With the first three rounds of the 2011 NFL Draft, we can start to hand out grades and break down just how the Seattle Seahawks draft is shaking up. With the Seahawks, we don't have a full slate of material to analyze, thanks to a shortage of draft picks that left Pete Carroll with only two players picked over the first two days. He was, however, able to trade down, picking up an extra pick in the process on Friday, but some of the moves Seattle has made so far has many scratching their heads.
Here are the early grades, broken down by pick.
Round one, pick No. 25: Seattle Seahawks draft James Carpenter
If we are to take Carroll at his word, Carpenter was the highest rated player on the board and the Seahawks were thrilled to have him. Carpenter addresses an immediate need for Seattle and will slide-in on the offensive line immediately. He will, however, be changing positions, moving from left tackle to right tackle once he takes the field with the Seahawks. But let's be clear: This was a reach and, in all likelihood, Carpenter would've been around in the second round. When attempts to trade down failed, the Seahawks were stuck at No. 25 and forced to take Carpenter in an effort to address the need along the offensive line.
Grade: C-
Round two, pick No. 57: Seattle Seahawks trade 2nd, 5th and 7th round picks to Detroit Lions for 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th round picks.
A solid trade netted the Seahawks an extra pick and only cost them a few spots. Moving out of the 3rd round allowed Seattle to move up in the 5th and 7th, as well as into the 4th round. We can't complain here as Seattle had been looking to move all along, and the only option was going backwards. The extra pick is an added bonus as Seattle came into the draft short on picks anyway.
Grade: B+ because it's not too substantial, but still solid
Round three, pick No. 11 (via Detroit): Seattle Seahawks select John Moffitt
Two picks, two offensive lineman. Is it clear where Pete Carroll felt the biggest upgrade was needed right away? We know the Seahawks need help on the line, especially in the run blocking department, and they addressed it with their first two picks. But Moffitt, a versatile interior lineman out of Wisconsin, isn't exactly a world-beater and wasn't graded that highly by many. In fact, he may have been around in the fourth round, making this a bit of a reach.
Grade: C-
Overall thus far: C, with only the trade redeeming the draft. There is a plan here and the Seahawks are addressing needs, but there are also many more needs outside of the offensive line. How Carroll handles the last four rounds will say a lot about the plan and what, exactly, he's trying to do.
Stay with our NFL Draft grades StoryStream for more grades from around the web. We'll be covering the latest news and rumors throughout the entire process in our 2011 NFL Draft StoryStream. Check out our 2011 NFL mock draft StoryStream for even more predictions and projections.