Would it be better for the team if they drafted a deep threat at WR? Of course it would be. A player with the speed to stretch the defense would make the entire offense better. It would keep at least 1 safety back, opening up more space for the rest of the team to use.

But does that mean that all non-deep threat WRs are off the board? Certainly not.

By my count, the Seahawks had 11 different receivers on the 53 man roster last season, and all by 3 failed to make a meaning contribution to the offense. Clearly, the Seahawks need to add talent to the position, and not just 1 new guy. Thus, drafting a guy like Woods doesn’t mean the Seahawks wouldn’t look to add deep threat later in the draft or in free agency.

Plus, rosters are fluid entities. Things change.

Golden Tate is coming off a good year, but is due to be a free agent at the end of the season. His good year last year also follows 2 dismal years. It isn’t necessarily safe to simply assume he “continues to develop” next season rather than “regressing to the mean.” Yes, it is more likely that he continues to improve, but if that happens what will be his market value a year a from now when he’s a free agent. Will the Seahawks have the cap space to keep him?

Also, this position group isn’t “1 player away” from being an elite group, because it simply doesn’t have an elite player in the group. I like Doug Baldwin and Sydney Rice as much as anyone, but lets be honest with ourselves. Baldwin is great, but he’s not in the same class as Wes Welker or Danny Amendola in terms of slot recceivers.

Similarly, Rice has some elite skills, but he isn’t in the same category as Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, or AJ Green. Rice is also expensive. If the Seahawks are going to continue to be a Super Bowl contender for many years, they’re either going to need to get more out of the $9.7 mil they are paying him, or they’ll need to replace his production at a cheeper cost.

Put all of those things together, and it becomes clear that decreasing the draftable talent pool at WR by only being willing to draft a deep threat just doesn’t make sense. The Seahawks simply need to add talent, regardless of what that talent look like.

Yes, Robert Woods would be redundant. He also would make the position group better as a whole. He would also provide insurance in case Tate regresses or decides to walk as a free agent after next season. And even if neither of those things happen Woods would still be better than 8 of the receivers that spent time on Seattle’s roster last season.

Keenan Allen similarly be an upgrade overall, as well and providing insurance in case Rice gets hurt. He could also offer the Seahawks a low cost alternative to Rice in 2014 when the Seahawks will need the cap space to re-sign Thomas and Sherman, or in 2015 when it’ll be time to re-sign Russell Wilson.

Do you really want to completely rule out these players simply because they don’t perfectly compliment the players that will be on the roster in 2013?

I’m sorry, I just can’t get behind being that short sighted. If the Seahawks are going to be the perennial contender that we want them to be, and that the coaches and front office personnel want them to be, then they have to be able to continuously acquire talent at every position, and not try and fill some checklist of immediate needs.

Like I said above, if the Seahawks can do both, then that’s even better. Tayvon Austin or Cordarrelle Patterson would be an ideal fit. Both can stretch the field and offer a new element to the Seahawk offense. Both, obviously, offer more value to to the Seahawks than other WRs in the class.

But the problem is what happens if those 2 aren’t available when the Seahawks are finally on the clock? If those guys are gone, should the Seahawks just skip the other talented players at the position?

When you think of it that way, then I hope it’ll make some sense. And yes, I’m going to keep profiling WRs that will be interesting to the Seahawks, even some that aren’t deep threats.

October 20, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Robert Woods (2) catches a touchdown in the first half of the game against the Colorado Buffaloes at the Los Angeles Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

With the QBs done, I want to now turn my attention to the wide receivers. I’m of the belief that the Seahawks are likely to address the position on day 2 of the draft (rounds 2-3), so I’m going to concentrate my efforts for these profiles in that range. Lets kick this off with USC WR Robert Woods.

Woods is the type of player who, in most years, usually find himself being pushed into the bottom of the 1st round as the draft’s 3rd best WR. Not this year. A very deep WR class will likely push Woods down in to the range where he’s going to be available at the end of round 2.

I think perhaps that’s Woods keeps popping out to me as being such a good fit for the Seahawks. Seattle would be getting a player a round later than he would go in any other draft. That type of value is appealing, and it allows the team to fill more than 1 need with a top level talent.

At 6-1, 190. Woods has good, but not great, size. He could use some bulk in his shoulders to help him challenge for balls, and his frame has the room for that to be added without it being a determent. He’s also got long arms and soft hands helping him establish a large catch radius.

