No NFL team had a better 2012 NFL draft than the Seahawks, who nabbed offensive rookie of the year candidate Russell Wilson, defensive rookie of the year candidate Bobby Wagner and eight-sack defensive end Bruce Irvin with their first three picks. A big part of the reason other teams weren’t as high on those three players as the Seahawks is their size.
But Seahawks G.M. John Schneider says that he’s lucky enough to work with Pete Carroll and a coaching staff who aren’t particularly concerned about a player’s size, as long as he can make plays.
“Pete is not afraid to play with people of different dimensions,” Schneider told the team’s website.
Carroll tells Schneider that as long as players are showing in college that they can compete on the field, Carroll and his staff can find a role for them.
“When we’re selecting players, we’re giving the coaches players who are legitimate competitors at each position,” Schneider said. “Rather than having a head coach who has his mind made up and he’s not going to change and be flexible, Pete is very flexible in terms of the players that we can provide.”
It’s safe to bet that 31 other teams have noticed the success the Seahawks had in last year’s draft, and have started to consider whether they’re putting too much emphasis on height and weight, and not enough emphasis on production.