The Seahawks know that it makes a lot more sense to trade down than trade up. Trading down gives a team more tickets to the crapshoot that the draft inherently is. With more swings of the bat, a team has a better chance of finding great players in later rounds.
Whether it’s G.M. John Schneider’s ability to find diamonds in the rough or coach Pete Carroll’s ability to coach them up or (most likely) a combination of both, the Seahawks have committed to turning their picks into more picks.
The 40th pick in 2014, acquired by trading down with the Vikings, has been traded to the Lions, who used it to select BYU linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Rated the top linebacker by DraftNasty.com, Van Noy will help bolster the pass rush. But he brings baggage to Detroit, via a full-year suspension while in college.
Those concerns may have caused him to slip, and he ended up slipping right into the Lions’ laps.
Seattle will now make their first pick at No. 45. Unless they trade down again.