2012 NFL Draft: Why Seattle Seahawks Must Focus on Defense

This Wednesday the 2012 NFL combine gets underway at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis as prospects seek to improve their draft standing.  Sitting with the 12th overall pick in the NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks will be looking for prospects that can put the team back in the playoffs in 2012.

With a full selection of picks, minus a previously traded fifth-round pick in the Marshawn Lynch trade, the Seahawks and general manager John Schneider will get ample opportunity to upgrade the roster.  For the Seahawks to turn their roster into that of a playoff contender they would be best served by focusing on defensive prospects in the draft.

Despite an inconsistent performance from starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, the Seahawks offensive unit in 2011 held its own.  The offense didn’t excel in any one area as it ranked 21st in the league in rushing and 22nd in passing, but behind running back Lynch the Seahawks were a capable enough group. 

Aside from Lynch and wide receiver Mike Williams, no other offensive starters from last year's group will be entering free agency.  With it being expected that the Seahawks will do whatever possible to re-sign Lynch the Seahawks will enter the draft with few question marks about the 2012 offense. 

Of course, with the struggles of Jackson as the Seahawks quarterback in 2011, the Seahawks may choose to target a potential upgrade in the forthcoming draft.  That being said, the lack of premium quarterback prospects in the draft behind Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III may force the Seahawks to forgo selecting a potential successor to T-Jack.  With a strong crop of free agent quarterbacks the Seahawks could be better served by pursuing a free-agent quarterback.

Beside quarterback, the Seahawks offense doesn’t feature any other positions that need an upgrade.  The offensive line struggled with injuries in 2011 but improved as the season wore on and will return almost every member on the two deep.  Similarly, the wide receiving unit looks solid heading into the 2012 season with rookie revelation Doug Baldwin and Sidney Rice returning to the team. 

Both the tight end and running back position risk losing backups to free agency, John Carlson and Justin Forsett respectively, but these are voids that could easily be addressed via free agency.  Beside the quarterback situation, and barring Lynch signing with another team in free agency, the Seahawks should turn their attention to the defensive side of the ball in the draft.

The focus on drafting defense instead of offense seems misplaced considering that the defense ranked high in a number of defensive categories in the 2011 regular season.  Among the accolades the Seahawks defense ranked ninth in average yards allowed per game, seventh in points allowed per game and fourth in interceptions.

That being said, with strong drafting the Seahawks defense could turn from a very good unit into an elite unit.  Minus the acquisition of a game-changing quarterback (Matt Flynn or Peyton Manning?) the Seahawks' best chances of making the playoffs in 2012 could be through bolstering their defense.

The main area that the Seahawks defense could use an upgrade is in the pass-rushing department.  With a total of 33 sacks in 2011 the Seahawks found themselves in the bottom half of the league in getting to the quarterback.  The good news for the Seahawks is that this year's draft is full of potential impact pass-rushers.

When the Seahawks find themselves on the clock with the 12th overall pick they could have their choice between a couple intriguing pass-rushing prospects.  Quinton Coples of North Carolina, South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram and Nick Perry of Southern Cal are pass-rushing prospects that warrant heavy consideration from the Seahawks.

Even if the Seahawks select a defensive end with their first-round pick, it would not be surprising if they targeted another defensive end in a later round.  The reasoning behind this is that a lethal pass-rush makes job easier for the rest of the defense.  The better the pass rush is the less time the rest of the defense has to spend in coverage. 

Besides being strong at the top this year’s crop of defensive end prospects also has great depth.  Potential mid-round options the Seahawks could target are Billy Winn of Boise State and Malik Jackson of Tennessee. 

The Seahawks linebacker group was solid in 2011 but with LeRoy Hill and David Hawthorne entering free agency the Seahawks could target fresh legs at linebacker in the 2012 draft.  Due to the linebacker prospects in this year's NFL draft it would be surprising to see the Seahawks select a linebacker with their first-round pick. 

While this year’s group of linebackers isn’t particularly strong at the top, it does possess solid depth, which will give the Seahawks a chance to select a quality linebacker or two in the middle rounds of the draft.  Players like Nebraska’s Lavonte David, Sean Spence of Miami, Oklahoma’s Ronnell Lewis and North Carolina State’s Audie Cole are potential linebacker options for the Seahawks.

The Seahawks secondary, after a strong 2011 season, doesn’t figure to add any players in the draft. 

Despite the offenses middling production in 2011 the Seahawks would be well-served by focusing on defense in the draft.  By upgrading the pass rush and potentially adding a linebacker or two the Seahawks defense could develop into one of the elite units in the league.  Behind an elite defense the Seahawks could find themselves back in the playoffs in 2012-13.