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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Seahawks take Alabama offensive lineman James Carpenter at No. 25 overall

Tim Booth Associated Press

RENTON, Wash. – In his first draft in charge with Seattle, general manager John Schneider got his left tackle of the future.

Schneider now hopes he’s found his bookend on the offensive line, even if James Carpenter didn’t think he’d be coming off the board until Day 2.

“I was so shocked,” Carpenter said. “I thought I was going to go in the second round. I’m glad someone had faith in me.”

Carpenter, who started every game at Alabama after walking on campus, was drafted by Seattle with the 25th overall pick in Thursday’s NFL draft. He addresses a need for increased depth on an offensive line that was decimated by injuries and an inability to run the ball during the 2010 season.

But it was who Seattle passed up that made Carpenter’s selection surprising.

There was Wisconsin offensive tackle Gabe Carimi, who most rated higher than Carpenter. And there was Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith, who could have filled Seattle’s need for a shutdown cornerback in a leaky secondary.

The arrival of Carpenter with the plan of playing him at right tackle all but assures the end of Sean Locklear’s tenure with the Seahawks.