So, a wee bit of a bomb was dropped last week when NFL draft insider Tony Pauline wrote an article that mentioned Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough was gaining first round buzz, and the teams showing the most interest in him have been the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Seattle Seahawks. Alrighty, then.

I will be the first to admit that the news left me with a bunch of conflicted thoughts.

I really liked what Shough had shown at the NFL scouting combine, and how he seemed to come across at the Senior Bowl in practices. He’s a likable personality. He’s tall, athletic, and mature. He has clear tools, and an arm talent that feels very translatable to the NFL. He has intangibles that make him an interesting match for Mike Macdonald, and he feels less of a project than many of the other quarterbacks in this draft, including Jaxson Dart, and Cam Ward. For Seattle, however, I just don’t know if I would like him taken any earlier than round three, and if he goes higher than that, let him be someone else’s prize.

It is funny how fluid the NFL offseason can be. Back in late February/early March, if some NFL insider had told me that Seattle was eyeing taking a quarterback early in this coming draft, I would have been excited about the notion. Having the college football playoffs and the national championship still fresh enough in my mind, I found myself becoming a big time Will Howard fan, and I have liked Jaxson Dart a lot, as well. Seeing Louisville QB Tyler Shough throw at the scouting combine had really turned my eye, as well.

Back then, Seattle still had 34 year old Geno Smith on their roster, and for me, 2025 felt like a good year to take a stab at one of these quarterbacks in the first, or second if they felt really strongly about one of them. The idea made sense. Sign Geno to a short extension to offer him more money up front, and take one of these guys to groom behind him for a couple years, essentially creating a Green Bay Packer Jordan Love scenario.

Two weeks later, this whole notion evaporated after Seattle traded Geno to Las Vegas for a third round pick, and pivoted towards signing Sam Darnold in free agency. With 27 year old Sam Darnold coming in on a three year contract, my entire view of the Seahawk QB situation had suddenly shifted. Seattle got seven years younger at the position in a lateral move that could prove to be an upgrade, given the new Klint Kubiak system, and the potential of Sam being a better fit for it.

For me, this move to Sam Darnold greatly diminishes the need for Seattle to draft QB of the future this year, and I still like a number of quarterbacks in this draft even if none of them appear to be top end prospects. I like Howard, Dart, and Shough quite a lot, actually. I also think Texas QB Quinn Ewers has a little something interesting about him, and could potentially be a good system fit here. I think Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard could honestly be a really interesting draft and slow develop prospect for Seattle if sat patient, and took him in rounds three, four, or five, and same thing with Syracuse QB Kyle McCord.

If Seattle were to draft any one of these guys in rounds three through five, I would be fine with it. These are the rounds that they should properly go in, I feel. The reality is that quarterbacks, in general, tend to get elevated higher up draft boards given the league’s constant need for them, and because of that, many of these guys will probably get drafted much higher in a few weeks time. I just don’t want to see Seattle join the needy lot of teams that will be looking to gobble them up earlier than necessary.

Seattle has seemingly committed to seeing if Sam Darnold can be a long term solution here, I feel like they can, and should be more patient than perhaps a large handful of other teams zeroing in on these prospects. Given the needs that still exist on the offensive line, perhaps the lack of depth at cornerback (and maybe safety), the injury concerns of Cooper Kupp, the lack of a long term solution at tight end, I just don’t want to see Seattle draft a QB any earlier than round three, and I prefer to see them wait it out until day three of the draft, if they can.

It would be cool to see them draft a guy at some point, and I get that lure of wanting to see a talented QB on a rookie contract slow cooking into potentially being an eventual starter. I also see the logic salary cap logic of taking a QB this year in the draft, as well, with Sam Howell being in the last year of his rookie contract, and therefore having a developmental QB2 on a rookie contract for the next four years.

I also appreciate that the inner workings of Darnold’s contract really makes it seem more like a two year “prove it” sorta deal with team friendly outs for Seattle. To me, it makes the deal all the more better for the team, and in a sense, the player, as well.

If Darnold struggles to match his breakout performance of 2024, Seattle has the ability to move on from him quickly over the next season, or two. If he plays really well in their Klint Kubiak scheme, he will be in position during the 2027 offseason to negotiate a bigger long term contract to stick around. Within the framework of his contract with Seattle, the Seahawks have protected themselves, and Sam Darnold has waged a good bet on himself working out here. Every Seahawk fan should like that.

Essentially, in two years time, Seattle will know if Sam Darnold is, or is not their long term franchise quarterback. This is why I am absolutely not down for Seattle burning their first round pick on a quarterback such as Tyler Shough, or even Jaxson Dart later this April. If they are both available at pick 18, let them become the prizes of other teams afterwards.

I think there are most likely going to be strong options for them in the first round to improve their offensive line (finally), or further strengthen their defensive line. I could also get down with Seattle taking a crack at a defensive back, or a tight end if one of Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, or Mason Taylor is sitting there.

Many fans would hate this, but I could even be convinced that taking a receiver in round one makes sense, if my arm is twisted enough, and local kid Emeka Egbuka is there, who grew up in Tacoma being a huge Seahawks fan. Egkuka is a lot like Jaxon Smith Njigba, but I can be convinced that it isn’t a bad thing for Seattle to nab him up, and groom him behind veteran Cooper Kupp. Inject a guy like him onto this roster, and suddenly the narrative that Darnold won’t have as good of a receiving corp to throw to as he did in Minnie shrinks dramatically.

I likely wouldn’t love seeing Seattle take a receiver, tight end, or DB at 18 overall if a good offensive line prospect was available, but if the guy is really special, I could wrap my head around it. I would just have a much harder time wrapping my head around a quarterback, if that proved the case.

If that pick does become quarterback Tyler Shough, as NFL draft insider Tony Pauline has recently sorta suggested, it would be a tough pill for me to swallow. It would leave me with the feeling like Seattle would have way overcorrected at quarterback to an unnecessary degree, and I like Shough for reasons already mentioned. In round three, I would enjoy seeing Seattle taking a swing at him, if he was still there, but not round one, or even really, round two, and here is why.

Shough has a lot of college experience starting because he has been injured so many times that he has bounced around different programs looking for fresh starts. To a degree, it has been a blessing to him because he has played in numerous systems, has grown as a passer, and a person, and has created a pretty good floor as a quarterback draft prospect for himself. He will, however, turn 26 years old in the Fall, and is therefore, just about two years younger than Darnold, and that, matched with his injury history, makes him less appealing to me as a prospect.

He would be the perfect player to land with Pittsburgh with a chance to start right away, and get his clock going as a rookie. I think Cleveland would also be a great spot for him with a chance for the team to move off of the horrendous Deshaun Watson situation. The Jets certainly make similar sense with Justin Fields not being a certainty to succeed. Tennessee would be a very obvious landing spot with a chance for him to openly compete with Will Levis.

