That being said, from a
talent standpoint it’s clear that some NFL teams have acquired more talent
than their counterparts over the weekend. Being that Seattle had so much flexibility
heading into Draft weekend, it’s not shocking to see a few surprises on
our Draft card. I’m willing to bet that most of us didn’t know who
Niko Koutouvides and Craig Terrill even were before Sunday, let alone predicted
them to end up in Seattle.
The following is a round-by-round
review of last weekend’s happenings for the Seahawks.
Round 1.
Who we got - #23 Marcus Tubbs, DT Texas
No surprise
with this pick. The ‘Hawks were looking to upgrade their DT unit and at
#23, Tubbs was the best available. Tubbs has the talent to contribute as a rookie
and will immediately improve the DT rotation.
Who we could’ve
gotten - Steven Jackson, RB Oregon State
Jackson is
the only other player on the board I would’ve taken, other than Tubbs.
With Shaun Alexander heading into the last year of his contract and Jackson,
easily the best RB in the Draft, slipping into Seattle’s lap, Jackson
would’ve been a nice pick.
Who I would’ve
preferred - Marcus Tubbs, DT Texas
I can’t
argue at all with Tubbs’ selection. He’s a great fit for our defense
and is a nice example of value fitting need.
Round 2.
Who we got - #53 Michael Boulware, OLB/SS Florida State
Boulware
will be switched to SS after playing LB for the ‘Noles the past three
years. He clearly has the talent to make the switch and the ‘Hawks even
considered trading up to get him. Boulware instantly upgrades our talent and
depth at safety, another position Seattle’s front office was focusing
on upgrading.
Who we could’ve
gotten - Sean Jones, S Georgia, Antwan Odom, DE Alabama, Darnell Dockett, DT
Florida State
Unaware that
Seattle was definitely moving Boulware to SS, I was pulling for Jones, a very
solid safety that would’ve looked great next to Hamlin. However, now that
we know Boulware will be lining up in the secondary, I’m very content
with our 2nd Round pick. Jones may have more success early in his career than
Boulware, but Boulware’s a solid pick and has potential to have great
success in our defense.
Who I would’ve
preferred - Sean Jones, S Georgia
As I said,
I’m happy to have Boulware, but I was enamored with the idea of taking
Jones. I think he’s going to be a very solid player and, unlike Boulware,
we wouldn’t have to worry about a position change. It’s clear that
Michael Boulware has the talent to make such a switch, but players have much
more success moving closer to the line-of-scrimmage (i.e. Dexter Coakley, Brian
Urlacher) than they have moving further away from it.
Round 3.
Who we got - #84 Sean Locklear, G North Carolina State
Versatile
O-lineman that will challenge for a starting job sooner, rather than later.
Locklear’s a bit raw, but he’s mobile, smart and is a solid pass
blocker. I like him as a player and believe he could be a very solid starter,
but I also think we could’ve selected a better player. Despite my objections,
Locklear provides our offensive line with tremendous flexibility and it’s
hard to argue with that.
Who we could’ve gotten - Matt Ware, CB/UCLA, Will Poole, CB USC
Very surprised
to see Ware and Poole still on the board, I would’ve been happy with either
of them. I’m fully aware that we’ve acquired CB Bobby Taylor and
that CB isn’t a big need right now, but Taylor isn’t the youngest
guy around and Ken Lucas isn’t a lock to be given a new contract next
year. Ware or Poole would’ve been nice insurance and were very highly
rated players that shouldn’t have been on the board.
Who I would’ve
preferred- Ware or Poole
Locklear’s
a very nice pick, and definitely a safer pick than Ware or Poole, but guards
can be found later on Draft day (see Floyd Womack). Ware’s size, skill
and upside definitely warranted a 3rd Round pick. Although he’s a bit
of a CB/S tweener, he’s easily worth the risk. Poole had some attitude
problems in college and only really played a one full year, but he’s a
heck of a talent. Either player was rated higher on my board and made more sense
to me with our 3rd Round pick. Think of it this way, I’m willing to bet
that Ware or Poole will have much more success than recent 3rd rounders Heath
Evans and Kris Richard.
Round 4.
Who we got- #116 Niko Koutouvides, ILB Purdue
I was very
surprised when we made this pick. I love Koutouvides’ hustle and determination,
but I can’t see him being anything more than a backup. He reminds me a
lot of Kacyvenski because he’s all about effort and lacks elite physical
skills. I didn’t see the logic in selecting him because we already have
two players capable of being two-down run stoppers, Orlando Huff and Solomon
Bates. Expect him to make his mark on special teams.
Who we could’ve
gotten - Ernest Wilford, WR Virginia Tech, Chad Lavalais, DT LSU, Jacob Bell,
G Miami (OH)
Either of
these players would’ve been better picks, in my opinion. Wilford has a
ton of potential and has a body reminiscent of Terrell Owens. Lavalais has a
huge college resume and would’ve been a nice addition, even considering
we already got Tubbs. Jacob Bell is very similar to Sean Locklear, a versatile
O-lineman that’s been moving up boards since the Senior Bowl.
