Michael Crabtree: The Right Pick?

by: Michael Steffes

Seattle Times writer Steve Kelly thinks so. He has chimed in on the NFL Draft in his most recent opinion column, and he has a message for Tim Ruskell and the Seahawks: "Draft Michael Crabtree."

Kelly has some sound logic in this article. He says needs such as the secondary, linebacker, and pass rush can be addressed in later rounds. For the most part I agree with that, and I think that the Seahawks probably feel the same way. However, if they want to upgrade the pass rush they may want to use that high pick -- it's just how Ruskell operates, or at least it's how he has operated in the past. But Lawrence Jackson deserves another year, and that probably prevents another DE from being the top pick.

Kelly gives props to Aaron Curry, calling him the "one exception to the Crabtree rule," but that is where he starts to lose me. For me, drafting Crabtree is all about finding some explosiveness on an aging offense, and if the team is sure about him then I support the pick. But if the team isn't sold on Crabtree, it doesn't change that priority one should be to find an explosive player on offense. That is what the team needs, and as much as I love the TJ Houshmandzadeh signing he is neither really explosive nor young.

For those of you who listened to the podcast over the weekend, my pick for the Seahawks probably surprised you. But the reasoning behind it is what the reasoning behind the Crabtree pick should be. This offense badly needs a big play threat. Another offensive weapon is a must!

On top of that, the only way the Hawks can make the salary attached to the #4 pick not be a big issue is to find a player who produces from day one. A wide receiver coming from a far different offense than those run in the pros has a steep learning curve, or at least I believe that to be the case. I could be wrong, and if so, then the Hawks should take Crabtree. I thought they should take Crabtree for a long time.

If not, then they should look for the type of player that Crabtree represents: an offensive superstar. When Steve Kelly says that the Hawks should take him because they had receiver troubles last year and he dominated in college, that is simply not enough. We have seen plenty of guys dominate in college and then not produce in the NFL. The only reason the Hawks should take him is if they believe he is the real deal, because most of all they can't afford to miss on this one. END