Trade for Seattle: I hate to completely bash a move like this. There could be something I don’t know. Maybe Jackson was stinking it up in camp. Maybe he came to camp out of shape. Maybe he wasn’t getting the new playbook. Maybe. That being said, on the surface, this looks like a horrendous move for the Seahawks. The Seahawks had a mere 28 sacks last year and already lost their leading pass rusher Patrick Kerney (5.0) to retirement. Jackson was 2^nd on the team last year with 4.5 and doesn’t turn 25 until later this month. The former first round pick in 2008 looked poised to finally step up and be their leading pass rusher for a team that desperately needed it and they traded him for a 6^th rounder. Missing 9.5 of the 28 sacks they had last year, as well as their most promising young defensive end, the Seahawks figure to have one of the worst pass rushes in the league this year and that’s a very bad thing for their weak secondary.

To make matters worse, this move coincided with the acquisition of Kentwan Balmer from San Francisco for a 6^th rounder. Getting a 6^th rounder back for Jackson, it’s alright to say the Seahawks swapped Jackson for Balmer. Even though the two were drafted one pick apart in 2008, their careers are far from similar. Balmer is an absolute bust who wasn’t going to break the rotation in San Francisco. Jackson is an average starting defensive end who the Seahawks desperately needed. Again, there may be something I don’t know here, but on the surface this looks like a horrendous move.

Grade: D

Trade for Detroit: Another great bargain pickup for the Lions. In the past few months, the Lions have added a starting caliber defensive tackle for a 5^th rounder (Corey Williams), a starting caliber guard for a 5^th rounder (Rob Sims), a starting caliber cornerback for a 6^th rounder (Chris Houston), and a starting caliber defensive end for a 6^th rounder (Jackson). While Jackson and Williams won’t start this year, they’ll still both be big parts of their defensive line rotation. If the Lions are ever going to get back to the playoffs, bargain shopping is going to be how they do it. Strong drafts as they had in 2010 and in some ways in 2009 also help.

Grade: A