NFL Draft 2011: With the #99th Pick the Seahawks Select LB K.J. Wright, Mississippi State

by Danny Kelly on Apr 30, 2011 9:25 AM PDT

A linebacker was not really what I was expecting but at the same time I can't be disappointed with the choice. The Hawks' depth at linebacker is scary thin and K.J. Wright is a long, big, athletic linebacker that can play a number of positions on your defense. He'll provide depth at linebacker and could be a LEO candidate as well.

He's durable and versatile - which follows a pattern here being set by the Seahawks. Wright is a guy that can rush the passer, has good pursuit and a good motor, but can also drop back into coverage. Is a sure tackler with a mean streak and has a great combination of length, speed and size and gives the Hawks a lot of options on defense.

Some outlets project him as a strongside linebacker in a 4-3 so if this is where the Hawks envision him it will be interesting to see where the Hawks see Aaron Curry playing down the line. Wright has the ability to rush the passer though as well so perhaps he's seen as a longer term replacement for Chris Clemons and free agent Raheem Brock.

Overall the pick makes sense. Our linebacking crew, though once a dominant force, has been reduced to shambles by injuries, trades, and free agency. Currently David Hawthorne, Lofa Tatupu, and Aaron Curry are the only game-ready linebackers so K.J. Wright fills a need and offers a versatile option for Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley.

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Dont know about Wright but Curry has been a bust thus far. He hasnt lived up to the #4 pick. I blame Ruskell but w/e. This is his make or break year. We should have taken Clay Mathews that draft instead of Curry

by clacrone on Apr 30, 2011 9:28 AM PDT reply actions

I respectfully dissagree with the Mathews comment

At 4 we should have taken Mark Sanchez. Clearly, Ruskell was never going to do that, but that is the problem with Ruskell. Conservative to a fault.

by diehard82 on Apr 30, 2011 9:44 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm still not convinced Sanchez is good

We could be pretty unhappy with either player.

by BrianL on Apr 30, 2011 9:53 AM PDT up reply actions 3 recs

I'm pretty sure he isn't

but I wonder if we could have traded down with a team that wanted him.

by The Ancient Mariner on Apr 30, 2011 9:58 AM PDT up reply actions

Remember- Curry was the surest thing in the draft

He almost didn’t fall to us at 4. He was suppose to be a monster and everybody said so; Hind-site is 20-20. just another one of Ruskell’s 1st rnd failures

yea dude

by dirtyktm on Apr 30, 2011 11:17 AM PDT up reply actions 2 recs

I'm really not talking about Curry one way or the other

In hindsight, I would have loved us to take B. J. Raji or Michael Crabtree in that order; I remember John Morgan being down on Raji at the time, and I know Crabtree had his detractors, and of course both ended up dropping into the second five picks. If, for the sake of argument, we were to say that both were too risky to take quite as high as #4, then the Curry pick makes sense — if you think that a 4-3 OLB can contribute enough value to justify a pick that high. The Broncos evidently do, but I remember JM disagreed, and I was and am right there with him on the point.

So then: either take Raji or Crabtree, or see if there are any teams that want to jump ahead of the Jets to take Sanchez, whom I really didn’t want. In retrospect, I wonder if there were, and what we might have gotten.

by The Ancient Mariner on Apr 30, 2011 1:36 PM PDT up reply actions

There's one every year. One or more of the "sure things"

will end up being just as average as Curry. I’ve got my money on Von Miller.

Offseason 2011: Kelly Jennings, Craig Terrill, and Matt Hasselbeck...good riddance.

by Wayward Llama on Apr 30, 2011 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Patrick Peterson is lost in off man coverage, and with his back to the ball.

I heard one pro scout say on his (anonymous) blog: “If Patrick Peterson comes to our division…..BOMBS AWAY!”

Von on the other hand…….is a savage.

Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.

by RolloTomasi on Apr 30, 2011 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions

Sanchez is the most overrated QB around.

Killer D is what make NYJ win….not pickles (sanchez)

Learn JiuJitsu, it's fun.

by RolloTomasi on Apr 30, 2011 12:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Killer D, solid run game, great receiving weapons

and a mediocre QB.

by Greetings from the Lord Humongous! on Apr 30, 2011 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions

Worked for the Ravens

for a while, anyway.

by The Ancient Mariner on Apr 30, 2011 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions

It's too early

to call Curry a bust. sack numbers don’t tell the whole story. KJ was brought in to compete and primarily for backup.

by genax on Apr 30, 2011 9:44 AM PDT reply actions

Excellent

Linebacker has sort of flown under the radar as far as team needs goes.

by BrianL on Apr 30, 2011 9:50 AM PDT reply actions

Yeah, Curry is not a bust yet.

Just a 4th overall pick who’s played like a 4th rounder is his first 2 years. His second year showing minimal improvement. Let’s give him 4 more years before we start throwing words like “bust” around.

To be fair, Curry has made an impact on Twitter.

by broadbill birdwatcher on Apr 30, 2011 9:59 AM PDT reply actions

If he only put as much time in becoming a better player

as he does playing on Twitter at home and screaming and hollering at the games.

Offseason 2011: Kelly Jennings, Craig Terrill, and Matt Hasselbeck...good riddance.

by Wayward Llama on Apr 30, 2011 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions

Could Curry play Leo?

by Flamefox111 on Apr 30, 2011 10:05 AM PDT reply actions

I've wondered that too

Similar sort of deal to moving Red, really: put him in a position where all he has to do is attack.

by The Ancient Mariner on Apr 30, 2011 1:37 PM PDT up reply actions

Ruskell really?

I am so tired of hearing people blame Ruskell for everything wrong with the Hawks. Give the guy some credit for being a large part of bringing us to our only Super Bowl ever and then 2 great years after that before injuries hit us at a record level. He was not perfect as no GM is but he was better than most. It was not his fault we traded for Whitehurst and traded away Sims and Wilson. Both Curry and Okung were the obvious picks at the time. On a final note we can thank Ruskell for Earl Thomas, a trade that few GMs would have made in his position of being in the final year of his contract.

Respect goes a long way....

by Mangolover on Apr 30, 2011 10:06 AM PDT reply actions

Yep Ruskell

lets see 1st rnd picks, Chriss Spencer, Kelly Jennings, Lawrence Jackson, Deon Branch (1st rnd trade), Aaron Curry, Franchises Josh Brown and lets Steve Hutchinson go to the Vikings and turns one of the best O-lines into one of the worst through attrition.
Yep Ruskell is in

yea dude

by dirtyktm on Apr 30, 2011 11:28 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

This completely ignores all the good moves and good draft choices Ruskell made.

by MT Olson on Apr 30, 2011 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions

All sorts of not fair in there.

Spencer has turned out quite good, and we didn’t really give Jackson a chance. Both C and DE are positions that traditionally take a couple of years to pan out.

Curry was, by most accounts, a very, very safe pick. He hasn’t busted yet.

He didn’t “let” Steve Hutchinson go to the Vikings, and if you think so, you really didn’t follow the story.

I’ll give you the Branch trade, and Jennings.

by djafrot on Apr 30, 2011 1:39 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs