"Kuechly has set himself apart from every other linebacker in this class. As defensive players go this year, he's as close to a sure thing as you'll find."
    -- Jeffri Chadiha, ESPN.com

Hmmm, that refrain sounds familiar. Seems that's what people were saying the last time the Seattle Seahawks chose a linebacker in the first round. That was 2009 when Seattle picked Curry with the No. 4 overall selection, the highest a linebacker had been chosen in nine years.

"The safest pick in the draft," said Todd McShay, ESPN draft analyst said of Curry before that draft.

"Arguably the best all-around prospect," said Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune.

So yeah, calling Kuechly a sure thing isn't going to do much to enamor Seahawks fans with the idea of their team choosing him with the No. 12 overall pick.

Linebacker and defensive end are Seattle's two clearest areas of need, and while general manager John Schneider has spent the past two years drastically downsizing the salary structure of this team's linebackers, that doesn't necessarily mean he's averse to making a big-budget addition. Schneider was part of Green Bay's front office in 2006 when the Packers picked middle linebacker A.J. Hawk of Ohio State No. 5 overall. In 2009, the Packers picked Clay Matthews No. 26 out of USC.

What does that say about Seattle's degree of interest in Kuechly? Well, that's a topic that's ripe for debate.