I could even argue that going to the Rams, where they probably have Stafford going year to year now, would make sense. Ditto with the Giants and Russell Wilson being on a one year deal, or even to the Raiders with Geno Smith.

For Shough, I think either a situation where he can immediately start as a rookie, or develop behind an older QB1 who probably only has a couple of years left makes a bunch of sense. If Seattle still had Geno Smith here, I could get behind taking Shough earlier, or any other of these quarterbacks getting hyped up a bit.

Shough going to Seattle at 18, though, after signing Darnold? Man, I wouldn’t get that.

If Seattle were to take Shough with their first round pick, they would almost certainly feel the pressure to move off of Darnold without seeing the experiment with him through. Due to his age, the clock for getting Shough in the driver’s seat as QB1 for Seattle would probably be pressured to be sped up, as he will be 30 years old by the time he would be negotiating his second contract.

And if they did decide to move off of Darnold early in favor of developing a 26 year old quarterback that they invested a first round pick on, and Shough struggles and or gets injured (as he often did in college).. Jeeze Louise.. when what does Seattle have potentially have at quarterback?

It would potentially be a bloody mess that would see the whole front office fired, and maybe the coaching staff, as well. Personally, I would like to avoid that scenario from happening because that sounds way too much like the New York Jets over the past 15 years.

Now, if he ends up playing like Josh Allen all of that is moot, but how likely is that going to be?

My guess is not that likely, and his ceiling will probably be, well.. Sam Darnold-esque with maybe a greater likelihood of getting injured a fair amount more. That doesn’t sound like someone I want to see Seattle spend a first round pick on when they already have Darnold on the roster for the next three years, or longer, if all goes well.

Now, if he is sitting at pick 82 or 92, and Seattle wanted to add him, then I would be way more warm to it. That would be much more palatable.

If he lasted that long, then it would signal that the league recognized his injury concerns and had questions about his true ceiling. Seattle could take advantage of an older college quarterback still being available who might have a decent floor, and enough ability to push Darnold early.

If he develops strongly, and quickly, Seattle would have flexibility to move away from Darnold. If Darnold plays well enough to not really make of a competition between the two, then Seattle has a decent and affordable backup option on their roster for the next four seasons. Either scenario would be win/win for Seattle, and Seattle will have bolstered their roster by taking players at other positions earlier.

Honestly, this might be the reason Seattle is taking a good long look at Shough. They might not be considering him in the first round, but should he last into round three, he might become an interesting option once offensive line, and a few other positions are addressed. Having him behind Darnold becomes additional security at the most important position at a more palatable cost.

But first round quarterback for Seattle this year?

Nah, I am not feeling that.

Not in an offseason when the biggest need on this team clearly has been improving the offensive line, and Seattle has done extremely little in free agency to add talent to it. I can accept this reality of lack of veteran infusion to the offensive line if Seattle sees numerous players in this draft that they are prepared to add early, starting in round one. Ideally, I would want to see an offensive lineman taken in round one, and another one taken in round two.

North Dakota State guard/center Grey Zabel is the guy I am all in on due to his physical profile and fit for their zone blocking system, but there are others who I equally could get behind at pick 18. I wouldn’t hate it if they selected Ohio State guard Donavan Jackson. I also wouldn’t be mad if it was Oregon tackle/guard Josh Conerly Junior, either (other local Seattle kid, FYI).

Honestly, I wouldn’t hate it if their first three picks of the draft (picks 18, 50, and 52) were all offensive linemen, given the needs of improvement to this area being that extreme. It likely won’t happen, but I wouldn’t be upset if it did.

So, while it is fun to think about seeing Seattle drafting a quarterback high because it would infuse fans with something daydream about, especially those skeptical about Darnold, I don’t think this is the draft to do it. I don’t think any of these quarterbacks are sure things be quality NFL starters.

I think it is all fingers crossed projection with Cam Ward, Shedeur Sanders, Dart, Howard, and Shough will become quality NFL QBs. If any of these guys were in last year’s draft where six quarterbacks were drafted in the first twelve picks of the draft, they all would have likely been second or third round picks, at best. Let other teams needier at quarterback take swings on them.

Go get Grey Zabel, or someone else close enough to his talent level on the offensive line. Commit to saying what you want to be; a tough physical team that nobody wants to play. Do not pass over a player who will provide you this opportunity up front for a quarterback prospect who may not ever be able to beat out Sam Darnold at QB1 spot further down the line. Don’t do this.

Ride this through with Darnold over the next two years, and see what you have with him first. If it doesn’t work out, then consider taking a quarterback high. You might be better positioned for it in a future draft with a stronger quarterback class than this one.

Trust me on this. This is not the draft to take a quarterback high. At all. Not for the Seattle Seahawks, anyways.

Go get me Grey Zabel, instead.

Go Hawks!

With two weeks of NFL free agency now in the books, I bet there are Twelves scratching their heads over the state of the Seattle Seahawk offensive line, leaving bloody scabs of frustration for concerned loved ones to see. I will be the first to admit that I’m surprised by the lack of movement at guard and center, given the needs.

The NFL offseason is fleeting. A week and a half ago, the Seattle Seahawks were free agency darlings in the eyes of SI journalist Albert Breer for the way they moved off of Geno Smith for Sam Darnold and essentially a third round pick. Fast forward to now, we have various analysts now calling them big time losers of the offseason because they signed Darnold and haven’t made big free agent moves to upgrade the offensive line for him.

“What is the plan in Seattle?”

“It seems like the Seahawks have no plan.”

Indeed. From an outsider perspective, it’s a fair take. For those close to the team, however, there is a nuanced perspective national media folks won’t spend time discussing. Nuance does not great headlines.

I don’t believe that the Seattle front office is the clueless mess that skeptics would have it. First of all, I didn’t think this year’s free agent crop of offensive lineman was that great. The only player I was really hoping for was former Altanta center Drew Dalman who quickly signed a massive contract with Chicago. Secondly, I think it is worth reminding frustrated fans that the draft appears to be promising for interior offensive linemen.

At the Senior Bowl, it was noted by many how intently GM John Schneider was studying offensive line drills. He was watching these guys like a hawk (intended pun). This should have been a big tell for what Seattle’s plan would be to address the offensive line this offseason.

With now two weeks into free agency and no real move to be made on the offensive line outside of adding a swing tackle, I am beginning to let go of expectations of what I thought this team would do, and I am embracing their process. There are talented players in this draft class who are going to fill needs on Seattle’s offensive line, and I am ready for them to come in.

When reality smacks you across the face, it is time to let go of expectations that you have held onto, and just accept what is. This ability to let go is beneficial for survival, and has been passed down to us through generations of strife.

