When Seattle used its first-round selection in the NFL draft to take San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny, the choice was celebrated in San Diego and warmly received in the Northwest.
Elsewhere, the pick was pretty much panned.
Reaction was swift, virtually from the moment NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Penny's name at the podium.
"The crowd just went, 'Uh, who?' " said one ESPN broadcaster.
"That's a wow!" said another.
The analysts spent as much time discussing who the Seahawks should have picked as they did talking about Penny.
"There's some big people on the board," said one, "who I thought would have gone much sooner than him at the running back position."
And this on a CBS Sports HQ broadcast: "Who the hell had Rashaad Penny going in the first round? I'll say this, I don't hate the pick. The Seahawks needed a running back. This guy had major production at the collegiate level, but it does kind of feel like it came a little bit out of left field."
The first 32 picks had barely been completed Thursday night when national publications posted their first-round grades. Several of them gave Seattle a D, some suggested the Seahawks could have gotten a better player with the pick and still gotten Penny later in the draft.
Easier said than done. For one thing, Seattle didn't have a pick in the second round (where many projections had Penny being drafted).
As it was, the Seahawks traded down from the first round's 18th pick to the 27th in order to pick up an extra third-round pick.
"Speed, durability, humble," Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said. "Probably the best part about this young man is that he's humble. ... He's such an exciting player and he's so versatile and dynamic that we know every time he gets his hands on the ball, he can score a touchdown."
And there was this from Seattle GM John Schneider: "A true rarity is that we had a team call after we selected him and tried to acquire him. I've never experienced that."
So why did so many people question _ if not, in fact, rip _ the pick?
"The unfortunate reality is that negativity is more productive in terms of notoriety and retweets and those sort of things than having thoughtful conversations that go beyond the surface and the easy answer," CBS Sports analyst Aaron Taylor said. "Ultimately, to not understand what Rashaad Penny was capable of or the type of career he had while at San Diego State is ignorance, laziness or both."
Taylor has a unique perspective on the matter.
The former offensive lineman was a first-round draft pick out of Notre Dame whose six-year NFL career included a Super Bowl championship with Green Bay.
In his role as a college football analyst, Taylor sees teams and players across the country and in all conferences.
Taylor noted Penny's talent more than two years ago when Penny was making a name for himself returning kickoffs and rushing success was still down the road.
"Unfortunately, for Penny throughout his collegiate career he suffered from the double-whammy _ which is the Group of Five West Coast bias," Taylor said. "Regardless of what his production was and how talented of a player he was, the reality is that most people either didn't get a chance to see him play as much as they did other backs or know enough about football to appreciate what his skill set is."
A few draftniks had Penny listed second to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, although most observers rated him as the fifth- or sixth-best back in the draft. CBSSports.com ranked him 11th.
This, after Penny led the nation in rushing with a school-record 2,248 yards.
After he tied an NCAA career record with seven kickoff returns for a touchdown _ and last season against Nevada returned the first punt of his career for a 70-yard TD.
After he went to the Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and was co-MVP of the South team, was the game's leading rusher and had a 73-yard touchdown reception.
Taylor said any questions about Penny should have been erased at the Senior Bowl when he shared the field with the nation's best players.
Further, anyone who still had questions _ say about Penny's speed _ should have checked that box after he clocked a 4.46 in the 40 at the NFL combine.
"He is NFL-ready right now as a Day 1 starter because of his elite size and speed combination and his ability to make people miss in the open field," Taylor said. "He wasn't used heavily in the wide open field as a receiver. ... but he's got the skill set where he can find the hidden yards and run around you, through you or make you miss.
"And you just don't see that blend of skills in running backs very often. His performance at the Senior Bowl I think supported that where he was taken in the first round of the draft was well worth it."
The perception persisted that Penny still was a second-round talent. At least it did with most mocks, which rated Barkley, LSU's Derrius Guice, Georgia's Nick Chubb and Sony Michel and USC's Ronald Jones II ahead of him.
"That's the nature of this beast," Taylor said. " ... everybody's got a megaphone now. ...
"For the naysayers, if you wanted to drop him into the Southeastern Conference, let's say, would he rush for 2,200-plus yards. Probably not. But would he rush for 1,600? Sure."
Added Taylor: "The reality is that scouting is about projecting. It's about identifying what a guy can do and what he can't do and how well those things will translate to the next level within the respective system and culture that he's going to be a part of."
Seattle determined that Penny was the perfect fit for the organization.
The Seahawks' due diligence included offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer phoning Jeff Horton, SDSU's offensive coordinator and running backs coach, on the eve of the draft.
"He wanted to know strengths, weaknesses, what I thought of him," said Horton, who believes Penny's kickoff return abilities separated him from most of the other running backs.
"That's a big addition," Horton said. "Also just the type of kid he is. How he works hard and shows up every day. I sold (Schottenheimer) on how you've seen the last couple of years people bailing out on bowl games, trying to save themselves for the NFL.
"Rashaad never once thought about that. That says a lot about the kind of guy you are, too."
Penny capped his collegiate career with a 221-yard, four-touchdown performance against Army in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Seattle likely had seen plenty from Penny's highlight reel well before SDSU's 13th game of the season.
And, certainly, the Seahawks' decision wasn't influenced by unsolicited outside opinions.
"We would've taken him at 18," Schneider said after the first round ended. "We feel very blessed tonight."
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