With The First Pick
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NFL Draft: Malik McDowell Another Seattle Seahawks Draft Fail

By Jon Dove

EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 02: Malik McDowell #4 of the Michigan State Spartans works against Harrison Monk #71 of the Furman Paladins during the first half of a game at Spartan Stadium on September 2, 2016 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - SEPTEMBER 02: Malik McDowell #4 of the Michigan State Spartans works against Harrison Monk #71 of the Furman Paladins during the first half of a game at Spartan Stadium on September 2, 2016 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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The Seattle Seahawks have had some real NFL Draft highs and lows during John Schneider tenure as General Manager.

Today, the Seattle Seahawks released former 2nd-round pick Malik McDowell after a lost rookie season via a ATV accident. His release is the latest in a long line of curious NFL Draft picks by General Manager John Schneider.

Heading into the 2017 draft, McDowell was seen as a very polarizing prospect. He had 1st round talent, but struggled to play with any consistency. His lack of consistent effort was also a concern.

The Seahawks took a risk by selecting him in the 2nd round which was compounded by the fact they didn’t have a 1st round selection that year. Seattle was hoping that McDowell would provide them with some depth along the defensive line and help ease the roster transition we witnessed this offseason.

Looking at Schneider’s draft history it shows a lot of high risk picks with some paying off and others completely failing.

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Some of the picks that have really turned out well include Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin as an undrafted free agent. Nobody is going to argue that Schneider doesn’t have an eye for talent.

Taking a risk on Wilson has been the biggest payoff. The Seahawks were able to keep some higher paid veterans on the roster thanks to the low-end rookie contract for Wilson.

It also helped that Wilson overcame a lot of odds and quickly developed into an elite quarterback. His play is also one of the reasons the Seahawks are facing a re-tool rather than a complete rebuild.

Schneider’s high risk-high reward picks haven’t always worked out. McDowell is the latest example but over the year’s there are plenty more.

This list includes: Germain Ifedi, CJ Prosise, Nick Vannett, Christine Michael, James Carpenter and John Moffitt. There are a few others that could be added to the mix, but these are the ones that jump out.

Looking at this past year’s draft the Seahawks followed a similar pattern by taking Rashaad Penny in the 1st round.

Schneider’s tenure with the Seahawks will forever be remembered for the Russell Wilson pick. It has allowed him to bury some of the more questionable moves. A deeper dive like this also shows the the different approaches of NFL General Managers.

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