Friday, April 29, 2011

SEAHAWKS: Hawks fairly quiet on day two of NFL draft

John Moffitt
Like I said earlier today, the Seahawks’ draft isn’t going to make you jump out of your seat with excitement this year. We don’t have enough high draft picks, and our main need, offensive linemen, isn’t a flashy position area.

But nonetheless, the Seahawks did accomplish some things today. Let’s recap them.

1) The Seahawks have expressed their desire to trade DOWN in this draft, and wanted to do that yesterday in the first round. They never completed a trade on Thursday, instead drafting offensive tackle James Carpenter, who Pete Carroll and John Schneider seem fairly happy to have.

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They DID complete a trade today however, with the Detroit Lions. The Seahawks gave Detroit their 2nd, 5th and 7th for the Lions’ 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 7th.

To put it more in perspective, all the Hawks did was drop 18 spots (57 to 75), receive a 4th, and moved up slightly in 5th and 7th. The trade was clearly for the purpose of acquiring more draft picks, even if it was just an additional 4th rounder.

2. So now that John Schneider finally pulled off a trade, he could now solely focus on drafting the right guy in the third round. In the end, the Seahawks chose Minnesota guard John Moffitt.

ESPN draft gurus Mel Kiper and Todd Mcshay stated that Moffitt was a bit of a reach in the third round, as he was ranked as more of a fourth rounder. But when you think about it, the decision makes sense. No need for a left or right tackle (Russell Okung, Carpenter) or a center (Max Unger), but there was need for a guard, as Stacy Andrews and Tyler Polumbus just weren’t going to cut it for another year.

Scouting reports on the 6-4, 319 pound Moffitt have him listed as a smart, powerful run blocker that has a “mauler” mentality on the field… exactly offensive line coach Tom Cable’s style. Moffitt has the ability to play the center and guard spots, which was probably a major factor in the Seahawks taking him.

The only knock on Moffitt is his quickness, or lack thereof. Quicker defenders gave him problems in his time at Wisconsin, and also he struggles with exploding with force off the line. He’s not an athletic freak, so he’s had to rely on his brains to get to the NFL.

The draft finishes up tomorrow with rounds 4-7. The Seahawks have picks #2 and #10 in the 4th round, so make sure to tune into ESPN to see that.

Seahawks remaining picks: 4th Rd (99, 107), 5th Rd (154, 156), 6th Rd (173), 7th Rd (205, 242)

Reach Nathan Parsons at nathanparsons98@yahoo.com