Seattle Seahawks: 2018 Rookie report card grades

Fifth Round

I’ve broken this round down into subsections so it’s easy to tell which player is being graded.

Shaquem Griffin

The Seahawks had four fifth-round picks. The first of which was the one-handed wonder, Shaquem Griffin. Griffin was taken with the 141st overall selection in the draft out of UCF, the same school his brother and current Seahawks starting cornerback, Shaquill Griffin, attended.

Shaquem played outside linebacker at UCF where he produced some incredible stats showing that something like having one hand can’t hold you back from chasing your dreams. In his final two seasons at UCF Griffin produced 166 combined tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, two interceptions, ten passes defensed, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. Talk about filling up the stat sheet.

His collegiate success didn’t translate immediately to the NFL though. He started one of his 16 appearances during the season and recorded just 14 combined tackles according to Pro Football Reference. It should be noted though that ESPN and NFL.com claim Griffin had only 11 combined tackles.

Part of the reason for the linebacker’s limited playing time is his size. He’s 6-0 and weighs 227 pounds according to Pro Football Reference. For reference, K.J. Wright is 6-4 and weighs 246 pounds while Bobby Wagner is 6-0 but weighs 245 pounds. Griffin, with his combination of size and speed, is more of a hybrid linebacker and defensive back, which makes finding a fit for him difficult.

This all plays into why Griffin started the first game of the season before spending the rest of the season as a special teams contributor. Because he was playing special teams and not starting or seeing regular playing time on the defense, his stat sheet was almost empty at the end of the year. That might change in the near future though. Griffin is incredibly resilient and the Seahawks might have seen the last of outside linebackers Mychal Kendricks, who has legal issues, and Wright, who is set to be a free agent this offseason.

This was a great pick though. The Seahawks needed outside linebacker help and they still do. Plus Griffin had so much production in college that it was worth taking a shot on him in the fifth round. Not to mention that selecting him united the Griffin brothers and took one of the most inspiring stories of 2018 another step forward. Griffin has a lot of potential as an NFL player, it’s now up to the coaches to draw that out of him and find the proper place for him on the team.

Rookie Grade: C-

Tre Flowers

The Seahawks second pick in the fifth round was Tre Flowers from Oklahoma State. The 146th overall pick played safety in college, but Seattle repurposed him as a cornerback and the move has paid dividends. Flowers started all 15 games he played in and quickly established himself as a player who will be counted on heavily in the future.

While he didn’t record an interception, Flowers did record 67 combined tackles, six passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. At 6-3 and 203 pounds, Flowers has the height of Kam Chancellor but the weight of Earl Thomas. He’s more than just numbers though. He has a ton of athleticism to back up his impressive frame.

Finding a starting cornerback in the fifth round is rare, but the Seahawks have made a habit of it. In case you forgot, Richard Sherman was also a fifth-round pick.

Rookie Grade: B

Michael Dickson

I love the energy Dickson brings to the game. That’s a compliment I never thought I’d give a punter, but I mean what I said. Dickson is fantastic and he was rewarded for his play with two high honors. First, he was named to the Pro Bowl as a starter. Second, he was selected as a First Team All-Pro, a feat few rookies accomplish.

Dickson was born in Australia, which influenced his style as he developed. He’s far from the first Australian punter in the NFL but he’s already one of the most successful. Dickson attended Texas, where he started for the Longhorns for three seasons. He was taken with the 149th overall selection in the draft.

With the Seahawks in 2018, Dickson punted 78 times for 3,759 total yards and 3,355 net yards. 28 of his kicks pinned opponents within their own 20 while just five of his attempts ended up as touchbacks. Admittedly, drafting a punter in the fifth round is dicey and not something I would recommend, but things have worked out for Seattle in this case. Dickson should be the team’s best special team player for the next decade, at least.

Rookie Grade: A+

Jamarco Jones

Jones was taken with the 168th overall pick out of Ohio State. The offensive line has always been up and down for the Seahawks, so taking a lineman made sense. The hope was that Jones would provide competition for starting right tackle Germain Ifedi, who has been underachieving since he entered the league.

Unfortunately, Jones landed on injured reserve and required ankle surgery before he saw action in a regular season game. That’s a tough start for a young player, but Jones has had plenty of time to heal and now will get his shot at the starting right tackle job. I’m giving Jones an incomplete grade because he didn’t post an appearance or tape during the regular season. His full evaluation will just have to wait until we see him in action this coming season.

Rookie Grade: Incomplete