Hawks to read, react

KIRKLAND -- If the first round of the NFL draft had been conducted Thursday, the Seahawks were ready.

For anything.

That's because the club has held countless hours of meetings in preparation for this weekend's draft, with the scouts and assistant coaches offering their input on the players the Seahawks could select with the 25th pick in the first round Saturday -- as well as those who might be available with their selections in the second, third, fourth, sixth and even seventh rounds.

"We feel like we're ready," club president Tim Ruskell said Thursday.

Another element in this scenario that is inching dangerously close to paralysis by overanalysis: The players available to the Seahawks near the bottom of each round will be greatly impacted by what happens in the first 24 or so picks.

"You obviously want to make sure you don't miss anything, and you can almost watch too much (video)," said Ruston Webster, the Seahawks vice president of player personnel. "It does get to be a little bit of overkill for us, and like Tim said, we're at that point."

Ruskell reiterated that he is not averse to trading out of the 25th spot to the top of the second round, and that such a move could be triggered by the half-dozen teams at the top of the draft that are looking for a quarterback and don't get Boston College's Matt Ryan in the first round.

Ruskell, in his fourth year of overseeing the Seahawks' draft, also acknowledged the obvious need for a tight end; the interest in acquiring another running back despite the signings of Julius Jones and T.J. Duckett in free agency; and that the team was targeting defensive linemen even before the arrest of tackle Rocky Bernard this week for allegedly assaulting his ex-girlfriend.

But for the second time in less than a week, he also emphasized, "We just don't feel hostage to any position."

Just another indication that anything could happen.

With the legwork done, how will Ruskell and his staff occupy their time until they make that first selection at roughly 4 p.m. Saturday?

"We're just kind of seeing what else is out there," Ruskell said.

That involves talking to contacts who can be trusted with other teams and even perusing the glut of mock drafts that are threatening to overload cyberspace.

"We like looking at the mocks as much as you guys do," Ruskell said. "That's the game that goes on right to the last minute: Where are guys going to be, who's going to be there?

"You just keep trying to get as much information as you can."

Another question: When is enough more than enough?

"The overanalyzing of it all, it's easy to do," Webster said. "We've been looking at these players since last summer. So it goes on and on and on."

But at some point, the hours of preparation finally become a few minutes on the clock when the Seahawks actually get to make their selections -- 10 in the first round and seven in the second Saturday; five each in the final five rounds Sunday.

That's when things really get crazy, right?

Not in the Seahawks' draft room, because this preoccupation with preparation reduces the risk of panic -- something Ruskell and Webster experienced in previous drafts with other teams.

"Ruston and I, 20 years ago, we've had the nose-to-nose and the shoving-and-shoving matches," Ruskell said.

"But those days are over -- I hope," he added with a laugh.

Ruskell makes the final call on each pick, with input from Webster and his scouts, coach Mike Holmgren, offensive coordinator Gil Haskell, defensive coordinator John Marshall, the position coaches for the potential picks in each round and even members of the medical staff.

"As each pick comes up, the crowd seems to grow," Ruskell said. "But we encourage that. We've got a board that lists five or six prospects that we're considering at the time. So we encourage the assistant coaches to come in, and if one of those players is at your position, we'd like you to be there to state your case."

By the time that pick is made, "The heavy lifting has been done," Ruskell said, "but you want that reassurance."

Because, after all, you have to be ready for anything.