Seattle Seahawks Should Be In on Cooks
The combine is officially underway, and next week, the flood gates will open and free agency will have officially began. The Seattle Seahawks must have recently prayed to some higher being, and were reward with an additional compensatory pick in the 3rd round.
The surprising addition of an extra selection in the top 106 picks, their 5th such pick, the Seahawks are now open to be more aggressive in their search for the players to get them to Super Bowl 52. One of those players could be 4th year Wide Receiver from Oregon State.
In case you missed it, star WR Brandin Cooks is unhappy with his use in the Saints offense, and is pushing for a trade out of the Big Easy. The Saints have denied such claims, but it is widely reported they are taking offers on the young Oregon State product.
Hmm... let's see... Do we know of a hyper aggressive trade partner in the NFL? Oh yeah, his name is John Schneider. Every two years or so, John Schneider will trade away his first pick for an offensive play maker. First in 2013 for Percy Harvin, and then to the New Orleans Saints for Tight End superstar Jimmy Graham.
A trade would make a lot of sense for both sides. The Seahawks WR corp is riddled with questions after Doug Baldwin, and the Saints need to add defensive playmakers to try and take one last ride to a Super Bowl with Drew Brees. The Seahawks aren't likely to find an offensive lineman with a top 20 grade falling to them at 26, and the draft is loaded with quality secondary players to help rebuild the Legion of Boom.
Cooks is a dynamic playmaker. He has played in all 16 games the past 2 seasons, hauling in over 1100 yards and 78 catches in each season. Cooks elite speed and ability to play the deep ball fit in perfectly with Seattle's offense, and his versatility to play inside and out presents serious problems for opposing defenses.
Cooks is also a great value for the Seahawks. He has one year left on his rookie contract at just a $2.67 million cap hit. He also has a 5th year option at a reasonable price, and the Seahawks would almost certainly exercise said option.
Some Seahawks fans have already scoffed at the idea of trading its first round pick for Cooks, and it is not hard to see their arguments against. At his press conference today, Pete Carroll appeared to throw water on the speculation that the team will go after a big name Offensive Lineman. If they aren't signing one, that means they are drafting one right?
Since when has Seattle made the pick you expected in Round 1? The simple truth is, every team needs O-Line help, and it is entirely possible the Seahawks will be pushed out of the market for the veterans. This draft classes biggest weakness is on the O-Line, and there is a non-zero chance that nobody who would be available at pick 26 is worth it for Seattle.
However; if the Seahawks could add an elite playmaker to a position of need without a significant hit on the Salary Cap, why wouldn't you want the team to explore the idea? Plus, with the additional 3rd round pick, if a lineman like Forrest Lamp falls into the mid second, Seattle has the ammunition to move up, a la Jarran Reed, to get a guy they see as tremendous value.
Sometimes, an opportunity comes that you never thought would happen. This is that opportunity, and the Seahawks could get better. Is it how we all drew it up? Probably not. But adding a great talent like Cooks makes the team better, and isn't that exactly what you want?
