What’s Next for John and Pete and the Seahawks?

As I and many wrote this week leading up to the NFL Draft, the Seahawks under the John Schneider and Pete Carroll era are notorious for finding a trade partner to trade down or out of the 1^st round

What surprised me was the fact that they were able to find a trade partner to switch 1^st round spots (Atlanta’s 31^st overall pick in exchange for Atlanta’s 3^rd and 7^th round picks); this type of transaction normally happens when a team who is in a late round moves up significantly. The Chiefs did this, moving from pick number 27 overall to number 10.

The Seahawks then spun their 31^st overall pick to their arch nemesis, San Francisco, for the 34^th overall and an additional 4^th rounder. The Seahawks did not have fourth rounder going into the draft. 

Again, many of us were left dreaming about who we will pick in day 2. I think it would’ve been a bit awkward (and somewhat disappointing believe it or not) to see Seattle choose a player without netting more draft picks.

The 2012 draft

If this draft wasn’t as deep in some crucial need-areas (DB, WR, RB, S), I would say we should’ve stuck to our guns and drafted our guy in the 1^st round. Now that we fans wake up and we re-evaluate where we’re at in the draft, the Seahawks are poised to repeat what they did in 2012.

If you recall how they were able to load up on draft picks and choose their guys in that draft, I feel the Seahawks can do the same thing today and through the weekend. Championship teams do this annually by giving up their egos and instead leading with their guts.

Sure, it was hard not to celebrate our guy being taken off the big board and watching him put on his Seahawks NFL Draft cap while being showered with love and affection of his home in Texas or Wisconsin.

Schneider and Carroll have shown us that when we use our draft capital with the idea that the draft is a numbers game, meaning the more choices we have the better it will make us. We start to see that this type of strategy can yield great rewards.

Tonight, we have an opportunity to fill our stable at DB, OL, S and perhaps dab a little bit in to areas that we may currently not need, like a MLB or even QB. Remember what happened when Green Bay chose a QB in the 1^st round even though they had Brett Favre playing at an elite level? (Aaron Rodgers is pretty good, you know.)

Of course I want us to take a few solid OLs to help protect our current biggest asset (Russell Wilson). But even if we wait until the later rounds to choose guys that can be molded and back up the guys we are projecting to start for us, I’d be okay with that.

This is how you sustain a championship level team

This draft is shaking out to be one where our (new) 4^th round pick could quickly be our starter. You draft very well early in the era and as they begin to get older and more expensive, a few years later, you reload and restock the next crop of talent that can take their place.

Seattle has the ability this year (and with the Lynch trade, have started for next year’s draft) to do what they can to create sustainability. In a draft that has already seen teams reach (like Chicago giving away the farm for the 2^nd overall pick), Seattle understands the dividends are in a quality rich crop of guys. The more draft capital you have (quantity), the better position you will be in the long run. They can leverage their strong past drafts and free agent signings to go after guys that could possibly help them this year. Moreover, groom those players through strong coaching for most of their contract years to be starters.

After all, the NFL is a business and they do whatever they can to make the playing field level. You see the Browns kill the 1^st round of the draft. But guess what, it was set up for them to do so. They are playing with the awesome hand they were dealt.

For winning teams like the Seahawks, they have to do what they can to choose more carefully who they will add to their team, all-the-while making moves like they did yesterday (and will probably continue to do in Round 3).

It’s business as usual this time of year in Renton and I for one am thankful we have a team of executives who know who they are and what they are trying to accomplish for this upcoming season and beyond 2017.