KIRKLAND – Sometime around his junior year in high school, Marcus Tubbs realized that his dreams of playing in the NBA might be a bit far-fetched.
“There aren’t many 6-foot-5 forwards in the NBA,” he said, “so I had to put my attention somewhere else.”
The 240-pounder looked toward another sport. He went out for the football team as a senior and gradually added enough weight to play on the defensive line. By the end of that year, Tubbs was offered a scholarship to play football at the University of Texas.
“I knew maybe I had a future in football,” Tubbs said. “I wasn’t sure how far I could take it. … I knew there was something out there for me in football.”
Tubbs became the future of Seattle Seahawks football on Saturday, when he was taken with the team’s first-round draft choice. Now 324 pounds, and listed at 6-foot-4, Tubbs gives the Seahawks a big, athletic body inside.
“He is a very strong guy who is very athletic,” coach Mike Holmgren said. “I think it will be a great fit for us.”
Although his decision to concentrate on football will eventually lead to NFL riches, Tubbs hasn’t totally given up on basketball. He still plays pickup ball, putting the “power” into the power forward position.
Tubbs said he likes to take the ball to the basket – no matter who is standing in his way.
“I might get (called for a) charge,” he said, “but you’re going to pay worse than I am.”
No debate needed: Seattle’s selection of Tubbs came after the least active first round the Seahawks have had in years. Last year, they were part of a whirlwind in which four teams rushed to the podium at once before Seattle came away with Marcus Trufant at No. 11 overall.
In the previous two drafts, the Seahawks traded down in the first round. They moved from seventh to ninth in 2001, selecting receiver Koren Robinson, and from 20th to 28th in 2002, when they took tight end Jerramy Stevens.
The Seahawks entertained trade offers when the No. 23 pick came up Saturday, but they never planned on passing up Tubbs.
“We were getting a lot of phone calls,” general manager Bob Ferguson said. “All of Mike’s (coaching) buddies were calling him, to see what he was going to do.”
The Seahawks used all 15 minutes of their allotted time before making the pick, but it wasn’t because they were debating what to do.
“We had Marcus on the telephone at about the 8-minute mark,” Holmgren said. “But the due diligence is that you wait a little, just to see if someone is going to phone you with something crazy.”
Sibling adjustment: Seattle’s second-round pick, Michael Boulware, might be trying to change positions, but he won’t have to look far for advice.
While Boulware is trying to go from outside linebacker to safety, his older brother made the successful transition from defensive end to linebacker.
Like Michael, Peter Boulware attended Florida State University, where he broke a school record with 19 sacks in one season. The elder Boulware (6-foot-4, 255 pounds) was considered too small to play defensive line in the NFL, so he converted to outside linebacker.
In the Baltimore Ravens’ 3-4 scheme, Boulware has become a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker.
He believes that his younger brother can have similar success at safety.
“Michael is such an athlete, he can adjust to play whatever a team wants him to play,” Peter Boulware said.
Michael Boulware (6-2, 223 pounds) led the Seminoles with 111 tackles last season.
“Learning the plays will be a little bit harder at a different position,” said Michael Boulware, who is seven years younger than Peter. “I think I will be able to pick it up pretty fast because I just love the game.”
Hole in the middle: While the Seahawks filled defensive needs with their first two picks Saturday, they are still looking for help at middle linebacker.
Ferguson said there are legitimate candidates still available through the draft, while a veteran or two might become available in the coming months.
“We knew last year that we were going to get a middle linebacker somewhere down the road,” Ferguson said, referring to the June signing of eventual starter Randall Godfrey. “For that position, there are going to be others. The draft always creates (veteran players who get released).”
Quick slants: The Seahawks went for good bloodlines in the first two rounds of the draft. In addition to Boulware’s brother, Tubbs has a cousin who played in the NFL. Linebacker Winfred Tubbs went to the Pro Bowl following the 1999 season. … Third-round pick Sean Locklear, an offensive lineman, played with Seahawks receiver Koren Robinson at North Carolina State. … The selection of Boulware marks four consecutive years in which Seattle has drafted a safety. … The Seahawks have four more selections today: Nos. 116, 157, 189 and 224.
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