Seahawks have to do a better job with their first draft pick

It started to go off the rails in 2013 with the selection of running back Christine Michael. This was the first year the Seahawks didn’t pick until the second round. Frankly, that entire draft was a disaster. Luke Willson and Spencer Ware are the only two players still active, out of 11 selections. Those two, respectively picked up in the fifth and sixth rounds, have had far better careers than Michael. 38 total games and nine starts is not what you want to see from your first pick, even if it was in the second round.

2014 brought the 12s another initial pick down in the second round, and another just decent player. Paul Richardson could fly, but he couldn’t catch that well. If you think I’m being too critical of Richardson, considering my praise for Metcalf, the current Hawks phenom was a rookie, and still caught a higher percentage of passes than Richardson in his one big year in Seattle (58 percent to 55 percent). Richardson was fine with the Hawks and still is a fine player. But in four seasons in Seattle, he had eight touchdowns. Metcalf had seven last year. So, Richardson wasn’t a bad pick by any means, but not a home run.

2015 brought us our third straight second-round choice. So far, he’s by far the best of that group. Yes, I’m talking about Frank Clark, Black Elvis himself. We’re now approaching the territory of the players that could be too soon to call. Clark played sparingly as a rookie. He had no starts but was in for just under a third of the defensive snaps. Three sacks and six QB hits in a very part-time role isn’t too shabby. Since then he’s compiled 40 sacks, 80 quarterback hits, and a Pro Bowl (and should have had another in his last year with the Seahawks). Clark was certainly an excellent choice for the Hawks first selection, especially considering he came in the second round.