RENTON — Yes, the Seahawks thought about backpedaling a second time in the first round.

They traded back once in the first round, moving from the No. 12 overall pick to No. 15 and picking up Philadelphia's fourth- and sixth-round choices for the trouble.

Could they have waited even longer to take West Virginia's Bruce Irvin?

"We talked about going back again," general manager John Schneider said. "We decided to just go ahead and lock it down. We had this guy rated as one of the top players in the draft."

For the second consecutive year, Seattle used its first-round choice on a player many had projected to be chosen in the second round.

Last year, it was offensive tackle James Carpenter of Alabama. Thursday, it was Irvin.

Why did Seattle pick them if those players were expected to be chosen later?

Well, predraft expectations don't always equate to draft-day reality. Last year, the Seahawks were worried that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers wanted Carpenter.

Three players targeted by Seattle were available when the 12th pick came up, so the Seahawks traded back, confident at least one of those options would be there at No. 15.

And when the 15th pick arrived?

"We thought about doing it again," Schneider said. "We just didn't want to get too cute. This guy is just too special of a football player."

So the Seahawks picked him.

Would Irvin have lasted longer? It's impossible to say for sure, but there were indications later that the New York Jets had also targeted Irvin. They wound up selecting Quinton Coples of North Carolina with the next pick at No. 16.

Picking up the pace

Schneider was asked last week if he was struggling with the fact that he had only six picks available in this draft.

"Well, we have six picks right now," Schneider said.

Midway through the first round, the Seahawks increased that total to eight, adding fourth- and sixth-round selections in the trade with the Eagles. Seattle doesn't have a fifth-round selection, as that pick is the final piece of the 2010 trade for running back Marshawn Lynch.

Trading down

The Seahawks traded back in the first round for the third time in the past eight drafts. Seattle has not traded up in the first round since 1997 when it traded up to select both cornerback Shawn Springs at No. 3 and left tackle Walter Jones at No. 6.

Jones will announce the Seahawks' second-round pick in New York on Friday.

Danny O'Neil: 206-464-2364 or doneil@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @dannyoneil.