In the Six to Watch for Seahawks: The First Round article, Doug focused on
three players the team and its brain-trust would likely be looking at by trading
down into the beginning of the second round, so I will focus on the other two
sections of the round.
One will focus on players
the Seahawks are most likely to nab in the middle of the second (picks 41 through
50) and the other into players the Seahawks will be looking hard at in the last
section of the second round (picks 51 through 63).
Middle of Round
Two
Justin King, CB,
Penn State
I know, I know, King was
relatively inconsistent his junior season with the Nittany Lions, but there’s
no denying his incredible physical skills. He’s one of the fastest players
in the Draft and he’s excellent in man-to-man coverage. I love his attitude
because he never backs down from a challenge, however he isn’t physical
at all and he is likely to be somewhat of a liability against the run.
At this point, he’s
only so-so in zone coverage, but he’s really improved at recognizing routes.
Where he really struggles is making plays on the ball in the air, but with his
talents, if the Seahawks can coach him up, they would be getting a first round
talent in the second round. King is also a dynamic punt and kick returner so
he could accent both Josh Wilson and Nate Burleson in the return game as well.
King started 31 of the 38
games he played in while in Happy Valley and he totaled 90 tackles, 23 passes
defensed, three interceptions and one fumble recovery. His experience and his
natural athleticism make him a very intriguing prospect for the Seahawks to
look at in the middle of the second round.
Obviously Seattle doesn’t
necessarily need another corner, especially with the signing of Marcus Trufant
to a long-term deal and the drafting of Kelly Jennings and Josh Wilson the past
two years, however, someone with King’s skills doesn’t usually drop
to the second round very often and, if he’s there, I think the Seahawks
would be hard-pressed to let him slip by.
Early Doucet, WR,
LSU
Seattle seemingly is deep
at the wide receiver position, but getting a player with Doucet’s open-field
skills and big frame would add an open field dynamic the Seahawks have seemed
to lack in recent years.
One thing Doucet has that
Tim Ruskell seems to like is big game experience at the highest level of competition.
Look no further than the SEC for the top football talent in the country and
then look at the numbers Doucet was able to put up – 22 starts in 45 games,
160 receptions for 1,943 and 20 touchdowns – during his four-year career
with the Bayou Bengals.
Doucet doesn’t have
elite speed, but he always seems to be running away from players and his excellent
hands and crisp routes make him a perfect fit in the west coast offense. He’d
complement Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson and Deion Branch (when and if he gets
healthy) well and he’s really push the young players like Ben Obomanu
and Courtney Taylor for playing time.
Pat Sims, DT, Auburn
If Seattle picks up a defensive
tackle early in the second, Sims will not be the pick here, however, if they
don’t, he’s a very intriguing prospect.
Sims was a standout on a
great Auburn team, both as a junior and a senior, and he showed that he could
consistently hold his gaps well while also getting a modicum of pressure on
the quarterback – 7.5 sacks his final two seasons – when he had
the opportunity.
With his low center of gravity
Sims would fit in nicely with Brandon Mebane, Rocky Bernard and Craig Terrill
to be a rock in the middle of the defense. It’s sad to give up on a player
like Marcus Tubbs, but with his injuries, I’d be shocked to see him return
in any sort of form that would make him into the player he was proving to be.
End of Round Two
John Carlson, TE,
Notre Dame
Some think that Carlson
has increased his stock enough to get into the middle of the second round and
might even garner some late first round attention.
He’s got a big body,
he’s an excellent blocker and he’s a player that is a better receiver
than his stats indicated in 2007. The reason for his dropoff as a senior was
because of the huge dropoff in production from the season before as Brady Quinn
was replaced by a true freshman at quarterback and the Irish had no one to take
the pressure off Carlson.
Teams focused their coverages
strictly around Carlson, who was Notre Dame’s only established offensive
threat, and he struggled to find any consistency all season.
Carlson’s 40-time
has also been a big topic of discussion. At the combine, he ran a 4.88 and that
began to drop him in a lot of teams’ eyes. However, in his individual
workouts, Carlson consistently ran in the 4.73 to 4.78 range which is about
average for a tight end.
Carlson has the experience
(27 starts) and natural receiving talent (100 receptions for 1,093 yards and
eight touchdowns) to be the player the Seahawks are looking for. It just depends
on how they project him to fit into their offense down the road, but with his
blocking skills and leadership qualities, he sure seems like a Ruskell-type
player to me.
Martellus Bennett,
TE, Texas A&M
No player in this year’s
Draft fits the mold that teams are looking for in a tight end than Bennett.
He’s got great size (6-6, 260), excellent speed (4.68) and he’s
an outstanding athlete. The only concern with Bennett is his lack of concentration
at times and his inconsistency.
Bennett really thrived in
A&M’s motion, play-action offense in 2007, hauling in 49 receptions
for 587 yards and four touchdowns while only starting six of the Aggies’
12 games, but he needs work on his routes and blocking. However, with his strong
hands and his ability to really be a red zone threat, Bennett is a player that
will intrigue the Seahawks if they like Bennett’s potential over Carlson’s
developed skills.
Anthony Collins,
OT, Kansas
Obviously, a lot of who
the Seahawks will be looking at with this selection will be determined by who
they select earlier in the draft. If they pass on taking a tackle prospect earlier,
Collins would be a great fit for Seattle here.
He’s got excellent
size and he’s already a huge young man. He also has a ton of potential
because he’s only played four years of football and only two on the offensive
line.
Collins’ long arms
and athleticism make him a perfect fit at tackle and he’d have a chance
to sit behind both Sean Locklear and Walter Jones, working on his technique
while also learning from two of the best bookend tackles in the league.
Who will Seattle pick?
Assuming they do pick up
a second and third selection in the draft and, going by who Doug selected in
his first article (DT Trevor Laws), I’m going with Doucet in the middle
of the round and Carlson at the end.
Both add playmaking abilities
to Seattle’s aging offense and Carlson fills a huge hole in Seattle’s
roster.
Both are high-character
players who will fit in nicely in the locker room and both played through injuries,
showing their toughness and desire to win above all else.