Aaron Curry's war-room tag

Above is Aaron Curry's tag used in the Seahawks war room. Some of the information is obvious - the '254' number is a reference to his weight in lbs. The '4.51' refers to the time he runs in a 40 yard dash and the '6016' likely refers to his height. The '26' is the score Curry scored on his wonderlic test. However, some of it is less obvious. What do the letters 'B' and 'C' stand for? What about the numbers '9' and '5'? If you've got any ideas, let me know in the comments section below or email rob@seahawksdraftblog.com

Thursday links - looking to 2010

Todd McShay posts his early 2010 mock draft. At this stage last year, McShay correctly guessed eleven first round prospects which isn't too bad so early in the process. He thinks Sam Bradford (QB, Oklahoma) will be the #1 pick. He also suggests Seattle could look to draft a quarter back - taking Colt McCoy 6th overall with the pick they recently acquired from Denver. I have doubts about McCoy's ability to put himself this high in next year's draft.

Pete Prisco looks to next year and gives an early prediction for the 2010 draft. In my opinion, he's got the first pick right and it's pretty sound judgement throughout. I just don't think Colt McCoy and Tim Tebow are worthy of being drafted in the top picks and Sam Bradford, although having the talent, plays in a quirky offense. Jevon Snead (Ole Miss) is the one to watch.

Chad Reuter breaks down the top Senior prospects for 2010, separating them into categories of draft position. It's not rich with quality, so he also lists his favoured underclassmen. As with the 2009 draft, the overall quality of next year's event will be dictated by which guys leave school early.

Tony Pauline publishes his 'watch-list' for 2010. The top 10 is dominated by defense, including plenty of defensive line talent. At this early stage he has Greg Hardy down as being rated the highest, with Seattle born Taylor Mays at #2. Sam Bradford is the only quarter back listed in the top twenty-five.

Peter Schrager has a look at how the 2010 NFL draft could shake out. He has the Seahawks taking Eric Berry (S, Tennessee) and Greg Hardy (DE, Ole Miss). It's still early days, but I think next year's draft could be a great one for defense. I'm not buying Tebow and McCoy in the top five picks.

Andrew Perloff offers a 2010 mock. Seattle takes Joe Haden (CB, Florida) with the Broncos first rounder and Greg Hardy (DE, Ole Miss) with their own selection. Perloff thinks St Louis will trade up to the No1 pick next year (will this ever happen without a rookie salary cap?).

Walter Cherepinsky has a go at predicting the 2010 NFL draft. He also has the Seahawks taking Eric Berry and also running back Jonathan Dwyer from Georgia Tech. With this being a draft blog we'll keep dipping into the 2010 stuff even if it's too soon to get a realistic read on how it's going to pan out.

Behind the scenes with Aaron Curry

The NFL Network published this great footage today, following Aaron Curry before and after being drafted by the Seattle Seahawks. We see the pre-draft excitement, the reaction when Jim Mora gives Aaron the call - even the wait in the airport after his plane to Seattle is delayed. Curry proudly dons his lime green draft cap throughout - and after meeting Tim Ruskell had the chance to travel to Qwest Field to see his new home. It's well worth checking out.

Walter Cherepinsky's final thoughts

Walter Cherepinsky once again had superb draft coverage on his Walterfootball.com website this year, kudos to him not only for the material but for helping blogs like this get attention on his draft database. Today he's published some final thoughts on the 2009 event titled, "1o things I learned during the NFL draft."

It's worth checking out, a good combination of insight and amusement. I particularly enjoyed his review of ESPN's live draft coverage, "ESPN doesn't understand its draft audience. The people who tune into Day 2 of the draft are hardcore football fans. They're not casual fans who are interested in Bill Cosby, Mel Kiper's hair or Trent Dilfer's corny jokes."

Amen.

