Setting the scene from the Seahawks’ headquarters before Round 1

RENTON – Greetings from the second floor of the Seahawks’ headquarters, where me and a bunch of other media folks are awaiting the start of the first round of the NFL Draft.

A common misconception is that all aspects of the draft take place wherever the ceremony is being held – in this case Chicago for the second straight year following its relocation from New York City. The national media members are there along with some of the top prospects and the commissioner. But when you see the shots on television of coaches, general managers and other personnel folks making selections, that’s coming from the team’s headquarters.

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The people who cover those teams set up shop there as well so they can have access to the decision makers afterward.

So here we are at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center, inside a defensive meeting room. The team sets us up here as opposed to the usual media room in order to accommodate the larger-than-usual contingent. You can see in the picture above, behind the television, there’s a football attached to the wall by a coiled line, inviting players to simulate a strip as they enter the room.

The Seahawks will bring general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll to the front of the room to talk about their first-round selection, if they make one. Here’s a story examining the possibilities that they either trade up, stand pat or trade back.

A few more stories that are worth reading, if you haven’t already: Danny O’Neil’s column on why this year’s draft is especially important to Seattle after three years of diminishing returns. This one from earlier today, which focuses on the offensive line and how early Seattle might address it. And this collection of notes from the team’s pre-draft press conference, during which we tried unsuccessfully to pry any useful information about Seattle’s draft intentions.

What do I think they’ll do tonight? Glad I asked.

It’s impossible to predict with any level of confidence because, among other reasons, so much depends on what happens before the 26th pick and needs don’t necessarily dictate Seattle’s draft decisions. But I could envision a scenario in which several players the Seahawks rate similarly are still available at No. 26, and instead of selecting one of them ahead of the market, they trade back into the second round with a team that’s looking to move up for a quarterback, say, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch. And with that early-second-round pick, Seattle takes an offensive lineman, say, Texas A&M’s Germain Ifedi.

That’s my guess and I’m sticking to it.

We’ll find out in a couple hours.