The Newest Seahawks

After the misery of the past two seasons, the Seahawks have dramatically improved their squad through their picks and a few draft day trades. These new arrivals appear like a Navy Seal team rescuing the Seahawk faithful from the prisoner of war camp called losing.

The NFL's new draft format great. It is like waking up to three Christmas mornings... or an abbreviated Hanukkah. By almost all accounts, the Seahawks had one of the best draft days of any team. Through their picks and a couple trades, the Seahawks gave fans some fantastic gifts under the tree.


Let's recap the draft...


1st (6th overall) -- Russell Okung - 6'5" 307lbs - Offensive Tackle - Oklahoma State

Seahawk fans watched the first five picks with baited breath in hopes Okung would fall to them. I'd worked my fingernails down to the nubs by the time Washington drafted Trent Williams, assuring us that Okung would be playing at Qwest Field next year. I bet Matt Hasselbeck's wife broke in tears of joy when the Hawks made the pick. Finally she has someone to protect her husband's blind side.

Seattle's needed a replacement for Walter Jones ever since he went down with a knee injury two years ago. With Big Walt retiring, there are rumors Jones may take a break from sending out motivational tweets to mentor the talented Okung.

Considered one of the top tackles in the draft, Okung will step in and be a starter from day one. Okung is big, strong, and has high character. He may not have as high a ceiling as Trent Williams, the tackle drafted before him, but he's also as sure a thing as there is in the draft. This will go a long way to revamping what was a horrid offensive line last year.

1st (14th overall) -- Earl Thomas - 5'10" 208lbs - Safety - Texas

Taylor Mays may not agree with the pick, but everyone else does. Hawk fans were ecstatic when Thomas fell to them at the 14th pick.

He may not have prototypical size, but at 20-years-old, the talented safety is still growing. His ball hawking skills, speed, and aggressiveness will more then make up for his lack of size. On a Seahawk team severely deficient in play makers, Thomas will give Seattle a player opposing quarterbacks will fear. And in an NFC West featuring Matt Leinert, Alex Smith and a rookie in Sam Bradford, we might just see Thomas take a few interceptions back for touchdowns.


2nd (60th overall) -- Golden Tate - 5'10" 199lbs - Wide Receiver - Notre Dame

It was shocking that Golden Tate fell to the Seahawks 60th pick. Much like the golden arches and Golden Corral, Golden Tate is a great value as a 2nd round pick. I can not believe he was available this late in the draft.

I hate Notre Dame as much as the next guy, but he is such an electric player I am more than willing to forgive him. Seahawk fans are going to love his play making ability. I can just imagine a row of elderly women at Qwest Field next year donning Golden Tate jerseys and calling themselves "The Golden Girls." Talk to your grandmothers about making this happen.

Tate gets knocked for his small size, but he plays bigger, and he always catches the ball at its highest point. He has great hands, makes big catches in big games, and he is dangerous when he has the ball in his hands. He will provide much needed help in the passing and return game.

4th (111th overall) -- Walter Thurmond III- 5'11" 189lbs - CB - Oregon

Should you find yourself stuck in traffic with a sandwich lacking condiments, and a guy with a name like Walter Thurmond III was in the limo beside you. you'd probably ask him if has any Grey Poupon. You'd at least trust him to manage your portfolio. But Thurmond isn't that guy. He's a premier corner back with some serious injury concerns.

On a team that struggled to get interceptions last season, I find it reassuring that most of the pictures of him online feature him with the ball in his hands.

If he can stay healthy, Thurmond could be a solid corner back at the next level. Sure, he's a duck, but Pete Carroll had to game plan for him, so if he's able to draft a Pac-10 rival, then Seahawk fans should be pumped to see him in a Seahawks jersey.

4th (129th overall) -- E.J. Wilson - 6'4" 286lbs - Defensive End - North Carolina

Not to be confused with C.J. Wilson, the defensive end from East Carolina, E.J Wilson is considered a defensive end with a lot of potential. I figured the Hawks would draft Everson Griffen, the highly touted USC defensive end with this pick, but Carroll has a little more insight into Griffen then the rest of us.





 
5th (133rd overall) -- Kam Chancellor - 6'3" 231lbs - Safety - Virginia Tech

Big, strong, fast, athletic... those are all good qualities to have in a safety. The Seahawk roster is thin at defensive back, but Seattle obviously made it the focus of much of their draft.











6th (185th overall) -- Anthony McCoy 6'4" 259lbs - Tight End - Southern Cal

Pete Carroll finally dipped into his old college team with this pick. Anthony McCoy fell down draft boards after he tested positive for marijuana at the NFL Combine. That proved to be an expensive mistake for the skilled tight end because he was expected to be drafted much higher.

