Courtesy of Thenewstribune.com:
Seattle Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell on Friday said there is a good chance the team will trade down in the April 26-27 draft in order to acquire additional picks.
The Seahawks hold the 25th (first round), 55th (second round) and 86th (third round) selections. Seattle does not have a fifth-round pick, which was traded to Jacksonville for running back Alvin Pearman last season.
Ruskell said because the Seahawks signed running backs to fill a need in free agency, they have the flexibility to move around in any round to acquire extra picks.
“If you have rated (five) guys pretty much the same, then you can play the drop-down game,” Ruskell said. “You can say, ‘If we are happy with all four or five guys on this list, then how far can we go and assure ourselves of taking that guy?’ We would not mind picking up extra picks in this draft. We look at them as gold. I am sure that will be something we talk about every round if our list is long enough.”
Ruskell said it is unlikely the Seahawks will move up in the draft, primarily because it would require relinquishing picks when the team already feels short-handed.
In 2005, Ruskell traded the 23rd pick to Oakland for the 26th pick (offensive lineman Chris Spencer) and the 105th pick, which was in the fourth round and became offensive lineman Ray Willis.
Ruskell said there is a good chance he will do something similar this year.
“I know we are talking about it more, so generally when you do that, then it presents itself and you look for it and you don’t worry about if you can get it done,” Ruskell said.
The teams set to pick after the Seahawks in the first round are Jacksonville, San Diego, Dallas, San Francisco, Green Bay and the New York Giants.
Ruskell said he already has made preliminary calls to inform teams that he might call them on draft day looking to make a trade.
He said the best chance of moving down will come if a team wants to draft a quarterback who is still available and feels the need to jump ahead of other teams to get him.
-The News Tribune
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