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Wednesday, July 23
 
Seahawks agree to deal with No. 11 overall pick

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

With their rookie class due to report for training camp later in the evening, the Seattle Seahawks reached agreements on Wednesday afternoon with first-round draft selection Marcus Trufant and second-round pick Ken Hamlin, ESPN.com has learned.

The deals with the cornerback and safety, respectively, completed the accords with all nine of the Seahawks' selections. Both of the top two choices are expected to vie quickly for considerable playing time.

Neither the lengths nor financial details of the contracts were immediately available. It is believed that Trufant, a former Washington State star and one of the top cornerbacks in the 2003 draft pool, signed a five-year contract and that Hamlin, of Arkansas agreed to a four-year contract.

Trufant, 22, was the 11th player chosen overall in the draft, and it was a surprise to most observers that he remained on the board that long. The 11th player chosen in the '02 draft, defensive end Dwight Freeney of Indianapolis, reached an agreement on a five-year, $9.4 million contract, ESPN's John Clayton reports.

The deal, which includes a $6.5 million signing bonus, could reach as high as $13.15 million with incentives.

A superb coverage defender with speed in the mid-4.4s. Trufant started 38 games in his college career and had 201 tackles, 11 interceptions and 49 passes defensed. He is likely to be the Seahawks' No. 3 cornerback and, with Shawn Springs scheduled for unrestricted free agency next spring, could step into the starting lineup early in his career.

Actually, the hard-hitting Hamlin has an even better chance than Trufant to start in 2003. In offseason workouts, the Seattle staff was impressed by Hamlin's aggressiveness, and the Seahawks could certainly use that trait in the interior secondary.

Hamlin, 22, was a three-year starter for the Razorbacks and compiled 100-plus tackles in all three seasons. He finished his career with 381 stops and added nine interceptions and 28 passes defensed.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.





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