When our forefathers were picking berries down by a riverbank, and a gigantic saber cat jumped out of the brush, grabbed one of their children, and ran off with it for an easy snack, our forefathers didn’t just stop producing more kids. Instead, they just got smarter about where to bring them around.

So, while I would have imagined that Seattle would have made former Viking center Garrett Bradbury their new center here, following Sam Darnold to the 206, I had to quickly pivot off of that. Likewise, when I also would have thought that Teven Jenkins possibly would have been signed last week to become the new starting left guard.

Neither of these moves happened. Bradbury was never brought in, and it is worth noting that Seahawk center Olu Oluwatimi has a similar 2004 PFF grade to his. Jenkins did visit, but left Seattle without a contract, and quickly signed elsewhere. It is obvious that Seattle was not as high on these players as many Seahawk fans had been, and I think the answer to this is now obvious.

Bradbury never lived up to the hype of his first round status in Minnesota, and Jenkins has a problematic injury history, and a questionable desire to play through pain. As desperate as we can be wanting to see Seattle make free agents moves to improve the offensive line, I don’t think we should hold it against them that they punted on either of these guys.

Seattle obviously sees prospects in this draft that they could land, and develop as long term answers rather than make spendy moves on free agents whose previous teams felt ready to move on from. Alternatively, it is also very possible that their new offensive coaches honestly like the potential of young players recently drafted, and they want to further develop them as starters.

Believe it or not, Anthony Bradford was actually one of the better zone run blocking guards in football last year, per Pro Football Focus. The problem was that with former coordinator Ryan Grubb, Seattle did not run the ball nearly enough, and he was not consistent enough as a pass blocker. If the new offensive line coaches can further unlock the potential of Bradford, he has the size and athletic profile to be a dominating run blocking guard in this league.

Additionally, last year’s third round pick Christian Haynes was one of the best pure zone blocking guards in all of college football in 2023, but he was little used by Grubb, and once Bradford was lost for the season after eleven games, he was leap frogged by six round pick Sataoa Laumea, who coaches could like, as well. There is a perception around the team that Grubb mishandled the development of Haynes, and this could be true. The interesting thing about Haynes is that he has a body type that could make for an intriguing candidate at center, if Seattle takes a guard early in the draft, and views Bradford as a starter at guard, as well.

But why am I bringing up all this zone blocking jargon, you ask? Well, Seattle is adopting a scheme that is largely reliant on zone blocking, and with that offensive linemen who are really good at getting to second level defenders, and creating elaborate running lanes for running backs are requirements to making the scheme go.

What does this mean most likely for Seattle and the offensive line moving forward this year?

They added Josh Jones as a veteran swing tackle, and I suspect that they will make one more modest veteran move on the offensive line prior to the draft that is now a month away. Like Jones, it will likely not be a move that gets many Twelves hopeful, but I suspect that the real big splash for the offensive line will happen in this draft, likely in round one or round two.

It is recently been estimated that there are 16 interior offensive line prospects in this draft that will be viewed as NFL starters. That’s a healthy number.

Some of them are college tackles who will convert to guards in the pros, and some might even convert to center. Dennison and Benton have long proven track records as NFL offensive line coaches who have converted college tackles into production interior offensive linemen.

It is very safe to say that in a month’s time, at least one of these 16 mastodons is going to be a Seattle Seahawk. It is possible that with Bradford and Haynes on this roster, that player will be our new starting center. It is also possible that the coaches will look to convert Haynes to center to make way for a talented rookie to play guard, as he has a good body type for the position.

Does this feel risky? Yes. Absolutely it does, but almost every move that Seattle has done this offseason has been a big calculated risk.

It was risky moving on from Geno Smith in favor of Sam Darnold, who even though I believe might prove to be an upgrade, there is no guarantee of that panning out.

Likewise, even though Cooper Kupp is likely a better scheme fit for Seattle than DK Metcalf likely would have been, there is no guarantee he stays healthy enough, and therefore it is a huge risk for Seattle to trade off DK only to pivot to Kupp. Because of this, I fully expect Seattle to draft a receiver at some point within the first two days of the draft.

I think there is even a modest risk that Seattle has signed 31 year old DeMarcus Lawrence to a big three year contract. He’s older, coming off of a significant injury last year. While I am hopeful that Mike Macdonald will make good use out of him, there is no guarantee that his body won’t start to further break down given his violent style of play.

What I like about all of these moves is that the Seattle front office has realized that annually treading water at 9 or 10 wins a season is not likely going to bring them any closer to another Super Bowl ring, and they are now finally willing to take some educated risks. If Sam Darnold does prove to be a good system fit here, as I think he will, then Seattle has effectively solved its longer termed quarterback question, and if not, then they can look to the draft in a future year. If the totality of Cooper Kupp and a promising rookie receiver is a greater sum than DK Metcalf for this scheme at receiver, then Seattle will have made a brilliant move to trade him rather than overspend to keep his unhappy butt on the roster.

Likewise, if Seattle does indeed draft North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel, and he converts to a pro bowl center for Seattle for the next ten years, then it would be a brilliant stroke from the front office to not settle on a mediocre veteran center like Garrett Bradbury just because of his familiarity with Sam Darnold. Raise your hand, if you are a Seahawk fan who would love to see the center position finally secured by a quality player for the next decade of Seahawk football.

This is the biggest thing to consider now as a Seahawks fan. Wouldn’t it be more prudent to invest in young talent in a good draft for interior offensive linemen than overspend for mid level players in the free agency? My answer to this is very much a resounding yes.

You made the switch from Ryan Grubb to Klint Kubiak because you recognized that the Kubiak system would be better for your team. Kubiak brought with him top notch NFL offensive line coaches who master at coaching a zone blocking scheme, and you have a couple year guards on the roster who have shown to be good zone blockers. This draft is loaded with college players who were good in zone blocking schemes.

It appears that John Schneider is prepared to trust these coaches to get the most out of young players. It is not the safest thing to do. It does not make me feel as comfortable as I want to be as a Seahawks fan. It is, however, probably the smartest thing to do given the mediocrity of the free agent market for guard and center, and the promising nature of this draft class.

This draft is not thought to be strong at quarterback, and Seattle quickly pivoted to Sam Darnold when they felt they would not reach a deal with Geno Smith. This draft is also not thought to be greatly rich at receiver, either, and that is why I think we have seen moves to add Kupp, Marquise Valdez Scantling, and now River Cracraft.

This is a promising draft for guards and it has some players who could convert to center. This is a great draft for defensive tackle, running back, and tight end.

This is a good draft for Seattle to get meat and potato players on both sides of the ball. If you want to play stout defense, and run the ball, control clock, play connected as a team, then I think Seattle is well positioned with five picks in the top 92 to add to the line of scrimmage, and around out the roster for this team to better play the style of ball that Macdonald would have it.