Who I would’ve preferred - Wilford or Lavalais
I believe
either of these guys would’ve been better picks simply because I don’t
think Koutouvides is starting potential. Wilford is as raw as they come, but
he’s big, physical and will only get better. Lavalais brings awesome pass
rushing potential as a DT and at worst would’ve provided nice depth at
DT.
Round 5.
Who we got - #157 D.J. Hackett, WR Colorado
I like this
pick. Hackett’s a true talent, and probably the reason our front office
didn’t take a shot at Wilford. This kid can out-jump anyone for the ball,
has decent speed and runs good routes. Hackett didn’t receive much publicity
because he only had one big year at Colorado, but he has potential. He’ll
battle for the 4th receiver spot with Alex Bannister and Taco Wallace right
away, but probably only see special teams duty as a rookie. He’s also
a likely candidate to replace WR Bobby Engram as Seattle’s long-term 3rd
receiver.
Who we could’ve
gotten - P.K. Sam, WR Florida State, Kelly Butler, OT Purdue
I definitely
thought both of these players would be off the board by the 4th Round and would’ve
been happier with either of them. Sam has #2 potential if he can mature. Butler
was all over Draft boards and is said to have an attitude problem. However,
he has potential to be a solid right tackle and is definitely worthy of a meager
5th Round Draft pick. For the most part, any pick after Round 3 is a crap shoot,
so I’m willing to gamble a bit.
Who I would’ve
preferred- P.K. Sam
Sam and Hackett
are similar players, but I’d rather go with the kid from Florida State.
My theory- all things being equal, go with the kid who played at the better
program.
Round 6.
Who we got - #189 Craig Terrill, DT Purdue
I’m
not even going to pretend to know a thing about this kid. All I can say is that
he’s a bit undersized and that I hear he’s a “high effort”
guy. That phrase usually translates to “he’s not a great athlete
or even a good football player, but he’ll bust his *** for you.”
Who we could’ve
gotten - Rashad Washington, S Kansas State, Brian Rimpf, OT East Carolina, Bobby
McCray, DE Florida, Demarco McNeil, DT Auburn
Now that
we’ve got Tubbs, our DT unit is as follows: Rashad Moore, Cedric Woodard,
Marcus Tubbs, Rocky Bernard and Antonio Cochran (I’m predicting a position
change). With these guys ahead of him, I can’t see Terrill making the
team, let alone having an impact. Because of this, I’d have gladly selected
any of the above instead of Terrill.
Who I would’ve
preferred - Bobby McCray.
This kid
should’ve been long gone by now, but attitude problems knocked him down
this far. I don’t care how bad his attitude is, I roll the dice on him
here and pray he turns his life around. DE’s with his skill don’t
grown on trees and he’s shown flashes of brilliance at times, including
at the Senior Bowl. The ‘Hawks lack a pure pass rusher and McCray could’ve
been their guy. For some reason, our front office will continue to ignore pass
rushers late in the Draft. And for the life of me, I can’t believe nobody
rolled the dice on Demarco McNeil, who went undrafted.
Round 7.
Who we got - #224 Donnie Jones, P LSU
Never a sexy
pick, but Jones is a fine punter. Nobody was stoked about selecting Josh Brown
last year either, but he turned out to be ok. Who cares, anyway? It’s
the 7th Round!!!!
Who we could’ve
gotten - Rashad Washington, S Kansas State, Bobby McCray, DE Florida, Isaac
Hilton, DE Hampton, Carlos Joseph, OT Miami.
Every one
of these guys should’ve have been available, but for whatever reason,
they could’ve been ‘Hawks. I have to trust our front office in assuming
that the above were such attitude problems that they’ve had spent more
time in Walla Walla’s prison rather than on our roster, because for the
life of me, I can’t see why one of them wasn’t our pick here.
Who I would’ve
preferred - Anyone but a punter.
I really
hope Jones beats Rouen for the punting job because I hate seeing kickers/punters
getting drafted. Most of the time they’re a wasted pick, but, as mentioned
before, sometimes you get lucky and snag a decent one (Brown). I’m pulling
for ya, Donnie Jones.
P.S. Does anyone else find it hilarious that Punters have their current 40 time
next to their name? As if their 40 time might break a tie between two prospects.
Mike Holmgren- “Well,
it’s the 7th Round and it’s down to these two punters. Who should
I take? Both have pretty good legs and hang time, but which one do I bring to
Cheney? Holy hell, this Jones guy runs a 4.85!!! That’s my guy, sprint
up to the commissioner with the card!!!”
Ryan Rigmaiden is a
regular contributor to Seahawks.NET. Feel free to send him your feedback at
rlrigmaiden@hotmail.com.