Madden 2010 rookie class

Any fans of Madden NFL? The guys at EA Sports have 'Madden-ised' the rookie class of 2009 through the first round. For those not familiar with the popular game, players are given a statistical grading marked out of 100. The latest edition, Madden '10, comes out on August 14th. Aaron Curry receives the highest rookie grade getting a solid 85. His transformation into digital form is one of the better likenesses too. The video clip below runs through the first round. Peria Jerry (DT, Atlanta) for some reason looks more like Beanie Wells. Alex Mack is pulling some nice shapes in his Cleveland jersey, in the midst of a robotic dance. Michael Oher's also a bit of a sharp dancer too.

Week 1 - Aaron Curry vs St Louis Rams

This week we'll have a look at who Aaron Curry will be coming up against in his introduction to the NFL. In week one, the Seahawks entertain divison rivals St Louis looking to begin the 2009 season with a positive result. It'll also provide an early opportunity for Seattle's latest first round pick to be formally introduced to the 12th man.

The Seahawks will be looking to continue an eight game win streak against the Rams, stretching back to January 2005. Half of Seattle's wins last year came against St Louis including a 37-13 win at Qwest Field in week three.

It'll be an early opportunity for two 2009 top five picks to meet head-to-head. Jason Smith (OT, 2nd overall) has been drafted to protect Marc Bulger and help the Rams create a dominant running game. Curry is excellent in run defense and his ability to get to Steven Jackson could be crucial. New head coach Steve Spagnuolo will be looking to re-create his previous team's superb run offense. The Giants' ground game eased the pressure on Eli Manning in 2008, who was able to keep things ticking over and owning such a talented back as Jackson, Spagnuolo could be thinking similarly in his new job.

Here's what NFL Draft Scout's Dave Te-Thomas says about Curry and and how he might be effective in week one against the Rams:

Against the run
Curry is much more effective stepping up and clogging the rush lanes than generating pursuit vs. outside runs. He is stout at the point of attack and can take on and shed blockers in front of him. Thanks to his good upper body strength and hand jolt, he consistently is able to stack and control when taking on linemen.

Strength and explosion
Curry likes to line up close to the line of scrimmage, where he can use his explosion and burst to avoid blocks and cause havoc in the backfield. He has no problems when he has to face up, as he makes it tough for bigger blockers to handle him when he uses his athleticism to slip past linemen, but he needs to display better hand usage and strength to shed and keep blockers off his body, especially when pinched back inside. He will sometimes throw a shoulder, but he is most effective executing his punishing arm swipes to split double teams.

Pass rush and blitz
Curry shows good explosion as a blitzer, but because of some lateral mobility stiffness he needs a clear lane to make plays in the backfield. He is better coming off the edge when he keeps his hands active, as he is susceptible to side blocks. He is consistent in getting good hand placement in order to shed, and he has that sudden burst needed to get upfield shooting the gaps when he plays at a low pad level. He closes with desire and even though he does not always take very good angles, he has the chase speed to compensate and make plays in the backfield.

The Seahawks have previously been able to smother St Louis at Qwest Field by playing great defense. In 2008's 37-13 victory, Julian Peterson got a sack and a forced fumble in the game. In a 2007 33-6 hammering Seattle's defense recorded seven sacks with linebackers Peterson and Leroy Hill both getting one apiece. Curry will be hoping to similarly prove effective on debut. Fellow rookie Jason Smith will be looking to create plenty of running lanes for Jackson, whilst keeping Bulger free from trouble. What can we expect to see from Smith and which areas can be exploited? College Talent Scout's Kyle Rota offers his report:

Rota on Jason Smith
Smith is definitely a project. Looking at the positive, he is a very smart young man and it shows with his understanding of the playbook. However, his technique is terrible. I saw him make a couple really poor cut blocks, and he doesn’t have a punch. Too often he gets in front of the DE without punching or even latching on. Instinctively, I liked the awareness but he seemed to struggle catching LBs on the 2nd level. Surprisingly strong run-blocking, pass protection not as strong. He has very good quickness and excellent fluidity.

Smith is raw coming into the NFL, but with massive upside. His attitude, potential and sheer physical quality leads me to believe he'll be a great left tackle one day and the reason he went higher than Eugene Monroe and Andre Smith. However, as Rota suggests there may be a learning curve and playing in front of a noisy 12th man in Seattle could prove to be a baptism of fire for Smith. If, as Rota suggests, he currently has trouble picking up linebackers in the second level, Curry could shut down Steven Jackson with his heat-seaking-missile instincts.