Seattle could even theoretically draft a special player at 18 in this draft who doesn’t play on the offensive line, and still find solutions for their line in the second and third rounds. It would make me incredibly nervous if they did this, but there are a couple tight ends who will be drafted in the top frame of this draft who are talented enough that if one fell into the lap of Seattle at 18, it might be too difficult to resist the urge of selecting. If Seattle took one of these guys, I would be pretty on board with that, and then I would keep my fingers crossed that they could grab a couple good offensive linemen in round two.

What I suspect is most likely, though, is that John Schneider does the very conventional thing and takes the best offensive lineman on their board at 18, or a little bit later in the first round after a bit of a trade back, and then he takes another offensive lineman on day two. History supports this likelihood.

In 2022, after they traded Russell Wilson, Seattle was very thin at offensive tackle. While some wanted them to take a swing on a quarterback in the weak quarterback draft class, they conventionally took the best left tackle on their board in Charles Cross, and then they took right tackle Abe Lucas in early round three. Cross was not widely viewed as a top ten draft prospect but they stayed safe, and took him at 10 overall, anyways. This proved to be a pretty decent payoff, and they found decent value with Lucas later on.

It feels very logical that John Schneider should look to replicate this with the interior of Seattle’s offensive line this April. I can see a very vivid scenario where Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart is sitting at pick 18, and Seattle choses an offensive line over a quarterback who will have a lot of Twelves clamoring for him like they did with Malik Willis four years ago when Seattle took Cross, instead.

Grey Zabel is going to be a guy who is going to be talked about a lot for Seattle in the coming weeks. He is a tall, strong, athletic zone blocker who plays with a lot of attitude and toughness, and is reportedly a very strong leader. He took a series of reps at the Senior Bowl at center, and snapped the ball well. Some think he has the profile to be a solid guard in this league, but could ultimately be a top tier starting center down the line. I think there is an extreme possibility that Seattle would draft him at 18, but I also think it is very possible that he is taken before Seattle’s pick.

If this proves the case, and Zabel won’t be available to them, that could compel Seattle to trade down a bit and still take a guard, and then double dip at guard again on day two, and then consider moving Christian Haynes to center. It wouldn’t get a lot of Seahawk fans excited, but with the high number of offensive tackles in this draft that could convert well to guard, plus guys who were quality guards in college last year like Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson, Georgia’s Tate Ratledge, and Alabama’s Tyler Booker, a Haynes move to center suddenly becomes more interesting in an open competition with Olu Oluwatimi, if Seattle grabs a couple of these fellas.

There are a couple other convert to center candidates in this draft, as well, that Seattle could consider. Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow has a similar projection to convert to center as Zabel, based on his physical traits that suit the position. Some think that West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum could be suited for the spot, as well.

Outside of these two other guys, though, this draft is considered very thin at center in terms of who were actually playing the spot in college last year. Georgia center Jared Wilson is the only player who is thought to have strong starter potential in this draft. That is why guys like Zabel and probably Mbow are going to be elevated based on projection.

This is why Zabel is going to continue being a very talked about player for Seattle at 18. Based on the current needs of the team, he might be a top player on their board at this point. Their ideal scenario might be being able to take him at 18, and then keeping their fingers crossed that one of Jackson, Booker, Ratledge, or Oregon’s Josh Conley Jr falls in their lap in round two.

If they are fortunate to land Zabel and there is a run on top guard prospects to the point where none of them land to them in round two, then that is where they might go different directions much like they did in free agency, and they trust their coaches to further develop Haynes and Bradford as guards. Is this ideal? Probably not, but objectively speaking, it is a fall back that could work out, or at least work better for them in the 2025 season.

It is already noted that Bradford and Haynes have both shown good abilities as run blockers in a zone scheme. The truth of the matter for Seattle is that with Kubiak replacing Ryan Grubb, Seattle is venturing back to their 2012-2014 DNA of predominantly being a running team with play action passing being a complimentary feature. If they add Zabel inside, that could be enough to further uncork the potential of Ken Walker and Zach Charbonnet and it further mitigate the limited pass blocking traits of a guy like Bradford, and who knows, perhaps Benton and Dennison are able to develop Bradford further as a pass blocker. This is possible.

In their ideal world, I feel like this coaching staff would probably love to see Sam Darnold throw on average about 25 times a game, and the bulk of that on play action passes where he has shown to be very good at it. This is the strength of their new quarterback, and he might be perfectly fine staying in this game managerial lane while guiding Seattle to wins. At this point in his career, he is probably just looking for stability, and a chance to win as a starter however which ways those wins come. If this is the case, that is not a terrible thing, at all, for Seattle, or for him.

I suspect that this is their plan. They want a good young enough game managerial situation at quarterback. They want to win with defense, play good special teams, and close out the circle by running the football, killing clock, and making explosive plays off of play action.

Ironically, I think they really do want to get back to Pete Carroll football in many, many ways.

Now go get Grey Zabel.

Go Hawks!

With a full week for NFL free agency in the books for the league, I thought it would be good to do a little reflections on how this past week went for the Seattle Seahawks. I wrote a fairly lengthy reaction to the Seahawks signing Sam Darnold as a replacement for Geno Smith, but after that, I sorta wanted to go dark for the rest of the week to see what else unfolds, and then let it breathe. Here are some of my overriding thoughts as I have digested what was one of the most wildly active weeks I can remember out of any start to free agency for the Seattle Seahawks.

After trading cutting Tyler Lockett, and trading away Geno Smith, and DK Metcalf, I feel like there was an immediate reaction from fans and media members such as Mina Kimes that proclaimed John Schneider was steering Seattle into a seemingly unnecessary rebuild after a respectable 10-7 season. I am not here to say that Kimes and others are overly dramatic in response, but I could not disagree with this take more.

I don’t think Tyler Lockett was ever going to be a great fit for the Kubiak scheme that Seattle is adopting, at all. I had some mild concerns about Seattle signing Geno to another big time contract given his age, and whether he has peaked out as a player. Additionally, if I am being perfectly honest, while I have always been a big DK supporter, I was never a hundred percent sure if his inconsistencies as a route runner was going to fit for this thing, either.

I felt certain that Tyler was going to be gone, but I also wondered if Seattle would be aggressively move off of the other two, as well. Sounds like they wanted to keep DK, and tried to work it out with him, but the sudden move away from Geno feels much cloudier, at best.

I suspect that once they realized how affordable Sam Darnold was going to be, the more incentivized they were to trade away Geno Smith. If you just take emotions out of the equation, it makes a lot of sense from a basic football perspective. If you are moving into a new offensive scheme with a new OC, would it not make sense to move towards a quarterback who has a deeper background in the scheme, success in the scheme, and relationship with the OC, especially if he is seven years younger than the QB you have in house? I believe it does.

