Well, here it all is. It’s Draft Week for the NFL.

Only a tiny handful of days in the calendar year mean more to me than the opening round day of the NFL Draft; my kiddo’s birthday, the start of the NFL season, and the opening of Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 3 (cannot wait and cannot shake that Rainbow song out of my head). I’m pumped!

With my first mock, I pondered a scenario where Seattle traded up with Arizona to select Florida QB Anthony Richardson. I continue to believe that he is a guy who Seattle is quite smitten with.

In my second one, I envisioned a scenario where Seattle trades back with Atlanta, and they grab Georgia DT Jalen Carter. There has been a lot of recent buzz around Carter being Seattle’s pick at five, if he’s there. We will see if that is a smokescreen, or not. Carter has immense natural talent at DT, but there are legitimate concerns regarding how much he loves football, what kind of teammate he is, and how hard of a worker he is. I am not sold on Carter being their guy, for those reasons.

Does Jalen Carter love football like Pete Carroll would have his players love the game? Will he work his ass off and set an example for others? Will he be a culture guy, and a leader?

If I am to be honest, I don’t know if he fits the mold of a Pete Carroll Seahawk. In fact, I kinda don’t think he does. There are a lot of players that do fit that mold, though, and I think that is what Seattle is ultimately going to go after.

This final mock draft represents talented players who I think will be strong considerations, and how I think the real draft could most likely go down.

With the 5th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Tyree Wilson, Edge Rusher, Texas Tech

The scouting takes on Wilson are all over the place. Some view him as a guy you take later in round one, but others view him as a prospect with a higher upside than Alabama edger rusher Will Anderson Jr. What I will say is that there are reasons why he is projected to go high in this draft.

At 6-6 and 271 pounds, he has an incredible seven foot wingspan with a frame that will fill out more. In Texas Tech’s scheme, he played all over the place, from standup end to an inside guy with his hand in the dirt, and he created fifty pressures in ten games with eight sacks. He worked best as a power rushing DE with interesting athletic traits for a big man. I think that’s what caught the eyes of scouts. It is not what he is now, but what he can grow to become at the next level, and some are thinking a guy like Arik Armstead or Calais Campbell once he builds up more mass. That, frankly, doesn’t sound terrible.

Trade Alert! Seahawks trade back with the Buffalo Bills and collect picks 27 and 91

With the 27th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select John Michael Schmitz, Center, Minnesota

This guy is regarded as the best center in this class in terms of pure technique and power. Seattle has some need at center, but I don’t think it is super pressing with the addition of Evan Brown. That said, they sent Steve Hutchinson out to Minnesota to specifically work this dude out. I think they would love to find a long term solution to this position, and could be very comfortable taking that solution right here.

With the 37th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Julius Brents, Cornerback, Kansas State

Seahawks take special interest in guys who perform well in the Senior Bowl, and this guy did. He also fits the profile of the boundary defenders that Pete Carroll loves in his scheme. Brents has great length, and is a natural press corner, much like Richard Sherman was, and is solid in run support. With him on one side, and Tariq Woolen on the other, that’s going to help out any pass rush. This dude, in my opinion, is very Seahawk-y.

With the 52nd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Luke Musgrave, Tight End, Oregon State

This tight end class is too good to not take advantage of it for the Seahawks, and I think there is some need. Both Coby Parkinson and Noah Fant are free agents next year and Will Dissly is coming off yet another serious injury. Musgrave is a big, physical, explosive, zone attacking tight end who is worthy of selection right here. Geno Smith will love this pick.

With the 83rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Daiyan Henley, Linebacker, Washington State

I think Henley is a guy who would fit very well as a coverage linebacker for the Seahawks, and is one of the few linebackers in this class I think they have a shinning for. I mocked him to Seattle before, and I am going back to him here. I think the Seahawks appreciate the scrappiness of Washington State guys. I think they sense the grit from that small underdog PAC 12 program. Henley is undersized but plays with his hair on fire, is quick against the run, and as a former WR convert, has natural instincts in pass coverage. I like this guy.

With the 91st pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Tyler Scott, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati

I think the Seahawks want more at the slot receiver position and that will be a target in this draft. I think Tyler Scott has traits that they like. He’s fast and twitchy with a running back background. In this offense, they need more run after catch threats who can also provide jet sweep abilities. Dee Eskridge hasn’t panned out yet. Scott provides instant competition.

With the 124th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Byron Young, Defensive Tackle, Alabama

Last week, I had Seattle taking a Byron Young from Tennessee here, who is an explosive edge rusher. In this final mock, I have them taking Alabama’s Byron Young, an explosive inside guy. I think Dre’Mont Jones is going to be Seattle’s main 3 technique, and we will get more into that in a moment later. I think they want to add another 3 tech to the puzzle, but Seattle normally likes to wait a bit on DTs in the draft. I think round four might be the spot where they look to grab one and this guy is a high effort, high character sort.

With the 151st pick in the 023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Anthony Bradford, Guard, LSU

This is the second time that I have mocked Bradford to Seattle. He comps very similarly to Phil Haynes, who they took in the mid rounds a few years back. He’s a big physical mover of men at 6-4 332 pounds with decent enough athletic traits. They might take a guard sooner, but I don’t see them waiting out the position longer than here.

With the 154th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Mohamed Ibrahim, Running Back, Minnesota

I wouldn’t be surprised if by scouting John Michael Schmitz, Seattle took notice of this Golden Gopher running back, and how well he could take to Shane Waldron’s zone blocking scheme. Ibrahim is a hard charging, quick cutting, low center of gravity bowling ball style for runner who has great instincts for zone blocking schemes. I like this guy a lot.

