Seahawks shock us all, draft Bruce Irvin-pass rushing LB

[travisduncan]

Feb 27, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; West Virginia defensive lineman Bruce Irvin
does a footwork drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

The Schneider/Carroll think tank came away with a power move Thursday night. They turned their 12th pick into three total picks and got the same guy they wanted all along.

The Seahawks selected LB Bruce Irvin out of West Virginia with the 15th pick in the NFL Draft Thursday night.

Irvin is a former high school drop out who has turned his life around in a big way. His past, (read more about his story here and here) which includes criminal offenses, may have scared other teams, but so-called off-the-field issues have never scared Carroll. and the coach believes he knows how to motivate young people and believes he can use a person's past problems to help said player reach their potential.

The six-foot-three Atlanta, Ga native played linebacker at WVU, but will likely will get a shot at defensive end for the Seahawks.

The ceiling for Irvin is high, having only played 26 games of Division-1 college football and having only started six total games in that span.

After attending Butler and Mt. San Antonio Community college Irvin transfered to West Virginia in 2010. In that season he gained an All-American honorable mention and All-Big East Conference second-team selection. He played in all 13 games and led the league and ranked second in the nation with 14 sacks, the third-best season total by a Mountaineer. He added 21 tackles (18 solos) with a pair of forced fumbles and also had two pressures.

In 2011, All-Big East Conference first-team by the league’s coaches as a senior. He finished ninth on the team with 40 tackles (27 solos), leading the team while tying for fourth in the league and 28th nationally with 8.5 sacks. He also paced WVU with 15 tackles-for-loss and had three forced fumbles.

Irvin more than likely caught the Seahawks' eye at the NFL combine where he registered a 4.41 40-yard dash.

Carroll told ESPN Radio, "The speed that [Irvin] brings is so unique and so rare...he's going to be a great asset to our program"

The Seahawks received the 15th pick, the 114th pick and the 172nd pick from Philadelphia in the trade for the 12th overall pick.

Irvin was slated as a second to third-round pick by most of the experts, and true to the Schneider/Carroll regime, they surprised us all by taking him 15 overall.

So Irvin comes with two draft picks as well, because rest assured, he wasn't going to be selected before 15. The selection of Irvin came out of no where, but you come to expect that with Carroll/Schneider... Irvin fits the profile of a sleeper if there ever was one.

This Draft is "go time" for Schneider and Carroll. This is where they build the team that produces wins in the regular season. This draft will have a lot to do with whether the Seahawks are a playoff contender in 2013, 2014 and beyond.