Hawks DT emerges as star of rookie class

That whole West Coast bias thing? It's real, in the eyes of Brandon Mebane.

The Seahawks defensive tackle isn't angry or upset, he just feels slighted by certain analysts from the NFL Network who were evaluating the rookie draft class at the Senior Bowl last January.

"I really didn't appreciate that," Mebane said. "There's going to come a day when I sit down and talk to those guys."

Mebane has had the final word with his play this season. He will be a starter today when the Seahawks finish the regular season at Atlanta. It's a role Mebane has filled since Week 7.

Maybe Mebane could stare down the analysts and let out a guttural bark, like the ones he lets out during goal-line defensive situations in practice.

Seriously. Mebane sounds like a sea lion. He also makes games pretty lively, too, with his break-dancing, dead-leg move to celebrate big plays.

Yes, Mebane has had a very good year and is the star of this year's Seahawks rookie class. So there are plenty of reasons for the former California player and third-round pick to have fun and be merry.

"We've been winning. I'm making plays," said Mebane, who has 23 solo tackles and two sacks. "This is the best time of my life."

Mebane is listed at 6 feet 1 and 314 pounds, but he's probably not quite that tall. He reminds observers of one of his Seahawks mentors, defensive tackle Chuck Darby. Both are shorter guys for their position with lower centers of gravity who can plug gaps and are light on their feet.

Darby and Marcus Tubbs are out for the season, accelerating Mebane's growth and role as an NFL player. The loss of Darby to a knee injury in Week 6 thrust Mebane into the starting lineup, and he has more than held his own.

"He has filled in very well," defensive coordinator John Marshall said. "He's got a great personality and a great work ethic. I think Brandon just said, 'When my number is called, I'll be ready.' "

Seahawks coaches expected Mebane to push for a starting job but not supplant Darby or Rocky Bernard. Mebane was just going to be part of the defensive-tackle rotation and learn from the veterans. He filled that role earlier in the season and gained knowledge from Darby, a veteran highly respected by his teammates.

It was Darby who told Mebane to "get some bass in your voice" and do the bark. Now the starters on defense have Mebane do it a few times in the huddle before plays.

"Mebane should be up there for rookie of the year, I think," coach Mike Holmgren said. "I honestly do. Now, he's a little short, squatty guy that no one thinks about, but he's a good football player and has played very well. He's been great for us."

The same can't be said for the rest of the Seahawks' 2007 rookie class, though players have had their moments.

Second-round pick Josh Wilson has a kickoff-return touchdown but missed four games with quadriceps and ankle injuries. He has been the Seahawks' dime defensive back when healthy.

Linebacker Will Herring, the fifth-round pick, has been slowed by a hamstring injury that cost him four games, but at one point early in the season led the team in special-teams tackles.

Defensive end Baraka Atkins, one of two fourth-round picks, has four solo stops and a fumble recovery in 11 games. The other fourth-rounder, offensive lineman Mansfield Wrotto, has not appeared in a game.

Receiver Courtney Taylor, a sixth-round pick, has played in seven games and has three catches for 25 yards. He appears to have a good potential but is playing a position that is one of the strongest on the team.

Safety C.J. Wallace (knee), an undrafted free-agent pick-up, is on injured reserve but played in nine games on special teams. Sixth-round pick Jordan Kent and seventh-rounder Steve Vallos have spent the season on the practice squad.

But Mebane has risen above expectations and has fought through the "rookie wall," the point in the season when first-year players surpass the amount of games for a college season.

"I keep thinking positive," he said.

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com