2012 NFL Draft: 7 Players the Seattle Seahawks Must Absolutely Avoid

The NFL draft is but days away. For the past couple of months, NFL experts, analysts, TV personalities, sports writers and die-hard fans (like yours truly) have been postulating who among college football's elite players will best benefit each NFL team.

With the 12th pick in this year's draft, the Seahawks have a myriad of options to pursue. With the signings of Jason Jones, Matt Flynn and Barrett Ruud, John Schneider and Pete Carroll have provided depth where it did not exist coming into the offseason.

With this added depth, the Seahawks do not have to "reach" in the draft, and can focus more on taking the BPA (best player available) at the time.

In this article, we'll explore what players absolutely should NOT be taken, going against the common Internet trend of exploring whom to take. Think of this article as more of an "anti-mock draft."

Any CB

There's almost no arguing that the deepest and most skilled group for Seattle is the secondary. Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor (both safeties) and Brandon Browner (CB) were the three defensive players to make the Pro Bowl this past season.

The other starting CB, Richard Sherman, played tremendously in 10 starts, recording four interceptions and a forced fumble. With a full season, the soon-to-be sophomore is absolutely Pro Bowl-caliber.

Add on the fact that the team has significant depth at the position with veteran Marcus Trufant, promising young Oregon product Walter Thurmond III and solid fill-in Roy Lewis, and Seattle is looking quite set at corner for years to come.

Why, then, would Seattle take a CB in the draft? They shouldn't. Stephen Gilmore, Dre Kirkpatrick and Morris Claiborne are all promising prospects, but none merit a high draft selection when the team is so deep at the position.

Mark Barron, S

This slide continues the theme of the previous one. Mark Barron is the highest rated safety in the draft, a product of the Crimson Tide's No. 1 defense in the country. Don't be fooled by this ranking, however. Barron is a victim of inflation in this scenario.

He may be the best safety in the draft, but this year's draft is extremely thin at the position. If he were in the 2010 draft, he would be, at very best, the No. 3-ranked safety (behind Eric Berry and Seattle's own Earl Thomas).

Draft inflation, along with the aforementioned talent in the Seattle secondary, would make Barron a silly pick for Seattle. (In the first round, of course. But by the time Seattle's second pick, No. 43, comes, Barron will surely be off the board.)

Michael Brockers, DT

I'm basing this slide on the presumption that Fletcher Cox is the first DT picked in the draft (going to the Panthers at No. 9).

Here's the first thing about Brockers: He's a product of a very, very good system. In many instances, Morris Claiborne and Tyrann Matthieu would play incredible man coverage, leaving opposing quarterbacks standing helplessly in the pocket, while Brockers and Co. had plenty of time to go and lay a world of hurt on them.

He is quite athletic, yes, and worthy of a late first- or early second-round pick. But at No. 12, there is no way the Seahawks could justify this pick. With Brandon Mebane and Alan Branch expertly stuffing running lanes, and Jason Jones adding a little speed and versatility to the pass rush, adding a tackle and ignoring the real need (defensive end) would be foolish.

Brock Osweiler, QB

I've seen this kid getting picked by Seattle in quite a few mock drafts. Obviously, his biggest pull is that 6'7" frame. He also threw for 4,000 yards last year at Arizona State, which is impressive in itself.

Unfortunately, Osweiler does not use his height to his advantage. With such long arms, his potential throwing radius is off the charts. However, similar to Philip Rivers (another very tall QB), Osweiler releases the ball low, often at or below his shoulder.

Instead of always getting the ball over the defense, he now puts himself in the same position as a 6'2" or shorter QB.

Also, Osweiler is awkward in the pocket. His hulking frame makes it awkward for him to step up in the pocket fluidly, and his throwing motion is extremely inconsistent. This leads to a great deal of errant throws and a poor spiral on the ball.

Overall, these physical issues along with Osweiler's coming from a very simple, bubble screen-based offense at ASU have this analyst predicting a very hard transition to the NFL for the giant QB.

Trent Richardson, RB

This decision, just like a few others I've discussed, are predicated on the fact that Seattle is doing just fine at the RB position. I'm not saying I'm against an RB overall, just one the first round (e.g. Trent Richardson).

Richardson is an absolute beast. Coincidentally, so is Seattle's current running back, Marshawn Lynch, who penned a $31 million deal with the team this offseason. To be honest, keeping Richardson as a backup to "Beast Mode" would be a waste of talent.

To make them split reps would be a waste of two players' talents. Although some analysts predict this move, it just doesn't make sense in the long run.

Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB

If you want to know why no Seahawk fan trusts Mel Kiper Jr's draft board, look no further then one name: Aaron Curry. Curry was considered a safe, can't-miss type of prospect back in '09. As a Seahawk, all of Curry's athleticism couldn't make up for his horrifyingly bad cover skills and lack of instinct. As the No. 4 overall pick, Curry didn't come close to meeting his hype.

I get a similar sense from Melvin Ingram. Very athletic and a big play kind of guy, but slips up in coverage. As was the case with Curry, some of Ingram's flaws are overlooked because of his big plays in college.

For one, he has short arms. At only 31 inches, Ingram's arms will not provide the separation he needs to be an effective pass-rusher in the NFL. Large linemen will eat him up, playing him close to their bodies in order to essentially nullify all his speed and agility.

It seems like a minor thing, but almost every aspect of rushing QBs stems from getting initial distance between oneself and the menacing offensive lineman right across the line of scrimmage.

Overall, these short arms combined with poor cover skills and very linear play style label Ingram as an extremely high risk player. Too high of a risk if you ask me.

Stephen Hill, WR

I simply do not understand the hype behind this guy. His first-round stock is based on a good showing at the NFL combine in which he ran the fastest 40 time of all WRs.

Oh, wait, no, he tied Chris Owusu and Travis Benjamin for the fastest time. Also, let's examine his illustrious 2011 season. He had a grand total of...28 catches. This is a guy who can run in a straight line, pretty quickly, and that's it.

First-round talent? Hardly. Compared to a receiver like Chris Owusu (arguably the biggest steal in this year's draft), Stephen Hill shouldn't be picked even close to the first round, if at all.

Conclusions

So here are a bunch of players I am not high on for one reason or another. Keep in mind that some I would be fine taking in later rounds; however, those players will definitely be off the board in those rounds. Having said that, my pick for the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft: Luke Keuchly.

Long story short, he would instantly boost Seattle's meager tackling numbers and provide heart and fire to a weak linebacking corps.