Tag Archives: nfl-draft

Mocking 2024 Seahawks Draft Round I: Building The Offensive Line

Posted on by
Reply
Could this former Husky be the future of the revamped Seattle offensive line?

Few people can ever gage what is going on in Seahawk general manager John Schneider’s mind when it comes to the draft. I think he’s a very good poker player and intentionally throws out smokescreens through the media.

I have been doing annual mock draft articles on this blog for years now, and I didn’t see Devon Witherspoon, Charles Cross, Jaxon Smith Ngijba, or Jordyn Brooks coming in round one. I did, however, detect that Boye Mafe, Abe Lucas, Ken Walker, Zach Charbonnet, Anthony Bradford, Kenny McIntosh, and Cam Young could all be draft picks and I was right with these.

What does this all mean? It means that even though they can be hard to predict at the top end of the draft, there are players on days two and three of the draft who one can easily project as fits for what Seattle likes at certain positions. They have types.

Last year, I was almost certain that they were going to draft a quarterback fifth overall, or take a pass rusher. The way they pranced around at top quarterback prospect pro days taking selfies with each of them should have been a dead given away of a smokescreen, but I fell for it, anyways. That’s how intoxicating it can be to imagine drafting a young quarterback in round one.

This year’s “smoke screen” was most likely John going onto Seattle Sports Radio a few weeks ago, and lamenting how much guards get over paid and over drafted in the league. It’s clear that they didn’t want to pay Damien Lewis what Carolina just did. It’s also clear that through these last view weeks of free agency, guard remains Seattle’s biggest need. It is also worth noting once again just how uniquely deep this draft appears to be at offensive line.

This first mock draft article exemplifies how Seattle might use this draft to build up its offensive line for the long term, finally. This also might be the mock draft I do that will most realistically mirror what Seattle ends up doing at the end of this month, but we shall see.

With the 16th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks trade with the Detroit Lions

Seattle and Detroit have a long history of trading together, and I have them again scratching each other’s backs. Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson slides to pick 16, and Detroit makes an aggressive trade up for him sending picks 29, 61, and their 2025 second round pick. This satisfies John Schneider, and the deal is done.

With the 28th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Roger Rosengarten, Offensive Tackle, Washington

Seattle surprises by taking an offensive tackle when that is the strength of their offensive line, but in their view, they take best player available. Offensive coordinator Ryan Gruff and offensive line coach Scott Huff know Rosengarten extensively, and he was tasked to protect Michael Penix Junior’s blind side as he put up prolific passing numbers at UW. Rosengarten is a good athlete who tested well at the scouting combine, and will come in knowing exactly what to do in this blocking scheme. His presence could allow Abe Lucas to kick inside to a guard spot in order to better protect his knee and for Seattle to field the best five guys on the field together. Alternatively, it could be the rook who initially kicks inside, and Lucas stays outside. Either way, I would kinda dig this pick.

With the 61st pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Ruke Orhorhoro, Defensive Tackle, Clemson

Seattle locked up Leonard Big Cat Williams to a three year deal, and he will be an anchor inside on Seattle’s defensive line, but they might want to find him a mate to rush with him. Orhorhoro has great length and athleticism to play end in the 3-4 stuff they will do, and explosive strength to be an effective pass rushing DT when they go four down linemen. His selection will immediately push Dre’Mont Jones who was the big free agent signing last year that didn’t live up to expectations.

With the 81st pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks trade with the Cleveland Browns

In part of the Sam Howell trade, Seattle swapped their fifth round pick for Washington’s early sixth rounder, and in this scenario, they find a trade partner in Cleveland to move back a few spots in the third round to recoup a fifth round pick. Cleveland moves up to take an edge rusher who they think the Vikings, Rams, or Steelers might covet.

