Crabtree: The Real Deal?

by: Mike Parker

There's just under eight minutes left to go in the first half of the Cotton Bowl, and Michael Crabtree just hauled in another Graham Harrell pass for a touchdown to make the score 21-14, Texas Tech.

The more I see of Crabtree, the more I'm dismissing the notion that picking up an explosive WR in the first round would be a poor move for the Seahawks. I can't help but get relatively giddy imagining Crabtree zooming past Adrian Wilson and Nate Clements and catching Matt or Seneca's long bombs, while the 12th Man roars loud enough to drown out the planes over Qwest Field on final approach to SeaTac Airport.

Let's put it this way: this is an interesting draft class ahead, and the top ten projected picks are much more offensively-focused than last year's were. If Tim Ruskell decides to capitalize on that and pull Crabtree's name first, I wouldn't be disappointed.

For one thing, Crabtree has shown many times over the past few months that he can play through pain (which might be a huge factor in deciding to go for him, given how a few of our existing receivers have had a few problems with that. Just a few.). He can also make huge plays in clutch time, as the Longhorns found out earlier this year.

The offensive line in Seattle needs some re-tooling, there's no doubt about that. Walter Jones isn't getting any younger, and there are a good number of players on that side of the roster who haven't had more than a game or two of experience under their belts. But was the stellar o-line play in games such as against the Jets (zero sacks allowed) just a fluke, or is the ragtag group composed of Mansfield Wrotto, Ray Willis, Floyd Womack and Steve Vallos the real deal?

ESPN has Seattle taking LB Aaron Curry with their first pick, but I strongly disagree with that assertion. The linebacker corps here in Seattle is arguably the deepest in the NFC, which admittedly is a little harder to remember given the defense's lackluster season. Go ahead and disagree, but that unit is stacked with talent, even if Leroy Hill decides to explore the wide world of free agency.

The Cotton Bowl has further cemented my belief that Michael Crabtree could be just too damned good to pass up. His quickness from the line of scrimmage and uncanny ability to ditch DBs and make catches in coverage very well may make him the first Seahawk to be taken in April. -END-