The Seattle Seahawks went back-to-back defensive line selections, taking Mike Morris at No. 151 out of the University of Michigan. The 2022 Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year had an underwhelming combine and will be asked to play more inside with Seattle than he did at Michigan.
Athletic Profile/Comps
Mockdraftable
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Relative Athletic Score (RAS) at Defensive End
As an EDGE/DE, Mike Morris is a subpar athlete. He cut weight from somewhere in the 280s-290s where he played at Michigan to 275 lbs for the NFL Combine in an attempt to improve his athletic testing. That didn’t pan out, as he performed poorly in nearly all the tests except for his 1.64 second 10-yard split. In fairness, Morris suffered a high ankle sprain late in the 2022 season, so he was likely still recovering from that which would have impacted his ability to train for the combine.
That’s the bad news. The good news? When Seattle met with Morris during the pre-draft process, they told him to gain weight because they saw him more as a 3-4 DE and would want him to play 3-tech or 5-tech in their defense. In fact, they contacted Morris and/or his agent the morning he was drafted and confirmed that he was up to 295 lbs before they called the pick in.
Morris looks MUCH better if you run his RAS at DT.
RAS at Defensive Tackle
The obvious caveat is that these testing numbers were recorded before Morris gained 20 lbs, but it’s still worth looking at considering his weight at the time is accounted for in the RAS and he got dinged pretty bad for only being 275 lbs. As a 3-4 DE prospect, Morris is exciting. He has a big frame that could easily handle the extra weight.
The Mockdraftable comparisons have a few standouts. Aaron Smith was longtime fixture as a 3-4 DE with the Pittsburgh Steelers, starting 152 games over 13 years with 44.0 sacks and one Pro Bowl selection. He had a run from 2000-2008 where he played in 139 of a possible 144 games with two seasons of 8.0 sacks – not an easy number to achieve for a 3-4 DE.
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And then, of course, there’s Michael Bennett. Even though Bennett played in a 4-3 defense, he had the rare ability to line up both inside and outside. His athletic testing was pretty poor, but damn was he an awesome player – even if he jumped offsides approximately seven times a game.
Bennett even sent Morris a welcome message, from one Mike to another.
There are a few more athletic comparisons to former Seahawks that I found. One of them will worry/piss people off, but we’ll save that for a bit. First, let’s look at Morris vs. our old friend Jason Jones.
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They’re pretty damn close in their size and testing. Jones played both inside and out throughout his career and had between 3.0 and 5.0 sacks every season except for 2013 where he only played 3 games. The Seahawks have consistently looked for this type of player throughout the PCJS era.
Speaking of that type of player, here’s the other comparison I mentioned…
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Sorry, not sorry.
There’s a LOT of athletic similarity here. Heck, they even have the same initials! McDowell was taller and longer, which is hard to imagine if you’ve seen pictures of Morris from OTAs or minicamp. The McDowell pick was a disaster in hindsight, but you can see the reasoning behind it at least from a physical standpoint. Morris is a similar type of athlete – let’s hope he’s not a similar type of idiot.
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Gut reaction to the pick
The Seahawks addressed the defensive line again, so that’s a huge positive right out of the gate. I also have a soft spot for these late-round picks with intriguing athletic traits. Morris has a long road ahead of him transitioning from more of an EDGE player to a 3-4 DE who will need to be stout at the point of attack.
Maybe the fact that he’s relatively inexperienced will help him soak up all the coaching? Morris only played one game his first two years in Ann Arbor. In 2021, he was playing behind Aidan Hutchinson (No. 2 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft) and David Ojabo (No. 45 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft but would have been much higher had he not torn his Achilles at his pro day). Morris’ sole year as a starter ended with Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year honors despite suffering that high ankle sprain towards the end of the season. He’s like a ball of clay, and there’s plenty to work with.
Just watch him blow up the first two plays below.
When you get towards the end of the draft, I’m more than happy when the Seahawks take a swing with a player that has the tools but needs refinement. John Schneider has a pretty decent track record in the fifth round doing just that.
Rookie season prediction
As excited as I am about Morris, I wouldn’t be surprised if 2023 is more of a “redshirt” year for him as he makes the transition to a 3-4 DE, gaining the necessary size and strength that he needs to be effective on the inside in the NFL. He’ll get snaps, sure, but will be behind Dre’Mont Jones, Jarran Reed, Mario Edwards and possibly Myles Adams. Don’t rule out the Seahawks adding more rotational players throughout the summer or at the 53-man roster cutdown to eat up snaps.
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Morris’ future could be very bright, and I think there will be a few glimpses of this in 2023. He’s a player I’ll be watching very closely in the preseason. As for the regular season, he may not be active every week. I’m hoping he plays in at least 12 games and gets 20 tackles with a random sack.
Gus Williams, the beloved Seattle SuperSonics star who led the franchise to its only NBA championship in 1979, died Wednesday at age 71.
Williams earned the nickname “The Wizard” thanks to his speed and athleticism as a dynamic scoring guard. He played six of his 12 NBA seasons with the SuperSonics, guiding the team to back-to-back NBA Finals appearances. Both of his two All-Star selections came during his time in Seattle.
A second-round draft pick out of USC, Williams started his pro career with the Golden State Warriors and finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting in 1976 behind Phoenix’s Alvan Adams. After two seasons with Golden State, Williams joined the Sonics in free agency and quickly became a star once coach Lenny Wilkens made him a permanent starter in the backcourt alongside Dennis Johnson. Williams finished the 1977-78 season averaging 18.1 points in 79 games and helped Seattle reach the NBA Finals, only to fall to the Washington Bullets in seven games.
The Sonics faced off against Washington in the Finals again the following season, this time beating the Bullets in five games. It remains the only championship for the franchise, which moved to Oklahoma City ahead of the 2008-09 season.
