A Semi-realistic Look at What Seattle Traded for Charlie Whitehurst

SBN runs a mock draft. Unfortunately, without trades and with most picks being informed by XYZ mock draft, it's not that realistic. It is, however, a decent barometer, in toto, for the opportunity Seattle spent moving from 40 to 60. Let's look at who was selected, and then who I selected.

40. San Diego - Cam Thomas, NT, North Carolina
41. Buffalo - Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina
42. Tampa Bay - Patrick Robinson
43. Miami - Demaryius Thomas, WR, Georgia Tech
44. New England - Ricky Sapp, OLB, Clemson
45. Denver - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
46. New York Giants - Brian Price, DT, UCLA
47. New England - Damian Williams, WR, USC
48. Carolina - Mardy Gilyard, WR, Cincinnati
49. San Francisco - Vladimir Ducasse, OL, Mass.
50. Kansas City - Jared Veldheer, OT, Hillsdale
51. Houston - Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama
52. Pittsburgh - Chad Jones, S, LSU
53. New England - Rodger Saffold, OT, Indiana
54. Cincinnati - Jon Asamoah, G, Illinois
55. Philadelphia - Morgan Burnett, S, Georgia Tech
56. Green Bay - Dominique Franks, CB, Oklahoma
57. Baltimore - Tyson Alualu, DT, California
58. Arizona - Sean Lee, MLB, Penn State
59. Dallas - Arrelious Benn, WR, Illinois

I think what is most striking is that for almost any position selected, we can look at the next available player and see a comparable talent. Seattle missed on Price and Alualu. Lamarr Houston is still available. A few wide receivers selected, well--

Taylor Price is still available.

I think Seattle did overspend for Charlie Whitehurst. For one, it is reported that they accepted the first offer without negotiation. We don't know if negotiation would have mattered, but talking San Diego into sweetening the deal with a seventh round pick or comparable would have been nice. Mostly, Seattle overspent for Whitehurst because Whitehurst does not seem like a particularly exciting prospect. However, let's say it bought an asset with a 10% chance of maturing into something valuable. As long as Seattle is not relying on that asset, Whitehurst can be coupled with another quarterback or quarterbacks. Whitehurst, Clausen, LeFevour, Jones, whoever, collectively Seattle improves its chances of landing a good quarterback. I just wish Seattle did not spend as much as it did to improve its chances so little.

It did not spend that much, though. Moving down in this draft, because Seattle has so many needs, and because this draft is so deep, and so rich with second-tier talent, removed options, but probably will not severely downgrade the talent available. The third in 2011 is the more valuable resource, but if this draft is loaded, and if this draft is loaded because so many underclassmen declared, the upshot is that 2011 is likely to be talent poor. That 2011 third may be no more valuable than an early fifth in 2010.

Again, the real sting of the Whitehurst deal is that Whitehurst himself does not seem like a high potential prospect, but though Seattle probably overpaid, it did not pay as much as some think. Given the depth of this class, and the Seahawks needs, the difference between 40 and 60 may be no more than a narrowing of a pool of largely undifferentiated talent.