Seahawks' NFL draft final round: A self-proclaimed ‘Beast Mode 2.0' RB, WR, guard (again)
It wasn't 30 seconds into his comments to reporters on a speaker call just after the Seahawks drafted him in the seventh round Saturday. Yet the rugged former lead rusher for Oregon State and University of Miami described himself in the legacy of Seattle immortal Marshawn Lynch.
'Physical runner...Got another 'Beast Mode 2.0' coming up here,' Martinez said. 'Get ready to see it.'
'I was definitely a big fan of 'Beast Mode' growing up, just being always being a bigger back,' he said.
'I'm ready.'
With the first of their three picks in the final round, the Seahawks selected the 6-foot, 217-pound back that was fourth in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season in yards after contact.
He was first-team All-Pac-12 with Oregon State in 2023. He rushed for 1,185 yards, 6.1 yards per carry and nine touchdowns rushing. He romped through the Washington Huskies with 100-yard games in consecutive seasons.
'I know I definitely that I did them bad a couple times,' Martinez said.
'They did end up beating us, though.'
At Miami in 2024 he rushed for 1,002 yards with an even-better average of 6.3 yards per rush and 10 TDs.
Seattle's lead running back Kenneth Walker is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Walker has yet to play a full season in the NFL because of multiple injuries at the sport's most banged-up position in each of the last three Seahawks years. Backup Zach Charbonnet, the team's second-round pick in 2023, has yet to prove he can be the Seahawks' lead back.
Martinez got picked in the same round Seattle drafted running back Kenny McIntosh two years ago. McIntosh is third on the Seahawks' depth chart.
New Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak runs an outside, wide-zone running game that Martinez likened to the system he romped in at Oregon State.
'It just means a lot, really, to be drafted in general by the Seahawks.
'Just grateful to have this opportunity.'
With their second pick in the seventh round, at 234th overall, Seattle selected another college tackle they are moving to guard: Mason Richman, 6-5, 307 pounds, from Iowa.
He is the third college tackle to the Seahawks are making a guard in this draft.
Yes, they attacked their biggest need this weekend.
Richman said on the phone from his family home in Leawood, Kansas, Saturday afternoon he was a left guard entire freshman season at Iowa. He was a defensive end and tight end in high school. He said he had 'thousands' of snaps at tackle his final years at Iowa.
The Seahawks had first-round pick Grey Zabel call Richman to tell him he was in the NFL, a handful of picks before the draft ended. Zabel was in the Seahawks' facility for the first time Saturday, with his parents. He's another college tackle who is going to be Seattle's new starting left guard.
Richman said he thought it was a crank call.
'I'm not going to lie, it was getting down to end,' Richman said.
'I just had to believe it was true.'
Seattle's third and final pick of the seventh round was their second wide receiver the team drafted Saturday: All-Mountain West wide receiver Ricky White III from UNLV.
He's 6-1, 181 pounds. A slower-than-NFL-norm 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds dropped him to the final round, at 238th overall.
White then went through intense training and improved technique with a speed coach. In a few weeks, at his pro day, he ran a 4.44 40.
In his freshman season at Michigan State back in 2020, White set an MSU freshman record with 196 yards on eight catches and a touchdown in a win over Michigan. He redshirted in 2021 at Michigan State, then transferred to UNLV for the 2022 through '24 seasons.
He had 79 receptions, 1,041 receiving yards,and 13.2 yards per catch last season for the Rebels. He led the Football Bowl Subdivision with four blocked punts.
'Want-to,' White said Saturday.
He said Seahawks wide receiver coach Frisman Jackson told him he loves his game.
But White also said he knows he will need to play well on special teams to contribute as a rookie in Seattle.
