Seahawks potential picks: WR Nelson Agholor

Dan Shonka of the scouting service Ourlads.com joined “The John Clayton Show” Saturday morning to discuss the upcoming NFL Draft, and when the conversation shifted to the Seahawks’ options in the second and third rounds, he had some names in mind.

The audio can be found here.

Shonka said he currently has USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor penciled in as Seattle’s selection at No. 63. He mentioned Oregon center Hroniss Grasu as an option at No. 95. We’ll analyze each potential pick in separate posts, starting with Agholor.

Overview. Agholor left USC after a junior season in which he led the Trojans with 104 recepetions for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was one of the nation’s most dangerous punt returners, too, scoring four times on 37 career returns with a 14.6-yard average. Agholor is listed at 6 feet and 198 pounds.

Shonka’s take. He said some view Agholor as a late-first-round pick and that he could be available late in the second round – when Seattle makes its first pick – because of the depth of this year’s receiver class. He noted Agholor’s return ability and how Seahawks coach Pete Carroll should be familiar with him given his USC ties.

Level of need: moderate. The Seahawks should feel better about their options in the passing game after trading for Jimmy Graham, who should be considered an addition to their receiver corps even though he’s defined as a tight end. Graham joins a group that is much better than it’s perceived to be, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Seattle should be content at that position. Doug Baldwin is signed through 2016 while fellow starter Jermaine Kearse will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. Seattle spent two of its first four draft picks on receivers last year, but Paul Richardson will likely miss the beginning of next season while recovering from ACL surgery and the jury is still out on Kevin Norwood after he played sparingly as a rookie. Chris Matthews is a bit of an unknown quantity himself having never caught an NFL pass before his marvelous breakout performance in the Super Bowl. Richardson, Norwood, Matthews and Ricardo Lockette are all under team control at low-cost salaries for the next few seasons. Wide receiver isn’t as pressing of a need for Seattle as, say, offensive line, but the Seahawks’ early draft picks haven’t always been dictated by the team’s most pressing need.

Agholor’s fit. Some scouting reports – including this one from STATS and this one from NFL.com – project him as a slot receiver because of questions about his strength and top-end speed. The Seahawks are set at that spot with Baldwin, who’s one of the league’s better slot receivers, so they’d have to be convinced that Agholor can be effective on the outside in order to justify drafting him with their first pick. Agholor would give the Seahawks another option in the punt-return game, where they didn’t get much production last season with Bryan Walters handling those duties.