The Seattle Seahawks were one of the clear winners of the 2010 NFL Draft. The orginization knew going into the draft that their two biggest weaknesses were the vital left tackle position, and the defensive backfield. Seattle was able to address those needs in the first round by selecting left tackle Russell Okung out of Oklahoma State with the 6th pick and Earl Thomas, the saftey out of Texas with the 14th pick. Both Okung and Thomas were the top rated available players at their respective positions and may be have been the top remaining overall players at the time they were picked. Okung is a great athlete with long arms and should solidify the left tackle position for the next decade, much like the man he is replacing, future hall of famer Walter Jones. Earl Thomas is a ballhawking saftey who also has the ability to play corner. Many have compared Thomas’ ball skills to Ravens saftey Ed Reed. If Thomas is anything like Reed, the Seahawks will be pleased.
In addition to their first two picks, the Seahawks were able to make other moves to improve their team over the weekend. In the 2nd round, the Seahwaks drafted Notre Dame reciever Golden Tate. Going into the draft, many thought Tate would be selected towards the end of the 1st round. The addition of Tate to an already solid group of wide recievers should help Seattle’s offense in a wide open NFC West. The final set of big moves by the Seahwaks over the weekend was the addition of two running backs through trade. First, the Seahwaks acquired Lendale White from the Titans. The acquisiton of White reunites him with his old college coach, Pete Carrol. In addition to White, the Seahawks also added speedy running back Leon Washington from the New York Jets. Washington is coming off of a major knee injury, but when fully healthy, can be a gamebreaker for the Seahawks.
by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network