So while I appreciate how smart of a football mind Kimes is, I do not see this as any sort of wave the white flag, tear it down, rebuild project for Seattle this year, at least by their thinking. I think they are in the midst of a major retooling, bringing in players who they see as better fits, and I am patient to see how it will look after the draft in April before fully judging too much, one way or the other.

The overriding theme I keep saying with each of these signings is “system fit.” I anticipate we will see maybe a couple more acquisitions next week where “system fit” is going to be the major descriptor for them.

Here are my grades on each signing, thus far.

Quarterback Sam Darnold: A+

If you are not the same Sam Darnold enthusiast that I am, I will not hold it against you. For me, I believe Darnold could prove to be a quality upgrade over Geno Smith, and I have confidence in this belief.

If you want to gleam valuable insight into how well an NFL player is, I invite you not to rely solely on an advanced metric chart that some Seahawk fan shares on social media, or listen to a content creating Seahawk YouTuber. Instead, give a good long listen to whatever NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell has to say. Greg Cosell pours over every play of each NFL player with key insight to what NFL coaches value and look for in a given play. He is very on board with Sam Darnold coming to Seattle. In fact, he views him being a better fit for the Kubiak offense than Geno Smith.

A lot is now being made of the real numbers coming out on Darnold’s three year contract with Seattle. It is obviously very team friendly, but I would be careful to label it as a one year contract with team outs in 2026 and 2027, and expect that Seattle will be drafting his replacement in April. Seattle has done similar contracts like this in the past with Geno Smith, and even Russell Wilson. Let’s face it, if Darnold plays well, and Seattle does well, he will likely stay through this three year span, and he will very likely sign a bigger extension by the 2027 offseason.

Seattle got younger at quarterback, possibly better at quarterback at a price that is perfectly team friendly, and they acquired a third round pick in exchange for Geno Smith. This is a big time win, and I have a sneaking suspicion that Darnold will prove to be better here than some realize. If I am wrong on this, and he stinks, well then, Seattle can get out of this deal, and will most likely be better positioned next year to select a quarterback in a draft class that is thought to be much stronger at the position.

I see no bad angle at taking this shot with Darnold this year, though. I am excited to see what happens, and this all feels very win/win for the team, and potentially the player, as well.

Offensive Tackle Josh Jones: C+

Quietly nestled under in the huge Sam Darnold news last Monday was the news that Seattle agreed to terms with Baltimore offensive tackle Josh Jones on a one year contract to be the swing tackle for Charles Cross and Abe Lucas. For me, he’s a valuable signing given the health history of Lucas, and he is something rare for a Seattle signing. He is known as a better pass blocker than a run blocker. This is a decent move, if not a spectacular one, and it is good to see this team appreciate a more veteran presence at this spot than being forced to trust a rookie. They need to make a much bigger splash on the offensive line in this veteran market than this, though, and hopefully that move is around the corner this week.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: B-

MVS is essentially a poor man’s version of DK Metcalf, and with DK gone, Seattle needed someone reliable who can take the top off of a defense. This is MVS’s game, and he comes to Seattle familiar with Klint Kubiak and his scheme. I like this signing because of the very obvious need. They need skill players who know what to do in this scheme and can be relied on to start and/or add knowledgable depth.

It would be tough to argue that MVS is an upgrade over Tyler Lockett because Lockett is a significantly more accomplished receiver, but it is possible that MVS is a better fit for this scheme. He also comes to Seattle with a Super Bowl ring from his time with the Chiefs, and in that, could offer valuable leadership in a receiver room that will now need it.

DE DeMarcus Lawrence: A-

I will be honest, when the news broke that Seattle signed this guy to a big three year contract, I flipped out with excitement. It was a move that I wanted to see this team make because of the type of player he is, and the connection he has to defensive coordinate Aden Durde from their Dallas days together. I did not think Seattle would go here, though, and therefore, wasn’t expecting this.

Obviously, I am not concerned much about D Law’s age, nor am I concerned about the injury he sustained last year. For me, he is a significantly better system fit at rush end than Dre’Mont Jones was, and he is a stellar run stopper as well as being a solid pass rusher.

Seattle’s defense needs his level of badass on the edge. They have some badass dudes inside at DT, but D Law rounds the front four out as a rush end. Seattle’s improving defense likely got stronger with this move. He might not be the pass rusher he was a few years ago, but Macdonald has a pretty solid track record with getting good production out of older defensive linemen. Very worthy risk to take with this guy even if age and his injury from last year are a bit of a concern.

WR Cooper Kupp: A

The only thing that prevents this from being an A+ signing for me is his injury history the last few years. I adore this signing, though. I rooted hard for it to happen the second Seattle traded away DK Metcalf.

By every metric and film tape, Cooper Kupp is, unquestionably, a better overall fit for the Kubiak scheme than DK Metcalf would likely be, even if his ability to get separation has diminished. That is not to say that DK couldn’t have evolved, and excelled greatly in it. It just means that Kupp is, right now, better equipped to do all the right things that Kubiak will require at reciever, and it’s a cherry on top that he comes to Seattle at half the financial cost of that it would have been to extend DK.

He will come in with a superb understanding of the outside stretch zone offense. He is a Super Bowl MVP, and that is going to give him a ton of status on this youthful roster. Young players will look up to him, and likely follow his example.

So many of his intangibles go beyond the field of play. They will be there at practice, and on the sidelines, and in the meeting rooms.

He will also be extremely motivated to play well here, and prove the Rams wrong. He did not return to his home state to be second class in the NFC West. He came home to play in front of friends and family, to stick it to the Rams twice a year, and to win the division, and bring another Super Bowl victory to his home team. If he accomplishes this feat, his legacy will be as big here as it is in Southern California. I suspect he will be highly driven to accomplish this for himself, and his family who are diehard Seattle Seahawk fans.

No matter how much Jaxon Smith Njigba is becoming an ascending talent in Seattle, Cooper Kupp will be a valuable featured player in this offense. He will know the routes, the concepts, he will understand the finite spacing, the run blocking nuances, and he will most likely provide Sam Darnold a very reliable outlet against zone defenses. He will be a superb mentor to JSN, and whoever else Seattle might grab in this year’s draft.

While it is likely that he will miss a game here and there, his overall value to this team will most likely greatly outweigh injury concerns. Just draft someone to groom behind him. Like Darnold, there is no risk to bringing him in, and there is a very real chance of this paying off big time. I love this move so much.

Cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles: D+

Seattle needs cornerback depth, and they don’t have much beyond Josh Jobe backing up Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. As much as an optimist as I am, I find it hard to get excited about this addition. SJC has some starting experience in the league, but the way he has bounced around on and off teams and practice squads gives an impression that this is purely a depth move. I wouldn’t be surprised if cornerback becomes a bigger target for the team in this draft with Woolen heading into a contract year, and I also wouldn’t be surprised if they add another vet. We shall see.

