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Draft Grader: Seattle Seahawks

In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been going back over the 2008, 2009, and 2010 draft class of each franchise and assigning each pick a grade. Up next? Well, that’s the Seattle Seahawks.

Each pick between the 2008 and 2010 draft classes has earned a grade between +2.0 and -2.0 (in 0.5 increments) that depends upon:

• Where they were drafted
• Their performance
• Their contribution (how many snaps their team got out of them)
• Other factors, such as unforeseen injuries and conditions that could not have been accounted for

Let’s take a look at how the Seahawks drafted.

 

+2.0: You’ve just found Tom Brady in the 6th round

Would they have started Tarvaris Jackson in 2011 if they had?

 

+1.5: Getting much more than you bargained for!

In the upcoming years they would have …

 

+1.0: The scouts nailed it!

Max Unger, C (49th overall pick in 2009): Unger has got better year after year, and put forward a Pro Bowl-worthy season in 2012 with his +22.7 regular season grade. A center who can struggle in pass protection but more than makes up for it with his ability to get displacement of defensive players in the run game.

Kam Chancellor, S (133rd overall pick in 2010): A fifth-rounder who has turned into a true impact player from the safety spot? Very nice. Chancellor wasn’t quite as good in the 2012, but his +16.5 grade over two years is work of the highest quality.

 

+0.5: Never hurts to find a solid contributor

Justin Forsett, RB (233rd overall pick in 2008): No longer with the team but Forsett always gave the Seahawks better value than his seventh round draft selection indicaed he would. He is also elusive with the ball in hand and goes down as a win.

Red Bryant, DE (121st overall pick in 2008): It’s strange that while being a pick of the old front office, Bryant has only really developed since Pete Carroll took over. A perfect fit in the Seahawks' defensive front, Bryant wasn’t able to repeat his 2011 season as he looked less than 100% in 2012. If he can find that form going forward he’s an even bigger hit.

Russell Okung, T (6th overall pick in 2010): Didn’t always live up the billing in his first two years in the league, but took a big step forward in 2012. Okung finished the year as our 11th-ranked left tackle and would be higher but for his habit of drawing yellow flags.

Earl Thomas, S (14th overall pick in 2010): We’re not as high on Thomas as some because the negative plays (missed tackles, bad angles) get you shaking your head. However, his athleticism and knack for making plays make the Seahawks a better team.

Golden Tate, WR (60th overall pick in 2010): Tate doesn’t drop balls and is always liable to make something happen after the catch. It remains to be seen how Percy Harvin coming to the team will impact his role, but a +14.2 grade over two years suggests Seattle will be wise not to let it diminish too much.

 

0.0: Nothing ventured, nothing gained/ it could have been worse

Owen Schmitt, FB (163rd overall pick in 2008): Schmitt hung around the roster and got significant snaps on offense, but just was never a good lead blocker.

Brandon Coutu, K (235th overall pick in 2008): Stayed on the roster for an entire year but couldn’t beat out an established Olindo Mare. No shame in that.

Mike Teel, QB (178th overall pick in 2009): Teel spent his first year in the league as a game day inactive working as the Seahawks’ No. 3 QB, but wasn’t part of Carroll’s master plan when he took over.

Nick Reed, DE (247th overall pick in 2009): Got some pressure as a rookie and it would have been interesting to see how he developed. However, he wasn’t a favorite of the new coaching staff and was waived after having his knee scoped.

Cameron Morrah, TE (248th overall pick in 2009): Seahawks tried to get something out of him, but they eventually gave up on him in early 2012.

Walter Thurmond, CB (111th overall pick in 2010): Has impressed when he’s stepped on the field, but injuries mean this selection remains one where the jury is still out.

Anthony McCoy, TE (185th overall pick in 2010): It’s only the draft slot of McCoy that saves him. A history of drops, bad blocking and penalties are indicative of a player for whom more is expected than he can be reasonably expected to deliver.

Dexter Davis, DE (236th overall pick in 2010): Prior to missing all of 2011 with a hip injury, Davis was strangely limited to just 85 snaps as a rookie (including playoffs) despite generating a sack, hit, and eight hurries on just 44 pass rushes. No longer with the team.

Jameson Konz, TE (245th overall pick in 2010): Two seasons in the NFL and two season-ending injuries. A pair of tough breaks.

 

-0.5: That pick was not put to good use

John Carlson, TE (38th overall pick in 2008): After 55 catches for 627 yards as a rookie, everyone seemed to fall in love with the athletic tight end… so much so that they haven’t readjusted their opinions. Frankly, a terrible blocker whose impact as a receiver has lessened as teams have watched more tape on him. Carlson turned out to be something of a disappointment.

Tyler Schmitt, LS (189th overall pick in 2008): One begs to question the wisdom of using a draft pick on a long snapper, let alone one with a degenerative back condition.

Deon Butler, WR (91st overall pick in 2009): Not a great return on a third-round pick, though how much of that was down to a horrific 2010 injury? A crowded receiver group awaited him on his return and he's now no longer with the team.

Courtney Greene, FS (245th overall pick in 2009): Greene didn’t make it to the active roster or practice squad in his rookie year.

E.J. Wilson, DE (127th overall pick in 2009): Cut during his rookie year, Wilson saw the field for 33 snaps and was a waste of a fourth-round pick.

 

-1.0: What a waste!

Lawrence Jackson, DE (28th overall pick in 2008): Injuries didn’t help Jackson, but his failure in Seattle goes beyond that. The coaches didn’t seem to have the answer, with failed experiments such as using him as an inside rusher on passing downs failing to get the best out of him.

Aaron Curry, LB (4th overall pick in 2009): Remember when people said Curry was the most NFL-ready player out there? He’s looked lost dropping back, and failed to take over games the way you’d hope a linebacker selected fourth overall would. He’s not a bad player, but he’s also not a guy you’d want on the field for every down. He was traded to Oakland last season for a 2012 seventh-round draft choice and a conditional fifth in 2013.

 

-1.5: The scouts/ coaches failed, big time!

Not in these drafts.

 

-2.0: You just drafted the love child of JaMarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf!

No Russell/Leaf hybrids in these classes.

 

 

Follow Khaled on Twitter: @PFF_Khaled

 

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