Aaron Curry: Draft's Best Prospect, Not a Top 10 Rookie?

I would not say I was surprised to see a very laughable report done by NFL.com senior writer Vic Carlucci. The report was his prediction of the rookies who will make the most impact in the upcoming 2009 season.

The No. 1 on his list was DE Robert Ayers, who was selected with the 18th pick by the Denver Broncos. If I were a Broncos fan, this guy would remind me of how the Broncos blew their chance at getting DE Brian Orakpo.

Fair, highly improbable, but fair, considering almost anything would be an upgrade on Denver’s 30th-ranked defense last year (29th in yards, 28th in passing, 27th in rushing).

(Disclaimer, I am not a hater, Broncos fans, just merely pointing out the facts.)

Two second rounders also made the list, Miami QB Pat White, and Bengal’s LB Rey Maualuga.

The Dolphins already have QB Chad Pennington, who led the turn-around from 1-15 in 2007 to an 11-5 record, and the AFC East title.

The Bengals may not even start Maualuga, as they already have LBs Keith Rivers (former teammate), Dhani Jones, Rashad Jeanty, and Brandon Johnson, who can all vie for a starting job.

Three WRs made the list. Now, it is not impossible, but mostly improbable, that WRs will break out in their first season.

It is a trend that has been reoccurring of late—WR's usually hit their stride about two to four years in.

We saw it with Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald. He went from good WR to best in the game in a matter of a few years.

I would say the only WR who can make a true impact in 2009 would be San Francisco 49ers WR Michael Crabtree, or possibly Jeremy Maclin of the Philadelphia Eagles. Depends on how their teams decide to use them, what they show in training camp, and how often they end up playing.

As is common with the East Coast bias, I noticed a name that was missing that wouldn't have been if a team like the Jets had drafted him.

That would be new Seattle Seahawks LB Aaron Curry.

I hear all this ranting and raving about this guy for two months. He is heralded as the draft's top prospect, the “safest” pick in the class of 2009. Draft pundits could see him plausibly going No. 1 overall to the Detroit Lions.

When Kansas City picked DE Tyson Jackson, Seattle officials must have been doing back flips, locking up their future at LB, and forming the league's best LB trio.

Getting the top prospect four picks into the draft seems like it should be a steal, just from a common sense standpoint. On top of that, the Seahawks even managed to dupe Denver into coughing up their 2010 first round pick (Sam Bradford, anyone?).

Not only is Curry going into the best possible situation for him, he is taking over for former Seahawks LB Julian Peterson, who had racked up 25 sacks in his three seasons with Seattle. Even with an off year in 2008, Peterson still managed to average 8.3 sacks per season.

During minicamps, he has shown the Seahawks the ability to rush the passer, the one thing scouts were knocking him on. 

I think inheriting that sort of production would warrant some potential kudos for the draft's top rated prospect.

This is an all-too-common phenomenon I referred to earlier, known as the "East Coast Bias."

Even though we are more relaxed, friendly, and literate than some respective East Coast cities, we often get ignored by the media (despite being a top 10 market).

Seattle went on a five-year playoff run, becoming the NFC’s most dominant team in that span, posting a 51-29 record.

Even after the 2008 season, are one of the NFC's elite by record. Yet, most had us losing in the first round each year we made it, except in 2005.

San Diego got robbed by Denver and still won the AFC West and a playoff game. After falling to Pittsburgh this postseason, they got shrugged off.

Compare this to the New England Patriots, their QB gets hurt, and everyone is in absolute hysteria. They miss the playoffs—hysteria. They only have three titles this decade, and also reside in the same town as the Red Sox, and Celtics—cry about it.

When Seattle misses the playoffs with a 4-12 record, due to 158 starters out with injury, we are tossed among the league's trash after being the NFC’s best team.

So, when the Seattle Seahawks select the top prospect in the 2009 NFL Draft, the draft's “safest” prospect—a player who is inheriting a gold mine of production—it is no wonder that two second round, potential backups, would make a top 10 impact list, instead of said player.

It’s ironic how the last six Defensive Rookie of the Year's have been linebackers. A linebacker does not even appear until ninth on this list, and is the fourth defensive player listed (Rey Maualuga).

I’m going to let recent precedent speak for itself. Because Curry is playing in that small Alaskan town close to the Bridge To Nowhere, he will be an afterthought.

Because the past six Defensive Rookies of the Year have been LB’s, Curry will easily be in contention.

When he does win, the achievement will go largely unnoticed.

For as forgotten as Seattle is, people seem to forget the phrases, Boeing, Starbucks, Grunge, Amazon, WAMU, Nordstrom, Costco, Nintendo, Weyhauser, T Mobile, Eddie Bauer, Oh Boy Oberto, Windermere, Mike's Hard Lemonade, oh yeah, and Microsoft (helping many of you to read this).

Most people could not carry out their weekly, maybe even daily functions, without using products that Seattle has created and originated.

It’s no wonder that when Seattle grabs the draft's best prospect, he would not even be 10th in a top-10 rookie list.