Analysis: Six takeaways for the Seahawks from the NFL combine

Another NFL scouting combine has come and gone.

But don’t worry.

The NFL has mastered the art of creating offseason news, and the free-agent signing period is just over a week away with the new league year beginning March 16.

But before putting the combine to bed, what did we learn?

Here are six things that stood out.

The biggest Seahawks news

Maybe the most noteworthy thing to emerge from the media sessions for Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider was their comments on the status of quarterback Russell Wilson.

Carroll said the team has “no intention’’ of trading Wilson and that Schneider tells teams who call that Wilson is not being shopped.

The Seahawks’ power duo stopped short of outright saying that Wilson is not available, will not be traded and will assuredly be with the team in 2022. Schneider said he wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t listen to offers, saying that it would “be rude’’ not to at least take calls from other GMs, many of whom he considers friends.

This being the NFL, some around the league seized on Carroll’s “no intention’’ comment as leaving the door at least slightly ajar. Pro Football Talk wrote it appeared to be an invitation for teams to give the Seahawks “an offer they couldn’t refuse.’’

But news Friday that Seahawks had turned down an offer from Washington that featured “multiple’’ first-round picks, according to the NFL Network, appeared to validate that they are serious in saying no to offers for Wilson for now.

That Wilson has a no-trade clause means the Seahawks could always say no to teams on Wilson’s behalf.

The general tenor of the combine was that all the talk of potential movement of big-name QBs, including possibly Wilson, appeared to be much ado about nothing.

That could change depending on what Aaron Rodgers tells Green Bay on Tuesday (when it’s reported he will reveal a decision about his future.)

But for now, any potential quarterback carousel in 2022 doesn’t appear likely to include Wilson.

The best Seahawks news

Maybe the biggest positive for the Seahawks out of the combine is that this draft class along the defensive front seven, and particularly the pass rush group, appears one of the best and deepest in years.

“Draft a pass rusher this year,’’ wrote Connor Rogers, lead draft analyst for Bleacher Report, on Twitter. “If you need one, draft two. If you think you’re set, still take one. Deepest group I’ve ever evaluated.’’

How free agency unfolds will obviously dictate the Seahawks’ needs.

One thought is that the deep draft class may also serve to depress the free-agent market since teams know they can get cheaper, younger players in the draft. That also might help the Seahawks get a veteran at a lower price in free agency than it might have expected.

One local player who helped himself the most

Of the seven players from Washington and Washington State who attended the combine, the player who helped himself the most is Cougar right tackle Abraham Lucas, a graduate of Archbishop Murphy in Everett.

The offensive-line class clocked in as the fastest since 2003 with Lucas at the top of the list with a 4.92 second 40-yard dash time that was second among all linemen.

“Lucas did nearly everything well Friday night, starting with a 4.92 40 time at 315 pounds,’’ wrote Chad Reuter of NFL.com. “Those movement skills carried over to the drills, where he looked more agile than I anticipated coming into the event.’’

Lucas had been considered a likely fourth-round pick heading into Indy, but now is being touted as possibly going on the second day. The Seahawks have picks 41 and 72 and Lucas could be available there. And yes, Lucas said he had met with the Seahawks.

Lucas started 42 games in his WSU career at right tackle, a position where the Seahawks could have a need.

One player who really intrigues us

One of the most interesting players at the combine was Montana State’s Troy Andersen.

Andersen played multiple positions at MSU, including quarterback (earning first team All-Big Sky honors there in 2018) running back and linebacker, the latter of which was his position his final two seasons, earning FCS ADA National Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.

Listed at 6-foot-3 1/2, 243 pounds, Andersen ran a 4.42 40, which according to NextGenStats is the fifth-fastest time by any player over 240 pounds invited to the combine since 2003.

All of that compares favorably to the Seahawks’ Bobby Wagner, who was listed at 6-0, 241 pound for the 2012 Draft. Wagner did not run the 40 at the combine but had a 4.45 at his Pro Day that year.

“Humans shouldn’t be able to move as fast as Troy Andersen does at 6’3 1/2″, 243 pounds,’’ wrote the Pro Football Network. “Andersen is a high-character player and former star quarterback who’s now dominated two offseason events — the Senior Bowl and the Combine. Versatile and hyper-athletic, Andersen could have legitimate Round 1 upside.’’

Andersen is regarded as able to play all three linebacker spots, and depending on what move the Seahawks might make with Wagner could be a player they would have interest in, assuming he’s still there at 41, which is now more of a question after the combine.

Player with the most intriguing local tie

Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker probably won’t be available when the Seahawks pick. And safety probably won’t be regarded as a big need for the Seahawks, especially if Quandre Diggs returns.

But Brisker is worth a note as his grandfather is one of the more star-crossed athletes in Seattle history. John Brisker played three seasons for the Sonics from 1972-75.

Brisker once scored 47 points in a game, tied for ninth in the 41-year history of the Seattle SuperSonics, but he clashed repeatedly with coach Bill Russell and never played again after his Sonics career ended in the fall of 1975 at the age of 28. He disappeared in 1978, reportedly in Africa, and was legally declared dead in 1985.

NFL Network analyst Charles Davis noted the relationship during Sunday’s broadcast of the combine recalling that John Brisker was “one of the toughest guys’’ in the NBA during his playing days and that Jaquan “plays a lot that way as a player.’’

The next big news to watch

Next on the NFL calendar is the Tuesday deadline for teams to place franchise tags on players at 1 p.m.

Will the Seahawks use their tag on Diggs, assuring him a guaranteed salary for 2022 at a projected $13 million or so and preventing him from going to free agency, with each side able to negotiate a long-term deal until July 15?

Schneider didn’t rule it out when asked at the combine. Now to find out if he will.