It was only a matter of time before a 2011 NFL mock draft took the logical leap and connected Jake Locker to the Seattle Seahawks. Hometown kid? Check. Outstanding athlete? Check. Quarterback, fitting the Seahawks needs? Check. It’s likely Locker, barring a meteoric rise in his draft stock, will be available when the Seahawks pick in the late first round, giving Pete Carroll some interesting options.
Let’s take a look at few of the mock drafts floating around so far.
CBS Sports’ Rob Rang made the Locker to Seattle jump. With the Seahawks quarterback situation in flux, why not the hometown kid?
With a run on quarterbacks early, the Seahawks may find one still on the board here or simply focus their attention on weak offensive and defensive lines should the top passers be gone. Locker’s inefficiency despite four starting seasons makes him quite the polarizing figure among scouts
Sports Agent Blog went a completely different route with the Seahawks pick, instead going with a defensive tackle. Seattle’s run defense has been atrocious, and the need is surely there. That need, according to the blog, could be filled by Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.
If the Seahawks can grab Marcell Dareus with the 21st pick, that would be a steal. It’s evident that the ‘Hawks need front-four help and Dareus is as good as they come. The guy is simply un-blockable. He possesses all the tools needed for an elite NFL defensive tackle.
A defensive tackle at 21 would mean the Seahawks are heading a different route at the quarterback spot, either staying with Charlie Whitehurst, drafting a mid-round project or finding a quarterback in free agency.
With plenty of decisions to make and three months of evaluation time, there will be plenty of movement ahead of the draft. Expect the Locker to Seattle rumblings to increase as we inch closer.