Update: It has been confirmed that the compensation for Lawrence Jackson is a 2011 6th-round pick.
The Seahawks have dealt Lawrence Jackson to the Detroit Lions for an undisclosed 2011 draft pick.
Surprised? Well, you shouldn’t be.
The emergence of Red Bryant, the draft selection and strong camp of E.J. Wilson, as well as the recent addition of Kentwan Balmer all but sealed the fate of the former first-round pick.
In recent days, Jackson stated that the team was trying to work him in as competition for the weak-side “Leo” position, but Jackson’s skill set simply doesn’t support the move. He doesn’t possess the speed to be a pure rush end, and certainly doesn’t have the size or strength to compete at the base end position with Bryant, Wilson and now Balmer.
Last season, he showed improvement against the run. However, with the direction that Pete Carroll, Gus Bradley and Dan Quinn have been going on the strong-side (big, strong, defensive tackle types in Bryant, Wilson and Balmer), Jackson had a less-than-decent shot at competing.
Some have already asked me why the Seahawks would want to essentially exchange Jackson for Balmer, when Jackson has better statistics since coming into the league. It’s simple…Balmer has the physical ability to be very good. There’s significant upside with him. As for Jackson, he doesn’t have the physical tools that Balmer possesses, so what you’ve seen is pretty much what you’re going to get. Also, Balmer provides more versatility with his size, to play both inside and outside on the D-line, which is clearly a direction that this coaching staff and front office are headed. Big guys with big-time athleticism who can play multiple positions.
This is simply a case of a player not having a true spot on the team, and a move to Detroit should give him a better opportunity to make an impact in a more traditional 4-3 defensive alignment.
As for the pick that Seattle received, I’ll relay it as soon as I know.
So what does the D-line look like now?
The same as it did on Saturday, plus Balmer. Lo-Jack hasn’t played a lick.
Strong-Side DE Depth: 1. Red Bryant, 2. Kentwan Balmer, 3 E.J. Wilson, 4. Rob Rose – All three of these guys can rotate inside on passing downs.
Weak-side DE Depth (“Leo”): 1. Chris Clemons, 2. Nick Reed, 3. Dexter Davis, 4. Ricky Foley
I’m sure he will be more useful as a lion, this was a good sign that shows that Pete has a vision of what he wants at each position, Lojack wasn’t that impressive for what youbwould hope as a first round pick but hope the strong interest from the lions means its somthing better then 6th round pick and more like a 4th or 3rd
The fact that the Lions traded for him doesn’t necessarily say much about how bad they want him. It could just as well say something about how cheap he was to acquire.
It has been reported that they were “very interested” in him. He will fit their scheme better, but the real summary on the trade is what we were able to get for him. We got Balmer for a 6th, and that was just a case of SF trying to dump a player that wasn’t going to report and hadn’t worked out for them. Lo Jack has a little more value than that… I hope we got better than a 6th round pick for him.
As bad as I want to believe it’s any higher than a 5th, I’ve got serious doubts. Shame on Detroit if they gave up a 4th or higher for Jackson. That’s just a bad move. But, would be great on the Seahawks’ end.
Confirmed, it is a 6th-rounder. No shock there.