The Seahawks have clinched a playoff spot and have a slim chance of winning the NFC West.
They have a fantastic rookie QB in Russell Wilson, who was drafted in the third round and very well might win Offensive Rookie of the Year ahead of the No. 1 and and No. 2 picks in the whole draft.
They have a budding pass rushing star in Bruce Irvin, who was drafted in the first round and currently leads all rookies in sacks with eight.
They have an excellent rookie MLB in Bobby Wagner, who was drafted in the second round and leads the team in tackles and might get consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Overall, seven of the Seahawks 2012 draft picks have seen considerable playing time this year. By any measure, it was a GREAT draft for the Seahawks. And that’s what makes some of these “expert” draft grades so funny. (Note: Thanks to Geordie Romer for a tweet that inspired this post.)
Gave Seattle an “F” grade. Drafting Wilson was “by far the worst move of the draft.” Drafting Wilson and Irvin were “the two worst moves of the draft.”
Gave an “D-” grade overall. Says Russell Wilson will “be lucky to be Seneca Wallace” and the Seahawks “are no closer to solving the QB situation now than they were before 2011.”
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports (Round 1 grades and Round 3 grades)
Overall, he gives Seattle a “C+” grade. He calls Wilson a “strange pick.” Says Melvin Ingram, who was picked by San Diego at No. 18 and has one sack in 15 games so far this season, would’ve been a better pick.
Gave Seahawks a “D” grade overall. Called Irvin a “grab.” Says Seahawks “messed up” by drafting Wilson. Says those two picks were “just bad.”
Seahawks get a “C” grade overall for their “blah” draft. Seahawks were “bonkers” for picking Irvin. Says that Wilson “has a bright future, even if Seattle didn’t really need him.”
Overall grade is a “D.” He says the Seahawks drafted “defensive head-scratchers.”
Dalton Johnson, Bleacher Report
Gave the Seahawks a “C-” grade. Says the Seahawks draft was “full of reaches,” including all three top picks — Irvin, Wagner (or “Wager”) and Wilson.
You might be wondering what Mel Kiper — ESPN draft guru — had to say. His full grades are “insider” content on ESPN.com, but this Mike Sando recap says that the ESPN crew gave Seattle a “C-” grade — tied for the lowest of all 32 teams — and that Kiper said he had “huge questions” about the Hawks draft.
To be fair, some of the writers above admit that it’s best to wait a couple years before really grading a draft, but that sure didn’t stop them from making some ridiculously wrong immediate reactions to what the Seahawks did.
Who Got It Right (or Close to Right)?
John Czarnecki did a pretty good job on Fox Sports. He called the picks “one shocker after another” but gave the Seahawks a “B” grade. He had good things to say about both the Wilson and Irvin picks.
On NFL.com, Chad Reuter only gave the Seahawks a “C+” grade, but didn’t completely dismiss the Wilson pick (he’s a “reliable reserve.” Heh.) and praised the Bobby Wagner pick.
Moral of the Story
NFL “experts” sometimes don’t have a clue what they’re talking about. And sometimes, the guys in an NFL team’s front office have a better idea about which college players are good draft picks and which one’s aren’t.
#GOHAWKS
Last Sunday, two teams from a lousy division played a game for the right to be in the NFL Playoffs. The Seahawks beat St. Louis and, despite their 7-9 record, they’re now the NFC West champs and part of the 12-team playoff tournament. Their reward is a game against the defending Super Bowl champs.