Who Is the Safest Pick?

by: Michael Steffes

As only Mike Sando can do, he has done some serious in depth analysis on what positions coming out of the first round make the safest picks. He has used the Scouts Inc rankings to list all the first rounders since the year 2000 under exceeding, meeting, or falling below expectations.

At the top of his list are guard and center, with linebacker only slightly behind. Tight end is fourth. The good news is that the Hawks could use any of those positions. The bad news is that there really are no first round guard, center, or tight end prospects this year.

Linebacker would be an interesting choice. I have chronicled the Seahawks under recognized need for a linebacker on this blog. However, what I find impressive is the defensive tackles. While the rate of under performers is higher, more than a third of the DT's outperformed expectations. Also, his analysis verifies what I said earlier, first round wide receiver is by far the most risky of all picks. END