The Seattle Seahawks beefed up their offensive line with the sixth pick in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft, then they improved their defense with the 14th pick.
Seattle selected Texas safety Earl Thomas 14th overall. As Rich Eisen noted on NFL Network, between Thomas and Russell Okung, new Seahawks coach Pete Carroll eschewed former Pac-10 players he had seen at USC to take a couple of Big 12 guys.
At 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds, Thomas isn’t the biggest guy, but he has good quickness, athleticism and instincts in the secondary.
Thomas redshirted as a freshman in 2007 and then started every game in 2008 and 2009 before renouncing his final two years of eligibility to enter the draft. But despite only two seasons of college football experience, Thomas will be expected to start for the Seahawks as a rookie.