Of course Curry's ability to make plays will be harnessed by the return of Patrick Kerney and the other members of Seattle's new defensive line. Much is expected from Cory Redding and Brandon Mebane, whilst Darryl Tapp and Lawrence Jackson will be hoping for a good start to the year. The battle between Curry and his teammates against the rejuvenated St Louis offensive line (which also includes expensive free agent Jason Brown) could be the determining factor. Curry's unique compliment of size and speed, coming up against the powerful Jackson and athletic Smith will be a matchup worthy of opening the season.

Seattle will also be keen to avoid a repeat of last year's home opener. They were expected to brush aside San Francisco in week two but conceded thirty three points in a 33-30 OT defeat. The Seahawks will likely be favourites on home turf but the ability of Curry and the Seattle defense to become the blue collar, dominating unit that Tim Ruskell and Jim Mora have set out to build could be the determining factor.

Aaron Curry's post-pick interview

I've not seen this interview anywhere else so I wanted to put it out there. Immediately after being taken fourth overall by Seattle, Aaron Curry talked to the media. There were a few interesting things mentioned. Firstly, it was well reported that the Seahawks had arranged a private work out with the Wake Forest linebacker. However, the team cancelled this meeting after Curry's pro-day, clearly satisfied with what they saw. In fact, Curry had never been to Seattle until his recent unveiling as the team's latest first round pick.

When asked where he wants to play, he was very forthright - SAM linebacker, replacing the hole left by Julian Peterson. He was also complimentary to the teams uniforms, if a little indifferent to the ghastly lime green cap used by the NFL this year for Seattle's picks.

A very premature look at the 2010 draft

The 2009 NFL draft is barely complete so it seems extremely premature and pretty preposterous to already be contemplating what will happen next year. However, with two first round picks and a lot of talk about the 2010 class being superior to this years, there's no harm in having a quick look. A word of caution though, things will change dramatically over the course of the college football season. Whatever anyone is suggesting today, there's a chance won't be relevant by the end of the year.

Todd McShay posted his first 2009 mock draft a few days after the '08 draft. He had Fili Moala (DT, USC) going first overall - he ended up going in the 2nd round to Indianapolis. Twenty one of his first round projections either didn't declare or didn't fall in the first 32 picks. Seattle were placed with Duke Robinson, who joined the Panthers on Sunday in the late fifth round. Jason Smith, Aaron Curry and Mark Sanchez were all absent. My report that follows will no doubt be equally as inaccurate.

I've seen a lot of people suggesting that the 2010 quarter back class is deep and generally better than the 2009 group. It's too early to accurately predict whether this proves to be true, but an early thought is that I would agree with the depth and maybe not with the quality. Sam Bradford (QB, Oklahoma) almost declared for this year's event having won the Heisman Trophy for 2008. At the last minute he decided to stay at school and is an early projection to potentially go first overall next year. Others who might also warrant consideration - Colt McCoy (QB, Texas), Tim Tebow (Florida) and Jevon Snead (QB, Ole Miss).

I find the above list distinctly unimpressive. Bradford is very accurate and has the potential to be a franchise quarter back. However, his presence in a quirky offense that calls plays based on reads from the sidelines may lead to some needed work upon arrival in the NFL. Playing behind a great line with an excellent arsenal at Oklahoma also made life easy for Bradford, who often had the time and talent to consistently make plays. Can he maintain accuracy with a defense in his face?

I just don't see a potential top five pick in McCoy, whilst Tebow needs a mechanical overhaul. They project as late first round-border line second round picks. Jevon Snead is the most intriguing prospect to me and could be someone to keep an eye on in 2010. But here's my point, why are any of these guys better than Stafford or Sanchez - who both went in the top five? I'm sceptical, even at this early stage I'm not seeing the hype that 2010 would be a great year to get a quarter back. There's depth, but is there top end talent?

