2011 NFL Draft: Which Quarterback Will the Seattle Seahawks Pick?

The 2011 NFL draft is fast approaching and the general consensus is that the Seattle Seahawks are looking for a quarterback.

Currently, they only have Charlie Whitehurst under contract, as they were unable to re-sign starter Matt Hasselbeck before the lockout hit. It seems they still wish to have Hasselbeck under center in 2011, but at 35 years old he is not the long-term answer.

They need to get a young quarterback to take over for Matt Hasselbeck.

This year's quarterback class will not confuse anyone with the great class of 1984, as each of the top guys have some sort of baggage and are at best "projects."

Despite that, Seattle has to find their future leader.

Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton are the unanimous top two guys in this year's draft. Both are projected to be selected at the top of the draft, before the Seahawks get their chance.

Barring any drastic trade up by the Seahawks, they won't be in the Gabbert or Newton sweepstakes.  But what about the next five guys?

Chances are there will be a quality quarterback available at No. 25 and into the second round.

Which of these guys stands the best chance to end up with a beak on his helmet next year?

Ryan Mallett: Arkansas

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BATON ROUGE, LA - NOVEMBER 28: Quarterback Ryan Mallett #15 of the Arkansas Razorbacks talks with his team during a time out against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium on November 28, 2009 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Tigers defeated the Razorbacks 33-30

Mallet is big and possesses a rocket arm. He looked good firing the ball at the scouting combine and passes the eye test as a big-time quarterback. 

There are a lot of questions swirling around concerning his character, work ethic and leadership that has him free-falling down many draft boards.

If Seattle were to take him, it would be in the later rounds. Mallet looks like a likely third-rounder and Seattle does not have a pick in that round, making it seem unlikely he will be wearing Seahawk blue this fall.

Seattle does have a fourth-round pick, but with the other needs Seattle has, they would be better adding depth elsewhere by the time that round comes along.

On top of that, there is some concern about him being a good fit for Seattle. Traditionally, west coast quarterbacks are not asked to hurl bomb after bomb down the field. 

Can Mallet make the consistent throws needed for Seattle's system?

The likelihood of Mallet ending up in Seattle are rather slim.

Christian Ponder: Florida State

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RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 28: Christian Ponder #7 of the Florida State Seminoles celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 28, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo

Ponder threw for 6,872 yards and 49 touchdowns while at Florida State. Like Locker, there is wild speculation about where he’ll end up being drafted.

What Ponder has going for him is his accuracy. He is a deadly-accurate passer which would fair well in the system Seattle wants to run on offense. 

He also played in an offense that used a lot of pro verbiage and looks, which might give him a leg up on the other quarterbacks in the draft.

Like the other guys on this list, there are concerns.

Most notably is his arm strength. Ponder suffered a grade three separated shoulder and an elbow injury on his throwing arm in college. Because of this, his arm strength has suffered.

Does he have an NFL arm? It seems scouts disagree with each other on this aspect as well. 

Some are saying that  while he may lack a Brett Favre-type cannon, he has enough zip on the throw to make it in the NFL. That, along with his great accuracy and anticipation on throws, lead many to believe that he will do just fine.

If the Seahawks are enamored enough with the fit Ponder, there might be an outside chance that they reach for him at 25, but most likely he will be a second-round pick.

Would Ponder be available at 52?

Most likely not. There are a number of teams in the quarterback market and they all pick before Seattle in both the first and second round. If teams like, Arizona or Minnesota don’t pick a quarterback in the first round, they most likely will in the second.

Seattle always has the chance of trading down to the high second round to select Ponder. If they like Ponder that would be the best way to ensure drafting him in the right spot.

Colin Kaepernick: Nevada

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LAS VEGAS - OCTOBER 02: Quarterback Colin Kaepernick #10 of the Nevada Reno Wolf Pack celebrates with fans after defeating the UNLV Rebels 44-26 at Sam Boyd Stadium October 2, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The Nevada quarterback is another of the interesting project quarterbacks in this year’s draft. This is evident by the fact that it seems every team with a quarterback need has had him in for a private work-out.

