After you sent Stanford guard David DeCastro to the Kansas City Chiefs with the 11th overall pick in the Fan Mock Draft, the Seattle Seahawks are on the clock with the 12th pick and they've got plenty of options. Credit where it's due, the Seahawks have done an impressive job over the last two drafts since Pete Carroll took over as head coach.
In 2010, the Seahawks added a franchise left tackle in Russell Okung and a pair of Pro Bowl safeties in Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor. Last year, they added four players who would start and contribute in a positive fashion as rookies in offensive linemen James Carpenter and John Moffitt, linebacker K.J. Wright and cornerback Richard Sherman. So where will they turn their attention this year?
Consensus seems to be that one of the Seahawks' primary focuses is adding an edge pass rusher to complement former Eagle Chris Clemons. If that's the case, they have two good options in our scenario. The favorite could be South Carolina's Melvin Ingram, who was a productive and explosive pass rusher in college, but who has been supposedly downgraded slightly because of his below-average arm length. Still, Ingram is a player that could fit well under a creative coach like Carroll who likes to move players around to fit their respective skill sets. North Carolina's Quinton Coples is the other obvious option, though there are those who believe Coples' stock is more in the bottom first-round range in NFL circles and he's overvalued by the media. Players like Nick Perry of Southern Cal (recruited by Carroll), Courtney Upshaw of Alabama and Whitney Mercilus of Illinois could also be options in the edge rusher role here, but are unlikely to be the pick with Ingram still on the board.
The Seahawks addressed the defensive tackle position in free agency with the addition of Jason Jones, but they could still use some more beef up the middle. Memphis' Dontari Poe and LSU's Michael Brockers are still on the board here and could be of interest.
Linebacker, especially in the middle, is an area of concern for the Seahawks, though they did add former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Barrett Ruud in free agency. Luke Kuechly is a popular projection for the Seahawks, but he's off the board in our mock, leaving Donta' Hightower as a potential option for Carroll and co.
Now, if you're going the best player available route, South Carolina cornerback Stephon Gilmore would look pretty good opposite Sherman in the Seahawks defensive backfield over the next few years. Gilmore is considered by some, including NFL Films' Greg Cosell, to be the very best cornerback in the draft. If the Seahawks have him rated anywhere in the same vicinity, he would make a lot of sense with the 12th pick. Gilmore's stock could also be high enough that a team would be willing to move up to this 12th spot to snag him.
On offense, the line is in pretty good shape after the two-year overhaul, but there's still a hole at right tackle. Either Riley Reiff of Iowa or Cordy Glenn of Georgia could be seen as a potential front-side protector for new quarterback Matt Flynn. Speaking of Flynn, providing him with another weapon on the outside in addition to Sidney Rice would be a bold, potentially profitable move. If they see Baylor's Kendall Wright as a dynamic deep threat, he could be the pick here too.
So what do you think? Two former Gamecocks in Ingram and Gilmore stand out as the likely picks, but will the Seahawks throw a curveball at No. 12. You make the call …
Previous Picks
1. Indianapolis – QB Andrew Luck, Stanford
2. Washington – QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
3. Minnesota -- OT Matt Kalil, USC
4. Cleveland - RB Trent Richardson, Cleveland
5. Tampa Bay - CB Morris Claiborne, LSU
6. St. Louis - WR Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma St.
7. Jacksonville - WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
8. Miami - QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
9. Carolina - DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State
10. Buffalo - LB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
11. Kansas City - G David DeCastro, Stanford
Make sure to follow us on Twitter @EaglesInsider