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New York Times
4 minutes ago
- New York Times
How Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp could co-exist in the Seahawks' new offense
RENTON, Wash. — Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald plans to play his starters against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night, likely marking the first time we'll see Seattle's new-look receiver duo of Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Seattle signed Kupp to a three-year free-agent deal worth $45 million as part of an offensive overhaul that began with trading DK Metcalf and releasing Tyler Lockett. The team also signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a one-year, $4 million contract because of his deep-ball ability, but in an offense that considers a fullback one of its starters, the 32-year-old Kupp will be the main guy tasked with complementing Smith-Njigba. Advertisement Smith-Njigba led NFL wide receivers in catches (79) and yards (956) when operating out of the slot last season (all stats provided by TruMedia unless stated otherwise). He tied several other players for second with five receiving touchdowns from the slot, behind Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas Jr. (seven). One of those others was Kupp, who was released by the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason. The Rams no longer saw Kupp as a viable No. 2 receiver. Seattle is essentially betting on Los Angeles being wrong. Kupp is at his best when operating from the slot. But so is Smith-Njigba. The goal for offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and his staff is to maximize the talents of both players. The exhibition against Kansas City will offer the first glimpse at how they plan to do that in a game setting. 'It's going to be interesting because Cooper just has every trick of the trade,' safety Julian Love said early in training camp. 'Obviously, he's been a high-level player in this league, and Jax is on his way up as well. It's going to be fun to watch them. Going against those guys, they both don't talk much on the field, and, as you know, the defense talks a lot. But they're just all about action, which we love and appreciate.' These four weeks of training camp practices have confirmed what Kupp's film from last season revealed: He's still got plenty left in the tank. Kupp is not a speedster down the field. That's why the Seahawks signed Valdes-Scantling and used a fifth-round pick on Tory Horton, a guy who ran a 4.41 at the NFL Scouting Combine coming off surgery to repair his LCL and hamstring. What Kupp can do, though, is get open against Devon Witherspoon. This stands out because Witherspoon, a two-time Pro Bowler, is arguably the best coverage defender in a Seattle secondary that might be one of the bests in the league this season. Though a fully focused Riq Woolen might challenge Witherspoon for the coverage crown, the latter is undoubtedly Seattle's best defender in the slot. And Kupp puts a ton of pressure on slot defenders. Advertisement 'His understanding of the game, understanding of leverage, how to move people, where he needs to move people, what you're playing, what your leverage is — he understands the answers to the test before you're doing the test,' defensive coordinator Aden Durde said. 'You see that. I see that in the play, I see it in the film. It's great for these guys to compete against him.' .@seahawks WR Cooper Kupp is set to face his former team twice in 2025. Find out when 🔜 📺: NFL Schedule Release — Wednesday 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN2📱: Stream on @NFLPlus — NFL (@NFL) May 12, 2025 Coaches and teammates seem to be most impressed with the mental side of Kupp's game. Second-string quarterback Drew Lock said Kupp is constantly studying throughout the week and regularly meets with the quarterbacks. He's 'overly focused on the details,' Lock said, which explains his knack for having the answers to the very difficult tests that Macdonald's gives them. 'Just the way he operates on the field and off the field, really impressive,' Lock said. 'Knows how to set up routes. Knows how to get open within the timing of the play. He knows what's going on, like in a very cut-and-dry way. He knows why we're calling plays. He knows when he needs to get open — and he can get open.' Kupp gets open with elite quickness out of his breaks. This stands out when he's going against Witherspoon, whose twitchiness is next level. Witherspoon also has a high football IQ and correctly calls out plays before they develop, so it takes more than quickness to get a step on him when running a slant or breaking outside. Kupp has shown the mental and physical capacity to win his fair share of battles against one of the best. 'Every time I watch (Kupp) at practice, I'm just like, 'Damn, I have to put that in my bag,'' Horton said. 'He's got some crazy top-of-the-route moves, and I'm always asking him how he's reading leverage and things like that. I'm just a sponge; I'm going to ask a lot of questions. (I admire) just his decisiveness on the field and how smart and where he is on the field.' This bodes well for Seattle's plan to have a dynamic offense that often relies on two-receiver personnel groupings. But to really make it work, Smith-Njigba has to dominate everywhere on the field. The Seahawks will often line up in condensed formations to create mismatches and capitalize on play-action concepts. That's something general manager John Schneider mentioned in March when describing how their two slot receivers would co-exist, and it's held true in camp. Advertisement Still, it was worth wondering whether Smith-Njigba, a Pro Bowler as an injury replacement last year, could be a matchup problem from other alignments. He has certainly looked like a problem in practice. 'From my last year to now, (I see) the growth in being precise and being exact with depth, knowing how to get off press,' said Lock, who played with Smith-Njigba in 2023. 'He's just evolving into a true, true elite receiver. You saw those signs super early. He was making plays left and right as a rookie. … That jump from (Year) 1 to 3, (he's) just a guy you can count on down in, down out.' Smith-Njigba isn't known for his speed, but he's been able to win as an outside receiver in practice with shiftiness at the line of scrimmage. Once he gets a step on the defender, he's hard to stick with down the field, unless Woolen is the man in coverage. One of Smith-Njigba's best plays of camp was a touchdown reception from Sam Darnold on fourth-and-goal against the starting defense. Smith-Njigba was lined up against Josh Jobe — CB3 when the Seahawks are in nickel — released outside, then sold the fade route before cutting back toward the front pylon to catch a dart with the defender all over him. He's had wins like that against Woolen in one-on-one drills as well. More JSN outside the numbers. This one on 4th and goal. (🎥: @Seahawks) — Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) August 6, 2025 'I definitely wouldn't categorize him as just a slot receiver; he's one of the best receivers in the league,' Love said. 