Seahawks Notebook | Carlson at full speed after illness

KIRKLAND — A parasite. That's what attacked new Seahawks tight end John Carlson in January, causing him to miss the Senior Bowl for top college prospects and hampering his running times at the February scouting combine.

An internal parasite that made the former Notre Dame player ill, forcing him to lose 17 pounds in four days. Carlson ran 40 yards in 4.89 seconds at the combine, too slow for a top tight-end prospect. That had teams, including the Seahawks, wondering what was wrong after scouting Carlson all season.

"He goes to the combine, and he runs a 4.9, so we were asking what happened?" Seahawks president Tim Ruskell said. "We inquired through his agent and got the word from his doctor that he had been attacked by this parasite ... and was really sick and should not have gone to the combine. But he wanted to push through, and that was his decision, and I'm sure it hurt him in a lot of eyes."

Carlson had decided to give it all he could, hoping he would shine a month later for the scouts at Notre Dame's Pro Day. And that's exactly what happened, as a healthy Carlson ran a 4.67.

Still, he was surprised at being taken in the second round by Seattle, and didn't expect the Seahawks to trade up for him. Carlson thought he might not get chosen until today.

"I know very little about the Seahawks and what they do there," Carlson acknowledged. "I'm just excited to get in there Thursday and start learning."

Carlson is viewed as a tight end who can catch and block equally well. He got a glowing endorsement from his former Notre Dame coach, Charlie Weis, and the Seahawks expressed confidence in his ability. He was the highest-ranked tight end on their ratings board.

"He is one of these guys, Lord willing and everyone stays healthy, that he can come in and be a really good football player for you for a long time," coach Mike Holmgren said.

Sad state of Washington

The first day of the NFL draft concluded Saturday with no Cougars or Huskies chosen.

That's the third consecutive year that no player from either of the state's Pac-10 colleges has been drafted in either of the first two rounds. That happened only once in the 10 years from 1995 to 2005.

Khalif Barnes, a tackle from Washington, is the last Husky to be chosen as high as the second round — by Jacksonville in 2005. Cornerback Marcus Trufant is the most recent Washington State Cougar to be drafted in the first two rounds. Trufant was a first-round pick of Seattle in 2003.

The first player chosen out of a college in this state could be Shane Simmons, a linebacker from Western Washington who could become the second player ever drafted from the school.

Note

• The Seahawks don't have a third-round pick. They do have fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and two seventh-round picks today, and will use those to build depth and add to special teams.