With the 85th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Trevin Wallace, Linebacker, Kentucky

Seattle takes a hard hitting middle linebacker. Wallace is an explosive athlete who attacks gaps, is unafraid to take on bigger bodies, and shows signs of being decent in coverage. He also offers pass rush abilities. He would benefit from having Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dobson playing in front of his. His job as a rookie will be to provide quality depth, great special teams, and to soak in Macdonald’s system to eventually take over as a starter.

With the 102nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Malik Mustapha, Safety, Wake Forest

At some point in this draft, I think we see Seattle taking a stab at a potential starting safety type, and I think Mustapha feels like a classic Baltimore Raven back end defender. He’s described as instinctive, rangy, plays the run and pass well. At 5-10 and 205 lbs, he’s not enticingly long, or big, but neither was Quandre Diggs, and I think he’s got those sort of traits.

With the 118th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Layden Robinson, Guard, Texas A&M

Last year, Seattle took massive athletic LSU guard Anthony Bradford in round fourth with intentions of him developing into a starter. I believe that is still the plan for him, but I can see them using another fourth rounder this year on a guard to push him, or become the eventual guard at the other spot. Robinson is another powerful big boy at 6-4 320 lbs, and with Ryan Grubbs taking over the offense, and I think we are going to see a lot of mixtures of zone and man blocking with the scheme. Robinson has the bruit abilities to fit the power man stuff, and could provide valuable swing guard duties in year one.

With the 156th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Joe Milton, Quarterback, Tennessee

At some point in this draft, I believe it is still likely that Seattle will take a quarterback even though they just traded for Sam Howell to potentially be the QB of the future. I think John Schneider is itching to draft quarterbacks now with Pete Carroll out of the picture. Schneider is from the Green Bay school of drafting and developing passers and he has openly lamented only taking two in the last fourteen years.

I have thought long and hard about what prospect they could be targeting in the mid rounds should they not invest in one earlier. Joe Milton offers upside with Cam Newton like size, arm strength, and running abilities, but he is painfully raw with only twelve college starts in an air raid system that doesn’t greatly translate to the pros. However, with Geno Smith and Sam Howell, Seattle might be the ideal landing spot for him to come in and properly learn pro concepts with no pressure to start anytime soon. If he can pick the system up, fix his mechanics, he has crazy upside. At this stage in the draft, why not take a shot on a prospect who could actually blossom into a top end starter if all goes correctly? I would rather see them take a shot at potential greatness than play it safer on a prospect who will mostly likely be a run of the mill backup.

With the 179th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Jaheim Bell, Tight End, Florida State

Seattle has Noah Fant locked in for two more years, and they brought in Pharaoh Brown for a couple years to serve as their primary blocking tight end. They have depth players behind these two guys, but I could see them taking a shot on a player like Bell who offers good pass catching chops. At Washington, Grubb loved using athletic tight ends almost as big slot receivers who can get down field on occasion, and offer outlets on third downs. This is what Bell could be in the pros.

With the 192nd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Josiah Ezirim, Offensive Tackle, Eastern Kentucky

Here, Seattle goes for its third offensive line prospect, and they take advantage of the unique depth at the tackle spot in this draft. Stone Forsythe is in the final year of his rookie contract, so Seattle could be in need of a longer termed swing tackle. Ezirim is huge at 6-5 324 lbs, and he has natural abilities as a run blocker and pass blocker. At this stage in the draft, he might be too good of a prospect for Seattle to pass up, and now they feel great about the depth of their offensive line for years to come.

With the 235th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Tyrice Knight, Linebacker, UTEP

Knight is a developmental middle linebacker with good athletic traits. He was a tackling monster at Texas El Paso, but has been described as a player who free lanced a lot within the scheme. He will be tasked to learn how to become a disciplined linebacker in Mike Macdonald’s scheme, but in this late stage of the draft, they take a flyer on his traits.

Thoughts On This Mock Draft

If the Seattle Seahawks make a trade such as this one, bypassing a chance at a premiere pass rusher like Chop Robinson by trading into the backend of the first round for a right tackle many will see graded as a second round pick, I can guarantee the outrage all over Seahawks Twitter and sports radio. Before Roger Rosengarten plays a meaningful down of football, fans will be calling for John Schneider’s head on a silver platter.

