By Mike Kahn
Seahawks Insider
West Virginia's Owen Schmitt is one of the top-three fullbacks in this year's NFL Draft.
The prototypes at all positions going into the NFL can be busted at any time. Sure, a lot of teams still stick to that old school mentality, but not the Seahawks.
There is more to a player than his size, speed and strength … and that goes for any position.
“We’re not that kind of team,” Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said. “We definitely go off the film and we definitely go on what is inside the kid … the makeup of the kid. You won’t find a chart in our room where the linebacker has to be 6-feet tall.”
No position is more reflective of that theory than fullback. The days of yore when Jim Brown, Jim Taylor, Larry Csonka, John Riggins and Franco Harris were the workhorses pounding out yardage from fullback are history. Even Jerome Bettis, despite having the size of a fullback, was more of a halfback than a fullback just because of the offense the Pittsburgh Steelers ran.
Essentially, the fullback these days is the quintessential tough guy, clearing the paths for the running back or chipping away at pass rushers to protect the quarterback. That is precisely what Mack Strong did into his 15th season with the Seahawks before abruptly ending his career with a neck injury in 2007. At 6-foot, 253, he wasn’t there for his speed, quickness or ability as a receiver. He could run the ball when called upon, or catch the ball on check downs on many occasions.
But Strong had a distinguished career that was topped off by making the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2006 because he unfailingly led Shaun Alexander or Maurice Morris through holes in the defense – knocking out linemen or linebackers that happen to be there.
And when the 32 teams begin the 2008 NFL Draft next Saturday and Sunday, you won’t likely be hearing the names of any fullbacks on the first day, and with only a handful – maybe – on the second day. Strong went undrafted coming out of a tough Southeastern Conference school in Georgia and his replacement – Leonard Weaver – was an undrafted Division II All-America tight end from tiny Carson-Newman. So you never know.
Primarily, Weaver, a more gifted athlete than Strong with good quickness and hands on a 6-foot, 245-pound frame, spent last season learning that 90 percent of the job is making the key block for the running back or being the last line of protection for quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
“Fullback is kind of an overachiever’s position a lot of the time,” Seahawks vice president of player personnel Ruston Webster said. “They’re not always the most talented athletes. We’re lucky we’ve got Leonard because he can do a little bit of everything and he can run. He is a good athlete. Most of the time, the fullback is just a workhorse kind of guy. He’s got to be tough. He’s got to be willing to not carry the ball, and they go slamming up there consistently to block without really being able to run the football very much.”
That is likely to be a rude awakening for the top three in this year’s draft. West Virginia’s Owen Schmitt, Peyton Hillis from Arkansas and Jacob Hester from national champion Louisiana State are the crème of this year’s crop. But there is a difference, that’s for sure, and there’s no guaranteed that they’ll be the guys that make it.
Schmitt has more of the archetypical size at 6-1, 247, while Hillis is 6-1 and 240. But Hester is 5-10, 226 and was somewhat of a dual back with great hands and he didn’t fumble during a career of more than 300 carries.
“I can do whatever they ask,” Hester said. “I've seen I'm the top fullback, second fullback and third fullback. I've seen me drafted everywhere from the second round to the fifth round. Luckily I do play fullback and tailback, but teams are coming back to fullback. It’s something they went away from a little bit.
“I figure if I stay around 230 is my best chance to play a little of both running back and fullback.”
Hester has been told he’ll go anywhere from the second to fifth round … which is one way of saying, nobody knows for sure.
And while those guys are the most talked about, consider the Tennessee’s Chris Brown, Jed Collins from Washington State and Jehuu Caulcrick from Michigan State – the big, tough, nose-bloodying guys that just want to go out and hit somebody. They may go late or not get drafted at all. Then again, they may just be the guys that make a squad as a free agent rookie for special teams and end up playing in the league for many years.
“He may not be the prettiest player on the field,” Webster said. “And they do need to be able to catch the ball consistently because a lot of times the quarterback is going to throw the ball to them on check downs. But really, this is a tough guy’s position where you look for a guy who will overachieve because of his work habits and attitude. Those are the guys that help the team on and off the field just by example.”
The following is an alphabetical list of the best fullbacks in the draft by a consensus of draft information compiled by the writer, and is not reflective of the Seattle Seahawks personnel department
FULLBACKS
1. Chris Brown, Tennessee, 6-1, 249, 4.83
2. Jehuu Caulcrick, Michigan State, 6-0, 254, 4.67
3. Jed Collins, Washington State, 6-2, 254, 4.88
4. Jerome Felton, Furman, 6-0, 241, 4.75
5. Jacob Hester, Louisiana State, 5-11, 226, 4.63
6. Peyton Hillis, Arkansas, 6-1, 240, 4.59
7. Brandon McAnderson, Kansas, 5-11, 238, 4.67
8. Marcel Reece, Washington, 6-2, 234, 4.62
9. Owen Schmitt, West Virginia, 6-2, 247, 4.70
10. Carl Stewart, Auburn, 6-1, 230, 4.63
Also considered: Mike Cox, Georgia Tech; Dionte Johnson, Ohio State; Brad Listorti, Massachusetts; Mike Peterson, Northwest Missouri State; Mike Tolbert, Coastal Carolina.