'He has every skill set you need to be a top-end receiver in this league. Speed, route running, catch radius, yards after catch, he has everything checked off.' The only box Seattle's starting offense hasn't checked off with consistency is the deep ball (though Smith-Njiga did get one on Jobe last week). In response to a question about how Valdes-Scantling has performed in camp, Kubiak mentioned that Macdonald's unit has done a great job keeping a lid on the defense and not allowing many deep explosive plays. That makes Friday night a potentially interesting debut for Seattle's top two wideouts. Kupp and Smith-Njigba have no issue winning underneath, but can they stretch the field? Macdonald said first-stringers would start against Kansas City, with a few exceptions. Assuming Kupp and Smith-Njigba are active, one thing to watch is whether they can take the top off the Chiefs' defense. Advertisement There's no need to press the panic button if they don't, but the film of Kupp and Smith-Njigba will be notable regardless. Seattle's passing game is built around what Darnold does best, and Kupp and Smith-Njigba will likely be the guys catching most of his touchdowns this season. The Seahawks are putting a lot on their shoulders, banking on their ability to co-exist and be key cogs in an elite offense. 'Both of them know how to get open in all the spots,' Lock said. 'Coop can get open at Z on the outside of a three-by-one (formation). And you can put Jax at the X on the other side. And vice versa. We both know they can play in the slot at F. Being able to work press as a single, work press as an F, work press as a Z, understand the concepts, knowing when to get open, where am I in the progression — that allows us to be free with playing those guys anywhere and everywhere.' (Photo of Cooper Kupp, left, and Sam Darnold: Steph Chambers / Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
NBC Sports
30 minutes ago
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San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Breaking down some good players on college football teams that are likely to be bad
Isaac Smith knows what drew him to Mississippi State and why he has remained there. 'There's no distractions in Starkville,' the junior safety told reporters during Southeastern Conference media days. 'Small town. Real pretty community. The people are awesome. I fell in love with it and I'm still in love with it and will forever always be in love with it.' Smith's 127 tackles last season led the Southeastern Conference and tied him for seventh place among all Football Bowl Subdivision players, production that hasn't translated to team success. Mississippi State has gone 7-17 overall and 1-15 in SEC competition during Smith's two seasons. That makes Smith a natural candidate to head our list of good players on teams that figure to struggle this season, even though he believes Mississippi State has what it takes to turn things around. He considers Mississippi State a blue-collar program that values hard work. 'I love the fact that's Mississippi State's been all about that, just working hard and going to prove something that maybe people don't think you can do,' Smith said. Mississippi State's chances of being more competitive this season depend on whether Smith can help upgrade a defense that allowed 34.1 points per game last season. Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Purdue were the only Power Four teams to give up more points per game. 'We lacked execution the whole season really – missed tackles, missed assignments,' Smith said. 'Quite frankly, that's why we lost a lot of games. I think we were last at about everything.' 'To me, there's no greater spokesperson for our locker room or our defense than Isaac Smith,' Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby said. 'When you think about the game of football, loving football, that is Isaac. This guy loves to play the game. He's incredibly physical. He's been a great leader for us. Proud of him and who he's been, excited about the year that he has the ability to go have.' Wake Forest RB Demond Claiborne Claiborne rushed for 1,049 yards and 11 touchdowns last year for a Wake Forest team that finished 4-8 for a second straight season. He rushed for at least 113 yards against North Carolina A&T, NC State, Stanford and Cal. Claiborne also had 23 catches for 254 yards and two more scores. The ACC preseason media poll forecasts Wake Forest to finish 16th out of 17 teams, ahead of only Stanford. New Mexico RB Scottre Humphrey After helping Montana State reach the Football Championship Subdivision title game last year, Humphrey makes the move to the FBS ranks while trying to help New Mexico produce its first winning season since 2016. Humphrey rushed for 1,386 yards last year, which include 140 yards and the winning touchdown in Montana State's 35-31 victory over New Mexico. The Lobos' 5-7 record last year was their best since a 9-4 finish in 2016. Purdue RB Devin Mockobee The small-town, home-stater started at Purdue as a walk-on but earned a scholarship by helping Purdue win the 2022 Big Ten West Division crown. Purdue has struggled since – going 4-8 in 2023 and 1-11 in 2024 – but Mockobee has remained productive. His 2,466 yards rushing rank him seventh on Purdue's all-time list. He's aiming to become the fourth 3,000-yard rusher in school history. A big season could enable him to threaten Mike Alstott's school record of 3,635 career yards rushing Southern Mississippi CB Josh Moten Moten transferred to Southern Miss after intercepting five passes for Marshall last season to tie for fourth place among all Bowl Subdivision players. Southern Miss went 1-11 last year and has won more than three games just once over the past five seasons. He intercepted a pass in four of his final five games last season. Northwestern OT Caleb Tiernan Northwestern went 4-8 in 2024 for its third losing season in the last four years, but the Wildcats have a quality left tackle in Tiernan. He has started 30 games over the last three seasons. Pro Football Focus gave him an 88.9 pass block grade last season, ranking him sixth among all tackles. He allowed just one sack over Northwestern's final six games last year. Cal LB Cade Uluave After being named the Pac-12's freshman defensive player of the year by the league's coaches in 2023, Uluave collected 71 tackles while playing nine games for the Golden Bears last season. He made at least eight stops in six different games, including a 15-tackle performance against Miami. Cal went 5-7 last year for its fifth straight losing season, and it's picked to finish 15th in the ACC this year. ___