The truth of trading back, however, is that a great prospect has to land at Seattle’s pick in order to entice the deal. For the folks who want Seattle to trade back in order to collect more picks, they need to square themselves with the fact that Seattle could pass up on a dude who might be an absolute star at a premium position. In this mock draft, I wanted to present a scenario where Seattle does just that.

A few quick thoughts on the quarterback situation for the Seahawks before we get to Roger Rosengarten and other picks in this draft. Even though Seattle now has Geno Smith and Sam Howell, a narrative is being driven that Seattle is still a quarterback needy team. I’m not so sure about that, but I think a few things are worth addressing here as the position ties into this mock draft.

I suspect the Seahawks probably went into this offseason keen to potentially draft one of the top quarterbacks of this class, but somewhere through the course of Senior Bowl workouts, the combine, and pro days, they determined that it would probably be too difficult to land a quarterback they really dig at pick 16, and this is why we saw the Sam Howell trade. They liked Howell a couple years ago, and are probably willing to give him a good long look with two years left on his rookie contract. If he blossoms into a quality young NFL starter, Schneider can hang his hat on saying that he always loved him coming out of college. I believe there’s a decent chance that he could, and I feel the team sees it this way, too.

That said, this Sam Howell trade does not prevent Seattle from starting to draft quarterbacks until they have found their next franchise passer. In this mock draft, I have them taking a fifth round flyer on Joe Milton, who has all kinds of physical talent, but is raw as can be for NFL standards, and will have an uphill battle to improve accuracy and show an ability to handle pro style concepts as a passer. If he clears those hurdles, however, he could be something special, but like Howell, he would be just one bite at the apple trying to find the next franchise passer.

A real key to this scenario of trading back with Detroit isn’t just getting their late second round pick this year, but also acquiring their second round pick in 2025, as well. If they want to take another chomp at the quarterback apple in 2025’s draft class, having two second round picks would give them ammo to move up for one, if they determine Howell or a guy like Milton isn’t going to be the guy long term. It just gives them more options and resources to better find that next guy in 2025, if needed.

The real story of this draft is taking advantage of what the strengths of it is, and that is offensive tackle. This is a ridiculously deep draft at the position. If there are internal concerns over how well Abe Lucas’s knee will hold up long term, Seattle could land a player like Rosengarten later in round one after a trade back, and they can be good to go at that spot for years.

In his recent mock draft, ESPN’s draft guru Mel Kiper has Rosengarten going to the 49ers at Pick 31. Kiper is a very well sourced draft analyst and might be hearing chatter in the winds that the former Husky is getting a lot of positive traction with teams these days. So, in my mind, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he ultimately finds himself in the backend of round one, and Seattle, with his former Washington offensive coordinator and line coach, knows him better than any other team out there. I’m connecting these dots.

People could read this article and ask why doesn’t Seattle stay at pick 16 and take UW’s Troy Fautanu instead because he is the superior prospect who is also familiar with the coaches, but I don’t expect him to make it to 16. The Chargers, Titans, Bears, and Saints all need offensive line help, and I can see him going to any one of those teams in front of Seattle. Therefore, I think there is a decent chance that they could be keen on Rosengarten after a trade back. He could be their best player available by the time they pick who also fits somewhat of a need.

I do think they will aim for a true guard but it might not be until early day three of the draft where they were comfortable taking Anthony Bradford last year. John Schneider might feel that rounds three through five are great points of the draft to take guards, and in truth, many quality guards in the league were drafted later on. You can find good guards, linebackers, safeties, and running backs in the mid portions of the draft. It’s actually fairly common.

Good offensive tackles, however, those guys usually go in round one. It is, and it has always been a premium position in the league. This is why I wouldn’t be surprised if they ultimately pick an offensive tackle first when the real bullets fly on draft day. Not the most obvious need, but because of the uncertainty of Lucas’s health, I think it’s a sneaky of enough need that also aligns with the top end strength of this draft class. Seattle can get a really good offensive tackle in round one, if they want one.

