Nick Perry an early favorite to be drafted by Seahawks in mock drafts

[travisduncan]

ICON SMI October 2010: USC defensive end Nick Perry #8 during the NCAA football game between the California Golden Bears and the USC Trojans at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA.

By Travis Duncan

Pete Carroll and John Schneider might be the most unpredictable front office duo in the NFL when it comes to player acquisitions.

When it comes to the draft Pete is still not far enough removed from the college game not to have certain opinions about guys who came across the national radar while he was recruiting or whom he coached against while at USC or even in some cases recruited and coached himself.

Additionally we know Carroll and Schneider like to find diamonds in the rough at skill positions while trying to build the nucleus up front on the line with high draft picks.

Many fans hope they abandon that philosophy, and once and for all, draft a franchise quarterback with the No. 11 or No. 12 (A coin flip with the Kansas City Chiefs at the NFL Draft Combine in February will determine who picks first).

And there are still mockers who believe that Carroll wants to make the Seahawks USC North and perhaps that thought may have influenced while an awful lot of mock drafts that have the Seahawks selecting USC defensive end Nick Perry pictured above with their first pick.

Another thing to keep in mind is these are the initial mocks for the offseason and are still in their infancy.

One factor that will alter these current mocks is that of head coaching and front office moves which will certainly affect the direction some franchises who are rebuilding and thus at the top of the draft want to go in.

Also the NFL draft combine which will be held Feb. 22-28 can affect a player's stock (depending on who you ask) or what attributes a team is looking for. Others argue it's all about the pro day held later in the spring-especially for quarterbacks. Quarterbacks especially have pass the personality test-i.e. can they get in front of a group of people (potentially teammates in a huddle) and command respect in order to get picked in the first-round. That was something Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett couldn't do when confronted about drug issues at last year's combine and he slipped on many draft boards because of it.

With that being said, here is a selection of mock draft's from reputable sources. And even among reputable sources there are a few who were unaware of Carroll's comments that Tarvaris Jackson is the starter for 2012 and believe the Seahawks will go QB. Among the most respected draft experts the predictions say a defensive end or tackle.

Mel Kiper's Mock Draft.

1. Andrew Luck QB Stanford Colts
2. Justin Blackmon WR, Oklahoma State, Rams
3. Matt Kalil USC OT, Minnesota Vikings
4. Robert Griffin III QB Baylor, Cleveland Browns
5. Trent Richardson RB Alabama, Tampa Bay Bucs
6. Morris Claiborne CB LSU, Washington Redskins
7. Quinton Coples defensive end North Carolina, Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Dre Kirkpatrick CB Alabama, Carolina Panthers
9. Riley Reiff OT Iowa, Miami Dolphins
10. Courtney Upshaw LB Alabama, Buffalo Bills
11. Devon Still DT Penn State, Kansas City Chiefs
12. Melvin Ingram DE South Carolina, Seattle Seahawks.

Here is what Kiper writes about Ingram:

The Seahawks have quietly made major strides in overhauling the roster and finding solutions to grow with in the past two years. Last year, they targeted offensive linemen early, and with the addition of Sidney Rice and Doug Baldwin, also have good talent at wide receiver. Even banged up at O-line, they ran the ball with some effectiveness. Obviously, quarterback remains a big question, but that's not something they can target at this spot in the draft. What they can do is add a final piece to a defense that is young, fast and extremely good in the secondary. The linebacking corps was strengthened by the emergence of K.J. Wright. So the work is up front and at defensive end for a team that was just 23rd in the NFL last year in sack percentage. Ingram is just big enough to fit this system as a 4-3 defensive end, and should add a boost to the pass rush early.

Kiper has done his homework and knows improving the pass rush is a priority
for the Seahawks, as stated by Carroll and alluded to by many members of the media and fans.

Here is NFL Draft Scout's latest Mock Draft, via CBSSports.com and Rob Rang.

1. IND Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2. STL Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
3. MIN Matt Kalil, OT, Southern California
4. CLE Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
5. TB Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
6. WAS Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
7. JAC Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
8. CAR Devon Still, DT, Penn State
9. MIA Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
10. BUF Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
11. KC Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
12. SEA Nick Perry, DE, Southern California

Rang like Kiper has a defensive end going to the Seahawks, but this time Nick Perry instead of Ingram. He has Ingram slipping down the board and actually listed as a LB going to the Titans at No. 20. Perry was recruited by Carroll in 2008 while he was at USC.

Here is what Jeff Miller of the Orange County Register has reported on Perry

USC junior defensive lineman Nick Perry is leaving the Trojans early to enter the NFL draft. "We counseled Nick throughout his decision-making process, and we stand behind him on this decision," Coach Lane Kiffin said Saturday. "His career progression at USC continued climbing to a point where he was ready to make the jump to the NFL." The Trojans this week also lost junior offensive tackle Matt Kalil (Servite High) to the draft. Perry led the Pac-12 with 9.5 sacks this season. "He was an awesome pass rusher for us and he created havoc throughout the Pac-12 this year in a league that featured many of the nation's most dangerous passing offenses," Kiffin said. "He will be a valued addition to any NFL team and should be an attractive choice in the upcoming draft." Two other Trojans - quarterback Matt Barkley (Mater Dei) and safety T.J. McDonald - also are candidates to leave early for the NFL. Those college players eligible have until Jan. 15 to make a decision on entering the draft. - Jeff Miller, The Orange County Register

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Dane Brugler's mock, also a draft expert for NFLDraftScout.com, is as follows:

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Matt Kalil, OT, Southern California
Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Devon Still, DT, Penn State
Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

Brugler falls into the class of mockers who believe the Seahawks will do what they ought to do and draft a franchise quarterback, i.e. Ryan Tannehill the third best qb rated in the draft.

Over at NFL.COM Steve Wyche has the following mock posted.

Pick no. 1 Andrew Luck qb Stanford

Pick no. 2 Robert Griffin, iii qb Baylor

Pick no. 3 Matt Kalil ot USC

Pick no.4 Justin Blackmon wr Oklahoma st.

Pick no. 5 Morris Claiborne cb LSU

Pick no. 6 Dre Kirkpatrick cb Alabama

Pick no. 7 Quinton Coples de North Carolina

Pick no. 8 Devon Still dt Penn st.

Pick no. 9 David Decastro og Stanford

Pick no. 10 Zach Brown olb North Carolina

Pick no. 11 Riley Reiff ot Iowa

Pick no. 12 Michael Brockers dt LSU

Wyche writes about picking Brockers, "There will be cries for a QB but Tarvaris Jackson played well enough to not force a reach."

Other selected mock drafts for the Seahawks:

Pete Schrager of FoxSports.com also has the Seahawks taking Nick Perry out of USC.

Russ Lande of the SportingNews has the Seahawks taking Zach Brown OLB out of North Carolina

McLovin of the Dan Patrick show has the Seahawks taking QB Ryan Tannehill Texas A&M

Wes Bunting of the National Football Post has the Seahawks taking North Carolina DE Quinton Coples (if he slips down this far, this would be a surprise at this point in the process).