NFL Rumors: Seahawks Would Set Back Franchise by Drafting Ryan Tannehill

The Seattle Seahawks have their potential franchise quarterback in Matt Flynn and a backup in Tarvaris Jackson who played well in 2011.

And although the quarterback position remains the most unproven in Seattle, the Seahawks need to improve elsewhere early in the draft. Unfortunately, this may not be the case depending on how the first 11 selections pan out.

In an article by Peter King of Sports Illustrated, King believes the Seahawks will take Ryan Tannehill is he's available at No. 12 overall:

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If Tannehill were to be there at 12, Seattle would take him, even though the Seahawks just paid medium dollar for Matt Flynn in free agency. That's how much Seattle loves him. "At Tannehill's workout,'' one source told me, "[coach] Pete Carroll was giggling like a schoolgirl watching him throw."

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Now, it would be somewhat surprising to see Tannehill available at No. 12 as a few teams in front of the Seahawks could use him. Regardless, the Seahawks aren't a spread offense that's going to put up 30-to-40 points per game.

Pete Carroll must keep the ball movement revolving around running back Marshawn Lynch to setup screens, draws and play-action. Adding Tannehill also doesn't do anything to address the dire need of upgrading the front seven, because stopping the run and intermediate passing game are Seattle's biggest need this season.

Tannehill would undoubtedly develop quickly under the tutelage of Carroll and Seattle's offense does become a bit more high-powered. Still, the Seahawks will have to oust the Cardinals and 49ers for the division; two teams will great defenses and Seattle went just 1-3 against them last season.

Without an improved defense, the Seahawks will get worked by balanced offenses and even with Tannehill, their own still won't be explosive enough to keep up with other NFC playoff contenders like Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia and Carolina.

Last season Seattle recorded just 33 sacks and allowed 112 rushing yards per game.

The Seahawks may have finished 7-9 after a dismal 2-6 start, but five of their losses were by six points or less. Tannehill doesn't offer anything more than Flynn, plus the man has major durability concerns and didn't come from a pro-style system.

Had Seattle been able to apply more quarterback pressure (aside from Chris Clemons), then more turnovers would have been forced to help the offense. By no means were the Seahawks dominant on offense and they do need to become more potent.

But, that comes in the form of a pro-style experienced quarterback in Flynn. Tannehill brings a dynamic scrambling threat to buy time outside the pocket, but NFC West defenses will blitz him all day.

Despite the impressive arm and solid accuracy, Tannehill needs to significantly improve at reading defenses pre-snap to call audibles and recognize blitzes. Flynn may have minimal experience and still must prove himself, however, he's also learned from Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy.

In short; there's no reason for Seattle to snag Tannehill since the Seahawks already have Flynn. Though, this would be a completely different story had Carroll still needed a potential franchise quarterback.

John Rozum on Twitter.