With the 198th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Jerrod Clark, Nose Tackle, Coastal Carolina

This is the second time I have mocked this big fella to Seattle. I think he’s a young Al Woods type, and a young Al Woods sounds great to me.

With the 237th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Chris Rodriguez, Running Back, Kentucky

Currently, the Seahawks are only carrying two running backs on the roster. I think this signals the likelihood that they will probably draft two backs. Rodriguez isn’t a flashy guy, but he’s a tough inside runner, and a strong pass protector. There’s good value in adding a guy like this late in the draft.

Rapid thoughts This Final Mock Draft And The Draft In General

I don’t believe Seattle will trade up from five, and I don’t think they will trade back, either. I think they have at least a few specific players in mind at five, and I think one of those guys is Tyree Wilson, and there’s a few reasons for that.

There is a growing buzz about Seattle reverting back to Pete Carroll’s old defensive scheme. If true, and it’s a return to his hybrid 4-3, we can see that Seattle has a number of options at Leo end, they have two pretty good DTs with Dre’Mont Jones as the likely 3 tech, and Jarran Reed playing 1 tech (tilted nose), and Myles Adams could be a player on the roster they also see on the rise as a rotational DT, as well. What they probably would need most is a promising 5 technique DE.. a la Michael Bennett.. and that’s what I believe Tyree Wilson is likely to be in this league.

Tyree Wilson has the frame to step into that role now, and he can add more mass over time. He will get stronger. I wouldn’t be surprised if his playing weight in a few years is hovering around where Arik Armstead’s weight is now, and Wilson is perceived to be a much better athlete.

Interestingly enough, there are other players in this draft that also fit this mold, and that is part of the reason that I am not surprised to hear that Seattle might shift back to it’s 4-3. Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness, and Clemson’s Myles Murphy are both in that 6-5 270 pound rage. Georgia Tech’s Keion White has great size at 6-4 285 pounds to play that role, and is an explosive athlete. All three of these guys could be options around pick 20, if Seattle goes a different direction at 5.

I also think the Seahawks are into in Will Anderson Junior. In fact, their aim, if there isn’t a quarterback they covet at five, might be Anderson at five, and one of the aforementioned bigger ends at 20.

There is some reason to believe that Seattle might have Wilson rated higher than Anderson, though. A guy I like to pay attention to a lot when he comes on the radio to talk football players is NFL Films Analyst Greg Cosell. He is higher on Wilson than he is on Anderson.

Cosell believes that Wilson has shown a better ability to arch around the corner than Anderson has, and those incredibly long arms are going to translate well in the league against the run, and pass. He is also dubious about drafting Alabama players too high because they tend to be maxed out on their potential by the time they leave that dominant program, whereas players from lesser schools are still searching for theirs.

He believes Anderson’s ceiling might be good player in the league, but not great. With Wilson, though, he sees a guy that has the physical tools that could make him a great player at the next level, and his few glitches are correctable at the next level with good coaching. It will be interesting to see on Thursday whether the Houston Texans or Arizona Cardinals agree.

This all said, if Florida QB Anthony Richardson is there at five, I think the Seahawks will take their quarterback of the future, and aim for a pass rusher with their next pick. I believe the hype that they love him, and honestly, he’s the guy I most want Seattle to take regardless of whoever else is available. I’m just not confident he will be there at pick five.

I believe Richardson has the highest upside out of any player in this draft, and his rawness doesn’t frighten me at all. I think with Geno Smith in place, Seattle is the perfect landing place for him. My fingers are crossed he becomes a Seahawk.

If Seattle doesn’t take a quarterback high, I don’t think they will draft one at all. There’s no middle class of quarterbacks in this draft. There’s five that might become good to great starters in this league, and then there’s a few guys who might make it as backups. I wouldn’t blow a pick on one of them. Instead, I would try to sign one after the draft as a rookie free agent.

The strengths of this draft are tight end, cornerback, running back, and edge rusher. I believe Seattle is setting themselves up to grab players at each of these positions along with further addressing the interiors of their offensive, and defensive lines. If they walk away with quarterback, receiver, or a linebacker, it will be kind of a bonus.

If Seattle is switching back to their old defensive scheme, I think they might try to lure back Poona Ford to rotate in as a nose tackle, and then add a veteran 5 tech end to compete with whichever 5 tech they draft. They have brought in Mario Edwards for a visit, and he might remain a likely candidate.

I think whatever pass rusher they draft high, they will be preparing to start right away. The recently hired BT Jordan, a highly regarded coach who specializes in developing pass rushers. While I think they made that hire to get the most out of Boye Mafe and other young rushers on the roster, that move was also probably to get a talented young rookie going right away.

Overall, I like this final mock draft. Seattle needs to add more to the defensive and offensive lines, and they do in this mock. They also show commitment to Geno Smith and reward him with a few interesting weapons.

I like the speed of the players this mock adds to the Seattle defense. The thing that I am most envious about with the 49er defense isn’t necessarily that it features Nick Bosa, and Fred Warner, but that it is a really fast unit at all three levels of their squad. Tyree Wilson, Julius Brents, Dayian Henley, and Alabama’s Byron Young are all guys who can move fast at their positions.

Dre’Mont Jones is a quick defensive tackle, and Devin Bush is a fast linebacker. They are adding speed up front already, and I think Carroll wants a fast defense. This is why I see these guys as likely targets.

“Bigger, stronger, faster” used to be the motto of this team when Carroll took the program over. Tyree Wilson and Julius Brents are exactly that.

The draft is not just a few days away. I’m excited to see just how wrong I am with all of this.

Go Hawks!