Does Tim Ruskell draft "small school" players?

As the Seahawks approach draft day, I thought I'd take a look at the drafting habits of Seahawks President Tim Ruskell. According to some of the commentors who, like me, waste way too much time on Seahawks Insider, Tim Ruskell will only draft players who went to "big" schools -- e.g., the Pac-10, Big-12, the SEC -- and not from small, Division II schools you've never heard of. Is this true? Let's take a look at the drafts we know Ruskell was responsible for: Hawks 2005-2006, Falcons 2004, and Bucs 2001-2003.

To summarize the data below, Ruskell does seem to avoid drafting players from small school teams. Indeed, you have to go back to 2001 -- his first year as director of player personnel with the Bucs -- to find a high pick used on a small-school player (in this case, a 3rd rounder on Dwight Smith from Akron).

Does this tell us anything about this weekend's draft? Well, it suggests TE Ben Patrick, from Duke/Delaware (transfer), and Kevin Boss (TE, Western Oregon) might have a tough shot landing with the Hawks. I'd also be surprised to see Daniel Bazuin, DE-Central Michigan, end up in Hawks blue. But then again, this is an unusual draft for us, and may require some unusual picks.

Seahawks
2006

1 (31)
CB Kelly Jennings - Miami

2 (63)
DE Darryl Tapp-Virginia Tech

4 (128)
G Rob Sims-Ohio State

5 (163)
FB David Kirtman-USC

7 (239)
P Ryan Plackemeier-Wake Forest

7 (249)
WR Ben Obomanu-Auburn

Seahawks 2005

1
Chris Spencer
Mississippi

2
Lofa Tatupu
USC

3
David Greene
Georgia

3
Leroy Hill
Clemson

4
Ray Willis
Florida State

5
Jeb Huckeba
Arkansas

6
Tony Jackson
Iowa

7
Cornelius Wortham
Alabama

7
Doug Nienhuis
Oregon State

Atlanta Falcons 2004
1
DeAngelo Hall
Virginia Tech

1
Michael Jenkins
Ohio State

3
Matt Schaub
Virginia

4
Demorrio Williams
Nebraska

5
Chad Lavalais
Louisiana State

6
Etric Pruitt
Southern Mississippi

7
Quincy Wilson
West Virginia

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2003

2
Dewayne White
Louisville

3
Chris Simms
Texas

4
Lance Nimmo
West Virginia

4
Austin King
Northwestern

5
Sean Mahan
Notre Dame

6
Torrie Cox
Pittsburgh

Bucs 2002

3
Marquis Walker
Michigan

4
Travis Stephens
Tennessee

5
Jermaine Phillips
Georgia

6
John Stamper
South Carolina

7
Tim Wansley
Georgia

7
Tracey Wistrom
Nebraska

7
Aaron Lockett
Kansas State

7
Zack Quaccia
Stanford

Bucs 2001

1
Kenyatta Walker
Florida

3
Dwight Smith
Akron

4
John Howell
Colorado State

5
Russ Hochstein
Nebraska

6
Jameel Cook
Illinois

6
Ellis Wyms
Mississippi State

7
Dauntae Finger
North Carolina

7
Than Merrill
Yale

7
Joe Tafoya
Arizona