RENTON — On Day 2, the Seattle Seahawks finally got their quarterback.
Seattle used its sixth-round pick on Mike Teel of Rutgers, who was considered by some scouts as a marginal draft prospect with the intangibles to make an NFL roster.
Teel was a three-year starter for the Scarlet Knights, who had the most successful run in school history under his leadership. He was 3-0 in bowl games while starting at Rutgers.
Teel turned down offers from several Big Ten and ACC schools to stay in his home state of New Jersey and attend Rutgers. He broke almost every passing record at the school and engineered a remarkable midseason turnaround as a senior.
After starting the 2008 season with a 1-5 record — along the way, Teel threw seven interceptions and was caught on camera taking a swing of frustration at a teammate during one loss — Rutgers won its final seven games behind 22 Teel touchdown passes.
“We all started playing better football, myself included,” Teel said during a conference call Sunday afternoon. “For whatever reason, in the second half of the year we got it going.”
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Teel visited the Seahawks earlier this spring, at which time he impressed Seattle’s coaches with his potential in the Seahawks’ offense.
“He really showed a lot of similar fundamentals to what we like in our offense,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Greg Knapp said.
Knapp was particularly impressed by the way Teel handled himself during the Scarlet Knights’ slow start, and he characterized the sideline incident with a Rutgers teammate as “nothing that made a concern for us.”
Knapp also noted that current Seahawks starter Matt Hasselbeck was once a sixth-round pick, just like Teel.
Teel, who is the first quarterback drafted by Seattle since David Greene was chosen in the third round of the 2005 draft, is likely to compete with Jeff Rowe for the No. 3 job this season.
The Seahawks considered taking a quarterback with their first-round pick, but opted to go with Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry instead of taking a shot on USC junior Mark Sanchez.
Teel was the second of five picks the Seahawks made on Sunday. The team selected Penn State wide receiver Deon Butler in Round 3, then added Rutgers safety Courtney Greene, Oregon defensive end Nick Reed and California tight end Cameron Morrah in the seventh round.
No regrets
Greene, the Rutgers safety who was selected in the seventh round, almost made himself eligible for the 2008 draft after a solid junior season with the Scarlet Knights. Greene decided to return to school and earn his degree, and the decision might have cost him in the long run.
Scouting reports said that Greene’s senior season was a letdown, and Greene himself said Sunday afternoon that he had been projected to go in the third round of the 2008 draft.
“I’m happy with the situation now,” Greene said. “There’s no complaints. I’m happy with my position.”
Spencer still the starter
Despite trading two draft picks to move back into the second round and draft a center Saturday night, the Seahawks are not necessarily pushing starter Chris Spencer out the door.
“Spencer’s still the center here,” Knapp said one day after the Seahawks selected Oregon center Max Unger with the 49th overall pick.
Knapp added that Unger will play both guard and tackle at the upcoming minicamp, which begins Friday.
Spencer, a fifth-year veteran, has struggled with injuries and inconsistency since being selected in the first round of the 2005 draft.
Seahawks add free agents
Seattle announced the signing of six undrafted free agents Sunday night.
Defensive end Michael Bennett (Texas A&M), linebacker Tony Fein (Mississippi), running back Devin Moore (Wyoming), linebacker Dave Philistin (Maryland), tackle Andre Ramsey (Ball State) and running back Tyler Roehl (North Dakota State) were added to the team after the conclusion of the seven-round draft.
Quick slants
Morrah was overcome with emotion after seeing his name on television Sunday afternoon. His grandmother is having health problems, and Morrah said he was excited to “give her the opportunity to watch me make it to this level.” … The Seahawks continued to get creative with their draft board Sunday, engineering another trade that involved future picks. Seattle sent next year’s third-round pick, along with fifth- and seventh-round picks in the 2009 draft, to acquire the Philadelphia Eagles’ third-round pick Sunday. The Seahawks used that pick to select Butler.
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