The Seahawks, like all NFL franchises, have a history of draft failures. It started with their first-ever selection in 1976 and reached its pinnacle during the Tim Ruskell era. But a certain draft mistake in the middle of their 35-year tenure could be the worst ever in the NFL.

Some failures are tied to the player that was picked, while others are a result of who wasn't. 

Hindsight isn't exactly a fair vantage point, so pre-draft expectations will mitigate some players who failed to live up to expectations. After all, this article is about mistakes, not draft busts.

Here are a dozen of the Seahawks' biggest draft mistakes, along with a few bonus selections of draft busts. 

Honorable Mentions: Draft Busts with Mitigating Circumstances

Rick Mirer, Quarterback, Notre Dame, second overall selection in 1993:

Mirer was the consolation prize for the Seattle Seahawks in the 1993 draft after Drew Bledsoe was taken first overall by the New England Patriots. The latter went on to have a solid NFL career, while Mirer peaked with his Rookie of the Year performance.

Many consider Mirer to be the biggest draft bust in Seahawks history. I tend to disagree, even though he failed to live up to any expectations.

However, Seattle did secure a first-round draft pick from the Chicago Bears for Mirer, a pick that turned into Walter Jones. For that reason, the real draft mistake relative to Mirer lies with the Bears.

Brian Bosworth, LB, Oklahoma, surrendered first-round pick in 1988 draft (22nd overall):

When Brian Bosworth was made available in the 1987 supplemental draft, Seattle did all they could to sign one of the most dynamic players to enter the NFL. They offered their first-round pick the following year, which ultimately cost them the 22nd pick.

Injuries may have cut "The Boz's" NFL career short, but he made a solid impact when healthy. More importantly, he brought toughness and attitude to the Seahawks at a time when they needed a push to get the franchise in the national picture.

Many claim Bosworth is Seattle's biggest draft bust, as his performance didn't meet his hype.

It is hard to deny that he failed to live up to the persona he had built, but that isn't the yardstick. Rather, how did he fare compared to what should be expected of a late second-round pick (draft values for the following year are typically adjusted by one round)?

The Seahawks have certainly received far less performance from players that cost significantly more.

Chris McIntosh, OL, Wisconsin, 22nd overall in 2000 draft:

McIntosh never developed into the player the Seahawks expected him to be. He was plagued by injuries and lasted just two seasons in Seattle.

Marcus Tubbs, DT, Texas, 23rd overall in 2004:

Like McIntosh, Tubbs had injury issues that cut his career short. His final issue required micro-fracture knee surgery, landing him on injured reserve before the 2007 season began. He was released the following season.

13. Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest: 4th Selection in 2009 Draft

Aaron Curry was seen as a can't-miss prospect and was expected to bring viciousness to Seattle's linebacker corps.

While Curry was a huge bust for the Seahawks, they are hardly alone with the players taken at the top of the 2009 draft. Much of 2009's first round was a failure.

It turned out he just wasn't a good fit for Seattle, and the front office perhaps should have recognized the issues he could face moving into a much different role in Seattle.

It is possible he just isn't a fit for the NFL. However, he has had better success in Oakland than what he produced in Seattle.

Curry's performance issues are only part of the story, though.

Some believe that Mark Sanchez should have been the pick in 2009. He hasn't shown himself to be a franchise quarterback to this point, but Seattle should have been thinking about their future.

The Seahawks were in a rebuilding period in 2009...the front office just wasn't astute enough to realize it.

I was in favor of moving down in Round 1 to work on the offensive line. The 2009 draft didn't offer a great stock of players, and players taken later in the first round offered more production than several early draft picks.

12. Koren Robinson, WR, North Carolina State: 9th Selection in 2001 Draft

Koren Robinson was an exciting pick for the Seahawks in the 2001 draft. He was rated as one of the top receiving options along with David Terrell. 

The Seahawks and their fans had high expectations of his explosive speed and big-play potential. He demonstrated his potential in his second season, gaining 1,240 yards with five touchdowns.

The mistake the Seahawks made was discounting the off-field issues that should have directed them towards Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss or Chad Johnson.

They chose to ignore the red flags as they didn't see them as being major roadblocks. But they certainly should have been given more attention given that he was leaving college after his redshirt sophomore year.

11. Tony Dorsett, RB, Pittsburgh: 2nd Selection in 1977 Draft

Oh, what could have been.

There is one caveat that keeps this decision from making the top spot on this list. The Seahawks could have had difficulty signing the 1977 Heisman winner, and had they convinced him to sign, he would have been playing behind a patchwork offensive line.

The key for the Seahawks was to maximize the draft consideration from one of the teams clamoring to draft Tony Dorsett. They seemed to come up a bit short, securing a first-round pick and a pair of selections in Round 2.

With the 14th pick, Seattle secured Steve August, who went on to play over 100 games for the Seahawks. He started at right tackle in 91 of them.