Thoughts moving into the second week of free agency

This is the week where I super duper want to see the Seahawks make a significant addition (or two) on the offensive line. Josh Jones might be a really nice depth player capable of playing multiple positions at the offensive line, but I see a glaring need at left guard, and center possibly even more.

Former Bears left guard Teven Jenkins is scheduled to meet with Seattle on Monday. This is encouraging. He is a big athlete guard who would be a good fit for their zone blocking scheme. He’s at a good age being only 26 years old. He has had a bit of an injury history, though, and that is why Chicago chose to move on from him.

If Jenkins reaches a two or three year deal with Seattle, that would tell me that things went really well with him during the meet, and they are willing to live with his injury risks. If they sign him to a one year contract or move on without an offer, that means that selecting a guard in the early stages of the draft in April will be inevitable. It is that simple. This visit will tell us a lot about where they are going with the offensive line, one way, or another.

The move that I would most likely see Seattle do with the offensive line this week isn’t at guard, though, it’s at center. Klint Kubiak was very outward after his hiring that he would like to see a smart, experienced, capable player come in and take over his center spot.

In his scheme, the center is arguably the most important player on the line outside of left tackle. That is the guy who takes pressure off the quarterback calling out the pass protection adjustments. Trusting a rookie to do this in 2025 would be a way bigger roll of the dice than replacing Geno Smith with Sam Darnold, in my view. Therefore, I would like to see Seattle go get Sam’s center in Minnesota who is now available for a trade after the Vikings signed Ryan Kelly.

Go get Garrett Bradbury. Seattle Sports personality Brock Huard went on air late last week pushing for this move, and he made sense in his reasoning. Darnold and Bradbury have a solid chemistry with each other. That QB/Center chemistry takes time to build. While Bradbury might be an average starting center, and that’s the reason why Minnesota shifted to Kelly, he would be a significant upgrade to what Seattle has rostered here. Not only is he familiar with the quarterback, he is also very familiar with the zone blocking scheme.

Therefore, for these reasons, I put a higher value on bringing Bradbury in than I do Teven Jenkins. A quality rookie can step into left guard and net positive results in his first year. Center is a position in this scheme that would likely be much harder for a rookie to immediately take over, and expect good results.

If Seattle cannot swing a deal for Bradbury through trade or free agency if he is released, there is a very short list of other center options on the free agent market that I hope they consider. Here are my alternative choices.

Former Raider Andre James is at a good age (26 years old), and was thought of in recent years as being one of the better developing young centers in the game. Vegas drafted a center in the first round last year and will be shifting towards him. I prefer Bradbury given his chemistry with Darnold, but I can be convinced that James is an equal, if not better option.

Trystan Colon is another young option possibly worth taking a long look at. He started his career out in Baltimore as an undrafted free agent, but found himself a few years later starting in Arizona. He has guard and center starting experience, and while this would not likely be an option that would excite Seattle fans, he might have some upside left, and prove serviceable. His PFF grades in 2024 were very good after being forced into starting at right guard for injured Will Hernandez.. so good that it is not unreasonable to think he could be an option at guard, as well.

Former Patriots center David Andrews has found himself available on the free agent market after recently being released. He is 32 years old, and is coming off of a serious injury. I would not hate this signing, but I would have a difficult time not seeing it as being anything other than another short term fix, which I am getting really tired of seeing at center for this team. If they were to opt for him, my hope would be that they would see a long term solution in the draft that he would be the hedge for.

The only other free agent moves that I would really like to see John Schneider do is to go a more significant addition at corner, bring in a quality option at fullback, maybe one more bigger defensive end type to fill the role that Roy Robertson-Harris played last year, and to add another safety. It is very possible that some of these moves will be filled in the draft, but here are a few veteran names that I like at each of these spots.

This will probably not happen, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Seattle taking a swing at corner Assante Samuel Junior. He’s young and has a strong NFL pedigree. While his PFF grades aren’t great, they aren’t all together terrible, either. If he can be convinced to come into Seattle on a short term contract, I think that could be a quality signing, but I don’t think Seattle needs to splurge on anything long term with him. It would be a measured gamble on something that could pay off nicely for them in 2025.

Kansas City DE Charles Omenihu has the size and length to be an upgrade of RRH, and is only 27 years old. Mike Macdonald’s hybrid defense has roots in what Steve Spagnuolo does in KC, so Omenihu would seemingly come in with knowledge of how to play here. There are promising options in the draft to fill this role, but this guy would be an interesting veteran option.

Colts safety Julian Blackmon is only 26 years old, and has strong PFF coverage grades in 2024. His run defense leaves you wanting, but it is reasonable to think that aspect of his game can be coached up. I wouldn’t hate it if Seattle brought him in on a two year contract to mix in with Julian Love and Coby Bryant.

I really wanted Seattle to make a run at Kyle Juszcyk when he was released by San Francisco, and it was a bit deflating for me to see him ultimately return there on a new deal. Adding him with Cooper Kupp would have been really exciting in terms of scheme fit, and poaching from NFC West rivals. However, that did not happen. Therefore, here are a couple options to pivot towards.

The Saints have not released Taysom Hill as many expected them to do. He might be too valuable for them to let go, but if he was made available, he would be a player I would absolutely want to see Seattle pounce on and use him in a fullback/tight end role.

Alternative to Taysom, I see no harm in them bringing in fullback Adam Prentice who played for Kubiak last year in NOLA, as well. He offers little in terms of a runner or receiver, but is a well rounded blocker who knows this scheme.

Alternative to these two guys, I do wonder if Seattle can get creative at fullback be either converting a tight end to the position, or a running back. Thinking super outside of the box, with this draft being super rich at running back this year, would it be crazy to consider converting Zach Charbonnet to a fullback role where his running and natural pass catching traits can serve as a very unique threat on the field? He would have to be very open to it, if he believes the move would provide him a uniquely advantageous playmaking role, but I feel it is a thought worth considering, especially if a very good running back can be had in the middle rounds of this draft like things are projecting a bit.

An in house alternative to Zach making this shift could be tight end Brady Russell being converted to fullback. He is well sized for the role, and would offer a playmaking outlet at receiver when they function in two receiver two back sets.

At any rate, these are my current thoughts about the team. I would generally give the first week of free agency a solid B grade, overall. I would have liked to have seen a splash move on the offensive as much as the any Seattle fan, but the bold move to Darnold has me more excited than some would have it. I think the Kupp and D Law moves were excellent gambles, as well.

I need to see them make a stronger push towards adding proven veteran talents, though. I know that at this stage of free agency, most players out there are not perfect answers, but Seattle’s offensive line was so inexperienced and problematic last year that just getting a couple average-to-slightly-above-average starters would likely be a big improvement.

