My first time through, fresh from Morrowind and quite fond of Soul Drinker, I went with Soul Trap, but found I almost never used it.
Then I went through quite a few characters who picked Paralyze or Silence, but again, I almost never used the staff. I'd get into a heated battle and just barely survive, then think, "Oh yeah.... that's right-- I could've paralyzed/silenced them." :facepalm:
So now I don't bother hauling the staff around at all, since they never use it anyway, and mostly go with Telekinesis, just so that the character's got something entertaining to play with during their time off.