Fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft, mountains of talent, $60 million. Those things didn’t mean much on a rainy Monday afternoon as Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry shuffled with arms full of teammates’ pads and helmets after practice.

On the field at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center in Renton he’s just another rookie.

“Leaving college I went from being the big fish in the pond to an itsy bitsy goldfish,” Curry said after practice.

Curry missed the first eight days of training camp because of contract negotiations, so he has the added challenge of being an “itsy bitsy goldfish” and catching up with the rest of the team. Luckily football is always on his mind.

“The stuff I missed the first week is stuff I think about when I walk around the grocery store or walk around the mall,” he said. “Football is my life and that’s what’s always going on in my head.”

Curry is expected to be part of the starting defense once the regular season starts, alongside middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu and outside linebacker Leroy Hill. Even though he missed part of training camp, his time in OTA’s and mini camps allowed him to get used to playing next to Hill and Tatupu.

“I’m feeling very comfortable,” he said. “One thing about playing defense and especially linebacker is you can’t go wrong just going fast and hitting something.”

He should also get a chance to show off his pass rushing skills this season, something that he couldn’t do much in college. Curry’s coaches at Wake Forest decided he was more valuable in pass coverage than rushing the passer. He totaled just nine sacks in his four years as a Demon Deacon, but his talent was impressive enough that he won the 2008 Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.

Curry showed some of his skills Monday in a pass rushing drill. He looked impressive in dispatching running back Justin Forsett’s block attempt (Curry does have a six-inch, 60-pound size advantage in the matchup).

“When I’m rushing the pass it’s no holds barred,” Curry said. “There are no rules, I’m relentless going to the passer.”

As Seattle’s highest draft pick since the team selected Rick Mirer second overall in 1993, Curry is finding himself a very busy man. As soon as Monday afternoon’s practice ended, Curry spent time taking photos and meeting fans, went directly to live radio appearance, then talked to a gaggle of reporters.

Fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft, mountains of talent, $60 million… big expectations.

Notes:

– Curry signed a six-year contract that guarantees him $34 million and could be worth as much as $60 million.

– Curry has lost 12 pounds since mini camp, he’s now at 247 pounds. He said that was his playing weight his junior season when he returned three interceptions for touchdowns.