I'm about as big of a fan of mock drafts as the next guy. That is to say, I recognize that are just educated guesses, most of the time, and the sheer number of variables involved makes them very, very inaccurate, typically. I also recognize they're a useful tool or exercise and help any fan or analyst better understand his team's needs and holes, its strategy and priority for different player positions.
As a Seahawks fan, I've been monitoring the various mock drafts going up. Generally speaking, the consensus for the Seahawks has been, well, not a consensus. A lot of mock drafts have the Seahawks taking a defensive end, most often Courtney Upshaw or Melvin Ingram. Some have them taking an offensive guard, almost always David DeCastro, while some have them taking a receiver -- Michael Floyd being a popular choice -- and some have them taking a middle linebacker, typically Luke Kuechly. Some mocks have the Seahawks taking a quarterback, and some have them taking a defensive tackle. I've seen several that have them taking Trent Richardson at No. 12. That's the beauty of mock drafts and just the NFL Draft in general -- apart from the top two picks, it's anybody's guess as to who will go where.
Despite the level of guesswork that goes into these things, I appreciate the experts' picks, especially when they're well-researched. They're great conversation starters, and typically these writers and analysts have a better idea than the average Joe what each specific team has for needs and where they might be leaning. We here at SB Nation are taking that thought and going a little further with it. Using writers from our network of team blogs, we'll have each blog represent its team as a GM -- and use intimate knowledge of the roster, depth chart, philosophy and history of their respective front offices, and hopefully, in some cases, some inside information to make their choices in the now ongoing SB Nation Writer's Mock Draft.
Check out the picks at SBNation.com and at Mocking the Draft. There will be three picks a day and it should be fun and hopefully pretty informative.