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Williams finished the championship season as the SuperSonics’ leading scorer at 19.2 points per game. He saved his best for last, averaging 29.0 ppg against the Bullets in the NBA Finals. Despite his heroics, Williams was not named Finals MVP, with that honor instead going to his teammate Dennis Johnson. Four of the five starters on that championship squad and key reserve Paul Silas are now dead, with Jack Sikma, sixth man Fred Brown and Wilkens the only surviving pillars of the team.
James Donaldson, one of Williams’ SuperSonics teammates beginning in 1980, started a GoFundMe account on behalf of Williams’ family to raise funds for his burial.
Williams lived in a care facility in Maryland and died five years after suffering a stroke in 2020. Donaldson wrote on GoFundMe that he remained in contact with Williams “throughout most of this terrible journey” that included Williams battling pneumonia and meningitis after his stroke.
“He has spent the last 5 years, flat on his back and bravely battling this terrible misfortune,” Donaldson wrote of Williams’ health. “He fought a good fight, but alas, it just became too much to overcome.”
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Donaldson said Williams’ family asked him to set up the GoFundMe account to bring Williams’ body to his hometown of Mt. Vernon. N.Y., so he can be buried next to his brother Ray, also a former NBA player who died of prostate cancer in March 2013. Donaldson said the Williams brothers’ 100-year-old mother and other relatives would like to be able to visit their gravesites together.
“(Williams) was gregarious, funny, always upbeat and (very) charitable with his time and money. Plus, he was always friendly with the fans and they loved him in return,” Donaldson wrote of his former teammate. “Super fast and super quick on the court. Could stop on a dime and outrun everyone out there. With a deadly jump (shot) to boot. Gus was one of a kind!”
Williams’ one-of-a-kind style extended off the court, too. He refused to back down in a contract dispute with Sonics management ahead of the 1980-81 campaign, ultimately sitting out the entire season. He returned the following season and averaged a career-high 23.4 points in 80 games, earning his first All-Star selection, NBA Comeback Player of the Year and first-team All-NBA honors.
Williams’ time in Seattle ended in 1984 when the SuperSonics traded him to Washington. He spent two seasons with the Bullets, followed by one with the Atlanta Hawks before retiring in 1987.
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Washington Bullets alumni, Gus Williams.
Williams finished his career with 14,093 points, 4,597 assists and 1,638 steals. He averaged 17.1 ppg in 825 regular-season contests and 19.5 ppg in 99 playoff appearances.
He was inducted into the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
Seattle weather: Morning fog, sunshine in the forecast
FOX 13 Seattle Meteorologist Ilona McCauley has your latest western Washington weather forecast!
Western Washington is gearing up for some of the coolest air of the season heading into this weekend. A weak cold front will drop our overnight lows into the lower 30s beginning tonight. Chilly conditions will remain into much of next week. It’s time to remember to protect your pipes, plants, pets and people.
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A weak cold front moved through earlier Thursday, keeping cold air in place around Western Washington.
As the rain wraps up and the skies clear out, fog will develop overnight. With many spots dipping into near freezing, the possibility of freezing fog along with icy spots will be around for Friday morning’s commute.
Rain and clouds clearing out, leading to overnight fog.
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Skies clear out after Thursday stray showers wrap up. Fog will develop on Friday morning with some freezing fog possible. (FOX13 Seattle)
January has gotten off to a cool start already with more cold air on the way. A ridge of high pressure will keep much of our area in a cool, dry, northwesterly flow through at least the end of next week.
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Skies are drying out and some of the coolest air of the season is on the way this weekend. (FOX13 Seattle)
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NEW YORK (AP) — Dominican infielder Kendry Martinez was among 17 additional players agreeing to seven-figure bonuses, a $2.5 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Thirty-two players have agreed to bonuses of $1 million or more through two days of the international signing period, which opened Wednesday and runs until Dec. 15.
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The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, hoping to sign Roki Sasaki, were among five teams that have not finalized any contracts and kept open their entire signing bonus pool allotment, joined by Kansas City, the New York Yankees and Colorado. The San Diego Padres, also wooing the Japanese pitcher, struck one deal for $10,000, the highest amount that does not count against a team’s bonus pool.
Sasaki is considered an international amateur by Major League Baseball because he is under 25 and has not played six seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball. Under the MLB-NPB posting agreement, he has until Jan. 23 to finalize an MLB deal.
Agreements included Dominican shortstop Wilfri De La Cruz and the Chicago Cubs ($2.3 million), Venezuelan outfielder Yorger Bautista and Seattle ($2.1 million), Dominican outfielder Kevin Alvarez and Houston ($2 million), Venezuelan shortstop Liberts Aponte and Cincinnati ($1.9 million), Dominican right-hander Raudy Reyes and Atlanta ($1,797,500), Venezuelan infielder Eliomar Garces and Tampa Bay ($1.6 million), Dominican infielder Juan Cabada and the Cubs ($1.5 million), Bahamian shortstop Ayden Johnson and the Athletics ($1.5 million), Dominican shortstop Dorian Soto and Boston ($1.4 million), Dominican outfielder Royelny Strop and St. Louis ($1.4 million), Dominican outfielder Kenny Fenelon and Milwaukee ($1.3 million), Venezuelan infielder Yulian Barreto and San Francisco ($1,118,700), Dominican shortstop Juan Tomas and the Cubs ($1.1 million) and Dominican outfielder Elorky Rodriguez and Texas (1,097,500
Players born from Sept. 1, 2007, through Aug. 31, 2008, are eligible to sign during this year’s period, which ends Dec. 15. Teams began the week with signing bonus pools ranging from about $5.1 million to $7.6 million.
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