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Seahawks trade out of first round, acquire 3 more picks in NFL Draft

By Brady Henderson, 710 ESPN Seattle

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 14: Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll looks on against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome on January 14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

By Brady Henderson, 710 ESPN Seattle

RENTON, Wash. — The first night of the NFL Draft was once again an anticlimactic affair for the Seahawks, who moved down in the order and then moved out of the first round entirely in separate trades.

Seattle entered the draft with the No. 26 overall pick and traded that to Atlanta, completing a deal that was reported earlier this week to be in the works. Seattle got the Falcons’ first-rounder (No. 31) plus picks in the third (No. 95) and seventh (No. 249) rounds.

Seattle then moved back again, sending the No. 31 pick to San Francisco in exchange for a second-round pick (No. 34) and a fourth (No. 111). The 49ers took Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster with the pick acquired from Seattle.

UW's John Ross picked 9th by Bengals | 710Sports.com's NFL Draft page

So after entering the first round with seven picks, a low amount by their standards, the Seahawks end up with 10. That includes two in the second and a whopping four in the third, which will make for a busy Friday. That sets up the possibility of a trade up.

The trades with Atlanta and San Francisco mark the ninth and 10th times Seattle has moved down in the draft order (in pick-for-pick trades only) under general manager John Schneider.

The way the first round unfolded before them made those the logical moves, with teams passing repeatedly on the players who would fill the Seahawks’ most pressing needs. Only three players from a deep crop of cornerbacks were taken among the first 24 selections and only one offensive lineman was off the board when it came time for the Seahawks to pick at No. 26.

So they didn’t pick at all, instead trading back and then doing it again with the belief that they’ll still have their shot at a player they like at No. 34, which is the second pick in the second round.

New Orleans took Wisconsin tackle Ryan Ramczyk to close out the first round, which leaves Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp and Alabama’s Cam Robinson as the best offensive linemen remaining. Robinson, who last season won the Outland Trophy as the nation’s top offensive lineman, played left tackle for the Crimson Tide, but some believe he projects as a right tackle or a guard in the NFL.

Washington's Kevin King is among the top cornerbacks still available.

Here are the Seahawks’ 10 picks:

Seattle’s picks:

Round 2: 34, 58
Round 3: 90, 95, 102, 106
Round 4: 111
Round 5: None
Round 6: 210
Round 7: 226, 249

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