Saturday, April 25, 2009

Fear and Loathing at the NFL Draft

I love the NFL Draft. There is something intriguing about grown men in absurd pin-striped suits that fawn over young men in a manner that brings their sexuality into question. I love the draft day trades and maneuvering to gain better draft position. I enjoy the cold comfort of knowing that Count Al Davis will continue to suck the life out of that franchise by reaching terribly to snag a guy based only on his 40 time or how far he can throw a football his knees-God knows how often that scenario comes up in a game. This is the first look the general sporting populace has to see these players before they are stars or Ryan Leaf style epic busts.

Seahawks' drafts under Tim Ruskell are rarely anything exciting but often are quite solid. Using the methodology of taking the most NFL ready players who are contributors both on and off the field the Seahawks keep the bust rate rather low while sacrificing a bit of upside in the name of security. While the draft so far has followed the same model it has been infinitely more fun to watch.

Given the #4 overall pick after a dismal 4-12 season many people expected the 'Hawks to take a true game changer with their first pick. With Matt Stafford off the board to the Lions-Happy Trails Matt. Hope you enjoy living in a bombed out shell of a city- Many, myself included, hoped Tim Ruskell would pick Mark "Dirty" Sanchez, QB out of USC, as the heir apparent to Matt and his bulging disk. A Offensive Tackle was another area in need of upgrade with Walter Jones' status unclear. Instead the Hawks let a lot of people down by taking arguably the best player in the draft Aaron Curry, LB from Wake Forest.

I'll admit, I wasn't thrilled at first. The more I thought about it, the more I liked this pick. Curry is a versatile player and can do anything asked of him. Yes we unloaded Julian Peterson to the Lions to save ourselves his hefty cap hit and because the talent in the LB corps seemed redundant. Adding Curry moves hill to the weakside where he can use his downhill tackling ability to attack the ball carrier and go for sacks. Curry moves to Hill's spot and provides a headiness in coverage Hill never dreamed of possessing. Given Curry's athleticism it would not surprise me at all if he was sent on the blitz occasionally. His skillset is not unlike what we thought we were getting when we traded for Peterson a few years ago, before it was apparent his coverage skills had eroded.

As I said in an earlier post, a domninant LB probably has the least impact of almost any position on the field. That said talent is talent, and many pundits thought Curry could be the first overall pick and was the best player in the draft. Having Curry also gives the Hawks leverage in their negotiations with Hill. Should Hill persist to feel his $36mil/6 year contract is nothing more than a formal cockpunch, the 'Hawks could easily trade him and still have a damn fine LB corps.

The second round held a lot of promise for Seattle as many of the players that could be brought in and have an immediate impact on the team were still on the board. But no amount of promise or expectation could have prepared me for what came next.

Many fans felt Ruskell should have traded out of the #4 pick and accrued more talent later in the first. When he didn't they gnashed their teeth and howled. With the second pick of the day Timmy heard these cries and traded the #37 pick for a 2010 1st rounder to the Denver Broncos who are in full implode mode after the Cutlerfucker fiasco.

Getting next years first rounder is huge. Denver looks to be pretty terrible and didn't help themselves by drafting Knowshon Moreno at #12, taking a 3-4 OLB with #18 even though I'm pretty sure they still run a 4-3, they then traded up to snag an undersized corner with the Seahawks #37. 3-13 isn't out of the realm of possibility given the Broncos' schedule next season. If this turns out the case the Seahawks could be in a damn good position to draft the QB of the future in next years draft that features Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy.

Seattle traded it's 3rd and 4th rounders to get back in the 2nd round and select Max Unger, C Oregon. Unger looks to be the bizarro Chris Spencer. Where Spencer was monstrously stong, crazy athletic and more raw than 2liveCrew lyrics Unger is not going to blow up anybody with his strength, good in space and is a member of football Mensa. In the zone blocking scheme Seattle is moving towards Max Unger looks to be the galvanizing and forceful leader that will convert this unit of disparate parts into a cohesive unit that will open up lanes for our running game. That is an exciting thought.

It seems Ruskell pulled out his philosopher's stone and transmuted a relatively weak draft class into quality functionable pieces of the future. Getting the Broncos #1 draft pick from next year makes the draft a masterpiece, so far.

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