INDIANAPOLIS -- Clemson WR Sammy Watkins is planning to dominate in the NFL Scouting Combine, but don't count on Pete Carroll being among those obsessing over his 40-yard dash time, or about how he fares in any other drill.
Not to say that he won't be impressed by his results. Carroll just knows there's much more to Watkins' game than blazing speed.
"It all goes back to the makeup of the player," Carroll said Friday. "I was watching Sammy Watkins take the stage as he gets measured today and I think he was like 6-1 and 211 pounds or something like that. What separates that guy? What makes him such a great football player? It's all the other elements. It's not his height-weight-speed. It's all the other stuff that's part of his makeup, his gifts. Also the experiences he's had, the coaching he's had, the opportunity to play with great players. He had a great quarterback going through college. It's all of those things that make the guys what they are.
"To think there are only certain packages, and only certain standards, you're going to make mistakes that way. You got to take each of these guys as individuals and grade them out and see what they have and make an assessment off of that."
Carroll can only dream about seeing Watkins in a Seahawks uniform -- Watkins, the top-rated receiver in this year's draft and widely considered a lock to be drafted in the top 10, will be long gone by the time the Super Bowl-champion Seahawks pick at the end of the first round. With a strong combine showing, it will be a bit surprising if Watkins doesn't go in the top five.
Receiver is a top need for Seattle, though, and it will hardly be scraping the bottom of the barrel if it decides to draft one with the 32nd overall pick given the depth of this year's class of receivers. LSU's Jarvis Landry, one of NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock's favorite players, and Oregon State's Brandin Cooks, the 2013 Biletnikoff Award winner as college football's top wide receiver, could be among the players at the position available when the Seahawks are on the clock.
