2011 NFL Draft: Why the Seattle Seahawks Should and Will Take Christian Ponder

As the 2011 NFL Draft looms on the horizon there is a lot of speculation as to which way the Seattle Seahawks are going to go with their first pick.  The many needs of the Seahawks have been well documented here on Bleacher Report and it is plausible that they could draft any number of positions.

Looking at the team needs, and the way the draft may play out, Seattle will be looking at a quarterback in this year’s draft.  The question remains who that should be and with what pick should they pull the trigger.

The closer to the draft we get the more sense it makes for the Seattle Seahawks to draft Florida State’s Christian Ponder with their first round draft pick.

Now before you start throwing tomatoes at me via the comment section, let me give you the rationale.

Ponder seemed to be destined for big time stardom at Florida State before suffering a grade three shoulder separation his junior year.  Because of that injury his arm strength suffered at times during his senior season, but he still finished his career with just under 7000 yards passing. 

What can Ponder bring to Seattle?

For starters, he is deadly accurate, has great anticipation and is smart.  At Florida State he ran a pro-style offense which relied on a lot of slant routes, and he ran it well. 

His last two seasons in college had him throwing for over a 60 percent completion rate which will translate well in the pros.

Seattle will be running a west coast offensive system in 2011 with new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Ponder is a great fit.  The system relies on smart, quick decisions and deadly accurate throws.  

These are the two areas Ponder excels at the most.

If you read scouting reports on Ponder this off season you will see that he has impressed every one with his knowledge of the game.  His experience with a pro-style offense makes him the quarterback most NFL-ready in this draft.

A lot of mock drafts, and local Husky fans have Jake Locker pegged as Seattle’s pick, but Locker’s game doesn’t fit what Seattle wants to do on offense.  Locker will be a good NFL quarterback, but it won’t happen in Seattle.

Seattle currently only has Charlie Whitehurst on its roster, which should give Seattle fans sweat-inducing nightmares.  They will try to re-sign Matt Hasselbeck when the CBA is resolved but with his age and fragile body they need to get a young gun.

Ponder will take less time to develop than any other quarterback in the draft.  For this reason they need to make sure he is in Seattle next season.

Now, many people are going to argue with the selection of Ponder, and when they do they will most likely mention his arm strength.  Words like “noodle,” “floater” and “duck” will be used to describe his throws and arm.

The arm strength is a legitimate question, although it seems to be overblown.

Ponder has shown, with a solid Senior Bowl (was named MVP of the game) and NFL Scouting Combine performance that he has healed from his injuries and has an NFL arm.

In fact, Rob Rang of CBS.Sports.com recently said that Ponder “doesn't own a Matthew Stafford-type howitzer, but has plenty of arm strength to make every NFL throw.” Arm strength is not everything in this league, if it were guys like Ryan Leaf would have been good.

Ponder can and does make up for any arm “weakness” with his accuracy and anticipation.

Taking Ponder at 25 may seem like a reach to some, but if you look at how the draft may play out it won’t be. 

The Seahawks also need help on the offensive line.  This year’s draft, while lacking big names, has some decent offensive lineman that who have just as much talent as a Nate Solder or a Pouncey that can be picked up in the second round.

If the Seahawks pass on a quarterback at 25, they most likely will be stuck looking at Ryan Mallet and Colin Kaepernick in the second round, as several teams with quarterback needs will select after the Seahawks.  

Neither of those players are as good as Ponder or as good a fit for the Seahawks.

Corner back Jimmy Smith is another player that many have Seattle looking at with their first round pick.  Smith is a good player and would fill a much needed hole for the Seahawks but as teams learn more about his character issues he has a real chance of slipping into the second round.

The Seahawks may feel that second year player Walter Thurmond is ready to step up and take the starting corner spot opposite Marcus Trufant making Smith less needed.

Lastly, whether the media or fans feel a player is a “reach” is irrelevant when you come right down to it.  What matters most is who the Seahawks brass feel is the best fit to lead their team in the future.  

Christian Ponder is that guy and Seattle should ensure they get him by taking him with the 25th pick.