Seahawks make rare trade up to draft Jarran Reed

By foxsports
Published

RENTON, Wash. (AP) Jarran Reed endeared himself to Seattle immediately, walking out on the stage at the NFL draft with a bag of candy in his hand.

Marshawn Lynch may be retired, but the Skittles are sticking around for now.

''I was chewing on the Skittles waiting when I got the call,'' Reed said. ''I was like, `Man, Marshawn loves Skittles.' I thought it would be kind of funny.''

After addressing the offensive line in the first round, the Seahawks moved to the other side of the line of scrimmage by taking the run-stuffing Alabama defensive tackle in the second round on Friday night.

Seattle pulled off a rarity under general manager John Schneider and traded up seven spots to draft Reed. The Seahawks were slated to have the No. 56 overall pick, but moved up to No. 49 after a deal with Chicago. The Seahawks also gave up a fourth-round pick to make the move. Seattle has traded up sparingly with Schneider and Pete Carroll in charge, most notably last year when the Seahawks moved up to draft All-Pro Tyler Lockett.

Schneider said after the first round that the defensive line was the other consideration for the Seahawks when they picked Texas A&M offensive tackle Germain Ifedi at No. 31 overall. Schneider said Friday the other player it considered at No. 31 was Reed.

He'll fill a major need after the Seahawks lost run-stopping defensive tackle Brandon Mebane in free agency.

''Clearly the best run defender in this draft,'' Schneider said.

Seattle continued to knock out needs with a trio of third-round selections. The Seahawks drafted Notre Dame running back C.J. Prosise, Ohio State tight end Nick Vannett and Boise State offensive lineman Rees Odhiambo during a span of eight picks late in the round to close out the second day.

Reed was a second-team all-SEC selection as a senior at Alabama and perhaps projected his future by posting a photo to his Instagram page six weeks ago of him wearing a Seahawks shirt and Seattle Mariners hat. Reed said his last conversations with the Seahawks came at the Senior Bowl.

''This whole time I had a certain feeling,'' Reed said. ''I thought it was going to happen yesterday with the last pick, but I knew today. Right before it happened I told my mom, I said, `Mom, I'm going to go to the Seahawks.' I've been talking about the Seahawks ever since the Senior Bowl. I'm just really excited and happy that it happened.''

Prosise may immediately become Seattle's third-down running back. The former wide receiver at Notre Dame thrived after moving to running back last season with the Irish, running for 1,032 yards and 11 touchdowns, with 26 receptions out of the backfield.

''It was a way to get the ball in my hands more and I knew what I could do when I got the ball in my hands,'' Prosise said.

Vannett didn't have big numbers in the passing game at Ohio State but is considered to be skilled enough to contribute immediately and should be an asset in the run game as a blocker. Tight end was another area with depth concerns as Seattle has no set timeline on when Jimmy Graham will return from a torn patellar tendon suffered last November.

Vannett said he didn't know Seattle had significant interest until Friday morning when he was informed by his agent.

''We've been looking for a true (blocking tight end) for several years now. They don't come along very often,'' Schneider said.

Odhiambo was a left tackle at Boise State, but the Seahawks project him as a guard in the NFL. He was a solid starter for the Broncos but was slowed by injuries and missed the final five games of last season with a broken ankle. Odhiambo said he's fully recovered from the injuries and was actually in Seattle watching the draft with Boise State teammate Marcus Henry when the call came from the Seahawks.

Seattle offensive line coach Tom Cable was part of Odhiambo's workout at Boise State.

''He really fits the formula for being a guard and we're going to give him a shot there,'' Carroll said.

---

Online:

AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL