There are three things I know going into tonight's NFL Draft.
1. It is really weird to have the draft on a Thursday Night. Add in the ongoing labor uncertainty and this should be a draft like none other in the past.
2. I am glad that I am an NFL Atheist because I do not like Cam Newton. I am glad that I don't have to talk myself into liking him when (if) Carolina takes him first.
3. If the Seahawks select Jake Locker, I will become a Seahawks fan. You heard it right here.
With that being said, I would like to plead with the Seahawks not to select him. My reasons for saying this are simple. I love Jake Locker. I love what he did for the University of Washington football team. I love how he put his education over millions of dollars. I love watching him on the field. With that love comes the knowledge that he is not ready yet. He is athletic as all hell and he is a leader like few others are. But he has some worts like his accuracy that need to be fixed before he can become a franchise QB.
Most people have killed Jake for staying in school an extra year. After all, he lost out on being the #1 pick and millions of dollars. I on the other hand think he made a good decision. His subpar Senior year at UW may have been a blessing in disguise as it essentially guaranteed himself a late 1st or early 2nd round selection. If he goes late in the 1st, he will be going to a team that is coming off a playoff birth and most likely a team with an established QB in place. He can learn from that QB, work with the QB coach and become the QB of the future. It worked for Aaron Rodgers (not the best comparison) and Steve McNair (slightly better comparison) and it could work for Jake. My worry is if he goes to Buffalo or Cincy or San Fran - someplace where he will be expected to step in immediately. I think that has failure written all over it. He simply isn't ready to lead a team at this point.
So that brings me to the 7-9 Seahawks. They are drafted 25th thanks to their playoff win over New Orleans and have some serious QB questions. The fan base seems to be split on Matt Hasselbeck and most don't have any confidence in Charlie Whitehurst. An obvious choice would be to select the homegrown Locker and make him the face of the franchise. I think the choice would be a bad one, not just for the reasons I listed above, but because of the current status of Seattle sports. Seattle needs something to hold on to. Seattlites want something to have hope about. Jake Locker would be hope personified. But my question is what happens if he can't handle it? Even if he sits behind Hasselbeck, the fans are going to want him. They are going to call for him. They are going to beg for him. And when he comes in and can't hack it because of his accuracy issues, then what? Where do you turn to? How do you handle learning that he isn't what we all thought he was. The only way this works is if Carroll 'red-shirts' Locker and sticks with Hasselback for at least an entire year. Make it known that Jake is the future, but not the present. Let him develop and then be the hometown savior. Somehow I just don't think that is going to happen. The city is going to want him early and Carroll will roll the dice with him. It is inevitable.
So my request is this: Seattle, let Locker go someplace else. Don't put the weight of a city on his shoulders. Don't make him your savior. Let him be the Jake we all love -just in another city.
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