With the late second round picked gained in the trade back, I opted to go with a good defensive tackle prospect, even though it also didn’t feel like an overt need. I don’t think Schneider wants to get caught up on drafting needs. Orhorhoro was available at pick 61 in the draft simulator that I used, he was the highest rated player, and the pick made sense to me.

Mike Macdonald was hired to stop the Shanahan and McVay teams in the NFC West. His Baltimore defense was built up with a strong defensive line and front seven. I can see Seattle wanting to gift him with a player who has a chance to be special on the defensive line along with Big Cat Williams. Orhorhoro feels like a Baltimore Raven style D Liner. Tall, powerful, plays explosively with good pad level. I like this fit in Seattle.

In terms of linebacker, it has been talked about a lot how this draft isn’t super great at the position. Nobody really stood out at the combine hyped as the next Ray Lewis, or even Devin White, and the few guys being touted as potentially higher picks didn’t work out much. I think Seattle is interested in a few of these guys, but I don’t think they will burn a high pick on one just for the sake of it. Trevin Wallace in the middle of round three makes some sense. Waiting late on a raw yet athletic guy like Tyrice Knight makes sense, as well. No need to force any need here with Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dobson being brought in as veteran starters for 2024. Take a linebacker where ever it feels right to do it.

I like taking day three shots at safety and tight end. It feels right to target them there unless someone truly special falls in their lap earlier. There’s only one special tight end in this class, though, and I don’t think Brock Bowers makes it to pick 16.

If I were to nitpick this mock draft, I would have liked to have found another young edge rusher, and maybe taken a shot on another receiver. This is also a deep class at receiver, and it would be a shame for Seattle to not tap into it with Tyler Lockett being older, and Dee Eskridge being in the final year of his deal. While it is not a great need, I like the theme of staying with the strength of the draft, and instead of taking a developmental linebacker in the round three, that pick could have gone to a decent receiver prospect. Just a thought.

‘Tis what it is, though, and generally, if they pulled something like this off, I would dig that draft. I would love to see Seattle build up a great offensive line, and if they hypothetically kicked Abe Lucas to left guard to better protect that knee, a line that features Charles Cross, Abe Lucas, Olu Oluwatimi, Anthony Bradford, and Roger Rosengarten has an exciting feel to it, at least to me. It would be BIG, athletic, with a good mixture of technically sound pass blockers and physical earth moving run blockers. I could get behind that. Absolutely I could.

Go Hawks.

Assessing The State Of The 2024 Seattle Seahawks Prior To The NFL Draft

Posted on by
Reply
Let the Noah Fant Era truly begin

Well, here we stand a few weeks after the initial wave of NFL free agency, and a month before the NFL Draft. Starting next week, I will be doing draft articles with thoughts on what the Seahawks might do to further build back towards being a Super Bowl contender.

The NFL Draft is like Christmas for me. I dork out about it annually, and I look forward each year writing these pieces, but until then, I thought it would be a great idea to examine further the current roster in order to determine how close they are towards legitimate contention, and how they might prioritize this year’s draft class.

The Seattle Seahawks made a wave of moves, mostly either short term two year contracts, or one year “prove it” deals to some proven vets to plug in holes, and a couple bigger moves to keep Leonard Big Cat Williams and Noah Fant on the roster. Curiously, they haven’t done much at the position of guard, their biggest need, and this particular lack of action has been panic inducing for many fans, but I think there is more to come here, and I will touch further on that below.

On the whole, I’m pretty good with all their activities. I love keeping Williams and Fant, I like what they did at linebacker, and I really dig the Sam Howell trade. These were all much needed moves, in my opinion. The real moves to jettison this franchise forward over the next few years is what they do in this draft, however.

