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Draft Preview: Seattle picks 17th
Posted: Wednesday March 31, 1999 10:28 AM
For the next 17 days, CNN/SI will offer a daily look at one pick from the 1999 draft, finishing with Cleveland. Check back for a new preview each day. The NFL Draft, more than any press conference or minicamp before it, will mark the arrival for Mike Holmgren with the Seattle Seahawks. Aside from stocking the front office and making some minor personnel moves, Holmgren has kept quiet in his new job in the months since leaving the Green Bay Packers. That should change on draft day, which serves as Holmgren's first chance to brand this Seattle team as his own, to show the league whether or not he can find the same success as a general manager that he's had as a head coach. Holmgren is a bit handicapped with this draft -- Seattle gave up its second-round pick to get him from Green Bay, and Holmgren sent the Jets a seventh-round pick in exchange for quarterback Glenn Foley. With no compensatory picks, Seattle heads into the draft with just five picks, and only one in the first 75. Best bet for No. 17 Holmgren inherits an offense with its share of problems -- Seattle ranked 22nd or lower in the NFL in rushing yards, passing yards and total offense, while finishing fifth in the league in fumbles. Quarterbacks Warren Moon and John Friesz, who combined for 11 starts last year, are both gone, leaving young Jon Kitna as the only returning quarterback. Look for Holmgren to draft a quarterback -- he doesn't much to trade up with, so he'll likely miss the top five guys in this year's class. And if Holmgren seeks a player like nearby Washington's Brock Huard or Ohio State's Joe Germaine, he'll need to move up into the second round most likely.
There's generally thought to be two logical options for Holmgren if he stays put at 17 -- offensive line and wide receiver. Seattle hasn't found enough solid complements to Joey Galloway, and if Holmgren's offense is to take off in Seattle, it needs more downfield targets. Veteran Mike Pritchard has 122 catches in the last two years, but James McKnight's numbers dropped off significantly last season. The only other receiver of note is Brian Blades, who is 33 and went without a touchdown in '98. Holmgren can cross his fingers that somehow N.C. State's Torry Holt or Ohio State's David Boston can slip through to No. 17, but in all likelihood, both will be gone by the time Pittsburgh's done at No. 13. If that's the case, Holmgren should get his receivers later and use his top pick on offensive line, or to trade down and add a pick or two. If he goes offensive line, he needs a right tackle -- veteran Howard Ballard started all 16 games last year, but he's 35. Second-year pro Todd Weiner could step up, but he played in only six games last season after Seattle took him in the second round. Seattle could go with West Virginia's Solomon Page, who has emerged as one of the top three or four linemen in the draft, or Wisconsin's Aaron Gibson, Georgia's Matt Stinchcomb or Eastern Michigan's Lonnie Shelton. The Seahawks are fine at guard but could have concerns at center if Kevin Glover doesn't recover well from back surgery. Gibson looks to be the best fit for Seattle -- his huge 6-foot-7, 370-pound frame wouldn't be too much on a team that had two 325-pound tackles last year. Holmgren has embraced big guys in the past -- he had 12 players at 300 pounds or heavier in Green Bay last year, with 350-pound defensive tackle Gilbert Brown leading the charge.
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