Bleacher Report Community Draft: The First "2 Days" for the Seattle Seahawks

Mock drafts are becoming the NFL's equivalent of March Madness brackets...it seems everyone is doing one and they feel a need to share it with the world. Be it casual fans or well-known NFL analysts, most mock drafts are riddled with one fatal flaw. Very few analysts have intricate working knowledge of the needs and strengths of all 32 NFL Franchises.

Bleacher Report has come up with a response to the common mock draft. They've brought together Featured Columnists for every NFL team to act as their franchise's general manager/front office. Trades were allowed, making the experience a bit more reflective of what is expected to be a very busy first day of the 2012 NFL Draft.

The Seattle Seahawks are set to draft 12th overall next month. There is plenty of discussion on what player and position they will target there, along with speculation on if they'll seek to trade down and acquire additional draft picks in 2012 and/or 2013.

I tend to be of the mind that Seattle will look to trade down from their pick, mostly because the players at the top of their draft board will either be off the board or figure to be available later in Round 1.

Acting as the Seahawks general manager, I was involved in trade discussions with a few teams as pick 12 approached. However, when the Carolina Panthers made their selection, Quinton Coples was still on the board. Pick 10 had the Buffalo Bills select Michael Floyd and the Kansas City Chiefs selected Riley Reiff.

It was a tough decision, but the trading partners didn't want to part with enough capital to risk losing out on an elite pass-rushing prospect. The decision was made to keep Seattle's original pick.

With the 12th pick in the Bleacher Report Community Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Quinton Coples, defensive end from North Carolina.

It actually wasn't that difficult to ignore trade options. Seattle's defense was an elite pass rusher away from potentially being an elite unit in 2011. While some are concerned that Coples doesn't have the drive and dedication to be an elite passer attacker in the NFL, he has shown enough versatility in college to make him too attractive to pass up at this stage of the draft.

Coples has the physical tangibles to make him an elite prospect. He blends speed (4.78 40-time at the NFL Combine), size (6'6", 284 lbs) and power to make him a viable threat for his next team. He had 10 sacks in 2010, followed up by a 7.5 sack campaign in 2011.

The Seahawks would be able to use Coples as an edge rusher for Red Bryant, an interior rusher on select passing downs, and give Chris Clemons a break in running situations. Clemons will be a 31-year-old free agent at the end of 2012 and Coples could be an ideal apprentice to move into that Leo end role. Clemons could return and rotate with Bryant to maintain the strength of the defensive line.

This link provides a complete list of the first-round draft picks. 

Seattle's attention in Round 2 may stay on the defensive side of the ball, but they will also be looking at adding talent to the offensive line. Adding another receiver is also an option.

The second round started with linebackers being taken with three of the first four picks (Zach Brown, Dont'a Hightower and Mychal Kendricks). Doug Martin and David Wilson followed closely thereafter, and Jerel Worthy and Vinny Curry were taken just before the Seahawks' selection.

With the 43rd pick in the Bleacher Report Community Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Lavonte David, linebacker from Nebraska.

The hardest part with this pick was passing on two players that I have rated slightly above David. Andre Branch and Jared Crick were both available and I believe both have first-round talent. The Seahawks may have a plan in place at linebacker that would allow a second pick on a pass-rusher, but the current need for another starter at linebacker overrides the attractiveness of the pass rushers.

David is a fast, instinctive linebacker with a nose for where the football is going to be. He had an amazing 260 tackles in two seasons and likely has the flexibility to play inside as well. He was a stand-out playmaker on a thick defensive roster.

The one factor that keeps David from entering discussions as a first-round talent is his size. He's just 233 lbs, so added strength would be helpful. He succeeded in college because of his ability to read an opposing offenses and knowing where plays were headed. That will help him in the NFL, but strength and durability will be a concern.

The third round carried hopes of picking up a running back to work with Marshawn Lynch. Chris Polk was still on the board, as was LaMichael James. However, they went two and three picks ahead of Seattle, respectively. 

Seattle's other needs at this point are depth on the offensive line, quarterback and a player that can backup Earl Thomas and fill in nickel and bandit packages.

The Seahawks may also be looking at tight end, and Orson Charles, Dwayne Allen and Michael Egnew were on the board when Seattle picked. They were tempting options, as were several offensive linemen. 

However, the pick eventually turned on the Seahawks' ability to find and groom talent at most other positions. The one area Seattle could continue to struggle is at quarterback, and adding one of the top second-tier prospects seemed the most prudent move.

With the 76th pick in the Bleacher Report Community Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Brock Osweiler, quarterback from Arizona State.

This will be a controversial selection, as there is little agreement on which quarterback should be the fourth taken at the position. Prior to the Seahawks signing Matt Flynn, Brandon Weeden would have been the pick here. He is the most pro-ready option, but might not have the same upside as other options.

Kirk Cousins is the other tempting option here. I had him listed as a top five quarterback in November when he was still struggling to crack the top 10 of many rankings. He's a good pocket passer and I believe he'd do well in Seattle.

However, his size (6'2", 209 lbs) is what tilts the needle to Osweiler. Some will point to Drew Brees and the success he's had as a smaller quarterback, but there are countless others that have had durability and performance concerns.

Osweiler moves well and has a quick delivery. This is surprising for a quarterback of his stature (6'6", 240 lbs). He has solid accuracy on short and intermediate passes, but doesn't drop the deep ball into receivers' hands as well as a few others do. 

Osweiler doesn't have the same seasoning as Cousins or Weeden, and won't be looked at as a potential starter in 2012. However, I feel he has more upside than any other quarterback that will be available in Round 2 or later.

The results from the final four rounds will be available shortly. Until then, please share your thoughts and what moves you would have made.