Draft drama: Way dominoes fall hinges on Seattle call at No. 4

I think we're all in agreement that Detroit takes Matthew Stafford with the first pick, St. Louis chooses a tackle with the second and that Kansas City does ... I don't know, something with the third. But that's where this year's draft gets intriguing because what happens next is that the Seattle Seahawks are on the clock.

And the Seattle Seahawks control the top of the draft.

Will the Seahawks decide they need QB Mark Sanchez at No. 4? (US Presswire)

Here's why: They could go in one of three directions with their choice -- quarterback, offensive tackle or wide receiver. I'm already on record saying they should take wide receiver Michael Crabtree because he's a playmaker, because he fills a need and because he's one of the top two or three players in this draft. But this is about what the Seahawks think, and what they wind up doing will have a ripple effect on the top 10.

Let's say they decide they must find a successor to Walter Jones at left tackle. Either Jason Smith or Eugene Monroe should be sitting there, with Cleveland and Cincinnati waiting on Seattle's decision. Like most of you, I assume St. Louis takes a tackle -- with Smith a likely target. That would leave Monroe on the board for Kansas City at the third spot or for Seattle at the fourth.

I don't see the Chiefs taking him. In fact, what I do see is the Chiefs trying to bail out of a position they probably can't -- basically because it's so expensive to trade into that spot. Unless you're positively enamored with a player you don't make the move up.

So Kansas City stays where it is. I don't know how the Chiefs pass on linebacker Aaron Curry, even though I keep hearing that is what they might do, and it's too high to take someone like Ty Jackson. Anyway, that leaves one tackle -- and, for our purposes, we're talking Monroe -- to Seattle.

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If the Seahawks take him that means Cleveland, at the fifth position, has first crack at the third best tackle in this draft -- Alabama's Andre Smith. But the Browns are dangling veteran wide receiver Braylon Edwards as trade bait, with the New York Giants interested, and if they complete the deal I don't know how they leave Crabtree on the board.

But let's say they do. How could Oakland pass him at the seventh spot? The Raiders are all about the vertical passing game, except for one problem: They don't have a wide receiver to play it. They would if Crabtree were there.

Now, back to the Seahawks. Let's assume they go for Crabtree with the fourth pick. It would make sense. I know they acquired T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but he's not the receiver Crabtree is. One's an inside pass catcher; the other is a deep-ball threat. Crabtree is the big-play target the Seahawks are missing and the No. 1 receiver they thought they were getting in Deion Branch.

With Crabtree off the board, the Browns would have a shot at either Monroe or Andre Smith, and I could see them taking Monroe to serve as a bookend tackle to Joe Thomas. I understand they need a pass rusher, too, and that someone like Brian Orakpo might be an ideal fit. But that might be high for Orakpo, and the Browns have to fix an offense that collapsed down the stretch.

That takes us back to Seattle once more. If there's an X-factor in this year's draft it's quarterback Mark Sanchez of USC. He's the second-best quarterback out there, and his stock is climbing. Once I thought he could get to Denver at the 12th spot; now I'm not so sure. In fact, I'd say it's improbable. Seattle is the first possibility for the guy, with the Seahawks interested because Matt Hasselbeck turns 34 this year and because he missed nine games with a back injury.

Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and the Seahawks have a chance here to find their next starter ... provided, of course, there's a consensus of opinion on the guy. But there might not be. Remember, Sanchez is a one-year starter. He's also a junior, and that combination could make him a risky choice.

Then there's Hasselbeck. The Seahawks insist they're not concerned about his future and believe he has three to four more solid years in him. If so, they can wait on his successor. That means Cleveland would have a shot at Sanchez, which it would decline. The Bengals would pass at six, too, and so would Oakland at seven. Jacksonville would be the next possibility, but how do you sink millions in a rookie quarterback when you just sank millions in your starter?

Ah, that's where it gets intriguing. I don't know if new GM Gene Smith believes David Garrard is the long-term starter. He didn't sign him to a new deal; his predecessor did. So maybe that becomes the next stop for Sanchez. If you believe it and you're interested in Sanchez, you better get in line ahead of the Jaguars. And if you believe Seattle is serious, you're probably talking to Kansas City now.

All I know is that the drama Saturday starts with Seattle. The Seahawks shake up the top of the draft board when they make their decision.