What I do see in the 2010 draft is the potential for some elite defensive talent to hit the market. Carlos Dunlap (DE, Florida) has drawn comparisons to Mario Williams due to his size and speed. He had 9.5 sacks as a sophomore in 2008. Sergio Kindle (DE/OLB, Texas) is a possible 3-4 outside rush with ideal size. He gained 10.5 sacks as a junior.

Gerald McCoy (DT, Oklahoma) almost declared for the 2009 draft. He could have been a top 10 pick this year, especially with a lack of quality depth at his position. He had 6.5 sacks in 2008 and with a solid 2009 season - could be taken very highly next year. Another defensive tackle worth keeping an eye on is Ndamukong Suh (DT, Nebraska). He had 76 tackles, 16.5 TFL and 7.5 sacks last year and even returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Terrance Cody (DT, Alabama) and Lawrence Marsh (DT, Florida) could make this quite a class for defensive tackles.

One of the biggest names set to declare in 2010 is Brandon Spikes (LB, Florida). Outspoken, dominant and well known for slamming Andre Smith (OT, Cincinnati Bengals) to the floor. He plays with a swagger and scored two TD's in 2008 leading Florida's defense to a BCS championship. He would have almost certainly been a first round pick this year.

But perhaps the greatest attention in this article should be focused towards the safety class. The potential is there for two safeties to go very high in round one next year. The guy that excites me is Eric Berry (S, Tennessee). A pure ball hawk, playmaking safety. As a sophomore in 2008 he had seven interceptions (two returned for TD's) and three sacks. Lightning quick with potential to create big plays into scoring plays, Berry is someone to monitor.

The other big name safety is Taylor Mays (S, USC). He's popular amongst Seahawks fans as a Seattle native who plays for the Trojans. He found opportunities to make big plays restricted at SoCal - teams just won't throw deep against them. But he has unnatural size and speed and could develop into some player. Earl Thomas (S, Texas) is another highly rated safety prospect with first round abilities.

It could be a class that lacks the big name offensive skill players or the offensive line depth we saw in 2009. It's never too early for some mock drafts, so why not try these by Walter Cherepinsky, Sideline Scouting, Draft King, NE Patriots Draft, Sports Fantasy Guide.

So that's a premature look at the 2010 draft, which is only 362 days away...

Seahawks introduce Aaron Curry

The Seattle Seahawks introduced Aaron Curry to the media today and talked about their delight at landing the Wake Forest linebacker. Curry, a favourite amongst Detroit Lions fans to go first overall, was taken by Seattle with the fourth pick and will wear the No59 jersey. He was rated by many as the number one prospect in the draft and joins the team after an emotional weekend in New York City.

"He's everything we thought he'd be as a man, as a son, as a fiance. This is a top notch human being and I think we're all lucky to have a guy like this in our organisation and joining our community." - Jim Mora, Seahawks Head Coach

You can relive the moment Seattle selected Aaron Curry here

"See you in Seattle!"

Eric Williams quotes Curry as he talks about choosing the No59 jersey, "It was just the fact that I’ve worn it since my freshman year in college. Initially when I was given 59, me and my mom had a big battle on whether I should continue to where it or not, and she won that battle."

The reviews are coming in and most are favourable for the Seahawks. Walter Cherepinsky gives Tim Ruskell an 'A' grade for picking Curry, "Unlike the Chiefs, the Seahawks understand how to acquire talent in the NFL Draft. Seattle is getting the best defensive player in the 2009 NFL Draft."

Rob Rang awards the Seahawks an 'A'. "The headlining pick is outside linebacker Aaron Curry, who fills a huge area of need following the trade of Julian Peterson and the draft-weekend decision to take the franchise tag off linebacker Leroy Hill. The addition of the versatile Max Unger and speedy receiver/returner Deon Butler filled Seattle's three biggest needs seamlessly. Don't be surprised if at least one of the club's 7th round picks makes this club."

Todd McShay reviews how the NFC West teams fared in the draft. He has special praise for the Seahawks, saying they got the best player in the draft.