Seahawks get strong draft grades from NFL analysts
Apr 28, 2013, 3:05 PM | Updated: Apr 8, 2016, 10:51 am
By Brent Stecker
Another unorthodox NFL Draft is in the books for the Seahawks, and it appears NFL analysts aren’t betting against the track record of general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll.
The Seahawks’ trade of their first-round pick for Percy Harvin helped them get positive post-NFL Draft grades. (AP) |
Post-draft grades for the Seahawks are good, even though the team had to wait until the last pick of the second round (62nd overall) to make their first selection of 2013. Of course, the reason the Seahawks had to wait so long was the addition of star wide receiver Percy Harvin, which cost them their first round pick to the Minnesota Vikings, but it was a fact that the analysts seemed to see in a positive light.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said that while he was unsure Seattle picked up any starters in the draft, the acquisition of Harvin makes up for it. Kiper graded the Seahawks’ draft a B, which ESPN NFC West blogger Mike Sando backed up. Sando added that it made sense for Seattle to make moves so it would have four seventh-round selections, as it has very few roster openings, which put it in an uphill battle to recruit undrafted free agents.
Rob Rang of CBS Sports/NFL Draft Scout, who gave the Seahawks a B, noted that the team’s decision to trade down and take Texas A&M running back Christine Michael with the last pick in the second round was the kind of surprise that’s become their calling card in the draft.
The Seahawks were graded a B-minus by SI.com’s Chris Burke, who said their best picks were Alabama defensive tackle Jesse Williams and LSU cornerback Tharold Simon, who were taken back-to-back in the fifth round at 137th and 138th overall.
The biggest praise for Seattle’s showing came from Roto World’s Evan Silva, who liked the Harvin trade so much it pushed his grade for the team to an A-minus. He also liked that the Seahawks ignored the depth chart early on and took the best players left on their board, like Michael and Kansas State wide receiver Chris Harper (123rd overall).