What If? Seahawks 7-Round Mock, Trade Down Version

If you follow the Seahawks you’re probably sick of hearing about John Schneider’s Green Bay roots, but it’s relevant.  He shaped his philosophy from former Packer guru Ron Wolf, and it’s based on outworking other teams in the evaluation game and building through the draft.  Now, Schneider has shown that he’s more willing to make a splash in free agency than Wolf used to be, but it’s still his work in the draft since he came to Seattle that has helped turn the Seahawk’s roster into one of the youngest, and most talented, in the league.  His ability to find mid-round gems such as Kam Chancellor, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman has transformed Seattle’s once-porous defense.

And so it is that Schneider enters the 2012 draft in a position he despises, with only 6 picks.  He has said he likes to have around ten per year, and indeed he’s ended up making 9 selections in his first two Seahawk drafts.  Trading down in the first round makes sense this year, because the depth of the draft more closely matches up with the Seahawks primary needs in the last first and early second rounds, more than it does where they sit at #12.

So I wanted to look at a simple trade-down scenario and see how it impacted how a 7-round mock could look for the Seahawks.

The Bengals have two picks in the first round #17 and #21, and may be looking to move up to get a premier CB like Stephon Gilmore or Dre Kirkpatrick before the Cowboys select at #14.  So in this hypothetical, the Bengals trade #21 and their 2nd rounder (#49) to Seattle for the #12 pick.

SEAHAWKS 7-ROUND MOCK DRAFT

1st round (21): Shea McClellin, OLB, Boise State — One of the fastest risers in the draft.  Teams are now seeing him more as an OLB who can make plays all over the field and get after the quarterback.  He’s instinctive, intense, and has a penchant for finding the football.  The Seahawks may slide K.J. Wright into the middle now that David Hawthorne has signed with New Orleans.  McClellin could solve a couple of problems for them on the strongside and as a pass-rusher.

2nd round (43): Lavonte David, OLB, Nebraska — I’ll stick with this projection because he fits exactly what the Seahawks are looking for at the WILL spot.  David is the best coverage LB in the draft, good enough that some teams see him as a potential SS.  He may not last this long, but his lack of eye-popping measureables could allow him to slide.  You can start to imagine the future possibilities with a young LB core of McClellin, Wright and David.

2nd round (49): Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall — Raw, and the jump in competition may take some time, but Curry has everything Pete Carroll loves about a football player.  He could join the DE rotation on passing downs, and eventually succeed Chris Clemons.  He’s relentless, can get to the QB, and chases plays 20 yards downfield.  Just like that, the Seahawks fill their front 7 needs and continue to build a potentially dominant young defense.  Boom!

3rd round (75):  Isaiah Pead, RB, Cincinnati — The Hawks need a solid compliment to Marshawn Lynch, and Pead could fit the bill.  He’s 5′ 11″ 200 lbs and stood out at the Senior Bowl.  Not a very physical runner, but he has the speed to break long runs and the cut-back instincts to excel in Seattle’s zone running scheme.  He also catches the ball well.

4th round (106): Senio Kelemete, OG, Washington — Another one I’m sticking with.  Kelemete played LT at Washington, but projects better as a guard at the next level.  Could start as a rookie at LG next to Russell Okung, but his versatility to play tackle could be useful as well.

5th round No Pick.  Traded to Buffalo in Marshawn Lynch deal (although I fully expect another trade at some point to recoup a pick in this round).

6th round (181): Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa — The anti-Ryan Tannehill.  McNutt was recruited as a QB but converted to WR three years ago.  Doesn’t possess explosive speed but at 6′ 2″ 215 lbs catches the ball well away from his body and has become a good enough route-runner to potentially be a solid possession receiver.

7th round (225): G.J. Kinne, QB, Tulsa — Good developmental prospect with a quick release and strong arm.  Coaches son with high football IQ.  Struggles with accuracy at times but shows the ability to make plays on the move.  Undersized at 6′ 1″ but has the arm and intangibles to stick.  Reminds me of Jon Kitna.

So there you have it.  It’s amazing the difference an extra pick can make.  In all my previous mock scenario’s I was struggling to find a way for the Hawks to fill their holes at LB and still add a DE in the top of the draft as well.  Here, they’ve added 2 immediate starters to their LB core, one future starter at DE (and immediate contributor as a pass-rush specialist), a backup/complimentary RB, a potential starter at LG, another talented big body to add to the receiver mix, and a developmental QB who could push 3rd stringer Josh Portis and possibly be a #2 down the road. As I mentioned, I  expect more than just one trade, and ultimately the Seahawks could end up with another 9 or 10 players out of this draft.  John Schneider is on record as saying he loves this draft as a whole, and there’s just no way he finishes it up with only 6 new bodies. 

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