Woods is an extremely polished route runner. He’s very quick in and out of his breaks. Watching his speed within his routes, you’d think he was a smaller 5 ft 9 inch west coast offense style receiver, and not a taller player who can fit into almost any offense.

Woods isn’t a perfect prospect though. He isn’t strong in the air when challenged by a DB. He’s never going to be a guy who can go up an “win” every jump ball situation.

One of the problems with scouting Woods comes from an ankle injury that required surgery in December of 2011. He didn’t appear as explosive for in 2012 as he did in 2011, and there were reports out of USC that the ankle was still bothering him.

If the ankle was a problem, but is now healthy (or can be made “right” by another surgery) the Woods will offer a much greater return on his draft investment than his 2012 tape would indicate, which would make him a major steal in round 2. If his ankle is going to be a constant problem throughout his career, it could be a major red flag.

Draft Projection: 2nd Round

Pros

• Polished route runner
• Great hands
• Good open field runner
• Good unselfish blocker downfield

Cons

• Not a “burner” of a deep threat.
• Possible lingering problems with his Ankle
• Not strong in the air on “jump ball” situations

2012 game film from 5 games:

Game film provided by NFL Draft BreakDown

Here’s is my rankings for the position, at least for the players who I think will go in the first 2 rounds. It’s a deep group, with a ton of talent, making trading up into the top 10 to get the best guy less of a concern than in most drafts.

Nov 19, 2011; Stanford CA, USA; California Golden Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen (21) catches a pass over Stanford Cardinal cornerback Johnson Bademosi (27) during the first quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

1) Keenan Allen – 6-3, 205 – Cal

Allen is a natural playmaker, with great size and body control, and decent speed. Watching his tape, he reminds me so much Houston’s Andre Johnson. He’s the type of player who will quietly have 1000 yards receiving year after year after year.

2) Robert Woods – 6-1, 180 – USC

I’m higher on woods than some draft pundits. He’s playing hurt right now with an ankle injury, so I’m mostly using my notes from 2011 for my evaluation here. He’s got great speed and athleticism, and very soft hands. He’s not as dynamic as Allen, and his ankle problems are a concern, but Woods is a certain first round pick who would upgrade almost any WR corps in the NFL.

3) Justin Hunter – 6-4, 200 – Tennessee 

Hunter looked like an absolutely special receiver a year ago, but a knee injury that cost him most of his 2011 season has also cost him some of his speed and athleticism. He’s a borderline first round pick now, and he will likely get some of that burst back before next season. I expect him to be drafted in the early 20s at this point.

4) Marquess Wilson – 6-3, 188 – Washington State

Wilson isn’t the deep threat the players above him on this list are, but he’s still a big time prospect. He runs great routes for a player of his size, and has great body control in the air. I’ve seen some Larry Fitzgerald comparisons (he’s not that good. No one is. But he’s te same type of player) so you know that he’s making an impression.

5) Terrance Williams – 6-2, 205 – Baylor

Williams is the fastes receiver on this list. He is a down field receiver who can stretch a defense. He’s not as good in and out of his routes though, which might limit his productivity in terms of total catches at he next level, but his speed will force CBs to play off of him which could mitigate that deficiency. Williams should be available early in round 2, and should be a great value there.

6) DeAndre Hopkins – 6-1, 200 – Clemson

Doesn’t have the best speed, but he’s got great hands and a huge catch radius. More of a “possession” receiver compared to the others on this list. Seahawk fans can think of him as a Sydney Rice clone. While he’s a good player, he’s probably not someone who the Seahawks will be looking at because he mimics, rather than complements, the players they already have.

7) Da’Rick Rodgers – 6-3, 206 – Tennessee State

He a big, strong, physical receiver with good speed. Seen a few Julio Jones comparisons, which seems to be accurate. Hands are also a concern at this point. Rodgers would be higher on this list, but his suspension from Tennessee, and subsequent transfer to Tennessee State, raises a lot of red flags about his off field character.

8) Tavon Austin – 5-9, 172 – West Virginia 

He’s got good speed, but not the type that Deshawn Jackson has (whom he’s often compared to). I thin he’ll be a great return man, and a solid 3rd receiver (think  Devin Hester). Austin isn’t likely to be considered by the Seahawks because of his lack of size. He’d be good value if taken later in the draft, but I think he’ll go high enough that the Seahawks wont be in play.