You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you just might find that you get what you need.

These sage words of Mick Jagger apply to all walks of life, from sleeping with backup singers twice your size to being inside an NFL war room on draft day. They could very well apply to our beloved Seattle Seahawks right around the corner.

Next week, I believe that John Schneider’s desired plan is to engineer a trade back (or two) from pick 16 that will net Seattle more day two picks. That said, what if he can’t find any takers who will give him fair compensation? If teams know he’s an eager seller, what would stop them from lowballing?

This is what Schneider must be prepared for. Trading back into the lower portion of round one just to get a late third round pick won’t be very appealing, especially if there is a highly compelling prospect to be had at pick 16.

It is also possible that an unexpected player lands to your pick, and he is just way too good to pass up. I suspect there is a small handful of players in this draft that John Schneider has rated so highly that he would not trade back if they found themselves available at 16. I feel like he’s probably got a few of these quarterbacks rated this highly, Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, an offensive lineman or two, and probably a couple pass rushers.

This mock draft article is about staying put, and just taking the best player off your board, regardless of position. Last year, I think the team did this at pick five overall when they took cornerback Devon Witherspoon. There was no outward need for taking a corner that high, but he was just the highest rated player left on their board, and that was that.

As much as we want to anticipate that they will trade back and recoup a second round pick (or more), it may not happen. Here’s a fun hypothetical of what could happen if the right player lands to pick 16.

With the 16th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Jared Verse, Edge Rusher, Florida State

Seattle doesn’t have an overwhelming need at edge rusher, and they have poured high resources into the position for several years now, but sometimes a player is so good that he forces your hand. Verse is regarded by some as the top edge defender in the draft, and it would be stunning if he makes it here, but if he is, Seattle can snap him up and send pass rushers in waves next Fall. A superb selection to start the Mike Macdonald era.

With the 81st pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Matt Goncalves, Offensive Tackle, Pittsburgh

By not trading back at 16 and gather a second round pick, Seattle sweats out a long portion of the draft keeping their fingers crossed that a good offensive lineman will be available when they pick in the middle of the second round. They take Goncalves, who is well sized, athletic, and has experience at playing both tackle positions. It’s very possible he can be looked to convert to guard.

With the 102nd pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Mekhi Wingo, Defensive Tackle, LSU

At the top of round four, Seattle goes best player available again with an active defensive tackle. Wingo is an explosive 3 technique who will push Dre’Mont Jones, and will give Seattle instant interior pass rush depth. Great motor, great character, and a guy you want in your rotation.

With the 118th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Malik Mustapha, Safety, Wake Forest

Seattle stays patient with the safety position and takes potentially a good one here. I mocked him to Seattle before at pick 102, but this time I have them taking him a pick further back. They need to come out of this draft with a good safety prospect, and Mustapha feels like a guy who gets drafted in the middle rounds and ends up a quality NFL starter in a couple years.

With the 179th pick of the 2024 Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Nathaniel Watson, Linebacker, Mississippi State

I mocked Watson to Seattle last week in the sixth round and I am repeating it here. They brought him in for a visit the other week, he’s a productive three down player who called plays for the Bulldogs, and Seattle needs to take a linebacker. At this stage, he’s the best linebacker left on their board.

With the 192nd pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Michael Barrett, Linebacker, Michigan

Seattle double dips at linebacker by taking a player familiar with Mike Macdonald’s system and was productive. Barrett may not amount to much more than a depth player in the league, but he played for the national champs on the defense that Macdonald built. If there is one spot for him to land and maybe be molded into an eventual starter, it would be Seattle.

With the 235th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Brevyn Spann-Ford, Tight End, Minnesota

With their final pick of the draft, the Seahawks select a tight end who is well sized with decent hands and size to be a good blocker. He’s a developmental player who offers some upside, and maybe that is what they are looking for out of third tight end spot.

Thoughts about this mock draft

I don’t think it’s likely Jared Verse makes it to pick 16, but sometimes funny things happen. If five quarterbacks are taken in front of Seattle along with several offensive linemen, some receivers, and a supremely talented tight end from Georgia, all it might take is for a team or two take one of the other top edge rushers over Verse for him to land to where Seattle picks. My goodness, what a blessing this would be for Seattle, if this proved true.

This mock draft isn’t a terrible scenario for Seattle, in my opinion. They land a guy who has the talent to become one of the top edge rushers in the league in a few years, and will make they pass rush rotation potentially very strong in year one of Mike Macdonald’s regime. While I don’t believe they need to take an edge rusher in round one, Verse could be so special that it’s really kind of a no brainer.