McCoy is athletic for a big man and isn't afraid of catching the ball in traffic. He has good hands and runs well with the ball. It will be interesting to see him compete with John Carlson in camp.

7th (236th overall) -- Dexter Davis - 6'1" 244lbs - Defensive Ends - Arizona State

Pete Carroll sure like drafting guys USC played against. Dexter Davis is pretty small and was drafted primarily for his speed and ability to rush the passer. He probably isn't an every down defensive end, but many think he could be an effective third down specialist.






7th (245th overall) -- Jameson Konz - 6'3" 227lbs - Wide Receiver - Kent State

 This is really Jameson Konz's picture. Not exactly what you'd expect from a guy who shocked people with his pro day workout. He is an incredible athlete, with a 46-inch vertical leap and 4.4 40 yard dash. The only downside is nobody knows what position he can play. Some have him listed as a full back or H-back, but the Seahawks plan to try him at wide receiver.

Konz is a wildcard, but he does have rare athletic ability. The Seahawks will need to stock up on shampoo with both Konz and Charlie Whitehurst on the roster.

I can't get over that hair.



DRAFT DAY TRADES
Throughout the beginning of the draft, I kept wondering why the Seahawks weren't drafting a running back. But the new Carroll/Schneider regime pulled off a couple of big trades and landed LenDale White of the Tennessee Titans, and Leon Washington of the New York Jets. That's an upgrade to say the least.

LenDale wasn't seeing much action playing behind Chris Johnson in Tennessee. Now he's reunited with a coach who knew how to make use of his talent. There are always weight concerns when it comes to White, but hopefully the opportunity for playing time will motivate the big fella.

I'm swearing off tequila in solidarity with LenDale doing what it takes to show up fit and ready to run all over the NFC West.

The Seahawks swapped 4th and 6th rounders with the Titans for White. His contract is up at the end of the year.

The Hawks traded a 5th round pick for Leon Washington and a 7th round pick. He is still recovering from a broken leg, but if he can regain his pre-injury form, the Seahawks' running and return game will be much better than last year. This is a huge pick up.

He became expendable when the Jets drafted Joe McKnight out of USC. Washington's contract is up at the end of the year.

The Seahawks also acquired defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson in the LenDale White trade.

Seahawks New Contrast In Style

There are some stark contrasts between veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and the newly acquired Charlie Whitehurst: Primarily experience and hair.

Whitehurst didn't come cheap ($10million over two years). The Seahawks also swapped 2nd round picks with the Chargers (40th for 60th overall), and gave up next year's third round pick for the former Clemson star.

Whitehurst is a big question mark. He has yet to play in a regular season game, but has shown promise during his preseason outings. He was certainly a star at Clemson (YouTube footage) and it warranted him a 3rd round pick by the Chargers in the 2006 draft. The Hawks must think he's the heir-apparent for Hasselbeck and better than anyone they'll get in this year's draft.

Whitehurst, and his flowing mane, will eventually end the Seahawks recent string of bald quarterbacks (Trent Dilfer/Hassselbeck). It also erases the possibility of drafting Jimmy Clausen, a prospect whose own hairline is in steady retreat. Let's hope the rookie hazing includes a buzz cut for Whitehurst. That hair may work on the beach in San Diego, but I don't want to hear moronic commentators using his long hair to frequently reference our city's grunge history.

His hairstyle makes him appear as the second coming of Jesus. Let's just hope it's not the second coming of Rick Mirer.

A Who's Who From Seahawk Mock Drafts

TODD MCSHAY'S PICKS
On April 21st, 2009, ESPN's Todd McShay's released his mock draft for all seven rounds. Knee problems seem to be the most common traits for McShay's Seahawk picks:


1st Round (4th overall):
Mark Sanchez, Quarterback, USC
6'2" 227 lbs.

Ladies love Mark Sanchez, but do the Seahawks? Is there interest in Sanchez just a bluff to get Washington to trade up for their #4 pick, or do they think they can break their 1st round QB curse (Dan McGwire, Rick Mirer). And is all the sudden hype around Sanchez warranted? If the Seahawks draft him they better think he's going to be the next Carson Palmer and not the next Matt Leinert?

2nd Round (37th overall):

William Beatty
Offensive Tackle, Connecticut
6'6" 307 lbs.
Running back Donald Brown owes a lot of his yardage to the blocking of Beatty... or is it the other way around?




3rd Round (68th overall):

Sherrod Martin
Defensive Back, Troy
6'1" 198 lbs.
Martin had injuries to both shoulders and his hand, which required surgery.On the other hand he runs a 4.52 forty and dishes out crushing hits, something that can't be said for the current Seahawk safeties.


