Friday is a significant off-season day for four National Football League franchises, including the Seattle Seahawks. During the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, the league will conduct two coin flips, the first between Carolina and Miami, the second with Seattle and Kansas City.
The Panthers and Dolphins finished 6-10 (the opponents of each went a combined 129-127) and will flip for the eighth and ninth picks in the April 26 draft. The Seahawks and Chiefs finished 7-9 (their foes went a combined 131-125) and will flip to see who gets the 11th and 12th.
It’s not likely to alter the fortunes of the franchise if the Seahawks pick 11th instead of 12th, but that doesnt mean the coin flip is not without significance. According to the Trade Value Chart, which most teams use to determine value when making draft-day trades, the difference between picks as high as 11th and 12th is 50 points.
According to the chart, the No. 1 pick is worth 3,000 points while the No. 2 choice is worth 2,600.
Assume that a team wants to trade up from No. 3 to No. 1. That will cost that team 800 points, which means the team seeking to climb the draft board will have to trade its second- and third-round picks (550 + 255 = 805) to achieve its goal.
The 11th overall pick is worth 1,250 points and the 12th 1,200 points. The 50-point difference, again according to the chart, is worth a fourth-round draft choice.
If the Seahawks win the coin toss and lay claim to the 11th pick, they can use it or trade down to No. 12. Due to the difference in trade value between No. 11 and No. 12, they would receive a third- or fourth-round draft pick in return.
Or, the Seahawks could move down farther, such as trading for San Diego’s spot at No. 18. The difference between the 11th pick (1,250 points) and the 18th (900 points) is 300, the value of a second-round pick.
Most mock drafts have Seattle addressing its most pressing need, a pass rusher. Lacking a pass rush both on the exterior and interior, the Seahawks finished 18th in sacks last season, collecting only 33. Tthe consensus seems to be that the player best equipped to satisfy Seattle’s needs is Louisiana State’s Michael Brockers, widely viewed as the best player available at his position.
But most mock drafts project that Brockers will be gone by No. 11 or No. 12, probably to Carolina as high as eighth or ninth. That would leave Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still available.
Of Still, NFL.com says, “Pete Carroll is always looking for strength and length on the defensive line, so putting Still in the middle makes sense. And if Carroll likes Red Bryant as a strong-side end in his four-man front, maybe Still could earn playing time there, as well.”
If the Seahawks double-cross the mock drafters and opt for a quarterback, the consensus is that the best on the board, after Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, is Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M, who threw for 3,744 yards, 29 TDs and 15 interceptions last season (Washington’s Keith Price threw 33 TDs and 11 INTs).
Says CNNSI.com: “The Seahawks have to find competition for Tarvaris Jackson in the first or second round (barring a big signing in free agency).”
The Seahawks have not had the 11th overall pick in the first round since 2003, when they used it to select cornerback Marcus Trufant of Washington State. Trufant, a one-time Pro Bowler (2007), is still with the team, although he spent much of 2011 on injured reserve.
Trufant represents Seattles only No. 11 pick. The Seahawks have never owned the 12th pick.
Since their inception in 1976, the Seahawks have had a top 12 pick 17 times, most recently in 2010, when they drafted offensive tackle Russell Okung No. 6 overall. Seattles top 12 picks (the number in parentheses is the player’s draft order; the number in brackets represents the player’s Pro Bowl appearances):
- 2010: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State (6)
- 2009: Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest (4)
- 2003: Marcus Trufant, CB, Washington State (11) / {1}
- 2001: Koren Robinson, WR, North Carolina State (9) / {1*}
- 1997: Shawn Springs, CB, Ohio State (3) / {1}
- 1997: Walter Jones, OT, Florida State (6) / {9}
- 1995: Joey Galloway, WR, Ohio State (8)
- 1994: Sam Adams, DT, Texas A&M (8) / {3*}
- 1993: Rick Mirer, QB, Notre Dame (2)
- 1992: Ray Roberts, OG, Virginia (10)
- 1990: Cortez Kennedy, DT, Miami (3) / {8**}
- 1983: Curt Warner, RB, Penn State (3) / {3}
- 1982: Jeff Bryant, DT, Clemson (6)
- 1981: Kenny Easley, S, UCLA (4) / {5}
- 1980: Jacob Green, DE, Texas A&M (10) / {2}
- 1978: Keith Simpson, CB, Memphis (9)
- 1976: Steve Niehaus, DT, Notre Dame (2)
Nine of the top-12 players selected by the Seahawks combined to make 33 Pro Bowl appearances.
*=Made Pro Bowl for first time after leaving the Seahawks.
**=Recently elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame
4 Comments
Jackson got better as the season went on as he got more familar with the offense and the players. Not sure if a QB is such a high priority when a good one can still be found in the later rounds. (Kellen Moore perhaps?) Agree that a pass rusher would be ideal or even another offensive lineman. As Chuck Knox would say, football is won in the trenches. And that says linemen. You can never have enough of those.
Jackson got better as the season went on as he got more familar with the offense and the players. Not sure if a QB is such a high priority when a good one can still be found in the later rounds. (Kellen Moore perhaps?) Agree that a pass rusher would be ideal or even another offensive lineman. As Chuck Knox would say, football is won in the trenches. And that says linemen. You can never have enough of those.