Tuesday, March 31, 2009

SEAHAWKS: CB Lucas visits Seattle



According to the Times' Danny O'Neil, the Seahawks have already brought in former cornerback Ken Lucas for a visit earlier this month.

Lucas became a free agent on March 11, when the Panthers cut him in order to trim salary after re-singing Pro Bowl free agent Jordan Gross and franchising Julius Peppers.

He spent the first four seasons of his career in Seattle after being drafted in the second round of the 2001 draft.

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Lucas has arguably seen his best years come and go, which would include his last season in Seattle and his first in Carolina. In both years, he recorded a career-high in interceptions with six.

He turned that career year in 2004 into a six-year, $36.5 million deal with the Panthers.

At the time, Seattle was faced with Matt Hasselbeck, Shaun Alexander and Walter Jones all becoming free agents at the same time, and so Lucas became an afterthought.

As a 'Hawk, he was an immediate starter upon being drafted, though he did take some time to develop. Considered a project at first, he had the perfect blend of size, strength and speed.

His breakout year came in 2004, when he stayed consistent with the occasional flash of shutdown ability. His performance even overshadowed that of Marcus Trufant, who was a second-year pro at the time.

Now at 30, Lucas has failed to develop into the consistent Pro Bowl corner the Panthers no doubt thought they were getting, but he still has plenty of ability.

At 6-foot, 205 pounds, he's larger than any of Seattle's top three corners, all of whom fall just under 6-foot.

He doesn't have flashy speed (though he's certainly not slow), but he has the strength to press at the line of scrimmage and would be a good fit should Seattle choose to go the veteran path at corner.

Wherever he lands, Lucas will almost certainly be a starter. If he signs with Seattle, it will show Seattle has little confidence in the incumbents on the right side, Kelly Jennings and Josh Wilson.

Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com