2011 NFL Draft: The Upside of Seattle's First-Round Pick, James Carpenter

The Seattle Seahawks chose James Carpenter, left tackle from the University of Alabama, with the 25th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Some people have chastised the Seahawks for picking him too early, but it should be noted that they were trying to trade down. That tells us that Carpenter was the guy they really wanted and that they were aware they could get him a little later.

When they could not trade, they went ahead and drafted him. What were they supposed to do? Pick somebody they did not want and risk Carpenter not being there when they came back around in the second round?

The stars did not align perfectly for Seattle. There were supposed to be teams looking to move into these mid-20s picks to try and get a quarterback, but they could not find the correct deal that would allow them to get Carpenter in the early second round. When is it too early to pick the guy you want on your team?

As somebody who watched every game of James Carpenter's career, I thought I would offer a simple assessment of him as a player.

James Carpenter never got much attention at Alabama. It would be hard to get press blocking for a Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram and young phenom Trent Richardson, with Julio Jones on the outside.

The biggest reason he did not get pub may have been that the completion of his career marked five straight years that Alabama fans had not had to worry about the left tackle position.

Carpenter became the starter at Alabama in 2009, the year after Andre Smith left for the NFL. Andre Smith was a local, much ballyhooed high school recruit. the moment he stepped on to the Tuscaloosa campus, he was the starter at left tackle. He was a fan favorite.

He became an All-American and even though the NFL knew he struggled with weight/motivation problems, he was chosen with the sixth pick in the draft (he is probably at a Krispy Kreme somewhere right now).

The greatest testament to Carpenters' play is that after three years of dominance by Andre Smith not once in the last year did a fan say "if Andre was here.." or "Andre would have blocked that guy."

James completely locked down that position and the team never missed a beat. How many times has a team lost a three year starter, All-America, and sixth pick in the draft and had a seamless transition to the next guy.

Quick Note: Andre's teams were characterized by their mental instability. If thing were good they were fine but if things went bad they quickly got worse. Carpenter's teams were best described as workmanlike. They went about their business the same no matter what.

Can we say that Andre and Carpenter were the reasons for their teams' personalities? No, but they both played important roles.

Along the same lines as him replacing Smith, we should remember that Alabama consistently brings in top five recruiting classes.

Offensive linemen make up a large percentage of those top level recruits. Not once since Carpenter arrived have we heard that anybody had a chance to unseat him as the starting left tackle.

While watching Carpenter play I saw only one shortcoming. Occasionally he was slow on his first step during speed rushes. It was hard to understand because it did not happen often and he is athletic for his size.

I was worried that this inconsistency would be a problem for NFL teams. Then I saw that he was being worked out as a guard and a mental ding went off. That is the perfect spot for him in the NFL.

He will not have to make that quick step outside. The bottom line on Carpenter is if he puts his hands on you, you are blocked.

In two seasons, he never got bull rushed and only once every few games did somebody come off the edge on him. Considering the speed of the SEC, that is pretty impressive.

Having been drafted by Seattle, he is never going to play the left tackle spot. I envision him taking the left guard spot next to Russell Okung.

If that happens, then Seahawks quarterbacks for many years will never need to look behind them. And if that happens, the 25th pick will go from the reach of the draft to the steal of the draft.