John Morgan of SB Nation’s FieldGulls.com has weighed in on the Seattle Seahawks Josh Wilson trade and he’s added a strong voice to the litany (here, here and here) expressing disapproval.
Josh Wilson was my second favorite Seahawk, for whatever that’s worth. He is an excellent nickelback, a sound and sometimes punishing open field tackler (Wilson forced three fumbles in 2008) that has shown improving cover skills. His tools, minus his height, are off the charts. He ran a legitimate 4.39 forty at the 2007 NFL Combine. That showing bests all defensive backs in the 2010 class. Every single one of them. 58 of the very best talents in college football, inclluding Eric Berry, Earl Thomas and Taylor Mays, and not one ran a faster forty than Wilson. He also flashed a 36.5 inch vertical, popped 20 reps on the bench and scored a 29 on the Wonderlic.
Seattle just turned what every team hopes a second-round pick can become into a fifth-round pick. The Seahawks secondary is young and deep. The recovery of Walter Thurmond and emergence of Roy Lewis means Seattle is dealing from a position of strength. That, Wilson’s looming contract, and a narrow commitment to “building through the draft” is the justification for this move. A realistic evaluation of Wilson’s talent and the true value of a fifth-round pick is the damning reality.
Seattle is worse today than it was yesterday. Much worse.
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