KIRKLAND – When Al Davis officially tabs JaMarcus Russell as his franchise’s quarterback of the future sometime this morning, Tim Ruskell’s only decision will be bacon or sausage.
While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are deciding how much is too much to give up for the rights to Calvin Johnson, Ruskell may well be wavering between orange juice or coffee.
And when the New England Patriots come on the clock for the 24th overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft sometime this afternoon – a selection that the Patriots obtained from the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver Deion Branch – Ruskell should be just about ready for lunch.
So how does a team’s top personnel guy spend draft day when his franchise has no first-round pick? The Seahawks’ team president answered in one word.
“Eat,” Ruskell quipped when that question was posed to him last week.
Ruskell, the Seahawks and their fans will have to exercise a lot of patience today, when they watch the first six or seven hours of the draft unfold without them. Every other team has a first-round pick, and most of them have another in Round 2 before Seattle’s turn comes up at No. 55 overall.
Thanks to the September trade that sent Branch to Seattle in exchange for a first-round pick, the Seahawks won’t make their first selection until well into the second round. If recent drafts are any indication, that means it will be almost 5 p.m. before the Seahawks are on the clock.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that Ruskell, despite his sense of humor, will be in the buffet line all day long.
“You pay attention to it,” he said of the annual draft coverage. “This is what you do. This is our Super Bowl. You have to be primed and ready, and our guys are. We love this.”
In a sense, Ruskell and his personnel staff had even more preparation this time around. Whereas past drafts forced the team to figure out what 20-something teams would do before Seattle’s pick, this year’s edition means the Seahawks have to mock the first 54 selections to see who might be available.
“There’s not as many people talking about them, not as much information out there,” Ruskell said of the candidates for No. 55 overall. “It’s your own digging.”
The 2007 Seahawks are hardly the first team to go into a draft without a No. 1 pick. Two other times in franchise history, Seattle was in a similar circumstance (leading to second-round selections of running back Owen Gill in 1985 and wide receiver Brian Blades in 1988).
Three teams had no first-round pick last year. Chicago, which traded out of Round 1 to gain additional picks, added starting safety Danieal Manning and Pro Bowl return man Devin Hester in the second round.
Atlanta also traded out of the first round and eventually took Virginia Tech cornerback Jimmy Williams, a troubled cornerback whom many people tabbed as a sure-fire first-round pick.
The Washington Redskins gave up their 2006 first-round pick in a draft-day trade with Denver the previous year, which helped them select quarterback Jason Campbell in 2005. With the 35th overall selection last year, Washington got linebacker Rocky McIntosh, who played mostly on special teams as a rookie.
The Redskins have an interesting history of trading out of the first round, including one six-year span in the late 1980s when the team did not a single pick before Round 2. During that span, Washington had seven second-round picks, but the only one who made much of an impact was kicker Chip Lohmiller.
The Seahawks, who go into today’s draft as the only team without a first-round pick, would love to be able to participate. But they’re excited to have Branch and believe there are plenty of quality prospects available in Round 2.
While there will be a few big names still available – Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith and injured Louisville running back Michael Bush are expected to still be on the board – Seattle is more likely to take a player that warrants little name recognition.
NFLDraftscout.com predicts the Seahawks use the No. 55 overall pick on Cal cornerback Daymeion Hughes. The Sporting News goes with Florida defensive tackle Marcus Thomas. Pro Football Weekly predicts the Seahawks will take Georgia defensive end Charles Johnson. Texas offensive lineman Justin Blalock, Cal defensive tackle Brandon Mebane, Boston College guard Josh Beekman and North Carolina State defensive tackle Tank Tyler have also been mentioned.
Other names to remember include Fresno State cornerback Marcus McCauley, Ohio State receiver Anthony Gonzalez, Texas defensive end Tim Crowder, Auburn guard Ben Grubbs and Arizona State tight end Zach Miller.
And keep an eye on Washington State wide receiver Jason Hill, who may have worked his way into the second round after an impressive performance at the NFL Combine.
Whoever the Seahawks draft, he won’t come in with quite the splash of some recent first-round picks. With a shortage of big names, and plenty of time to wait, Seattle fans might be wise to spend the afternoon at Hometown Buffet.
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