With the NFL draft fast approaching, just 10 days away, I thought it apt to look at the Seattle Seahawks, a team who, in recent years, are notoriously bad at drafting in the first round. 2021 (a draft in which Seattle made just 3 picks in total!) - no first-round pick. 2020 – Jordyn Brooks, who in fairness has had a decent start to his career, albeit alongside former Seahawks legend and All-Pro Bobby Wagner, but I’m not sure he warranted a first-round selection. 2019 – L.J. Collier, who hasn’t been able to flourish on a mediocre defensive line, only recording 3 sacks in 3 years. 2018 – Rashaad Penny, who was a massive bust up, mainly due to injuries, until the end of the 2022 season when an, ironically, injury plagued Seattle backfield paved the way for a healthy Penny to dominate down the stretch.
This season, however, Seattle finds themselves in unfamiliar territory, at least for the first time since 2010 when they selected OT Russell Okung 6th overall. Thanks to the organisations unwavering dedication to an ageing head coach with similarly ageing ideas of how to win football games in the 21st century, and of course the Russell Wilson trade, picking in the top 10. So, I thought it would be interesting to look at what;
A. I want the Seahawks to do.
B. What the Seahawks should do.
C. What I think the Seahawks will do.
Let’s first look at what I would like the Seahawks to do. Seattle is in a prime position to land one of the either star defensive players or offensive linemen in this class. I personally would love to see Seattle go after a cornerback at number 9, ideally Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner out of Cincinnati. Seattle hasn’t had a lockdown corner since the Richard Sherman and the legion of boom days, yes us die-hard Seahawks fans still reminisce about the good old days. Sauce is a beast; I mean if you don’t allow a TD in your entire college career you deserve to have as brazen a nickname as ‘Sauce’.
Next, we will look at what the Seahawks should do. A lot has been said about the quarterback position and Seattle. I don’t see it. I think Seattle should focus on building as good a team as possible before bringing in a new QB. They already have Drew Lock on the roster, acquired as part of the Russel Wilson trade, so I say give him a chance. Seattle is not going to be competitive this season so let the guy try, and if he plays well Schneider and Carrol look like geniuses. If he doesn’t, it’s to be expected and Seattle will be in prime position to take a QB in the 2023 draft, which is set up to be a much better QB class. With that said, let’s look at what Seattle should do. For as long as I can remember the offensive line has never been a strong suit for the Seahawks. It seems that every year one of the biggest needs Seattle needs to address is the OL. Seattle’s current starting OL for the 2023 season is projected to look like this LT – Stone Forsythe, LG – Damien Lewis, C – Austin Blythe, RG – Gabe Jackson and RT – Jake Curhan. This line doesn’t scream dominance, or to be quite honest even competence. If Seattle truly is in rebuild mode, or ‘reset’ as they call it in the Pacific Northwest, they should look to sure up the OL for years to come. I would be more than happy for Seattle to land one of the top O linemen in this class at number 9. Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu, Charles Cross all stand out as players Seattle should look to if they don’t go CB.
Finally, what I think the Seattle Seahawks will do. Seahawks fans know this pain all too well, getting excited about the draft and the possibility of drafting your favourite player, only for the Seahawks to trade back and pass over the guy you love. This has been Seattle’s MO for years and I don’t see it changing this year. I really hope this isn’t the case and Seattle actually drafts a player that they can build around and can be a cornerstone of the franchise for years to come.
Suffice it to say I would be happy with Seattle drafting O line or CB at number 9 overall. However, I don’t trust the front office on this, as experience shows. Ultimately it is down to Seattle and what direction they see the franchise heading; all I can do is hope they make the right choice and draft a player who will be a franchise cornerstone for years to come.
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