Right now, I need to see a solid option at center added more than anything else. Go get me a center, please.

Go Hawks!

After sitting through three full days of NFL draft, I had to take a breather to let it settle in. Seattle made early picks that made me jump through the metaphorical rooftop with excitement, and then they went decidedly less flashy on day three of the event. In order to avoid writing a knee jerk reaction to them taking a linebacker in round four that some experts were anticipating would go later, I needed to see Mike Macdonald talk about him in his post draft press conference. Frankly, I needed time to sit with all of their moves.

I am not one to overly question an NFL coach or general manager’s decision on a player taken in the draft, so pardon me if I am not going to be nearly as critical as some of the other super fans and bloggers might chose to be. If Sean Payton believes Bo Nix is his guy to lead Denver to a Super Bowl, more power to him.

So, in terms of Seattle, at the end of the day, I am more willing to defer to a bright young head coach who just coached the best defense in the league last year, and a dude who has been a general manager of a Super Bowl winning program than I am some other dude on Twitter X who “knows some ball” and has an exorbitant to amount to spare time to watch game tape on 250 draft eligible players. That is just me, however. You do you however you see fit.

That said, as the dust of this draft has settled upon the Seattle Seahawks, I see a clear vision for professional football in the Pacific Northwest moving forward. As I have sat back watching the first two days of this draft, anxiously anticipating what Seattle might do in year one of the Mike Macdonald regime, I kept being struck by thought after each of their two selections. It pretty much reads as follows.

“Holy shit, the Seattle Seahawks are finally drafting badass players in the trenches.”

I do not mean to use this piece as a means to trash the Pete Carroll era, but I cannot shake the undeniable feeling that the Seattle Seahawks are finally doing something fans have long been pining for. They are drafting for impact on the interior of the offensive and defensive lines. This is my biggest take away out of this draft class for Seattle.

In two days, Seattle drafted the best defensive tackle in the draft, a guy who somewhat compares to Aaron Donald, Geno Atkins, and Grady Jarrett, and then they took an All-American guard who Pro Football Focus rated as a top fifty player at Pick 81, and who many described as the best pure guard in the draft. Byron Murphy and Christian Haynes, alone, have made this draft a huge success, in my humblest opinion. These are talented, explosive big men with aggressive mindsets. When you factor in that Leonard Williams is essentially their second round pick, it becomes undeniably easy to see a sharp contrast to a Pete Carroll style draft.

This is just my take on the Pete Carroll era now looking at it in further hindsight in comparison with this new regime. It feels like perhaps the biggest difference between what the Macdonald Seahawks will prioritize to what Carroll preferred, is building a team from the inside out on the line of scrimmage.

It feels like Carroll always preferred to emphasis talent on the perimeters. If they were to go with a lineman early, Carroll preferred taking an offensive tackle, or a defensive end. Guards and defensive tackles were most often found in later rounds or bargain shopping through free agency. Carroll also seemed to place a high importance on collecting wide receivers with high picks, safeties, linebackers, and running backs while other organizations would value these players later on.

This is just year one for Macdonald, but it is clear he values top end talent at interior positions. Here is the stark contrast between Carroll’s first draft in 2010 and Macdonald’s in 2024. The first two picks for Carroll where offensive tackle Russell Okung and then free safety Earl Thomas. Macdonald’s are DT Byron Murphy, and guard Christian Haynes. Macdonald didn’t even bother with taking a safety even though it was considered by many fans as a position of need.

For many long suffering Seattle fans, this potential shift in philosophy will be seen as a gigantic blessing. After years of watching the Rams come up to Seattle and harass the Seahawks with Aaron Donald, Seattle now as a defensive tackle who loosely comps to him, and they added a guard who will take to defensive tackles instead of sitting back passively waiting for them to come to him.

Mike Macdonald doesn’t appear to be a coach willing to live with hubris up front, believing that his coaches can coach up marginal talent inside. He is looking for top end talent there. He wants punch you in the mouth football. We should all be elated.

This is the Baltimore Ravens way. This is the Harbaugh Brothers mentality. This, I believe, is going to be the biggest distinction between what a Mike Macdonald team will be to what a Pete Carroll one was. Fans, like myself, who loved Carroll’s quirky personality and Ted Lasso like demeanor might find themselves in a bit of a culture shock looking at Macdonald’s straight forward no-nonsense way, but I think most fans are going to love the results of what they will eventually see on the field on Sundays, if Macdonald’s vision is carried out. I think it will be.

The Seattle Seahawks are determined to become a bully team again. This is what Macdonald said in response to what they were looking for when taking Murphy and Haynes.

“A style of play that no one wants to play (against), that’s what we are aiming for. That’s our standard of how we play football, and if you want to play here, you’re going to have to play a certain way. Those are a type of guys we’re bringing in.”

That sure does sound a lot like those old 49er teams coached by Jim Harbaugh, and that Michigan team that just beat the crap out of the Huskies in the National Championship game. That sounds a lot like classic Baltimore Raven style football, too.

God bless all of this. In the blustery wet weather that November and December can bring into Lumen Field on Sundays, this is the style of football that I most want to see moving forward.

Collecting big men didn’t stop on Friday either. On Saturday, day three of the draft, the Seahawks took two other big offensive linemen. In the sixth round, they took massive Utah guard/tackle Sataoa Laumea (a guy I thought they might take in round four), and then they grabbed small school offensive tackle Michael Jerrell who has an athletic upside that is described as exciting by many.

Sign me up for both of these players. Give me a big mauling guard who played for the one PAC 12 program that was determined to play SEC style football for years. With their last pick, take a flyer on a guy who played at Findlay who has high athletic upside and dominated against small school programs.

I trust O line coach Scott Huff (formerly of the Washington Husky program and who coached the best offensive line in America last year) in having a good read on Laumea, who he saw play against UW on numerous occasions. Huff probably has a pretty good idea how to work with him. I also trust him in seeing some good clay to mold with Jerrell (a la George Fant), as well.

In a draft that was widely regarded as uniquely deep with offensive linemen, Seattle grabbed three of them. I had written a few times about my desire to see Seattle do something like this, and they did. In hindsight, I couldn’t be more happier. Seattle needs to build its depth here, and they appear focused on doing that.

I am not going to bother with grading this draft for them. I think draft grades are ridiculous, and in a few years, we will see how good this class actually is, but I would be willing to give them an A for effort going after the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That effort alone means something to me. It shows me where their priorities lay.

Going after a high impact defensive tackle to pair with Leonard Williams is huge for this team. Getting a guard who is viewed as a day one starter in the third round is also an enormous success. Beyond that, you are free to nitpick it however you choose, if you had a favorite player in rounds four and five sitting there who they didn’t take.