4th Round (105th overall):
Kaluka Maiava
Outside Linebacker, USC
5'11" 229 lbs.
Part of a heralded linebacking group at USC, Maiva was forced to bask in the shade cast by the flashier linebackers on the team--Rey Maualuga and Brian Cushing.

Despite this, Maiava was a solid and versatile performer on an extremely talented team. The Seahawks previously struck gold when they drafted another unheralded and undersized linebacker from USC a few years ago (Lofa Tatupu).

Plus, Maiava has a more interesting family background then even USC defensive end Clay Matthews III (son of former Cleveland Browns linebacker Clay Matthews Jr). Maiava's grandfather was a professional wrestler whose routine included walking on a bed of nails upon entering the ring and his uncle is actor and former pro-wrestler Duane "The Rock" Johnson.

5th Round (137th overall):
Javon Ringer
Running Back, Michigan State
5'9" 205 lbs.
Ringer's a consummate team player, extremely tough and a hard nosed runner. Ringer set records at MSU for total yards from scrimmage, but also possibly for most number of knee surgeries. While he seems a little undersized, his toughness could make him the bruising back the Seahawks need to run behind a relatively weak offensive line. On the other hand, if Ringer did become a starter can you imagine how annoying it would be to withstand season after season of listening to TV announcers' coming up with stupid quips using his last name?

6th Round (178th overall):

Trevor Canfield
Offensive Guard, Cincinnati
6'5" 307 lbs.
Corn-fed white guy? Check. Goatee or skinny beard? Check. Dull expression in the eyes? Check. If he has a tribal tattoo on an arm I think you have yourself a backup NFL lineman. Canfield isn't from the most dominant conference so it's hard to tell what to make of his All-Conference selection.


7th Round (213th overall):

Ian Campbell
DE, Kansas State
6'4" 265 lbs.
Despite looking like a less-bloated Sebastian Janikowski, Campbell was a versatile player, great pass rusher and pass defender who even spent time as a defensive lineman.


7th Round (245th overall):

Brian Hartline
Wide Receiver, Ohio State
6'2" 195 lbs.
There are a lot of things that Brian Hartline looks like and NFL receiver isn't one of them. He certainly looks more ball boy than ball player. Some other possibilities.... 1) An extra in the movie Hoosiers. 2) A kid at a truck stop telling you about his recent alien abduction. 3) Most every male between the ages of 16 and 19 in the rural portions of Iowa.

However, looks could be deceiving. The former Buckeye probably would have been ranked higher had he been a bigger part of the offense. Unfortunately for Hartline, Ohio State's offense was much more run-focused and didn't make much use of his big play ability. That's right: Big play ability. He could be the next Logan Payne!


7th Round (247 overall):

Jamarca Sanford
Safety, Ole Miss
5'10" 214 lbs.
A four-year starter who put up some impressive career numbers, but hasn't really wowed anyone. Sanford ran 4.58 forty at the combine.

7th Round (248 overall):

Ra’Shon Harris
Defensive Tackle, Oregon
6'4" (6'6" with the mohawk) 298 lbs.
Probably not the second coming of Cortez Kennedy, but since he's from University of Oregon it would be less difficult for former Husky Jim Mora Jr. to cut him.

MEL KIPER'S PICKS:
Draft guru Mel Kiper's 4/10 mock draft only goes through the 4th round--he openly scoffed at McShay for putting out a 7 round mock draft. Kiper predicts the following for the Hawks:

1st Round (4th overall):
Eugene Monroe
Offensive Tackle, Virginia
6'5" 305 lbs.
Considered one of the top three offensive tackles in the draft, Monroe is a polished veteran. A consensus All-American as a senior, the biggest blemish on Monroe is some earlier knee injuries.






2nd Round (37th overall):
William Moore
Safety, Missouri
6'2" 220 lbs.
Moore is a big dude, a great hitter and has the hands you'd expect from a former receiver. There are some durability questions, but his versatility and big play ability give him a lot of upside.



3rd Round (68th overall):
Donald Washington
Corner Back, Ohio State
6'0" 197 lbs.
Washington is bigger than Kelly Jennings and Josh Wilson (doesn't take much), but he's prized more for his athleticism (4.49 forty) then for his technique. He might have made a mistake by entering the draft despite having a year of eligibility remaining.

4th Round (105th overall):

James Davis
Running Back, Clemson
5'11" 218lbs.
Davis' stock dropped after a disappointing Senior season, but if he's the player he was during his Junior and Sophomore years (when his surround cast was much better) he could be a solid pro back.