New Seahawk President Happy With First Draft In Seattle

By Jim CourAP Sports Writer KIRKLAND (AP) – As new president of the Seattle Seahawks, Tim Ruskell liked the way his first NFL draft went with coach Mike Holmgren. All was harmony and accommodation in the Seahawks’ drafting room. “Mike’s been in this league a long time and he’s had a lot of success,” said Ruskell, hired by owner Paul Allen Feb. 23. “So he has a lot of insight. It was enjoyable to get the back and forth. We worked real well together.” Allen brought Ruskell to Seattle six weeks after he dismissed Bob Whitsitt, who held the job for eight years. Allen said he wanted change the direction of his franchise. Ruskell spent last year as assistant GM with the Falcons and nine seasons handling scouting and personnel in Tampa Bay. He corrected a reporter when he was asked if he was happy about his first draft in Seattle. “It was our draft,” he said Sunday. “The special feeling was how we all worked together. It was a nice room. “Most everybody came up to me afterwards and said they really liked how it was organized and how everybody got input and how everybody was able to share their opinions,” he said. “I don’t know if it was unique to the Seahawks or not, but it was what I’m used to and they liked it and I liked it.” Ruskell liked what he got in the weekend’s draft, despite unsuccessfully trying to move up in position on Saturday to help his defense. On the second day of the draft, the Seahawks got five more players, including offensive tackle Ray Willis of Florida State who was chosen with the fourth pick of the day in the fourth round at No. 105. Selected one pick ahead of highly regarded Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton by Chicago, Willis will come to Seattle with his eyes set on the starting right tackle’s job. The Seahawks released Chris Terry, the starter at the position for three years, after the season. Their starter at left tackle on the offensive line is five-time Pro Bowler Walter Jones, also from Florida State. Willis, a 6-foot-6, 327-pounder, thought he should have been drafted on the first day. But there were some worries about his left shoulder, which was operated on twice during his college career, in 2003 and 2004. “Yesterday was definitely very disappointing,” Willis said by telephone. “I have something to prove. You feel like as a player, it’s all about competing.” Willis promised to give the Seahawks 100 percent when on the field. “I’m very intense,” he said. “I’m the kind of guy who wants to go out there and do the best when he plays the game. I put a lot more emphasis on being prepared for games during practice. I practice at high tempo.” Ruskell said the Seahawks feel good about Willis’ shoulder, team doctors checked him out thoroughly. “He played after he had it repaired and he played well,” Ruskell said. “Our doctors and trainers felt very good about it. We asked obviously, but they were happy with it and they signed off on it. We did a little bit extra in figuring his situation out. He’s a good player. We hope he’s a really good player.” The Seahawks drafted Arkansas defensive end Jeff Huckeba in the fifth round, 265-pound Iowa tight end Tony Jackson as a fullback in the sixth, and Alabama linebacker Cornelius Wortham and Oregon State guard Doug Nienhuis in the seventh. On Saturday, the team drafted Mississippi center Chris Spencer in the first round with the 26th pick, Southern California linebacker Lofa Tatupu in the second, and Georgia quarterback David Greene and Clemson linebacker LeRoy Hill in the third. Tatupu will be added to a defense that ranked 26th in the NFL last season. The team made it to the playoffs for the second straight season and won the NFC West, but lost its first playoff game. Tatupu helped the Trojans win two national championships. The Seahawks targeted him to help their defense as a middle linebacker, said Ray Rhodes, headed into his third season as Seattle’s defensive coordinator. “We felt he was a young man we needed,” he said. “The thing that jumped out on film is that he is very instinctive, he understood the game extremely well. He is a very serious man about football.” Ruskell said the scouts and the coaches were all in agreement on Tatupu. “As a group, we all wanted Lofa,” he said. “We all felt good about it. But Lofa has to come in, be a productive player, win a starting job and help this team.” Notes: After the draft, the Seahawks announced they have agreed to terms with nine undrafted college free agents. They were: ss Jamaal Brimmer, UNLV; c Tim Galloway, Washington; g Steven Gibbs, Arkansas St.; p Chris Kluwe, UCLA; rb Jess Lumsden, McMaster (Ontario, Canada); te Calen Powel, Duke; fb Leonard Weaver, Carson-Newman; rb Marquis Weeks, Virginia; qb Brian Wood, Winona St. (Minn.).