With the Seattle Seahawks (7-8) officially out of playoff contention it’s now time to turn our attention to college football and the 2012 NFL draft. The deadline for underclassmen to declare is January 15th but some players have already declared, and some have announced their decision to stay in school.
Justin Blackmon (WR-OKSU), Andrew Luck (QB-Stanford) and Matt Kalil (OT-USC) are just some of the underclassmen who have already declared. Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones and LSU’s Morris Claiborne still haven’t made their decisions yet.
Having said that the Seahawks aren’t in the running for Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin but still in need of a long-term solution at quarterback. Seattle also could look to add a defensive end, running back and another offensive linemen early in the draft as well.
Before they pick on April 27th 2012 Pete Carroll and John Schneider already have to know their quarterback situation. There’s really only three options for Seattle at the quarterback position. One, keep Tarvaris Jackson and have him be the starter without question next season and see if he can improve. Two, keep Tarvaris but trade for an elite veteran quarterback. Three, draft a quarterback in the first round and have him progress into starting as the season goes along.
When talking about elite quarterbacks who Seattle could target either in free agency or trade the two we can immediately rule out is Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Outside of those two Seattle could look at Philip Rivers who’s had a down year but still has elite level talent.
Rivers signed a seven year $98.25 million back in 2009 but could be pried away with the uncertainty in San Diego. Green Bay’s Matt Flynn could also be a viable option, but given the success Seattle’s had with backup quarterbacks recently it wouldn’t be a smart choice.
Currently the Seahawks are projected to hold the 15th overall pick in the 2012 draft. With that being said here is my First Seattle Seahawks big board for the 2012 NFL draft. What this board represents are the top 5 players Seattle should be looking at for the draft, not all first round picks.
1) Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama:
At 6-2 265 Upshaw is listed as an outside linebacker by most NFL scouts but could convert to defensive end in the NFL. Upshaw isn’t an incredible athlete but is one of the strongest players in terms of ability to push and collapse the pocket in the draft. He doesn’t have consistent quickness off the line which is a negative, but when he is on he’s really on.
Upshaw is projected a mid to late first round pick.
2) Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska:
Ndamukong Suh 2.0 is his old teammate, Jared Crick. Crick was considered my many to be the next Suh and even be in contention for the Heisman trophy in 2011. However a torn pectoral muscle, suffered against Washington on September 17th changed that. He sat out their next game against Wyoming but did play against Wisconsin and Ohio State before calling it a season.
His injury has hampered his draft stock right now but come February, March and April Crick will be a mid to late first round pick. Before having a setback in 2011 Crick was one of the most dominant pass rushing defensive linemen in the country along with Suh. Crick had 140 total tackles and 18.5 sacks in between 2009 and 2010.
At 6-6 285 Crick a pure beast and would bring the same impact Suh has brought to Detroit to Seattle.
3) Chris Polk, RB, Washington:
A junior, Polk has yet to declare for the draft but is expect to not return to Washington for his senior year. Signed as a wide receiver out of high school Steve Sarkisian made it his priority to move Polk to running back were he’d have a much bigger impact. Three years later Polk holds the school record for most carries (769) and second in yards (3,902) along with 24 touchdowns.
Polk doesn’t get the national recognition he deserves but will still be a mid second round pick. For Seattle Marshawn Lynch will re-sign, but Seattle needs to add another ground and pound back to support him. Polk is the perfect fit.
4) Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M:
A solid developmental prospect Tannehill is a potential mid first round pick with a solid arm and above average athleticism. At 6-4 222 Tannehill is a big presence in the pocket but needs to work on his delivery and step into his throws more, and work on his footwork as well. He doesn’t need a drastic, Tebow style rework of his mechanics but he has a 3/4 delivery that will hurt him more often than not in the NFL.
Should Seattle miss on everyone Tannehill is a solid plan D.
5) Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina:
Unlikely Coples falls to Seattle in the mid first round but in the event he does he’s the easiest pick on the board. At 6-6 272 Coples is the best defensive end prospect in the draft and arguably the most dominant since Chris Long in 2008.
He brings elite athleticism, above average instinct and top end speed. Combining Chris Long and Jason Pierre-Paul is the easiest way to describe Coples. Most likely a top 10 pick but could always slip.
Just missing the cut: Alameda Ta’Amu (NT, Washington), David DeCastro (G, Stanford), Alfonzo Dennard (CB, Nebraska) and Landry Jones (QB, Oklahoma).
You can follow Lars on Twitter: http://twitter.com/larshanson
Next Big Board will come out in February.
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So wrong u dimwit it will be expensive but he will develop. So SO worth it and t. Jackson stinks
Seattle will so get or try for the rg3 legends dimwit wow
Gabe, thanks for the comment. I think this is article you’re wanting to comment on. http://www.rantsports.com/seattle-seahawks/2012/01/06/seattle-seahawks-shouldnt-reach-for-robert-griffin-iii-in-2012-nfl-draft/