Eugene Robinson

1976: Jim Zorn passes for two touchdowns and runs for a third, but it isn’t enough as Fran Tarkenton throws a 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to rally the Vikings to a 27-21 victory over the Seahawks in Minneapolis.

1982: The Seahawks’ game at St. Louis is cancelled, the last before the players’ strike ends.

1993: Eugene Robinson has 11 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in a 22-5 victory over the Browns at the Kingdome. The defense forces seven turnovers as Robert Blackmon scores on a 5-yard fumble return and Antonio Edwards registers a safety.

1999: Jon Kitna throws a 20-yard touchdown pass to Sean Dawkins midway through the fourth quarter as the Seahawks pull out a 20-17 victory over the Broncos at the Kingdome to run their record to 7-2.

2010: Olindo Mare kicks five field goals to tie the club record, Matt Hasselbeck passes for 333 yards – the 18^th of his club-record 19 300-yard performances – and Mike Williams catches 11 passes for a career-high 145 yards in a 36-18 victory over the Cardinals in Arizona.

A photo essay at NFL.com this week listing the best picks at each of the 32 spots in the history of the NFL Draft prompted the obvious thought: Who are the best round-by-round picks the Seahawks have made?

We begin answering that with a look at the late-round selections. And that covers a lot of territory, and players, because the draft was 17 rounds in 1976, 12 rounds from 1977-92 and eight rounds in 1993 before the league went to the seven-round format in 1994.

The Seahawks did find some “rubies,” as former coach Chuck Knox called them, in those later rounds – from defensive tackle Robert Hardy (10^th round in 1979), to tackle Ron Essink (10^th round in 1980), to cornerback Dwayne Harper (11^th round in 1988), to tackle Bill Hitchcock (eighth round in 1990), to defensive end Antonio Edwards (eighth round in 1993).

All became starters, but each must get in line behind Derrick Fenner, the running back who was selected in the 10^th round of the 1989 draft.

Fenner was the team’s leading rusher (859 yards) in 1990, when he also led the AFC in touchdowns (15) and rushing touchdowns (14). Fenner played only three seasons with the Seahawks, but is tied for sixth on the club’s all-time list in rushing TDs (19) and ranks 10^th in rushing attempts (317).

Veteran allocation draft: The selection process in 1976 that helped stock the Seahawks’ original roster did not include college players. But it needs to be included, because the best of the 39 players from other NFL teams selected by the Seahawks was, is and always will be Dave Brown – who died of a heart attack in 2006.

Brown led the team in tackles in that inaugural season while playing free safety. He moved to cornerback in 1977 and intercepted a franchise record 50 passes before leaving the Seahawks after the 1986 season. Brown returned to coach the defensive backs from 1992-98. He was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor in 1992 and voted to the 35^th Anniversary team.

1976: Jim Zorn passes for two touchdowns and runs for a third, but it isn’t enough as Fran Tarkenton throws a 5-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to rally the Vikings to a 27-21 victory over the Seahawks in Minneapolis.

1982: The Seahawks’ game at St. Louis is cancelled, the last before the players’ strike ends.

1993: Eugene Robinson has 11 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in a 22-5 victory over the Browns at the Kingdome. The defense forces seven turnovers as Robert Blackmon scores on a 5-yard fumble return and Antonio Edwards registers a safety.

1999: Jon Kitna throws a 20-yard touchdown pass to Sean Dawkins midway through the fourth quarter as the Seahawks pull out a 20-17 victory over the Broncos at the Kingdome to run their record to 7-2.

2010: Olindo Mare kicks five field goals to tie the club record, Matt Hasselbeck passes for 333 yards – the 18^th of his club-record 19 300-yard performances – and Mike Williams catches 11 passes for a career-high 145 yards in a 36-18 victory over the Cardinals in Arizona.