The SB Nation two-round NFL mock draft continues along with each lead NFL team blogger making the pick for their team. Up now is the Seattle Seahawks with the No. 12 overall pick.
2012 SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: Round 1, Pick 12
With the 12th pick in the 2012 SB Nation NFL Writers Mock Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Alabama outside linebacker Courtney Upshaw.
Danny Kelly, who runs our Seahawks site Field Gulls, called in his resident draft expert Rob Staton to make the pick. Staton writes for Field Gulls and also operates Seahawks Draft Blog, one of my favorite draft sites. So for more on the Seahawks, check out FieldGulls.com and Staton’s SeahawksDraftBlog.com. Find his explanation and my reaction to the pick after the jump.
Rob Staton explains: Pete Carroll has been quite open about his desire to improve the team's pass rush and that will almost certainly be Seattle's main priority in the draft. For the last two seasons the Seahawks have relied too much on Chris Clemons for pressure and finding a compliment has to be the #1 aim with the #12 pick.
Seattle needs a DE/OLB hybrid to fit into a scheme that uses a lot of 4-3 and 3-4 concepts. Essentially they need a player who can read well in space, provide solid run support and most of all get to the quarterback. Courtney Upshaw and Melvin Ingram are the ideal candidates for this role and in this scenario, the Seahawks have the luxury of both being available. Although a lot of people believe Ingram is the superior player, I'm not convinced Pete Carroll will see it that way. The deal breaker could be Upshaw's superior ability in space and the fact he played the same role in Alabama's dominating defense.
Dan Kadar reacts: This is a hand-in-glove choice. It's a perfect fit for what the Seahawks want to do on defense. After signing quarterback Matt Flynn and defensive lineman Jason Jones in free agency, the Seahawks don't have to worry about trading up for a player. That will allow them to sit back and let a great talent like Upshaw fall to them.
Mocking the Draft's Top 5 Remaining Prospects
| OVR | Name | Pos. | College | Report |
| 7 | Dre Kirkpatrick | CB | Alabama | scouting report |
| 9 | David DeCastro | G | Stanford | scouting report |
| 10 | Jonathan Martin | OT | Stanford | scouting report |
| 12 | Devon Still | DT | Penn State | prospect notes |
| 14 | Luke Kuechly | MLB | Boston College | scouting report |
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