The Blue Bird Herd

With the 25th pick, Seattle selected offensive tackle James Carpenter out of Alabama.  Carpenter played at left tackle in school but will presumably be competing for the starting right tackle role.

Carpenter is a technically solid tackle with impressive athleticism, flexibility and agility.   He displays good hand placement and knee bend, and extends his arms to keep rushers at bay.  Where he seems to struggle is in changing direction laterally to stay in front of quick rush ends.  At right tackle he should be a better fit where he’ll be dealing more with 5-technique ends who are more power focused.

More to come on Carpenter, but initially this looks like a bit of a reach, as Gabe Carimi and Derek Sherrod were still on the board, both of whom I had rated higher than Carpenter.

Seattle appeared to be trying to make a trade when their turn came to pick as they took the clock all the way down to within 30 seconds before reporting their selection.  I thought Jimmy Smith was the better option, as the highly touted CB was still on the board and went to the Ravens shortly thereafter.  However, character concerns with Smith are merited, and a veteran atmosphere like that of Baltimore may be a better fit for him than a young Seattle club.