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Seahawks "Really Excited" About 2018 NFL Draft Class

Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll reflect on Seattle's 2018 NFL Draft class.

The Seattle Seahawks wrapped up business for the 2018 NFL Draft on Sunday evening at Renton's Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

After one selection on Day 1 (Round 1), and a slow Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) due to a shortage of picks, the Seahawks were extremely active to close out the draft this year. Seattle added seven of their nine rookie draft picks on Day 3 (Rounds 4-7).

Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll were satisfied about the 2018 class as a whole, which will begin work in the facility soon enough.

"We're really excited about this class and we're ready to get these guys in here and get them to work," Schneider said after the draft.

Here's a closer look at what Schneider and/or Carroll had to say about each specific draft selection and what they can bring to the Seahawks:

RB Rashaad Penny (Round 1, Pick 27, No. 27 Overall)

Carroll: "Probably the best part about this young man is that he's humble. He's ready to work. He's probably already told you guys and you've probably already heard from him. Whatever we want, he'll do. His special teams acumen is so unique, he's really going to be able to help Tyler [Lockett] and help take the burden off of Tyler at times. He'll compete for all of the return stuff which is great. He's coming in here to compete and he knows that. We're not just handing him the job, he has to come in here and battle which he's ready to do. He's such an excited player and he's so versatile and dynamic that we know every time he gets his hands on the ball, he can score a touchdown. That's in the running game and the passing game because he's very gifted catching the football and running routes as well. We know that the running game helps every aspect of our team. It helps the defense, it helps our special teams and he will also be able to play in special teams and be a factor. That's a really exciting pick and we can't wait to get him here and get going and start fitting him in.

"He is also going to be a three down back for us and he can do everything. He needs to work on his pass protection which he was not asked to do a lot of. But he will give us the ability to play him on all downs and that versatility is really big."

DE Rasheem Green (Round 3, Pick 15, No. 79 Overall)

Schneider: "We're really excited to get Rasheem [Green] in the third round. We maneuvered a little bit there just because we had an opportunity to pick up a [seventh round pick]. It seemed like the right thing to do. We're really excited, [he's] a young kid, a great guy, we had him in for a visit, he's a Trojan. Young, long, played a lot of three technique, he's had 83 career pressures, 15 career sacks, he loves rushing inside, he's got some really nice outside rushes too. Great workout, he had a really good workout this past spring the same day that [Sam] Darnold worked out, bending and working corners and such."

TE Will Dissly (Round 4, Pick 20, No. 120 Overall)

Carroll: "It's been pretty well stated that we thought he was the best blocker in the draft and for that reason we were tuned in to him early and keeping our fingers crossed the whole time. That's why it was kind of nerve-wracking to wait it out because we thought he really had a unique fit that he could add to our football team and make us better.

Schneider: "He's probably the closest thing we've seen to Zach (Miller).

"His hands are awesome. He had a great Combine, then Pete went over to his pro day and he was trying to decide if he was going to work out. He ended up doing the receiving portion and then he ended up doing the blocking stuff too, but you cannot hear the ball hit that guys hands."

LB Shaquem Griffin (Round 5, Pick 4, No. 141 Overall)

Carroll: "We're going to play him at the Weak linebacker spot and see how that works out. We're going to give him a chance to run and chase the football – that's what he's adept at doing. We're going to count on him to be a big factor in special teams, which he has shown us he has a great knack for. We're going to try to put him in spots where we can utilize the great speed that he has. He's as fast as you can get as a linebacker. I don't think it's going to throw us off that he's that fast but we're anxious to see how it works and how it fits with him chasing the football and all."

CB Tre Flowers (Round 5, Pick 9, No. 146 Overall)

Carroll: "This is a guy that I really liked. He's played over three years as a starter at Oklahoma State at free safety. I've had a chance, and John has too, we've seen him play a lot of stuff. A lot of situations, a lot of different aspects of the game that he's handled well. He's been a really good contributor there. The fact that he's over 6'3" and that he runs 4.4 and that he's got great length and good ball skills and he's a good tackler and works hard at the game in general. He had a great workout with our scouts. That workout showed us some of the change of direction stuff that would apply at the cornerback position. We want to give him a shot at that and that just happens to be one of our favorite attempts. We're going to take a guy from a different spot and move him and we'll see how he does knowing that he's going to be a really good contributor on special teams. The ball sense that he has and the awareness that he has, this kid is going to be really exciting to watch. We'll see how that comes about."

P Michael Dickson (Round 5, Pick 12, No. 149 Overall)

Schneider: "You know, he was just too unique of a player. I talked to Tom Herman, MVP of a bowl game, and Matt Berry had been at the game, and he was the best player on the field by far that night. It's a rarity when guys stand out like that, and this guy. First of all, we both love Jon Ryan, so this is all about competition. There's been guys that I've drafted. I was with a team that drafted a punter in the third round that completely failed. I was with a team that drafted a kicker that was beat out by a rookie free agent, so it's all about competition. He is unique; he can do stuff with the ball that we haven't seen yet. We're really intrigued to see how that translates. I'm not like a punter expert. Punters and kickers it's like time and distance, but this guy does stuff with the ball that's amazing."

Carroll: "He is a very unique kicker, I saw him drop-kick the ball from 60 yards on film … his background has allowed him to be a special player that'll enter the competition (with Jon Ryan).

T Jamarco Jones (Round 5, Pick 31, No. 168 Overall)

Carroll: "We'll start him [at left tackle]. The fact that he started a couple years at Ohio State and held on to it against great competition, he looks very comfortable there. We'll move him around some to see what the versatility is, but it's great to bring him in as a left tackle."

DE Jacob Martin (Round 6, Pick 12, No. 186 Overall)

Schneider: "He's all about what we are. He was a fit guy for us. [He's] a little bit undersized as a rusher. Huge motor, really tough, he just keeps coming. He's really fun to watch. He's one of those guys that just have a natural passion for the game and he just keeps coming."

QB Alex McGough (Round 7, Pick 2, No. 220 Overall)

Schneider: "He's going to be fun. He's going to be really interesting. His team really struggled this year. But his arm talent is different. He has different release points which is really cool. In all his stuff, there's this category now called off the spot where you just watch this guy play where he's got to move and of all the guys in this class, Baker [Mayfield] was first which makes sense with his movement skills and his eyes. In terms of his completion percentage, he was 58% which is really high and this guy was 54%, he was second and Sam Darnold was third at 48%. When he was playing, he had a ton of drops, and he was in a new system, Norv Turner was there before and he had a new system that he had to learn this past summer. He's going to be really fun. He's got this great attitude about him, he's a really cool kid. Great feet, great movement skills, tough, aggressive. We're excited. And he was totally under the radar as far as quarterbacks go, he was an under the radar guy."

Go inside the Seahawks draft room during Day 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft at Renton's Virginia Mason Athletic Center.

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