Their next two picks worked out fairly well. Tom Lynch, taken with their own second-round pick, was a starting offensive tackle for four seasons. Terry Beeson was taken with the first second-round pick from Dallas and became a solid starting middle linebacker.

Seattle continued to work trades, parlaying the third pick into Geoff Reece (center), Duke Ferguson (wide receiver) and Peter Cronan (linebacker). None of them offered significant contribution to the team.

Seattle gained two serviceable players but did so by walking away from one of the best runners to ever play the game. Championships are built with game-changers, not on the backs of mediocre starters. 

The compensation for Dorsett was well below the modern NFL Draft Value Chart. Compared to what the Washington Redskins surrendered to draft Robert Griffin, III, the Cowboys got a steal.

10. Jerramy Stevens, TE, Washington: 28th Selection in 2002 Draft

Coming into the NFL, Jerramy Stevens was a player with a troubled past but great potential. 

In Super Bowl XL, he had a few key miscues but also scored the Seahawks' only touchdown. He turned in a monster performance in one week, only to leave fans wondering if he even showed up the next.

Tight end was a primary need for Seattle in 2002. Jeremy Shockey and Daniel Graham were already taken. There wasn't another challenger that held the same promise of Stevens, making his selection understandable.

Stevens was a failure in the end, but his shoulders bear that burden.

The real failure is that Seattle traded down from the 20th pick. Graham was taken 21st, and Javon Walker was taken by the Green Bay Packers at No. 20. The compensation was exchanging a pick in round two (Anton Palepoi) for a fifth-round choice (Aaron Kampman).

Seattle lost all the way around on that trade.

9. Trade: 24th Pick in 2007 Draft for Deion Branch

The Seahawks parted with their 2007 first pick, sent to the New England Patriots for a receiver that had never reached 1,000 yards in a season.

Had the Seahawks held on to their pick, they would have been able to choose from Robert Meachem, Anthony Gonzalez, Sidney Rice and Steve Smith (USC, drafted by the New York Giants).

Zach Miller would have also been an option at tight end. 

The 2007 draft could have yielded fantastic results and kept the Seahawks' talent at the level of a contender. Instead, they marked another failed attempt by the front office to keep pace with other franchises.

8. Steve Niehaus, DT, Notre Dame: 2nd Overall Selection in 1976 Draft

Is it odd or fitting that the story on the Seahawks' draft failures take us to their first-ever selection? 

Seattle had the opportunity to use their first selection to set the tone for their franchise, and they used it on a defensive tackle that held promise as a prominent sack machine.

He set the tone for Rick Mirer, though, peaking with 9.5 sacks and NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. 

The Seahawks could have taken a Pro Bowl runner (Chuck Muncie) to form the offense around, or grabbed one of the best cornerbacks to ever play the game (Mike Haynes).

To be fair, knee issues derailed Steve Niehaus' career. Had he remained healthy, he might have made a bigger impact on the team.

With the injury issues that continue to plague the team, this seems a most fitting start.

7. Chris Spencer, C, Ole Miss: 26th Selection in 2005 Draft

The biggest issue with this selection isn't selecting Chris Spencer...even though it seemed like a reach. The real issue with the start of the Tim Ruskell era was ignoring a much better interior lineman prospect. 

Spencer was serviceable for the Seahawks but was well short of what is expected from a first-round selection. 

However, the pick was certainly a failure for the Seahawks. They still had a starting center on the roster (Robbie Tobeck), and Logan Mankins was on the board. Seattle knew they were facing difficult negotiations with Steve Hutchinson, and Mankins could have stepped in and replaced him without the line missing much of a beat.

Instead, this selection heralded the pending implosion of the Seahawks' offensive line. It also precipitated the next mistake on this list.

6. Kelly Jennings, CB, Miami: 31st Selection in 2006 Draft

Kelly Jennings never gained the favor of Seahawks fans. He was a late first-round pick following Seattle's lone Super Bowl appearance. He was known for solid cover skills, but his size—or lack thereof—was a concern.

In his tenure in Seattle, Jennings was consistently in receivers' hip-pockets, but he lacked the ball skills to interrupt passes. He surrendered too many completions and had fewer interceptions in his career than rookie Richard Sherman had in half a season.

The biggest failure with drafting Jennings is what the team missed. They could have chosen Cedric Griffin at cornerback or looked at Roman Harper at safety.

Seattle also had a need at defensive end. Bryce Fisher wasn't showing consistent skills and was in his final season as a Seahawk. Grant Wistrom was also aging and entering what would be his final year in the NFL.

Mathias Kiwanuka was taken in the spot following Jennings and was a promising defensive end. He's gone on to have a solid career for the New York Giants, and he would have been instrumental in helping the Seahawks stay relevant.

Three picks just after Kiwanuka were linebackers DeMeco Ryans, D'Qwell Jackson and Rocky Macintosh. All three are impact players and would have filled a need in Seattle.

