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Danny O'Neil covers the Seahawks for The Seattle Times.

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April 20, 2009 10:49 AM

Pick six?

So picking fourth overall in the draft can't be all that complicated, right? I mean, it's not like you're picking 25th and trying to anticipate all those players who might be available or could be gone.

You pick fourth, you can pick the four players you want most, arrange them in order of preference and enter Saturday's draft knowing you're going to get one of those players. As far as procedures go, it doesn't seem all that more complicated than shampoo instructions: Lather, rinse, repeat.

One big difference, though. You don't spend $10 million a year on any bottle of shampoo, you don't have to wonder how that bottle of shampoo is going to react to having $10 million a year and you don't have to wonder just where your new bottle of shampoo is going to fit in with similarly expensive bottles of shampoo.

And that whole stupid shampoo metaphor is just a way of saying that there's a lot to consider with that fourth pick, which makes it a harder decision in a lot of ways. Here's a link to today's story explaining just that without the burden of the shampoo metaphor.

The story also included a preview of six players generally considered the top prospects available with a Devil's Advocate-style argument of why the Seahawks might consider taking him and why they wouldn't. I'm going to cut and paste that here, and include video highlights for each player. The video highlights are something that have been provided for us by AthletixNation, and we'll be using them throughout the week.


1. QB Matt Stafford, Georgia
WHY SEATTLE COULD PICK HIM: He throws with the zip of someone like Jay Cutler, and Stafford will have one of the strongest arms in the NFL the moment he steps in the league. WHY SEATTLE WOULDN'T: Seattle still has that Matt Hasselbeck guy who took them to a Super Bowl. Besides, Stafford likely goes No. 1 to the Lions.

2. OT Jason Smith, Baylor
WHY SEATTLE COULD PICK HIM: Considered the best left tackle in the draft. Athletic enough he played tight end as a freshman, then moved to tackle as a sophomore and immediately became the starter. WHY SEATTLE WOULDN'T: Smith probably won't get past St. Louis with the second pick, besides, president Tim Ruskell isn't generally inclined to target offensive linemen early in the first round of the draft.
3. OT Eugene Monroe, Virginia
WHY SEATTLE COULD PICK HIM: Walter Jones is 35 and underwent offseason knee surgery. The Seahawks expect Jones back for training camp, but picking Monroe would provide a left tackle of the future. WHY SEATTLE WOULDN'T: The Seahawks thought they already found a left tackle beyond Jones. That was the idea when they re-signed Sean Locklea in 2008. Then there's Ray Willis - re-signed this year. Where - and when - would Monroe get on the field?

4. LB Aaron Curry, Wake Forest
WHY SEATTLE COULD PICK HIM: He is considered one of the best linebackers available in the draft this millennium, and the trade of Julian Peterson opens a starting spot Curry could compete for. WHY SEATTLE WOULDN'T: Linebackers rarely get picked this high. Only one has been chosen in the top five going back to 2001: A.J. Hawk to Green Bay in 2006, and he hasn't fulfilled all those expectations.

5. QB Mark Sanchez, USC
WHY SEATTLE COULD PICK HIM: Hasselbeck missed nine games with a back injury last season. Just how safe does Seattle feel that he'll be healthy in the long-term? Sanchez is a charismatic leader from college program that runs a pro-style offense. WHY SEATTLE WOULDN'T: Sanchez started 16 games in college and choosing him would start the clock ticking on Hasselbeck's time with the Seahawks. Because of the size of the contract for Sanchez, it would create a very difficult situation should Hasselbeck return to his Pro Bowl form in 2009.

6. WR Michael Crabtree, Texas Tech
WHY SEATTLE COULD PICK HIM: Back in January, he was considered the best prospect in the draft. He was named the top receiver in college each of the past two years and so athletic Bobby Knight recruited him to play basketball at Texas Tech. WHY SEATTLE WOULDN'T: He played in a spread offense that makes it tough to accept his statistics at face value. He's also 2 inches shorter than advertised in college and was diagnosed with a stress fracture that required surgery and kept him from running the 40-yard dash for NFL teams before the draft.