It took five rounds, but the first kicking specialist is finally off the board thanks to Seattle, and if the internet is any indication, it doesn't sound like Seahawks fans are very happy about the fact that their team decided to take a punter. 

With the 12th pick in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected former Texas punter Michael Dickson. If there was one team that was going to trade up for a punter in the draft, it was the Seahawks, who have seemingly thrown all positional needs out the window in favor of drafting the highest player ranked on their board. 

To get Dickson, the Seahawks traded the 157th overall pick and the 226th overall pick (seventh round) to the Broncos, so that they could move up seven spots in the fifth round to grab the Texas punter with the 149th pick. 

The Seahawks raised quite a few eyebrows by drafting a punter and that's mainly because they still haven't filled their most glaring need. If you watched any Seahawks games last season and noticed that Russell Wilson was always running for his life, then you're likely aware that the teams's biggest need is on the offensive line. Dickson was the sixth pick made by the Seahawks in the draft and none of those picks were O-linemen, and due to that fact, fans are now worried about Wilson surviving the season. 

Even our very own Pete Prisco questioned the move by the Seahawks to trade up and select Dickson. 

On the surface, taking a punter here might seem kind of crazy, but the truth is, it wasn't a horrible pick. 

Dickson was hands down the best punter in the draft, and it wasn't even close. The 2017 Ray Guy winner is such a good punter that he was named the MVP of the Texas Bowl in December. And no, that is not a typo, a punter won the MVP of a bowl game. Not to mention, Dickson also led the nation in net punting yards, punting average and punts inside the 20, which is basically like winning the triple crown of punting.  

As a matter of fact, the Australian punter was so good during his college career that he actually decided to forego his senior season to enter the draft. That's right, we now live in a world where punters are skipping their senior season. 

The Seahawks have spent the entire offseason revamping their special teams, and the Dickson pick is more evidence of that. Not only did the team draft him, but they also selected running back Rashaad Penny in the first round. With Penny's speed, there's a good chance he'll be returning kickoffs when the 2018 season starts.

Also, let's not forget the fact that Seattle signed Sebastian Janikowski less than three weeks ago as part of their offseason revamp. 

The decision to draft Dickson will likely have a dramatic effect on at least player in Seattle and that player is current punter Jon Ryan. As long as Dickson doesn't flop in minicamp, there's a good chance you'll see the Seahawks dump Ryan before the start of the 2018 season. Ryan, who had arguably been the best punter in team history, has been in Seattle since 2008. If the Seahawks do cut Ryan, who has two years left on his current deal, it would save them nearly $6 million in total cap space over the next two seasons. 

It's almost fitting that the Seahawks selected Dickson, because they put him through the ringer at the combine. One of the weirdest stories from that event came from Dickson, who said that the Seahawks put him through a staring contest. 

"I had to see how long I could stare without blinking," Dickson said in March, via PFT. "I had a couple of attempts. I tried a few techniques, looking away from the light, trying to block any sort of wind coming into the eyes. That was a weird process."

Apparently, the Seahawks came away satisfied with Dickson's staring skills, because they made trade so that they could move up and grab him in the draft. Also, the Seahawks must have finally remembered that they actually do need to draft some offensive linemen, because, with their next pick after Dickson, they selected Ohio State offensive tackle Jamarco Jones.