I talked to Rob Rang, senior draft analyst for NFLDraftScout.com about how Seattle graded out in its first day of the draft, and Rang gave the Seahawks high marks for their performance on Saturday.

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LSU defensive lineman Tyson Jackson has shot up the draft board in many mock drafts this week (Butch Dill/AP).

It’s unlikely the Seattle Seahawks will select a defensive linemen with the team’s No. 4 overall draft pick

The Seahawks signed Colin Cole in free agency to be the team’s run stuffer up front. And they added depth by receiving Cory Redding from Detroit in the trade for Julian Peterson to Detroit.

However, if they were to consider a defensive lineman the first round, LSU’s Tyson Jackson or Boston College’s B.J. Raji would be good fits.

Jackson has been moving up the draft boards. He has versatility, with the ability to play defensive end in a both a 3-4 and a 4-3, and at 6-foo-4, 295 he can also kick down to defensive tackle during third down and rush the passer.

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Virginia offensive tackle Eugene Monroe could be available when Seattle selects at No. 4 (Kevin Fox, Getty Images).

The Seattle Seahawks say they don’t desperately need help at offensive tackle and believe Walter Jones will return healthy from microfracture knee surgery.

Further, Seahawks GM Tim Ruskell says there is offensive line talent to be had later in the draft, and there is not that much drop off in talent.

But if one of the top two tackles is on the board – either Virginia’s Eugene Monroe or Baylor’s Jason Smith – will Seattle really pass?

Both are solid prospects who project as good offensive tackles at the next level. But neither is thought of as the next Walter Jones, and that’s a problem when you’re going to pay someone $25 to $30 million in guaranteed money.

However, Seattle could use some more big bodies up front to add depth to an position group that suffered several injuries last season.

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Talented Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree may be too good for the Seattle Seahawks to pass up at No. 4 (Jamie Squire/Getty Images).

If the Seattle Seahawks are looking for a player to immediately help them win now, Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree fits the bill.

He’s quick, explosive and has good hands, evidenced by his college-record 231 receptions, 41 of which went for touchdowns. And there would not be as much pressure on Crabtree to perform with veteran receivers T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Deion Branch and Nate Burleson already in the fold.

There have been questions about his speed, particularly after a cracked bone was discovered in his left foot. Crabtree had his foot surgically repaired, and told Dan Patrick that he could run a 4.4 40-yard dash now in this audio link.

During the interview Crabtree said he’s met and went out to dinner with Seattle Seahawks staff.

Seattle could put Crabtree in a 10-play package each game, and also let him return punts and kicks so that you know he will get touches every game. Drafting Crabtree isn’t necessarily a need, but after what happened to the Seahawks receiving corps in 2008, GM Tim Ruskell certainly will mull over the decision to draft a playmaker like Crabtree.

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Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells could be high-stepping into the end zone in a Seattle Seahawks uniform in 2009 (Lui Kit Wong, The News Tribune).

Speed to burn

Ohio State running back Chris “Beanie” Wells has it. But will NFL teams overlook some of Wells’ inconsistent performances in college and draft him on his potential to be a great runner in the league?

The Seattle Seahawks are looking for a running back to add to their stable of runners, including Julius Jones, T.J. Duckett and Justin Forsett. But the first round may be to high for Seattle to take someone like Wells.

However, the speedy Ohio State product would be a good fit in the Seahawks new zone blocking scheme, which requires backs to make one cut and get up field quick.

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USC quarterback Mark Sanchez could go as high as the No. 4 pick to Seattle in Saturday's upcoming draft (Stephen Dunn, Getty Images).

Our draft preview coverage begins today with a look at what quarterbacks the Seattle Seahawks might consider. We’ll take a look at a position group each day leading up to Saturday.

Mark Sanchez has recently been the trendy pick for the Seahawks, but even if Seattle does not select Sanchez at No. 4, they will probably pick a quarterback at some point during the draft.

Other teams looking at Sanchez include San Francisco, Jacksonville, Denver and Houston. Sanchez believes he has the total package.

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As I start working on our 2009 NFL Draft preview, which begins on Sunday runs each day until draft day, I again talked to Rob Rang, senior draft analyst for NFLDraftScout.com about who he believes Seattle will select entering the final stretch before the draft.

Rang still sees the Seahawks selecting USC quarterback Mark Sanchez with the team’s No. 4 overall pick to groom as an eventual replacement for Matt Hasselbeck.

However, Rang did point out the irony that he felt much more confident in who Seattle would select last year with the Seahawks picking late in the first-round, accurately predicting defensive end Lawrence Jackson, as opposed to this year with Seattle selecting No. 4 overall, but several possibilities still remaining.

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I recently checked in with Rob Rang, senior analyst with NFLDraftScout.com, to get his thoughts on where the Seattle Seahawks sit in terms of the upcoming draft in April with less than a month remaining.

We’ll have a more thorough breakdown of each position group in a couple weeks as part of our draft preview coverage, but for now Rang shares his thoughts on who Seattle might select with the team’s No. 4 overall pick.

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With Michael Crabtree’s foot injury and Alabama offensive tackle Andre Smith going AWOL happening on a weird Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Rob Rang, senior analyst at nfldraftscout.com, was gracious enough to take a few minutes to discuss the impact those two stories might have on the draft in general, and Seattle’s No. 4 selection in particular.

On the Crabtree situation, Rang had this to say:

“I think that Crabtree is still going to have to be at least a consideration for the Seahawks. I mean anytime you have a player that is as talented as he is, I mean you go back and watch the film and he is still among the elite players in the draft. He’s still our No. 1 player at this moment.”

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I talked to Rob Rang, senior draft analyst with nfldraftscout.com after the deadline for underclassmen to enter the draft passed on Thursday to get his thoughts on what he believes Seattle’s options are heading into the draft. As always, Rang had some interesting things to say.

You can view Rang’s mock draft here. And you can view Chris Steubers’ mock draft from Scout.com here.

Rang said the number of underclassmen choosing to stay in school was a surprise, particularly because the NFL’s draft evaluation committee had almost twice the number of requests it usually gets this season. It had been anticipated that as many as 80 underclassmen would declare for the draft, but right now that number is around 50.

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With only a few days left in Seattle's 2008 season we take a sneak peak at the 2009 NFL draft and what players the Seahawks might be looking at selecting with their top 10 pick.

For today’s story on the draft I talked to Rob Rang, a senior analyst with nfldraftscout.com. As you know, Rang has a wealth of information on the draft, and we’ll be checking in with him periodically throughout the draft process. I want to say thanks to Rob for taking the time to talk about some of the top picks in this year’s draft.

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OK, so here is the situation that Mike Holmgren finds himself in this week:

With only four days between now and the game against the Oakland Raiders, and his top three quarterbacks suffering some sort of injury, what does he do against the Raiders?

He certainly is not going to throw Matt Hasselbeck out there and risk having him injured just before the season opener in Buffalo. He does not yet know the severity of Charlie Frye's knee injury, though Frye said his knee was sore. And while Seneca Wallace played tonight, Holmgren said he did not even plan on allowing Wallace to throw a pass until they found themselves down by a point with 2 1/2 minutes left.

A lot of course will depend on what they say on Tuesday about Frye's injury and if that will restrict him. But it is an interesting question nonetheless: Who does Holmgren go with?

And before you say Dalton Bell, this was Holmgren's response when he was asked about playing Seneca late: "We didn't have any choice really. I wasn't going to put Dalton Bell in against them."