The Seahawks needed more from the 2008 Draft Class.  1st rounder (DE) Lawrence Jackson played in all 16 games (14 starts) for the Seahawks last season and he made 29 tackles and had 2 sacks.  The Seahawks expecting a lot more than that out of him.  2nd rounder (TE) John Carlson was easily the best player the Seahawks picked last April.  He played in all 16 games (9 starts) for the Seahawks last season and he caught 55 passes for 627 yards (11.4 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  Carlson also helped out on special teams as he made 7 tackles and forced a fumble.  He might have Pro Bowls in the very near future.  DT Red Bryant was taken in the 4th round by the Seahawks and he played in 4 games (0 starts) making 8 tackles.  Fullback Owen Schmitt (5th round) played in 15 games (1 start) last season for the Seahawks and he carried the ball 5 times for 21 yards (4.2 ypc).  He also caught 6 passes for 29 yards (4.8 avg) and made 5 tackles.  In the 6th round the Seahawks selected long snapper Tyler Schmitt who missed his rookie season with a back injury.  7th rounder (RB) Justin Forsett was actually released before the season starter.  He played for a while with the Colts before the Seahawks got him back.  He didn’t carry the ball but he was a asset on special teams.  Forsett played in 11 games (0 starts) with the Colts and Seahawks and he returned 27 punts for 263 yards (9.7 avg).  Forsett also returned 18 kickoffs for 422 yards (23.4 avg) last season.  The other 7th round pick the Seahawks made last season was kicked Brandon Coutu who didn’t get on the field as a rookie.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C+

The Seahawks have acquired 28-year old DT Cory Redding and a reported 5th round pick from the Lions for 30-year old linebacker Julian Peterson.  Redding played in 13 games for the Lions last season and he made 38 tackles and had 3 sacks.  Redding has now played in 86 games in his NFL career and he has made 201 tackles, defensed 6 passes, has 16 sacks and he has forced 4 fumbles.  The Seahawks needed help at DT but the cost here was very high.

Julian Peterson will be hard to replace for the Seahawks.  He played in all 16 games for them last season and he made 86 tackles, defensed 5 passes, had 5 sacks and he forced 4 fumbles. 

The Seahawks have signed 29-year old TE John Owens.  Owens played in all 16 games for the Lions last season and he caught 8 passes for 56 yards (7.0 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 51 games in his NFL career and he has caught 19 passes for 162 yards (8.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Owens was signed on by the Seahawks to back up second year man John Carlson who had a very impressive rookie season in 2008.

The Seahawks have made a big splash in free agency signing the best WR on the market.  31-year old T.J. Houshmandzadeh has been signed to a 5-year, $40 million dollar contract (15 million guaranteed).  He played in 15 games for the Bengals last season and he caught 92 passes for 904 yards (9.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also carried the football 1 time for 9 yards.  Don’t be shocked by the yards per catch last season as Houshmandzadeh was catching passes from Ryan Fitzpatrick whose arm was about as strong as Charlie Frye’s.  Houshmandzadeh has now played in 103 games in his NFL career and he has caught 507 passes for 5,782 yards (11.4 avg) with 37 TD grabs.  He also has carried the football 23 times for 142 yards (6.2 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Look for Houshmandzadeh to be Matt Hasselbeck’s #1 WR from the first day they step onto the football field together.  This was a great signing for the Seahawks who needed help at WR and got it.

The Seahawks have signed 28-year old DT Colin Cole to a 5-year contract.  Cole is a huge player at 6′1″, 330 pounds and he is essentially little more than a run plugger.  Cole played in all 16 games for the Packers last season and he made 30 tackles, defensed 4 passes and had 1/2 a sack.  Cole has played in 57 games in his NFL career so far and he has made 126 tackles, defensed 6 passes, has 3.5 sacks and he has forced 1 fumble.  The Seahawks appear to be paying Cole starter money so he will need to improve to make this signing look like a sound investment.