One of the things that you see during 'draft season' are the multitude of mock drafts coming from every direction. Some people don't care about mock drafts so if that's you just go ahead and stop reading. For those of you that do enjoy them, I wanted to point out a couple things.
First off, Rob Staton of Seahawks Draft Blog, Brandon Adams of 17Power, and I will be representing the Seahawks in a twitter based Mock Draft that will include trades so it should be an interesting process. It'll be called Mock3 and if you're on twitter I'll give you some instructions on how to follow it when it starts on the 18th. Rob, Brandon and I will do our best to rep the 12th and pick up some really great players, and it should be a lot of fun.
Along those lines, I saw a pretty interesting mock done by the people over at Mocking the Draft. It was a SB Nation community draft where each team was represented by superfans for each team. I'm not entirely sure who represented the Hawks in this one but they made some pretty good selections, as far as I'm concerned. Not all of the Hawks' needs were addressed, but they were able to snag some pretty good players. Here's a snapshot of who the Hawks took (I think... it was a little bit confusing), but check out the story for more mock draft craziness.
Round 1: CB Jimmy Smith, Colorado
Round 2: LB Mason Foster, Washington
Round 4: WR Edmund Gates, Abilene Christian
Round 5: QB/WR Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech
Round 5: OL James Brewer, Indiana
Round 6: OG Julian Vandervelde, Iowa
Round 6: WR Terrance Tolliver, LSU
Round 7: OG Carl Johnson, OG Florida
Round 7: WR DeAndre Brown, Southern Miss
Round 7: DE Justin Trattou DE Florida
Overall I like the picks and just for fun I'll sort of grade it out (not that it matters but it's good discussion fodder) - I would have liked to see a defensive tackle or two in there but they got a really great corner in Jimmy Smith, a linebacker that I think has a very bright future in Mason Foster, and a couple of good offensive linemen prospects.
Edmund Gates is a speedster project receiver- he's got the speed to be a deep threat, but will need to improve on tracking the ball to have success in the NFL.
Tyrod Taylor has a good chance to be an effective wide receiver in the NFL - but he's been saying he's a QB or nothing. Though it doesn't seem likely, he's got the athleticism for it. Teams worry about his height but if he can make the throws that's all that matters. It's a good developmental pick on a guy that will work his ass off to prove everyone wrong.
Update: Rounds 1 and 5-7 were autopicked by the draft organizers so they should be left out of the critique. The Hawks would not draft 4WRs this year, or any year. So just ignore the latter rounds.
James Brewer is an offensive tackle project that displayed good skills in pass protection but wasn't as adept in run blocking or aggressiveness. He has a lot of upside though so it's a solid pick in the 5th round. Vandervelde is a good guard prospect and another workhorse type guy that would provide depth.
The Terrance Tolliver pick is a pick that I really like. He's a big (6'4) receiver with good hands, agility and body control. He's a project in some ways because his numbers in college weren't awe inspiring despite his potential, he's got a big upside and could turn into a very good redzone threat at a low cost in the 6th round.
OG Carl Johnson is another good pick, as he's a versatile, tough player that's projected to have some success as an interior lineman. Grabbing Johnson in the 7th round is a great value. Finally, I like the DeAndre Brown pick as well - he's a 6'5, 240 lb receiver that had a lot of success early in his college career but then has suffered several leg injuries that has led to his stock to falling precipitously. He's a good flyer pick though, considering his size and proven ability to win jump ball passes when healthy.
Overall, like I said, I don't hate any of the picks, but would have liked to see a defensive tackle or two taken somewhere in there. Despite that, I'd still grade this draft favorably on first inspection as they addressed some really big needs for the Hawks in CB and OL - and managed to pick up a really good linebacker in Mason Foster.