The past weekend cleared up plenty of questions about the 2011 NFL Draft, making it easier to start predicting what may happen in April. We know the Seattle Seahawks will pick 25th in the draft after a second round loss to the Chicago Bears. The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the draft has also passed, giving us a final list of prospects to work with. Instead of guessing which players are in or out, we now have a concrete list of players to work with.
With all the movement this weekend, lets take a look around at what’s out there on Monday morning.
CBS Sports’ Rob Rang: Red Bryant’s ACL injury exposed a lack of depth on the Seahawks’ defensive line, and Rang thinks the team will use the 25th pick to add another body to the mix. In his latest mock draft, Rang likes Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward at No. 25, believing he could bolster the Seahawks run defense.
DL Red Bryant, starring as a five-technique defensive end, helped the Seahawks emerge as one of the better run-defending teams in the NFL. Once he was lost to injury, however, Seattle’s run defense slipped appreciably. Don’t expect Seattle to rely on Bryant’s recovery from an ACL tear
CBS Sports Chad Reuter: Staying on the defensive line, Reuter went with a defensive tackle at No. 25. Cory Liuget, out of Illinois, impressed in the Illini’s bowl game and would give the Seahawks another big body to play alongside Brandon Mebane.
So far, almost every mock draft has had the Seahawks picking either a defensive lineman, quarterback or running back. It doesn’t appear that trend is about to change anytime soon, with each position appearing to be a need both now and in the future.
Stay tuned as we continue to try to figure out what the Seahawks may do when April’s NFL Draft rolls around. For more information, check out our 2011 NFL mock draft StoryStream.