Kaepernick has a great arm and is smart, which he showed by acing his Wunderlic test at the combine. His college resume is impressive as well.

He is the first college quarterback to throw for over 2,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in a season three times. He ended his Wolfpack career throwing for 10,000 yards and rushing for over 4,000, which is the first time that has happened in the history of Division I football.

So why isn’t he being talked about as the No. 1 pick overall?

Kaepernick played in the Pistol offense in college. This is a similar system to the one the Oregon Ducks run and is an option hybrid, which helps explain his rushing totals.

He has a lot to learn in order to adapt to the more traditional drop-back pro-style offense and that is a big reason he is being looked at as no higher than a second-round pick.

There are also some questions about his throwing motion, which seems to include a full wind-up and could cause problems. 

Is this a big problem? Phillip Rivers' throwing motion is as ugly as it gets and he does just fine.

Will Seattle take Kaepernick?

It’s unclear how good of a fit Kaepernick is for Seattle. They would need to take him in the second round if he were available, as he won’t last past the third.

If Locker, Ponder and Dalton are gone by the time Seattle picks in the second round and Kaepernick is available, it is hard to imagine Seattle passing on him.

Jake Locker: Washington

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LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 2: Quarterback Jake Locker #10 of the Washington Huskies celebrates after the game with the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 2, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Washington won 32-31. (Photo by Stephen D

The majority of Seattle fans, many of whom are also University of Washington fans, would be thrilled if the Seahawks selected Jake Locker. It makes sense why. 

Seattle knows him. He’s from nearby Ferndale, played for four years in Seattle, is by all accounts a great kid and led the woeful Husky program back to a bowl in 2010.

The knock on Locker continues to be his accuracy and instincts. He has worked hard to address these perceived deficiencies with a solid combine and pro day. 

Locker’s stock is all over the place. Some draft gurus love him, some feel he is nowhere near a top talent and should be drafted in the second or third round. 

Without a doubt Locker is a great athlete and that alone means he has potential.

Will he reach that potential? Does Seattle feel like he is the best fit? Will he even be on the board at 25?

With new offensive coordinator Darell Bevell, the Seahawks appear to be going back to a Holmgren-type west coast offense. It’s a system that requires quick accurate throws and equally quick decisions. These two things are the part of the game that Locker needs to work on the most.

If he is available at 25 there will be a huge outcry from a large part of Seahawk nation to pick him, but the Seahawks may be looking elsewhere.

Locker is a project, as are the quarterbacks available later in the draft. The Seahawks may ask themselves if drafting a project is worth a first-rounder when they may be able to get an equal project in the later rounds.

If Seattle does not pick him at 25, chances are he will be gone by the time they select again when they pick in the second round at 52.

For that reason the realistic chances Seattle drafts Locker are fairly low.

Andy Dalton: TCU

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Andy Dalton #14 of the TCU Horned Frogs celebrates after a touchdown against the Wisconsin Badgers in the first quarter of the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Ge

There has been a lot of buzz lately tying Dalton to the Seahawks. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated has the Seahawks picking Dalton in the first round at 25 in his latest mock draft.

Sports Illustrated’s Tony Pauline also claims that the Seahawks are targeting Dalton at 25.

Trent Dilfer was recently on ESPN claiming that he is the perfect fit for the Seahawks and there have also been rumors that Seattle general manager John Schneider is reported (Pro Football Weekly) to believe that Dalton is the next Aaron Rogers.

Is Dalton the guy for Seattle? 

If the reports of Seattle liking him are true, they will have some competition. According to several outlets the 49ers also are also enamored with the TCU quarterback and may have him targeted as well.

It seems unlikely that San Francisco would take him with their first-round pick, but would most likely snatch him up with the 45^th pick, assuming he made it past Buffalo, Cincinnati, Arizona and Washington, who may also be still looking for a quarterback.

There is a lot of smoke surrounding the Seahawks and Dalton. There could be fire here. 

Seattle would either have to take him at 25 or trade down to the early second round to ensure they got their guy.