In my view, it is the smart teams that remain dedicated to building through the draft, and not get too involved in the crazy money of free agency. Seattle, for the most part, has demonstrated this restraint once again this year. Here is a look of the health of the roster heading towards the draft next month.

Quarterback: Healthy

Say whatever you will about him, most metrics say Geno Smith is a top 15 quarterback in the league, and Seattle has him on an affordable deal in 2024. This is a win. Coach Mike Macdonald has described his desire of having an offense that will power up in the run game, and be explosive off of play action, and build the pocket passing off of that. Geno is a very good play action QB, and a great deep ball passer. I look for him to find success in Ryan Grubb’s offense.

In the wings is young gun Sam Howell who started for the Washington Commanders last year, and Seattle swapped some picks for. Most in the league would probably view Howell as a top backup with some upside to become a regular starter. This is how I see him. Geno is the starter, but Howell has the talent to make things interesting, and he could be the future.

With the trade of Howell, I don’t expect Seattle to draft a quarterback high this year. It was very telling that they traded for him right after offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb attended Bo Nix’s pro day. Grubb also know Michael Penix Junior better than anyone in the league.

Could have Seattle determined that there isn’t much difference between Howell and Nix and Penix? I think that is possible, but Schneider has stated his disappointment in only selecting two QBs in fourteen years. My translation to all of this is that, at some point in the draft, Seattle will select someone to develop behind Howell and Geno Smith. We shall see.

Running Back: Strong

Seattle is blessed with Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet as a one two punch, and I believe Kenny McIntosh has the talent to be a playmaking factor, as well. I think they add a player in this draft, or afterwards in free agency if they don’t make that selection, but I suspect these guys to be the big three.

Walker has all kinds of playmaking abilities as a home run hitter once he hits the open field, but for my money, I am excited to see more of the hammering elements of Charbonnet this year. He feels like a classic Baltimore Ravens back with shades of Chris Carson and Marshawn Lynch. I’m excited to see how this all fits into Grubb’s offense.

Wide Receiver: Elite

DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Jaxon Smith Ngijba make for arguably the best receiving trio in the the league. If these three stay healthy, whether it is Geno Smith or Sam Howell throwing the rock, that quarterback is going to be blessed.

My expectation is the DK Metcalf is going to become a monster in Ryan Grubb’s offense much the same way Rome Odunze did the last two years at Washington. Pete Carroll never seemed much interested in truly featuring his weapons like other offenses do in the league. That changes this year with this staff. DK is going to become the absolute star he was always meant to be.

Tyler Lockett reworked his deal to become more affordable and will stay reliable. It will be interesting to see between him and JSN who takes on the more significant role in this Grubb offense. Seattle burnt a first round pick on JSN for a reason last year. It will be interesting to see how this evolves.

Behind these three is a reliable route running and sure handed Jake Bobo, and explosive Dee Eskridge who the team is going to give a final chance to make an impact. This is an exceptionally deep draft at receiver. I think we could see Seattle take a dip into these waters.

Tight End: Promising

I am one of the few who is pretty high on Noah Fant, and I was pleased to see Schneider make the two year commitment to him, bringing him back. Like DK, he has rare size and speed for this position, and like DK, I thought Carroll never figured out how to take nearly enough advantage of that. I am excited to see what Grubb does with him. I think he can be a star in this league with the right scheming.

Pharaoh Brown will be the primary blocking tight end, and was rated elite by Pro Football Focus that way, and he can also catch the rock. Tyler Marby and Brady Russell are slated to battle for the third spot, I wouldn’t be surprised if this a spot they use the draft for, as well.

Offensive Line: Gas Inducing

To be fair, all of these assessments are projection, and for all we know, the offensive line will become a strength of the team with the new coaching staff, but as of this date, on paper this group is scary thin. Seattle has talent at tackle with Charles Cross, George Fant, and Abe Lucas, but both guard spots and the center position all feature unknowns outside of Anthony Bradford who played okay enough as a rookie. Yikes.

