2011 Senior Bowl: Notable Player Performances For The Seattle Seahawks

The Senior Bowl marks the beginning of what is a long road for NFL Draft junkies.

For the brave college souls who stuck it out and graduated while playing football for their schools, they are rewarded with an extra opportunity to showcase themselves, to brand a memory in the minds of the so-called experts, and possibly earn themselves some extra cash for the start of their NFL careers.

Coming off a surprising postseason upset of the defending Super Bowl champion Saints, the Seahawks are primed to upgrade themselves and fill in some noticeable holes on their roster.

Saturday's Senior Bowl was the Hawks first chance to get a look at some of the players entering the 2011 NFL Draft.

Who Impressed

For starters, quarterback is a position that a third of the teams in the league are looking to improve on their roster. While bringing back Matt Hasselbeck seems to be a priority for Seattle's front office, so will drafting a quarterback in April.

The MVP of the Senior Bowl was FSU's quarterback Christian Ponder.

Ponder jumped on his opportunity to impress the scouts after missing most of FSU's ACC title game and bowl game. After displaying immense power and accuracy throughout the week in practice he showcased his ability to throw on the run and also converted two first downs with his legs.

Ponder finished 7-13 for 131 yards and two touchdowns. His next trial will be the NFL combine in which he will have to prove that his previously injured elbow and shoulder have fully healed.

Colin Kaepernick also flashed his ability to pass, scramble and throw on the run as he led the North on their first scoring drive.

The senior from Nevada was only 4-9 with 53 yards and an interception but he seemed to ignite a spark in the North squad. Kaepernick completed three passes to Ohio State's Dane Sanzenbacher and scrambled for an eight-yard gain to set up Kai Forbath in position to kick a field goal.

The Seahawks ranked 31st last year averaging only 89 rushing yards per game. Running back may be a position Pete Carroll will look to add some depth to later on during the draft.

Louisville's Bilal Powell was the leading rusher with 50 yards on 10 carries with a long run of 12 yards. Powell has decent speed and is a bruising back that can be a great addition with a later-round pick for the Seahawks.

Wide-receiver may not be a position of great need for Seattle but there is no down-playing the performance of Leonard Hankerson. Hankerson set the record at the University of Miami this season, surpassing Michael Irvin's record with 13 receiving touchdowns this season.

Hankerson showed ability to break away from defenders. Not known for his tremendous speed he was able to get off the ball well and make plays all game. Hankerson made an adjustment on a pass underthrown by Ponder due to the wind, and was able to make the catch. Hankerson also had a 49-yard reception and another 18-yard grab for a touchdown to finish with five catches for 100 yards and a touchdown.

The talk on defense all week has been Cameron Jordan the defensive end from California. Jordan solidified himself as a first round pick so it is unlikely the Seahawks would take him at 25 with other needs in the first round.

Nonetheless, Jordan blew off the charts by blowing past blockers all week and displaying tremendous speed. He didn't disappoint on Saturday batting down passes and forcing the quarterbacks out of the pocket.

Jordan seems fitted to play in a 3-4 defense in the NFL. If Jordan is available when Seattle picks then Pete Carroll may be tempted to take the opportunity to improve his 27th overall ranked defense.

Who Failed to Impress

The hometown hero in Washington is Jake Locker. Lately his stock has been falling as he has been labeled inconsistent and scouts are unsure of his true ability.

Locker did lead the North to it's lone touchdown drive in the 24-10 defeat but twice he fumbled the ball and on a few passes missed open receivers. He finished 6 of 10 for a team-high 98 yards.

If Locker fails to sure up his skills by the combine he may even slip into the late second round. With Ponder and Kaepernick continueing to improve, he may slip in the draft almost like Colt McCoy last year.

Noel Devine came into the Senior Bowl trying to impress scouts with his speed and play making ability to show he can be more than a kick return specialist at the next level.

The speedster out of West Virginia carried the ball 7 times for an unimpressive 8 yards. He did score a touchdown but that was after being stuffed on three consecutive plays in a goal-to-go situation.

The Seahawks are looking for more running back depth and Devine will be available anywhere from the 4th to the 7th round. Devine's speed alone may be enough for Seattle to take a chance on him.

The First of Many Steps

Since playing time in the Senior Bowl is spread out for most of the players participating, it is easier to impress the scouts than to have a poor performance. There aren't broad strokes to look at and make decisions on right away but there are some good nuggets of information on players now available due to Saturday's game

It is only the beginning of a long few months for scouts and fans alike but the Senior Bowl provided insight that all 32 NFL teams are looking at this moment.

The next step for most of these seniors is on February 23rd in Indianapolis as the Scouting Combine will bring the Draft down to the homestretch.

Feel free to comment and discuss below. Follow Zack Duarte on twitter @ZackDuarte