For the first time in eight years, the Seahawks used their own pick to a take a player in the first round of the NFL draft. KNKX sports commentator Art Thiel talked about the selection and what he expects from the team for the rest of the draft with Morning Edition host Kirsten Kendrick.
‘SLEEPER PICK’
“Jordyn Brooks is a total surprise,” Thiel said. “He is a linebacker out of Texas Tech University. Very, very fast. A very sure tackler. And somebody who appeared on no one's first round mock draft, certainly not mine, but I think he may be a bit of a sleeper pick.
“I think the Seahawks like him because of his speed and because of his sure tackling. But it’s still a surprise because all of us had been looking either at an offensive lineman or a defensive lineman for the Seahawks.
"I certainly thought they were going to go either with a pass rusher or a young left tackle. That didn't happen. So we're all a little mystified.”
THE NEXT BOBBY WAGNER?
“I think he could be the next Bobby Wagner,” Thiel continued.
“Not at that level but he apparently is a natural leader, a very compelling guy in the huddle. He also hits very hard. That's one of the things that is a hallmark of his play.
"He was not a first rounder in the eyes of the experts. But then when Bobby Wagner was taken in the 2012 draft, everybody said, who's that? And he turned out pretty well.”
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF THE DRAFT?
Thiel said the team still has some holes to fill in the rest of the draft, which continues through Saturday. It’s being held virtually this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I think they're going to have to find a wide receiver. I think they also have to get a backup quarterback. And I still think they're going to find a pass rusher in there somewhere. Someone to play the edge rusher and get after the quarterback is probably the first priority.
“But with the Seahawks, as we just found out, you never know.”
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