Right now, I am not super stressing the incompleteness of this vital unit. The overwhelming strength of the draft this Spring appears to be the offensive line. There is little doubt that Seattle is setting themselves to take advantage of that strength and I would expect to at least make a couple selections to round this group out.

It also would not shock me if we ultimately see Abe Lucas shift to one of the guard spots to better protect his knee. It was interesting that they brought back George Fant who played really well at right tackle for the Texans last year. The playoff Texans wanted him back, but he chose to sign a 2 year $ 14 million deal with Seattle, instead. Right now, he has been called their swing tackle, but why would he come back here to be a backup when he could have stayed in Houston to start and pass block for CJ Stroud?

Something doesn’t smell right, but if envision a starting unit from left to right featuring Cross, Lucas, Olu Oluwatimi, Bradford, and Fant, all of a sudden Seattle’s offensive line feels a bit of formidable. Maybe Seattle drafts a right tackle with their first pick and another guard in the middle rounds, and by the end of the 2024 season, this is a clear area of strength of the team. We shall see.

Defensive Line And Edge Rushers: Hopeful

Big Cat Williams gives this defensive line probably the best defensive tackle it has had in the past couple decades. For a franchise that drafted Hall Of Famer Cortez Kennedy in 1990, and Sam Adams a few years afterwards, the track record for great DTs coming through here afterwards has not been stellar. Sure, John Randle made a pit stop here in the early 2000’s, and we had Brandon Mebane here from the Mike Holmgren to the Pete Carroll eras, and Jarran Reed has been decent, but Seattle has not had the disruptive force inside like Big Cat brings in a long ass time. That’s why they are paying him $21 million APY for the next three years.

Williams mixed with Reed, and Johnathan Hankins and Dre’Mont Jones give them an interesting blend of veteran experience up front. Jones disappointed last year after being a big free agent signing in 2023, but I think he fell victim of being forced to play out of position in a scheme that never felt sound under the previous coaching staff. I’m interested to see what Macdonald is able to do with him in this new scheme.

Behind the seasoned vets is Cameron Young and Mike Morris drafted last year, who both look like players that can potentially blossom into starters, and Myles Adams who has played well in the past in spots as a situational DT. Because of Young and Morris, I don’t know how likely it is that this team drafts more DT types this year. The new staff might be tasked to developing them more.

In terms of the edge rushers, Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe could both shine in Macdonald’s new scheme, and I expect Derick Hall to take a big step forward after a slow rookie season. Darrell Taylor has been brought back, as well, and while fans aren’t happy with how he’s played against the run in the past, he’s always been an effective enough of a passer over the recent years to think he’s worth a roster spot for that very reason.

I like the potential of these edge rushers, but I could stand to see more added. Because they spent high round draft capital on Mafe and Hall in recent years, and invested big money into Nwosu, I actually would almost rather seem them add a short term proven vet like Kyle Van Noy (who both played for Macdonald in Baltimore) rather than draft the position high again this Spring. I want this unit to feel like a deep rave of rushers this year. Outside of Nwosu and Mafe, however, presently it feels like a wave of maybes.

Middle Linebacker: Interesting

It feels blasphemous to suggest the a couple of solid not spectacular veterans coming in on one year deals to replace Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks could make this unit better, but that’s kinda what I’m feeling about Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker. I mean Wagner no disrespect, but I don’t trust him in coverage at this stage in his career in a scheme that calls for solid coverage linebackers, and I kinda feel the same way about Brooks. Dodson is described as a hit the gaps hard linebacker against the run but was highly graded coverage guy by Pro Football Focus last Fall, and Baker has been a highly regarded coverage ‘backer, as well.

There are two ways to look at the one year deals both players signed. One way is that you can look at it as the wanting to draft and develop this year behind them, and they are potentially just stop gap starters. The other way it can be seen is that the team believes in their potential and sold to them an opportunity to come out here into a very linebacker friendly system run by Macdonald that will reset their free agent for next Spring when they can really cash in on the big dollars, and the team will be more than happy to keep them around long termed.

