Cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen are unrestricted free agents, with Woolen not only likely to cost way more on the open market, but also more likely to leave Seattle.
For all of the criticisms Woolen has received for tackling issues, lapses in concentration, and untimely penalties, losing Woolen would also be losing an objectively good cover corner with elite physical traits in terms of his height, arm length, and speed.
Advertisement
Ahead of next week’s Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Field Gulls was on hand for a media conference call with former NFL scout and longtime NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. As (seemingly) the only Seahawks representation in attendance, I had the opportunity to ask Daniel about potential Day 2 cornerback options to replace Riq, and he provided a couple of intriguing names from the SEC.
“Julian Neal from Arkansas, who’s 6’1 1/2 and 202 pounds,” Jeremiah said. “He’s big and long, he’s an efficient mover. He can high point and play the ball, he can run and carry vertical routes. He’s got recoverability, he’s physical—you see some big hits on tape, you know, the toughness there. Had two picks, he’s in that [pick 64] range for me.”
“Another big kid out of Florida is Devin Moore,”Jeremiah added. “I don’t have the officials on him, so we’ll see at the combine, but the numbers I got from scouts was right around 6’3 and just under 200 pounds. Plays that kind of high, side shuffle technique. He’s comfortable in press [coverage]. He can play through the wide receiver to the ball. He’s a good blitzer—you can watch him against Texas, drills Arch Manning in that one, and then has another impressive play in that game where he wheels and finds the ball for a pick.
Advertisement
“So he kind of gave you the line of scrimmage toughness as well as some ball skills down the field. But those are two big corners that are probably right in that range where they are at the bottom of Round 2.”
Neal transferred to Arkansas after four years at Fresno State, whereas Moore’s entire collegiate career has been with the Gators. If there’s any major concern regarding Moore it’s his health, including a pair of season-ending shoulder injuries. Last season was his first time playing double-digit regular season games, but when healthy he was a very impactful player on an otherwise bad football team. Neal similarly shined on a sub-.500 Arkansas squad, but he doesn’t have the same injury concerns as Moore and is not as fast.
Of course, we don’t have combine measures yet to get an even better idea of where certain players will raise and fall in the draft, but this is a good starting point to know which Seahawks prospects to keep an eye on moving forward.