In my view, rounds four through seven, teams are largely looking at depth players who could develop into starters. This is where they took Anthony Bradford and Olu Oluwatimi last year, and they just grabbed Laumea and Jerrell. If Seattle can unearth two quality starters out of these four offensive linemen, that’s going to be a big win for this program. They might, especially with Scott Huff now here to take over coaching up the offensive line.

This league is filled with quality guards and centers who were drafted in the later rounds. Of this group, I really like Oluwatimi’s chances a lot, and I am still really intrigued with the high upside of Bradford. I like Laumea as a player to perhaps push Bradford.

Schneider mentioned this the other day, and I think it holds true. Often times, the better offensive lines we see in the league are not loaded with high drafted players. They might have a couple high round picks, but they often filled with a bunch of guys who have been coached up well, and just have a really good want to in terms of smacking a dude in the mouth, and have a really strong chemistry with each other. This was the Seahawk offensive line in 2005 when they made their first Super Bowl. Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson were studs, and the other three were quality working class joes.

In their Saturday afternoon press conference, it is fitting that Mike Macdonald and John Schneider wore mechanic shirts with this draft haul. By wearing these shirts, I think they sent a unifying message. They aren’t into flashy. They’re into nasty.

Even in the fourth round, when they took two non offensive or defensive linemen, they grabbed a linebacker who was a tackling demon in FBS football last year, and they grabbed a Michigan tight end who is being compared to Will Dissly. Both of these dudes are tough guys looking to lay hits either as a run stopper or a run blocker.

Tyrice Knight was a player I mocked to Seattle in the later rounds, so I was not too terribly shocked to see them take him earlier. If you want to call that a reach, that is fine. I would just say that Macdonald’s forte is developing linebackers, and Knight was obviously the guy he wanted at Pick 118 over many other linebacker prospects rated higher by the draft media.

I think we should afford Macdonald the benefit of the doubt in seeing specific qualities in Knight that leads him to believe he will become a good player for him in time. He will sit behind two quality veterans in Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dobson learning how to play ‘backer in Macdonald’s scheme like Junior Colson did for Macdonald in Michigan when he was kinda raw. In a scheme that simplifies things for linebackers, I can get behind this pick.

Drafting AJ Barner after Knight shouldn’t be seen that much as a shocker, either. I felt all along Seattle might be looking to add a third tight end. Instead of grabbing more of a pass catching one as I thought maybe they would target, they chose to grab a inline blocking one from Michigan who Macdonald is familiar with, and so is special teams coach Jay Harbaugh over other flashier tight ends with better pass catching reputations.

Barner, however, is also described as an athletic enough guy to have a good feel on route trees and is a capable receiver when called upon. Like Knight, if you want to bemoan this as another reach pick, that is fine. Will Dissly was also taken in round four and was described as a reach. What this pick tells me more than anything else is that under Macdonald, Seattle’s full intention is to run the piss out of the ball. Get ready to order your Seahawk mechanic shirts.

One thing that caught me off guard, however, was seeing Seattle take two cornerbacks on day three. I did four mock draft articles leading up to this three day event, and in none of them did I envision them going cornerback. In fact, I figured they’d go safety.

There were rumors circulating days up to Thursday that Seattle was doing their homework on corners, and might be preparing to take one during round one, but I interpreted it all as smokescreen material. Seattle seemed loaded up at corner, and I did not feel any sort of strong need at the position.

So, I was fairly stunned when Seattle chose to draft Nehemiah Pritchett at the top of the fifth round, and then take his Auburn teammate DJ James in the sixth. I get it that James carried a day two grade with a few analysts, and Pritchett was sorta regarded as a potential third round pick, as well. I can definitely see the value at taking both of these guys where they fell. Pritchett is a long bodied speed demon with decent potential as a cover guy, and James feels like a player who could be a really good nickel player, but Seattle now feels over loaded at nickel. Devon Witherspoon seems to enjoy sliding inside at nickel, and Coby Bryant has also shown to be decent there.

As the dust has settled, I think I understand these selections more. I think Bryant is probably destined to convert fully to the safety position now, and with Michael Jackson Sr and Tre Brown set to become free agents after this coming season, Seattle may have seen opportunities to get out in front of these situations now.

The coaches might also be unsure how well Riq Woolen will convert to this new scheme after a sophomore slump in 2023. That’s also possible, if not altogether worrisome.

So, in our eyes, we might have viewed this as a deep area of the team, but from a coaching standpoint (and a front office one), they might have seen it as an area they specifically wanted to attack in this draft, especially when they saw two talented corners fall further down the pike, and just provided great value. From this perspective, I can get behind these selections.

If I were to critique this draft for Seattle more, I would say it’s a bummer that they didn’t take advantage at the depth of receiver this year with Tyler Lockett getting older. There were numerous talented receivers to be had out of this class, and Seattle didn’t invest.

Maybe this is the Pete Carroll era that I am still attached to, and I am conditioned into feeling the need to draft at this position, but I also like to say go where the strengths of the draft is. Receiver was really strong this year. I would have liked Seattle to have out of this with one.

One area that I am not going to fault this team on, however, is bypassing quarterback for yet another year. I super duper wanted them to draft Michael Penix Junior. I would have been completely comfortable for them trading up for him. I even had a slight interest in them drafting Bo Nix, as well. Spencer Rattler and Michael Pratt never really moved the needle for me, however, and neither did JJ McCarthy, if I am being perfectly honest.

The team already has Sam Howell, and with that trade, he can be included in this draft haul. I am good with seeing what Ryan Grubb might be able to get out of him with two years left on his rookie contract. I believe he has some interesting upside, and now we get to see if that’s the case.

Also, with all six of the projecting first round quarterbacks going in the top twelve, I think the Sam Howell trade, overall, looks really smart for Seattle now. Go get ’em, Sam.

Lastly, in terms of the undrafted rookie free agents that were signed after the conclusion of the draft, I really love that they brought in Washington tight end Jack Westover. I thought maybe he would have been a player they drafted. I think he’s got not only a strong chance at making this team, I think he can have an impact in his rookie year. Grubb knows him, he was productive for Grubb, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they carve out a playmaking H back role for him in this offense moving forward. Last year’s fan favorite of the undrafted rookies was Jake Bobo. This year, it feels destined to become Westover. I love this move.

On the whole, I do love this draft for Seattle. Out of eight picks, they took four linemen, and three of them are interior fellas. That’s outstanding, in my view. The trenches needed to be the main focus, and they were. Bravo.

Seattle has built up their skill position players enough. They have loaded up on talent at receiver, running back, and they have a good tight end. They have a pro bowl quarterback, and a talented enough young gun behind him. They have good offensive tackles and edge rushers. They have good corners.

It was time overdue to focus more inside, and they did that. In the end, I really cannot ask for more than that.

Now, go start beating the crap out of people.

Go Hawks.