Mike Macdonald has recently described his football philosophy as playing a brand of ball that makes the opposition feel like they are playing more than eleven players. San Fransisco felt that when they played the Ravens last year, and Brock Purdy played one of his worst games of his young career. The Washington Huskies felt that in the championship game when they played a Michigan defense that Macdonald was the former architect of, and Michael Penix Junior continues to get criticized for his underwhelming performance against it.

By adding Jared Verse to a group that includes Nwosu, the up and coming talents of Boye Mafe and Derick Hall, and the pass rush abilities of Darrell Taylor, Macdonald could bring waves of edge rushers in year one of his regime. It’s hard to imagine that he would not want that.

When you mix in a guy like Mehki Wingo, an active inside pass rusher, John Schneider would give his first year head coach the ability to also stock his inside pass rush. Suddenly, he’s got an interior pass rush that include Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Dre’Mont Jones, Wingo, and potentially Mike Morris who was drafted last year and played for Macdonald in Michigan. Wingo mixed with Verse, coming out of this draft, could be enough to give this side of the ball an impressive turnaround this Fall. That’s an exciting thought.

In the third round, I had them opting for a gigantic 6-6 327 pound dude who played left and right tackle in college and could develop into a guard, giving Seattle an enormous offensive line in the future. Goncalves missed a bunch of games with a toe injury in 2023, but has tape showing an active guy who held up in pass protection well enough, but had an ability to explode into the second level opening up run lanes. He was also a team captain. In the NFL he might be a serviceable starting tackle, but if he learns to play with better leverage, he has the potential to be a much better guard.

With Seattle bringing in Laken Tomlinson, drafting a talented gigantic tackle like Goncalves and transitioning him to guard makes sense, in my opinion, and should they sustain injuries at tackle, he already has that in his background. Tomlinson buys time for Goncalves to grow into the position, and Seattle has Scott Huff who was an excellent offensive line coach at UW, and known for successfully converting tackles to guards for the Huskies. Also, Goncalves has a Baltimore Raven style offensive lineman vibe about him, and I dig that.

Beyond these guys, I have Seattle taking shots on guys to plug in at need spots. Beyond offensive line help, they need a talented young safety to eventually become a starter. I think they need a third option at tight end to develop as a key contributor in the future. I think they need to come out of this draft with a linebacker (or two) who can grow in Mike Macdonald’s system behind Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dobson.

What this mock draft also shows, however, is the disappoint that could be felt from not trading back from 16, collecting further picks. This draft is especially deep at offensive line and receiver. In this mock, I have Seattle only taking one offensive lineman, and it would be a shame if they did not grab two from this class, and it would also kinda be a bummer if they didn’t take advantage of the richness of the receiver situation, as well. In this scenario, they miss out on both opportunities by choosing to take Jared Verse at 16. That is the price of staying put and taking a non offensive lineman even if he could be a great player at another position.

Also, I believe that John Schneider would love to draft a quarterback this year, if he can. If they miss out on one (as presented in this scenario), I think it would be an irritant for him. In his first draft apart from Pete Carroll, one where he can finally get back to his Green Bay DNA of drafting and developing quarterbacks, I can see it ego bruising for him if he did not finally take a swing on one, even if it is a later round pick.

In this mock, however, I wanted to show a scenario where Schneider misses out again at quarterback. As much as I believe he wants to take one, I don’t think he will burn a pick on one just for the sake of it. He likely has them rated in ranges where he would be comfortable taking them, but it might not fall the way he wants it to for them, and in this case, it doesn’t.

In the end, this would still be a draft class that Seattle can feel good enough about. They didn’t address offensive line they way I wanted them to do it, and that stings, but adding Jared Verse to this defense would have the potential of being franchise altering in an exciting way. In the long run, that might prove more fruitful towards building into a true contender.

When the Rams stayed put and took Aaron Donald, it changed their coarse from being bottom barrel to Super Bowl contender in a few short years after a coaching change. When the 49ers sucked in Kyle Shanahan’s early years, they snatched Nick Bosa at the top of the draft even though they already had a stacked defensive line, that move immediately made them a contender, and they have mostly been a top NFL team ever sense. I’m not going to suggest the Verse will be as dominant as either of those guys, but he could have enough talent to fall within the group who is just a notch below. In this league, every team would gladly take that.

If Seattle was fortunate enough to land a dude like Verse, it could be the golden ticket to truly turn this defense around in a huge way in year one of Macdonald’s regime. This is why I would just stay put and do it. I think Verse can be that good in this league, especially if he gets with a dude like Macdonald.

That is certainly something to get excited about if it happens.

Go Hawks.