With the 25th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected James Carpenter, an offensive tackle from Alabama. The pick comes out of nowhere, and Carpenter had been on anyone’s radar, as far as we can tell. He hadn’t been connected to the Seahawks at all in the various mock drafts around, nor did he seem to have a first round grade.
When the prevailing reaction is “who?” it’s not a good sign. According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Carpenter had a late second round grade and may be a project with upside. To be clear, it’s a reach, but he does fill a need along the offensive line. But with so many players with mid- to late-first round grades still around, one has to wonder what the Seahawks were thinking here.
We’ll be back with more on the pick as it becomes available and as soon as we figure out more about Carpenter.
We’ll be covering the latest news and rumors ahead of Thursday’s first round in our 2011 NFL Draft StoryStream. Stay with us throughout the day for more on the draft as it becomes available. Check out our 2011 NFL mock draft StoryStream and our Jake Locker StoryStream for even more predictions and projections.