Well, Twelves, the NFL Draft is upon us. With this Covid 19 crisis, this might be the only major sporting event that we get for a good long while, so let’s all enjoy it, how ’bout.

Alas, our beloved Seattle Seahawks have proved me wrong (again) and have not made any major move to acquire a big time veteran pass rusher before the draft at the time of this writing. Perhaps that is coming afterwards in the form of Everson Griffen via free agency. Maybe they even entice Jadeveon Clowney back (kinda doubt it, though).

The team has depth at tight end, interior offensive line, linebacker, and in the secondary. They are in giant need of more defensive linemen, they need to add a running back, they could use an offensive tackle for the future, and it wouldn’t hurt their roster to add another quality wide receiver. Also, they are currently without a backup quarterback.

That all said, let’s get mocking.

With the 27th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks trade with the Indianapolis Colts.

In this scenario, I have the Colts aiming to trade into the first round after trading the 13th pick in the draft to San Francisco for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. I think they are in a win now mode with Phillip Rivers, and want to get ahead of the Baltimore Ravens to grab an edge rusher.  They send picks 34, 75, and 193 to Seattle for pick 27 and a 2021 5th round pick.

With the 34th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

I have Jacksonville taking one of the top end left tackles in round one and then trading up here to draft a young quarterback to compete with Gardner Minshew (Jacob Eason?). The Jags send picks 42, 140, and 223 to move up ahead of the Panthers who are also QB needy. Seattle now has picks in every round moving forward, and will have four picks in the meat of this draft class.

With the 42nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select DaVon Hamilton, Defensive Tackle, Ohio State

With this pick, Seattle takes an under the radar player who is starting to generate  momentum heading into the final week of the draft. Former Seahawk scout and Senior Bowl executive Jim Nagy rates him highly among defensive tackles, and thinks he’s could go midway into the second round. It’s fair to note that Nagy knows what Seattle looks for well, and he was the scout that pounded the table a few years ago for Jarran Reed.

Hamilton looks like a Seattle Seahawk defensive tackle. He’s a big athletic fella at 6-4 and 320 lbs, with length and ability to both absorb multiple blockers, plus he can single gap penetrate. This is huge for Seattle’s defense because they require their tackles to be able to anchor against the run firstly, but have the ability to penetrate and disrupt when needed. Essentially, Hamilton projects to be Al Woods with pass rush.

With the 59th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Matt Peart, Offensive Tackle, UConn

This is the second time that I have mocked Peart to Seattle with this pick. If they go defensive line with their first pick, I think they have to go offensive line with the second one, and vice versa. Peart has unique length, and wingspan, and athleticism. He could be a right or a left tackle in the league. If Seattle takes him, I think it’s more for his potential to inherit the left tackle spot from Duane Brown once he retires. Because Peart likely needs a year to get stronger for the pros and is a bit raw, I think he might be available here. This would be a value pick on a player with upside that can redshirt.

With the 64th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Devin Duvernay, Wide Receiver, Texas

Under Pete Carroll, the Seattle Seahawks never shy away from taking athletic play-makers for the offense early, especially at receiver. As much as they love to run the ball, they love to create explosive plays in the passing attack. At 5-10 and 200 lbs, Duvernay has some interesting abilities as a slot receiver with soft hands, quick breaks, and a natural ability to settle into the zones. He’s also a solid deep threat receiver with top end speed, a good catch and run guy, and he returns punts. This feels like a Seahawk style receiver that will fit with Russell Wilson, and adds quality depth behind Tyler Lockett.

With the 75th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Alex Highsmith, Defense End, Charlotte

Seattle stays patient and takes the edge rusher that fits what they want at the Leo position. Highsmith is 6-3 and 248 lbs with long arms, and speed off the edge. He has shown improved play in college and has some decent hand use. He’s a small college player who will likely need to get stronger to be a three down player in the pros, but he has shown a solid work ethic and at this point in the draft, in my opinion, isn’t a bad player to wager on.

