unless they are in some kind of time sharing arrangement, i expect tatutpu to win the job & niko to be a reserve... that said, some think niko will remain the starter this season... we should know a lot more in a few weeks if you don't have any drafts or WW cut down between now & then. imo, the hints from the coaching staff, fact that he was seeing time with the first team b4 hammy pull (don't think it is very serious... they aren't rushing him back & don't want him to aggravate it), & also that team traded up in second & gave up two additional fourths to secure his services suggests that he is the man. while tatupu was thought by some to be a reach, its not like niko was a blue chip prospect... the consensus two best MLB/ILB prospects from class of '04 were vilma, daryl smith & courtney watson.i featured tatupu (in depth profile section) in first installment of ETTG in offseason...Lofa Tatupu (5'11" 235) - "It was fashionable in the wake of the recent draft for pundits and wags to criticize the Tatupu pick as a multi-round reach. Yet clearly the Seahawks saw something in the former point-man for the USC two-time National Champion defense that others didn't... they gave up TWO fourth rounders to move up nine spots just past the middle of round two. What was it the Seattle personnel gurus saw, and why did so many other scouting departments overlook him? To answer the latter question, look no further than his measurables. They are average and his computer numbers don't "compute"... they are refractory to pigeon-holing within current accepted size and speed conventions within the scouting community. In this respect he is a lot like Dolphins MLB Zach Thomas, who is a failure as a physical specimen and workout warrior but a spectacular success as a football player. PLAYERS MAKE PLAYS. Back to the traits that appealed to Seattle so much they had to have him... compelling them to give up so much to guarantee securing his services. Aside from robust production (he led the Trojans in tackles his last two seasons), USC and ex-NFL HC Pete Carroll observed that Tatupu's background and former experience as a star prep QB gave him an advantage in terms of his encompassing understanding of offenses, what they are trying to do to defenses and how they go about it. He has almost telepathic recognition skills and the ability to diagnose plays. Teammate and All-American DT Shaun Cody noted that he was calling out all of Oklahoma's plays before the snap in the Orange Bowl blowout (he led the team in tackles with 12). Though an "intangible" and difficult to assign a quantitative measure to like a 40 time or vertical jump, having a knack for predicting what play has been called and knowing how it will unfold based on tendencies results in some very tangible consequences... being in the right place at the right time. >From the high price paid by the front office and coaching staff, Tatupu is expected to be given every opportunity to win the starting job in camp (he was already running with the first team defense in mini-camp). If so, he has the hidden and inner qualities to be a star at the next level, if not the obvious external traits of more heralded LBs Derrick Johnson, Barrett Ruud, Odell Thurman, Channing Crowder and Kevin Burnett. It is hard to overstate how much of an equalizer those inner qualities can be (2004 Defensive Rookie of the Year Jonathan Vilma is not the biggest, fastest or strongest LB, but is lauded for his spooky instincts, off-the-charts football IQ and coach on the field leadership). In the end, possession or lack of these hidden qualities could play the biggest role and be the largest determinant in how this class ultimately shakes out."