By: David BerryThe Seahawks have signed their sixth-round pick, Tight End Anthony McCoy out of USC. According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post the deal is for four-years and $1.895 million. With John Carlson and newly acquired (via free agency) Chris Baker already on the roster McCoy looks to compete with Cameron Morrah for the #3 TE spot on the depth chart.
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McCoy was being looked at as a possible third-round pick in the recently completed 2010 NFL Draft, but saw his stock fall due to a positive test at the NFL Scouting Combine for marijuana. This has him in prime position to be a draft day bargain if he can replicate the kind of play we saw out of him at USC. This got us here at Next Season Sports to thinking; which players were the biggest draft day steals in Seahawks history. Here is what we came up with, let the debate begin.
5. Lofa Tatupu (2005 Rd 2, 45th overall)
Tatupu was drafted in the second round with a significant amount of criticism focused towards GM Tim Ruskell, because he used two fourth-round picks to trade up in the second round to draft a Linebacker who was regarded by many teams as undersized and slow, not someone who was worthy of a second round pick. Lofa answered his critics by leading the 2005 NFC Champion Seahawks in tackles as well as was named to the Pro Bowl. He has continued his success as a defensive leader for the Hawks being named to two more Pro Bowls before being hampered by injuries the last two seasons.
4. Dave Krieg (1980 Undrafted Free Agent)
It’s not too often that an undrafted free agent makes an NFL roster as anything more than a special teams player; but Dave Krieg used the opportunity to latch on with the Seahawks and enjoy a career that lasted from 1980-1998 (1980-1991 with the Seahawks). While much of his success was attached to the success of Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Steve Largent, Krieg put up numbers that still rank him among the top 15 in most passing statistics. Not bad for someone who went undrafted.
3. Michael Sinclair (1991 Rd 6, 155th Overall)
The Hawks hit again with a late round draft pick out of a small school (Eastern New Mexico) when they picked Sinclair in the sixth round of the 1991 draft. Sinclair was a decent contributer to the Seahawks defense for four seasons before exploding into the upper eschelons of NFL sack artists with 13 in 1996. Leading to three straight seasons where he had 12 or more sacks, including the 1998 season where he lead the league with 16.5 sacks. He was also named to the Pro Bowl each of those three seasons.
2. Chris Warren (1990 Rd 4, 89th Overall)
When thinking about great Seahawks Running Backs it’s easy to overlook Chris Warren with names like Shaun Alexander, Ricky Watters, and Curt Warner in the history books. But Warren can hold his own when mentioned with any of these names. Warren rushed for over 1,000 yards in four straight seasons (1992-1995) and was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls (1993-1995). When all was said and done Warren ended his Seahawks career as the franchises leading career rusher with 6,706 yards. A record that stood until Shaun Alexander broke it in 2005.
1. Steve Largent (1976 Rd 4, 117th Overall (Houston) acquired by the Seahawks after the 1976 preseason for a 1977 Rd 8 pick)
Steve Largent is arguably one of the greatest wide receivers to ever put on a football uniforms. When he retired he held every major receiving record in the NFL. He is the only Seahawks player to have his number retired (the #12 has been retired for the fans), and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While most of his NFL records have been surpassed, Largent remains the leading receiver in Seahawks team history. He was elected to the Pro Bowl seven times and was voted All Pro one time in 1985. Not bad for someone who was plucked off the scrap heap for an 8th round pick.
Reach David Berry at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
