COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Seattle Seahawks were not alone in sending their head coach and general manager to Columbus, Ohio to watch Ohio State draft hopefuls at the school's pro day on Thursday.
But it is certainly notable that, in addition to John Schneider and Pete Carroll, the Seahawks also sent offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, QB coach Greg Olson, and assistant GM Nolan Teasley - among others.
Longtime NFL draft analyst Rob Rang joined Corbin Smith on the Locked on Seahawks podcast to express disbelief at how many Seattle reps were in attendance at Ohio State's pro day.
"I've been covering the Seahawks and their NFL draft preparation for an awful long time, and very few times have I even seen them send half that number," Rang said. "I've never seen them send eight representatives."
Ohio State's top draft prospect is quarterback CJ Stroud, a player many believe will go number one off the board to the Carolina Panthers - who had 14 different team personnel in Columbus.
The Seahawks recently inked veteran Geno Smith to a contract extension, but they have not been shy about admitting they could use one of their first round picks to add a young quarterback for the future.
Stroud doesn't seem likely to last until the fifth pick, but Seattle is no stranger to aggressively pursuing any avenue to get better, which could include a trade up if necessary.
Ohio State has plenty of other talented players for Seattle to consider, including offensive linemen Paris Johnson Jr, Dawand Jones, and Luke Wypler, as well as EDGE Zach Harrison and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Stroud to Seattle may not be a particularly likely outcome, but ruling out a bold move from Schneider and Carroll is never wise.