With the 101st pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Zach Moss, Running Back, Utah

Moss is another player that I have mocked twice to Seattle. I think he is their ideal running back in many ways, and he reminds me a lot of Chris Carson. He’s big, physical, a patient runner who can explode through tight holes, and he’s a decent pass catcher. Because of injuries to Carson and Rashaad Penny, Seattle is in big need at running back and they could take one a lot sooner than here, but Moss is a player to watch.

With the 133rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Michael Ojemudia, Cornerback, Iowa

Ojemudia is another guy I have mocked to Seattle, as he one of the few corners in this class that fits Seattle’s profile for an outside cover guy. He’s big at 6-1 and 200 pounds with long arms, and shows good route recognition in zone coverage. He’s not thought to be a good man coverage guy and that might make him available here, but doesn’t really effect Seattle, as they are primarily a zone coverage team. With Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar both heading into a contract year, expect Seattle to target a corner at some point in this draft, and I suspect that early day three will be the likely spot.

With the 140th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select John Hightower, Wide Receiver, Boise State

Hightower is another player that I have mocked to Seattle, and with the historic depth at receiver in this class, I suspect Seattle will draft at least two. Like Duvernay, he fits Seattle’s vertical attack and is a decent route runner with sure hands. He’s a taller player at 6-1 and 189 pounds which is nice. He also possesses good run after the catch ability. With this pick, Seattle will not only be loaded at receiver, they will have one of the fastest units in the league. Thus, the Let Russell Cook crowd should be satisfied.

With the 144th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Johan Jackson, Guard, Ohio State

There is a theme here. Jackson is yet another player that I have mocked to Seattle as he looks like a fit for what they are now looking for at guard. He is a big, physical, intelligent blocker with strong hands who fits their man blocking scheme. With DJ Fluker being in a contract year, Seattle could be searching for someone who could become a future starter.

With the 197th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Raequan Williams, Defensive Tackle, Michigan State

The theme continues. Williams is another player that I have mocked to Seattle before. At 6-4 and 308 lbs with long arms, he is a Seattle type of big defensive liner that can play multiple spots. I compare him to Naz Jones in his ability to play 3 tech and 5 tech, and Pete Carroll values flexibility with his depth players. Even with the selection of Hamilton early, Seattle needs more depth at DT, and Williams could be good value here.

With the 214th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Tanner Muse, Safety/Linebacker, Clemson

Muse, at 6-2 227 lbs and able to run a 4.4 forty, could be Seattle’s attempt to find another Kam Chancellor type. In my opinion, though, there is only one Kam. He had an uncanny ability to read offensives and played with super human strength, speed, and anticipation. He was a generational talent. Muse, on the other hand, has shown decent instincts of his own, with some nice ball skills and played college football with a similar all out mentality. He might be a player they look to convert to linebacker and add depth there. At the very least, he would add decent special teams value.

With the 223rd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Steven Montez, Quarterback, Colorado

I have Seattle taking a flyer on a tall athletic college quarterback with a big arm here. Montez physically fits Seattle’s play action scheme, but is raw at reading coverage and needs to be drafted and developed. Seattle has some need to develop a young player behind Russell Wilson, but could just as easily bring back Geno Smith and use this pick on another position. However, with two trades backs, I think that they have acquired enough picks to fill other needs and depth concerns that they afford a late round flyer on a young passer like Montez. This is decent value here.

Further thoughts about Seattle’s first pick DaVon Hamilton

In putting this mock together, I ran a full round one into round two mock draft up to where I ultimately had Seattle pick first. I had multiple team trades with Atlanta and New England moving up aggressively early to fill big needs, and Detroit and Arizona dropping back to acquire more picks and high future picks. I had Seattle and San Francisco as the two teams trading out of the bottom of round one.

By the time I had Seattle select at pick 42, I had a run of offensive tackles, defensive linemen, a few running backs, receivers, and a few DBs that would likely appeal to Seattle. Last week, I had Seattle settling on Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, but with this exercise, I had him going to the 49ers at 35 after Seattle traded out of 34, and I could feel that sting. San Francisco and Seattle run a very similar defense and he would be a solid club fit for both teams.

