NFL Draft Countdown: Seattle Seahawks

Welcome to the NFL Draft Countdown, where each day until the draft on April 25-26, I will look at an NFL franchise to see what its transactions have been and what its needs are. Today, the focus is on the Seattle Seahawks.

Seattle Seahawks

• Draft Position: 4
• 2008 Season Result: 4-12 (3rd in NFC West, Missed Playoffs)
• 2008 Head Coach: Mike Holmgren
• 2009 Head Coach: Jim Mora Jr. (26-22; 1-1)

2009 Player Transactions

Players Lost:

• Julian Peterson (DET)
• Jeff Robinson
• Bobby Engram (KC)
• Steve McKinney
• Maurice Morris (DET)
• Floyd Womack (CLE)
• Koren Robinson
• Howard Green (NYJ)
• Wesly Mallard
• Leonard Weaver (PHI)
• Will Heller (DET)
• Lance Laury
• Charlie Frye
• Rocky Bernard (NYG)

Players Re-signed/Acquired:

• D.D. Lewis
• Cory Redding
• Ray Willis
• John Owens
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh
• Colin Cole
• Leroy Hill (Franchise)

2009 Draft Picks

• 1-4
• 2-5
• 3-4
• 4-5
• 5-1
• 6-5
• 7-4
• 7-36
• 7-38
• 7-39

Analysis and Outlook

I don’t think I still understand what exactly was wrong with QB Matt Hasselbeck’s back, but either way, his absence hurt the Seattle Seahawks. Without Hasselbeck and former MVP Shaun Alexander who was declining and released without adequate productive replacements, the Seahawks suffered a painful season. We’re obviously at the part of the draft countdown where the numbers hurt and it’s no different here: 29th in passing offense and 32nd in pass defense. The running game and run defense ranked in the bottom half of the league as well so the Seahawks need to improve on all fronts.

On offense, the Seahawks lost WR Bobby Engram but signed big-money free agent T.J. Ocho Cuatro Houshmandzadeh. The RB situation is unstable with Julius Jones as the current starter. There has also been a lot of speculation about the Seahawks drafting QB Mark Sanchez, but I think in their system and with Hasselbeck still in place, they’re better off selecting one in later rounds. The Seahawks will also look at adding depth at the T and G positions.

Defensively, the Seahawks need to fix their pass defense. Both a pass rusher and a CB to play opposite Marcus Trufant would be welcome additions. At the S positions, the Seahawks will look to get younger.

In the first round, the Seahawks are stuck for value at number 4. The only picks that make sense for their needs are Ts Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe or LBs Aaron Curry and Brian Orakpo. The Seahawks would do themselves a favor by trading down. This will give them more options, including CBs Darius Butler and Vontae Davis, RBs Knowshon Moreno and Chris Wells, LBs Brian Cushing and Clay Matthews. and DEs Robert Ayers, Aaron Maybin and Everette Brown alongside T options in Michael Oher, Eben Britton and William Beatty. The big challenge is of course finding a trade partner. They’ll have to target teams that are eying either QB Mark Sanchez, WR Michael Crabtree, DE/OLB Brian Orakpo or potentially DT B.J. Raji.

In the second round, they can go for a DB like Alphonso Smith, Louis Delmas or Patrick Chung, a RB like LeSean McCoy or Donald Brown or a DE like Larry English. The middle rounds look perfect to target a second S like Sean Smith or Rashad Johnson as well as a G like Eric Wood or Andre Levitre and a TE like Cornelius Ingram. Don’t be shocked if the Seahawks decide to use one of their many late round picks to grab an underrated QB like John Parker Wilson or Nate Davis.

Somehow, I don’t get the feeling that the Seahawks are doing the fixing they should be doing. A lot of this team’s success rides on these questions: will Hasselbeck be OK? How will Houshmandzadeh play in the West Coast offense? Can Jones be a feature back? Was it smart to give the HC job to someone who, last year, coached a secondary that was abysmal? Despite the NFC West being a relatively weak division, if the answer to those questions is “no”, then it’s going to be a long season for the Seahawks. That wraps up my look at the Seattle Seahawks, feel free to leave a comment!