5. Josh Wilson, CB, Maryland: 55th Pick in 2007 Draft

One year after taking Kelly Jennings in the first round, general manager Tim Ruskell tried to rectify the selection of one undersized cornerback by drafting an even smaller version.

To be fair, Josh Wilson was an exciting player. He became a fan favorite and shouldn't be considered a draft bust. 

However, the Seahawks shouldn't have been looking at cornerback. They should have answered that issue the year before with Cedric Griffin or moving up a few spots to grab Johnathan Joseph.

Seattle also failed to recognize that their offensive line was deteriorating. They lost four of their starting linemen over a two-year period, yet little action was being taken to shore up what had been the strength of the Seahawks' offense.

Had the Seahawks taken Mankins in 2005, they would have been in an ideal position to draft Ryan Kalil. Instead, he was selected four spots later and has been a Pro Bowl talent for the Carolina Panthers.

4. Entire 1999 Draft

Lamar King, DE, Saginaw Valley State: 22nd Overall Selection

Headed into the 1999 draft, Ebenezer Ekuban and Patrick Kerney were seen as the top two prospects at defensive end. 

Lamar King was certainly in the top five, but a Division II player had never been drafted in the first round. King wasn't expected to be the first.

The Seahawks moved down twice in the first round in 1999, looking to add players to the liking of new coach and general manager Mike Holmgren. Fritz Shurmer pulled the plug on the moves and King in particular.

Kerney was available at the 22nd spot, fresh off a 15-sack season at Virginia, and was considered a logical pick for a team that needed help with quarterback pressure.

The Seahawks had already passed on Damien Woody (C, Boston College) and acquired picks that became Karsten Bailey, Floyd Wedderburn and Steve Johnson, who never made it out of training camp.

Other picks in 1999 included Brock Huard (QB, third round) and Antonio Cochran (DE, fourth round).

The only positive that came from the 1999 draft was the second-round pick the Seahawks sent to the Green Bay Packers to sign Mike Holmgren...but that wasn't really their decision.

3. Dan McGwire, QB, San Diego State: 16th Selection in 1991 Draft

The Seahawks selected the 6'8" Dan McGwire to be their franchise quarterback. He had a great collegiate career, but there were concerns about how a quarterback of his size would translate to the NFL.

As it turns out, windmills don't fare well at all.

McGwire's best season amounted to 578 yards, one touchdown and an interception in three starts and seven games played.

As bad as his performances were, the real failure lies in who the Seahawks didn't take in 1991. Brett Favre was taken with the 33rd selection, following McGwire and Todd Marinovich at the quarterback position. 

The first round was a big reach for McGwire, but owner Ken Behring insisted on the pick. This is just one of the reasons some believe Behring was attempting to dismantle the team's talent so he could navigate a move to Los Angeles.

While some mistakes are visible only through hindsight, this debacle was clear from the get-go.

1B. Kelly Stouffer, QB, Colorado State, 1987 Draft, 1988 Debut

Seattle didn't draft Stouffer, so it might not be fair to include him in the overall. However, the Seahawks surrendered several high draft picks for the player the Arizona Cardinals couldn't come to terms with after selecting him sixth overall in 1987.

Things could have been worse, as the original plan was to include Kenny Easley as part of the transaction.

Kelly Stouffer was a clear example of the need for a rookie wage scale. His salary demands were so high that the Cardinals couldn't sign him. Seattle was able to find common ground in the boardroom, but he didn't reciprocate on the field.

In 22 games over four seasons, he managed all of seven touchdowns and 19 interceptions. It doesn't get much worse than that.

1. Entire 1985 Draft

To be fair, the Seahawks started behind the eight ball in 1985. They sent their first-round pick to the Cincinnati Bengals to acquire Blair Bush.

His six seasons at center for the Seahawks were solid, but not worth a first-round pick.

Seattle could have drafted Kevin Glover at the end of Round 1. He was a four-time All-Pro selection in the middle of his tenure with the Detroit Lions. But Seattle tried to rectify their mistake and ended up signing him for his final two seasons. Perhaps that move actually strains the failure of 1985 even more.

Seattle used their first pick on Owen Gill (RB, Iowa). He never played a down for the Seahawks, but it gets worse. They could have snagged Herschel Walker who was entering the NFL after starting his pro career with the New Jersey Generals. 

The third round led them to wide receiver Danny Greene (Washington), who never played in the NFL.

Tony Davis (TE, Missouri) was their fourth-round selection and had the same NFL career as Greene. There was little improvement, oddly enough, as the draft continued. Their most successful selection was offensive tackle Ron Mattes, taken in the seventh round. He played with the Seahawks for five seasons.

In all, the 1985 draft for the Seattle Seahawks was a vast wasteland. They could have acquired a Pro Bowl center, a running back for whom the Minnesota Vikings would later surrender half a team, and former Bills' great Andre Reed.

Instead, the 1985 draft picks stand as the biggest draft mistake in the history of the organization...and possibly the NFL.