When Seattle got to 42, there were some pretty compelling names still on the board. There was Michigan center Cesar Ruiz, who some consider one of the very best offensive linemen in the draft. There was Penn State receiver KJ Hamler who might be the most electric pass catcher in the draft.  There was also LSU linebacker Patrick Queen who might be the fastest linebacker in the draft, and in terms of defensive line, still on the board along were Auburn’s Marlon Davidson and Texas A&M DT Justin Madukuibe. If Seattle were to take any one of these names it probably would have made a lot of sense to the NFL Draft experts on ESPN and the NFL Network.

Enter DeVon Hamilton.

If Seattle takes DeVon Hamilton with their first pick, I can imagine the scrambling reaction from some draft pundits. While Hamilton is not a big name, this would be a very Seattle Seahawky pick. Seattle rarely selects players most pundits have them taking high (or even players that they expect to be taken that high). They are the Honey Badger team in the league when it comes to the draft. They don’t care what you think, they are going to do what they want.

To reiterate, I do think Hamilton is their type of defensive tackle. He has the size and strength to play nose, and the athleticism to play big at three technique (Seattle seems to prefer size inside, even at three technique). What I think might make Hamilton extra appealing to Seattle is the upside of his pass rush. That’s where I ultimately landed on with this pick. Hamilton fits the Bigger, Stronger, Faster vibe that I think this team would like to get back towards, and I would love to see more of that on Sundays again.

Thoughts on the rest of this class and the draft.

For those interested in who I had Atlanta and New England aggressively move up for, I had the Falcons moving from 16 all the way up to 3 to take Auburn defensive tackle Derrick Brown, and I had New England moving up to 8 from 23 to take Utah State QB Jordan Love. Detroit and Arizona are building programs that are probably still a few years away from truly contending, but if they are able to drop back in round one with a top heavy draft and acquire future first round picks, that would set both clubs up nicely in 2021 and 2022.

My thinking is that Atlanta is likely in a “win now” mode with QB Matt Ryan and they want to grab the most dynamic player in the draft available after Washington selects Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young. Brown is coming into the league as a player that has true game wrecker upside. Pairing with a veteran DT like Grady Jarrett might be the thing to finally send Drew Brees into retirement.

With New England, I have them targeting a quarterback they believe offers a unique upside. This is Brian Belichick’s bold attempt to land a Patrick Mahomes type of athlete at the position. They likely would not start Jordan Love this year. BB would be perfectly willing to let Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham take the reigns this season with Covid 19 affecting mini-camps and training camp rather than trust a rookie to pick up the system, but make no mistake, this is a very calculated move by the sage coach. If he takes Love, he will have a solid plan.

As for the other Seattle picks, I have the team targeting players with either special traits, or players that fit their preferred profiles.

Matt Peart is on the raw side. If he is available at pick 59, that will be why. What he has is a unique physical profile that could make him a quality left tackle in the league in a few years, and he will have the benefit of learning behind one of the best in Duane Brown.

Devin Duvernay has the freak speed at WR that they are drawn to spend an early pick on, and has interesting upside, as well. He’s more or less projected in the third round rage in a historically deep WR class, so picking him at 64 is probably pretty justifiable. Seattle needs to tap into this rich WR class, and I have them doing it twice.

It might feel rich to take Alex Highsmith at 75, but if they believe they can mold him into a future starting Leo end, they might not want to wait to see if he is available at pick 101.

Zach Moss feels like a Seattle Seahawk running back. He’s a tough guy and a savvy runner. He’s a name to watch. They might take him or another runner like him a lot higher than pick 101. Seattle needs to come out of this draft with a quality back.

All and all, I like this mock. I like that they add three players to the defensive line, and they use the strength of the draft taking multiple pass catchers and offensive linemen, and they find a running back that fits their program.

This also feels like a very Seahawk-y draft. All of these players that I have selected feel like type of players they could take at these ranges. Focus on both lines early so to not leave yourself wanting later. Grab offensive playmakers where the depth of the draft is still good. Fill out the depth of the roster with later picks.

But who really knows what they do, right?

For all we know, the first player they will take will be a running back, and I’m not kidding, either.

Go Hawks!