On Monday Shaun Alexander Jersey , the opening of the legal tampering period of free agency, the NFC West saw a flurry of activity with different teams displaying different strategies based on where those teams currently..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar ThoughtsCap ClassroomRoster News2019 NFL DraftSeahawks, Rams in comp pick game after first day of legal tamperingNew,24commentsPDTShareTweetShareShareSeahawks, Rams in comp pick game after first day of legal tamperingRichard Mackson-USA TODAY SportsOn Monday, the opening of the legal tampering period of free agency, the NFC West saw a flurry of activity with different teams displaying different strategies based on where those teams currently sit. The San Francisco 49ers made splashy headlines by agreeing to a monster deal with run-stopping linebacker Kwon Alexander, formerly of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and with cap space still to burn are reportedly still on the hunt for more talent to bring to the bay area. In contrast, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks have seemed to take a back seat, letting the market play out and letting their own players go elsewhere. For the Seahawks that meant watching Mike Davis agree to leave for the Chicago Bears, Justin Coleman committed to reunite with Matt Patricia on the Detroit Lions and Shamar Stephen came to terms on a deal that will put him back in purple for the Minnesota Vikings. All three of those departures from the Hawks roster could net the team comp picks, depending on how the team decides to approach the rest of free agency. It was just a year ago that the Hawks watched multiple free agents leave and sign with other teams, including Jimmy Graham heading to the Green Bay Packers, Paul Richardson going to the Washington Redskins, Sheldon Richardson signing with Minnesota and Luke Willson signing with Detroit in order to be closer to home. However, in spite of all those players leaving the Seahawks received zero comp picks in the 2019 draft because of the net signings portion of the allocation formula. Thus, many fans have complained that the role players the Hawks signed last offseason has cost the team the ability to acquire young players on rookie contracts in the draft this year. That makes it extremely important to watch how the rest of free agency plays out, and to see whether the Seattle front office is perhaps looking to build an arsenal of comp picks next season.It is not entirely unreasonable to imagine that the Hawks could allow these players to leave and not replace them in free agency in hopes of receiving the maximum of four comp picks in 2020. If, after the dust settles on free agency, the Hawks feel they are likely to receive multiple comp picks next year, the team could then go about burnishing its 2019 draft arsenal through trading away the picks it holds for next season. It would not take a whole lot of maneuvering around, including adding a few picks by trading back from 1.21 into the top of the second round, and then using a couple of 2020 picks to acquire 2019 picks. Then all of a sudden the Hawks could be looking at having a full quiver of picks in the upcoming draft, rather than just the four the team currently holds.Regardless of how the situation plays out for the Hawks, as it stands right now the highest comp pick that the NFC West teams are presently in position to receive belongs to the Rams. It was expected by most observers that Lamarcus Joyner would leave the Rams this offseason, and his departure became all but guaranteed over the weekend when the team signed Eric Weddle. Late Monday fans learned of Joyner’s destination when word came down that he had agreed to a four-year, $42M contract with the Oakland Raiders. That is on top of the Rams having the potential to earn two of the top comp picks available through the likely departures of Rodger Saffold and Ndamukong Suh, and represents a return to form for the safety market compared to the 2018 offseason. However, the return of the safety market could set the Seahawks up for a nice potential return, with Earl Thomas still rumored to be looking at a potentially lucrative deal with any of a number of teams, including the 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys or the Houston Texans. In short, stay tuned, as the frenzy rolls on for the remainder of this week and the news continues to flood in. On Thursday, we covered two of the most unique positions at the Scouting Combine in wide receiver and tight end. Continuing to go through the position groups as they arrive, we are now at another..."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections VideosCoffee and CigarettesGame AnalysisThe Numbers GameCigar Thoughts2019 NFL DraftWhat the Seahawks will be looking for from DL and LB at the Scouting CombinePSTShareTweetShareShareWhat the Seahawks will be looking for from DL and LB at the Scouting CombineBrian Spurlock-USA TODAY SportsOn Thursday, we covered two of the most unique positions at the Scouting Combine in wide receiver and tight end. Continuing to go through the position groups as they arrive, we are now at another split position at defensive line, plus linebacker.Like wide receiver, the defensive line is split into three different groupings for the purposes of the Seahawks Draft Board: EDGE (naturally) http://www.seahawkslockerroom.com/authentic-shaquill-griffin-jersey , run-stuffing defensive tackles and interior rushers. While the lines can blur between the two (boiled down) types of defensive tackles, there is a difference in profiles Seattle looks for. First, the headlining position for the Seahawks this offseason.EDGEThe position with the most thresholds in Seattle’s draft philosophy is EDGE. That’s a tremendous help for a number of reasons, most notably that it helps to clear out names at a position where so often high profile prospects flame out in epic fashion. First, there’s defined size requirements: 6-foot-3 and above, between 245 and 275 pounds, and arms 33” or longer. The Seahawks are looking for explosiveness around the 70th percentile among EDGEs in the broad jump (9-foot-10) and a vertical of 32” or higher. The biggest emphasis athletically is put on change of direction. Short shuttle isn’t hugely important, anything quicker than 4.3 or 4.4 seconds is fine, however, three cone is a highly important indicator. Anything slower than 7.3 seconds is a non-starter, and even that’s pushing it. Since 2010, Seattle’s drafted the EDGE with the quickest three cone time three times. The Seahawks will keep close tabs on the EDGEs who test the best on the three cone drill this week, and you should too. Defensive TackleThough the position is boiled down further, there are a couple things Seattle looks for at the position, regardless of the player type. For the most part, the Seahawks prefer taller DTs (6-foot-3), however Poona Ford is a considerable recent exception, at just 5-foot-11. Arm length, 32” and longer, is important. Explosive athletes aren’t particularly of interest to Seattle inside, with thresholds of 27” in the vertical and 8-foot-6 in the broad. After those general trends, it boils down to more role-specific numbers. The Seahawks target run-stoppers 305 pounds and above, while more penetrative players are in the 295-305 range. Functional strength is required in the run defenders, and so 30 reps is the baseline on the bench press. Short-area movement is valued in gap-shooting pass rushers, which means a short shuttle of 4.65 seconds or quicker is needed. LinebackerSince 2010, Seattle has stuck quite closely to their mold at linebacker, with two high profile exceptions. The first came in 2011, when K.J. Wright was selected despite not meeting any of the Seahawks’ athletic thresholds, except for broad jump. What Wright did (and still does, presumably) possess was incredible, 98th percentile arm length. (Wright did meet their height and weight requirement.) The other exception was Shaquem Griffin, who was selected despite only clearing their height and 40-yard dash thresholds.Seattle is likely going to be in the market for an off-ball linebacker this spring, and during the Scouting Combine, that will be players 6’ and above, and between 230 and 245 pounds. They’ll be in the 90th percentile or above in the vertical jump (39”) and in the broad jump (10’). Above average speed in the 40-yard dash, below 4.55 seconds will be targeted, as will above average change of direction—around 7.2 seconds and below. Since 2012, Bobby Wagner has exemplified the type of linebacker the Seahawks want: Prototypical size, the speed and agility to get sideline-to-sideline, and the explosiveness to stop the ball-carrier upon contact. That’s the type of player they’ll be looking for in Indianapolis.