Personally, I think the truth probably lies somewhere in between. I think Seattle is looking to draft a talented young linebacker this Spring, and they also have a serious mind towards Dodson and Baker shining in a way that at least one of them sticks around longer termed.

At any rate, I am interested in this group and what Macdonald might do with it. He has professed that his love is coaching linebackers and seeing the game from that perspective on defense. Carroll was always a defensive backs guy, and preferred the back seven. I am hopeful with Macdonald being a linebacker dude that the front seven will always be the strong point of emphasis moving forward.

Cornerback: Strong

Despite a disappointing sophomore season, I am still a big believer in Riq Woolen. His combined length, speed, and playmaking abilities on the ball can still make him an elite corner in the league. He needs to probably play in a zone press scheme and his fundamentals need to be honed in. Macdonald’s defense in Baltimore the last couple seasons predominantly played zone coverages. If he can scheme to Woolen’s strength, and if Woolen works his ass off to work out his own kinks, he can still be a star in this league.

Devon Witherspoon is already a star, in my view, and will remain Seattle’s difference maker on the backend, playing outside and nickel corner. He will be the chess piece in the secondary that Jamal Adams was expected to be when Seattle traded for him.

Mike Jackson, Tre Brown, Artie Burns, and Coby Bryant give Seattle high quality depth. Jackson, and Brown are starters in the league, but in Seattle they will be backups. Burns provides solid veteran depth, and Bryant has split time at nickel corner and safety, but was an outside corner in college. It would be nice to see Bryant finally settle on one spot and master it.

Safety: Okay-ish

I am not going to build this unit up anymore than I think it is, and I am not going to tear it down, either. Seattle has re-shifted it’s approach to the position by moving on from uber expensive starters Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, and replaced them with Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins on more affordable salaries.

Neither Love or Jenkins appear to be bad players. Both seem to play the run and pass well enough, and I thought Love played pretty well at times for Seattle last year in replacement for Adams. The team has also added veteran K’Von Wallace into the mix, and has Jerrick Reed on the roster, who some believe was a promising rookie last year before he suffered a season ending knee injury.

This is a position I anticipate they will address further in the draft.

Final Thoughts

Seattle has hedged themselves up pretty well heading towards the draft with the one exception being offensive guard. Unless they plan to move Abe Lucas inside, it feels like there is one more player left to add pre-draft, and former Jets and 49er Laken Thomlison has been somewhat linked to the team, recently.

Whether they add another veteran offensive lineman or not, this is the draft of drafts to address the offensive line. I expect Seattle to add at least two more players here by the time the draft is completed. I wouldn’t be surprised if they added three. It’s projected to be that good.

I also expect them to add an off the ball linebacker, as well. Keep an eye on Michigan linebacker Junior Colson being a potential target for the team if they trade back a few times to replenish more day two picks. He’s experienced in Macdonald’s system, and was highly productive for the National Champs. It would not stun me if he ends up being their first pick after trading back.

As much as I would lose my noodle with excitement if this team drafts Michael Penix Junior next month, and I don’t expect this to happen. I think they like Sam Howell as a potential long term answer at quarterback maybe more than some realize. That said, I still anticapte, at some point in this draft, they will take a shot on a quarterback to develop. I just don’t think they want to force that pick in the early rounds if they aren’t completely sold on a guy. Therefore, I would look at the middle rounds for them to maybe take a shot at a player like Tulane’s Michael Pratt who they met with at the NFL Scouting Combine.

I anticipate that safety, and tight end will also be areas that they will look to continually shore up. For myself, I would like them to add one more edge rusher, and I wouldn’t turn my nose on adding another defensive tackle, either, if the dude can rush.

At any rate, overall I like how this roster is rounding out. There is elite talents sprinkled through the skill positions of this team. Adding more beef inside feels like the final stage of overall completion of this roster construction, and this is the draft to do this that. I dig it.

Go Hawks