The Seahawks Blew It

After sleeping on it and taking some time to calmly assess what happened, I could only come to one conclusion – the Seahawks, or more specifically GM John Schneider, blew it when Seattle selected Alabama OT James Carpenter at #25.

That conclusion has very little to do with Carpenter himself. I know very little about him. He’ll be counted on to start immediately somewhere along the line, probably on the right side. If he becomes a solid player, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that the front office bungled this situation.

It’s no secret the Seahawks were trying to trade down in this draft. That they took so long to make the selection of Carpenter (almost TOO long) suggests they were working until the very last moment to make a trade. At first, I thought that no one was interested in moving up.

Then I read a report in the Chicago Tribune which stated that the Bears had a deal in place to send the #29 and #127 (fourth round) picks to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for #26. I have to believe a similar deal was offered to the Seahawks, perhaps an even better one since Seattle would have been a logical destination for the player the Bears were targeting, Wisconsin OT Gabe Carimi. The Bears/Ravens deal was not consummated because of a procedural error by Chicago, who luckily ended up with Carimi anyway.

It is likely that the #25 pick was shopped to teams in need of a QB with early second round picks using TCU QB Andy Dalton as bait. However, the only team remaining in the first round at that point who would even consider drafting a QB was the Seahawks themselves. No matter the reason, all of teams Seattle talked trade with called their bluff.

A draft pick is considered a steal when the perceived value of the player is greater than the value of the pick. Conversely, when the perceived value of the player is less than the value of the pick, then it is a reach. By all accounts, selecting James Carpenter was a reach. Yes, he fills an area of need, but the way the draft went, there were several players who filled an area of equal or greater need that would have been categorized as steals.

I understand the reticence of the Seahawks in selecting Clemson DE Da’Quan Bowers. His injury issues scared off every other team in the first round, as well. Seattle cannot afford to gamble on a player’s health when it comes to their draft picks, even if it were a good value at the time. However, there were no such issues with Temple DT Muhammad Wilkerson, who eventually went to the New York Jets at #30. He would have been considered a steal and also filled a position of greater need, in my opinion.

Carimi would have also been thought of as a good value, but if the Seahawks’ brain trust felt Carpenter was the better player, I can’t argue with that. Whether they’re correct or not in their assessments will be borne out in the next few seasons. The bottom line is, the Seahawks drafted a player who fills a significant need and will start right away. However, even if Carpenter were their favorite player on the board regardless of position, the team failed to capitalize on the opportunity to trade down and still be able to select Carpenter.

The Seahawks have only one selection in the next two rounds (#57). The failure of not trading down and accumulating an extra mid-round pick when they seemingly could have or selecting a player with good value has shaken my faith in management. As for that #57 pick, defensive line has to be the main priority, followed by QB, CB and RB.