Seattle Drafts In Crafty Way

Shuffling and dealing as if he were working the tables in Vegas instead of manipulating the NFL draft for the Seattle Seahawks, Dennis Erickson may have hit the jackpot Saturday.

Trading down twice in the first round, the coach was able to land the player he wanted - Boston College guard/tackle Pete Kendall - while also picking up a quality veteran defensive tackle in trade from the Houston Oilers, and an extra third-round draft pick in a trade with Detroit.

Glenn Montgomery, a seven-year veteran with the Oilers, is expected to arrive and immediately help Seattle’s defense against the run - giving the Hawks the feeling of having landed two first-round selections.

The draft itself, however, was reduced to a subplot as reports circulated that Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen had positioned himself to purchase the team from owner Ken Behring - ending the threats that the franchise would move to Southern California.

In the second and third rounds, Seattle landed cornerback Fred Thomas (Tennessee-Martin), offensive tackle Robert Barr (Rutgers) and fullback Reggie Brown (Fresno State).

But it was in the first round that the Hawks pulled off the coup.

“We accomplished way more than we thought we would in the first round,” said Erickson, who actually picked up a potential starter and a third-round pick simply for slipping seven positions.

The Seahawks owned the 14th pick in the first round, but the top-quality defensive linemen were gone and Kendall was expected to be available later in the round.

So Erickson pulled the trigger on a deal that had been in the works for several weeks, moving down three spots in exchange for Montgomery and the Oilers’ pick at 17.

Detroit then gave Seattle its pick at No. 21 plus a third-rounder for the Hawks’ choice at 17. Finally, more than 4 hours into the draft, the patient Seahawks reeled in the 6-5, 292-pound Kendall.

“He’s got to come in and play for us,” Erickson said of Kendall, who will first be tried at left guard. “He’s much ahead of most guys coming out of college, technique-wise.”

Erickson liked what he saw of Kendall when he coached him in the Senior Bowl. “He really adds some toughness to us on the offensive line. He finds a way to block his man. He’s a very tenacious guy.”

“‘Snarly’ is the word I think of,” Hawk offensive line coach Howard Mudd said of Kendall. “He’s very bright and he’s accomplished a lot because of his personal discipline.”

Kendall, who has already graduated with a degree in marketing, was knocked by some for having short arms for an offensive lineman.

“Nobody has ever proved to me I need (longer) arms to do my job,” said Kendall, who has not surrendered a sack in the past two seasons. “It’s not like my hands don’t come down past my pockets. I do look like a fairly normal human being, not like a fire hydrant.”

Montgomery, 6-0, 282 pounds, started 14 games last year and had been listed as a transition player for Houston, which was forced to cut him loose for salary cap reasons.

“He’s gotten some all-pro votes; he almost made the Pro Bowl,” Erickson said of Montgomery. “He’s a real run stopper. We felt we needed a defensive tackle who could stop the run inside.”

“I feel like we got two first-round guys because there’s not another guy in the draft who could play the way (Montgomery) will play for us next year,” Hawks defensive coordinator Greg McMackin said.

Thomas was a surprise pick at No. 47 - a surprise for Thomas, at least.

“It was really a shock for me; I didn’t know I was going to be taken this early,” said Thomas, who had stops at five different schools before finishing at Tennessee-Martin.

Thomas has clocked 4.42 in the 40, and had three interceptions in a game against Tennessee State last year.

“I think he’s one of the better cornerbacks in this draft,” Hawks secondary coach Dave Brown said. “He’s very athletic; he was all-state in football and basketball coming out of high school and he has a 35-inch vertical jump.”

Barr, 6-4, 307 pounds, also played in the Senior Bowl with Kendall.

As was the case with Thomas, Barr was surprised by being taken by the Seahawks. “I didn’t think I’d go until the fourth, fifth or sixth round,” Barr said.

“He’s the classic big, ol’ powerful guy,” Mudd said of Barr. “He’s real light on his feet; we called him the Dancing Bear.”

Barr will likely be groomed as a replacement for veteran right tackle Howard Ballard.

The final pick of the day was the 6-foot, 233-pound Brown, who may be valuable since fullback Tracy Johnson was lost in free agency and Steve Smith is recovering from off-season back surgery.

The Seahawks will have six more picks in today’s final four rounds.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo