Seattle Seahawks General Manager John Schneider.
The 2022 NFL Draft is a day away. Pacific Northwest Sports has been monitoring the top mock drafts. Our readers won’t have to search all over the web to determine who the Seattle Seahawks will select.
We used 47 different mock drafts this time around. Sources include ESPN, Pro Football Focus, CBS Sports, NFLcom, Walter Football, The Athletic, NBC Sports, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and more.
After trading quarterback Russell Wilson to Denver, the Seattle Seahawks own the ninth overall pick. They are back on the clock for Day 2 when they select 40th and 41st overall selection in the second round and 72nd in Round 3.
Last year Seattle took receiver Dee Eskridge in the second round at 56. When he wasn’t out with an injury, Eskridge showed flashes of a bright future.
In 2020, General Manager John Schneider traded away the team’s first round pick to the New York Jets as part of the package to acquire safety Jamal Adams. When healthy, Adams was well worth it. Unfortunately, he missed lots of time last season.
Another part of that trade brings Seattle an extra fourth round pick this year (107th overall). The Seahawks also sent their sixth round pick to Jacksonville for cornerback Sidney Jones.
Seattle has eight picks this year. For the Seahawks to climb back in the NFC West Division title picture, it starts with this draft. General Manager Schneider and Head Coach Pete Carroll need to choose wisely.
There are several areas where the Seattle Seahawks need help. Among the most critical positions that need reinforcing are:
The O-line continued to be an issue in 2021. As a result, the Seahawks didn’t re-sign last season’s starting tackles, Duane Brown and Brandon Shell. Additionally, center Ethan Pocic signed with Cleveland as a free agent. With those three gone, at least 60 percent of the line will turn over before next season.
Seattle went from Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar in 2020 to DJ Reed and a revolving door opposite him. Reed signed with NYJ as a free agent, leaving some big holes in the secondary.
2020 fourth-round pick Tre’ Brown played well enough to make Brandon Flowers expendable. That was until Brown suffered a season-ending injury in Game 10. Sidney Jones took over for him and played well. Still, the position is thin, and no starting spots are guaranteed.
How do the Seattle Seahawks replace Bobby Wagner? They can’t; he’s a generational talent. Jordyn Brooks will do his best to fill the void. But just as Wagner had KJ Wright, Brooks could use a wingman of his own.
Seattle showed anything close to consistent pressure on the quarterback last year until the season was lost. In the offseason, they jettisoned Benson Mayowa and Carlos Dunlap, leaving Darrell Taylor as the primary pass rusher. He’ll need some help to avoid other teams double-teaming him.
Russell Wilson is gone. Geno Smith and Drew Lock are the top options to replace him. Do we have to say more?
Another interior defensive lineman couldn’t hurt. The Seahawks could also use some depth on the interior O-line as well. A consistent pass-catching running is needed to give Smith, Lock, or whoever the quarterback is an outlet to throw the ball to.
The Seattle Seahawks haven’t picked this early in quite some time.
Things have changed greatly since our last compilation on April 2. In that edition, 29 of 44 mock drafts had the Seattle Seahawks drafting an offensive tackle or quarterback. This time around, 27 of 47 mock drafters selected a cornerback or edge rusher.
Leading the pack with almost 30 percent of the selections is Louisana State cornerback Derek Stingley (14). Quarterback Malik Willis held steady with six selections to again finish second. Edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux from Oregon, FSU’s Jermaine Johnson, and Mississippi State offensive tackle Charles Cross had five each.
Talent isn’t the issue with Derek Stingley Jr.; he’s got plenty of it. He’s also blessed with amazing physical gifts. At LSU’s pro day, Stingley ran a lightning-fast 4.37, 40 and impressed with a 38 1/2″ vertical and a 10′ 2″ broad jump. He’s got the ability to stick with any receiver and the ball skills to challenge at the point of 50/50 passes.
Between COVID and injuries, Stingley only played in 10 games over the last two seasons. Additionally, there were times when he lost focus on the field. That could have been due to him being so much better than his assignment that he got bored. If so, that won’t be a problem at the NFL level. If not, Carroll will get his attention.
The mock drafter’s switch from offense as the priority to defense is glaring. The most likely cause is many of them came around on tackles Charles Cross and Ikem Ekwonu, believing the duo, along with Evan Neal, will be gone by the time Seattle picks at nine. At that point, they are left with taking Stingley or a pass rusher.
The rest of the players mock drafters think Seattle will pick (with the number of choices) are: Ike Ekwonu, OT, North Carolina State (3); Evan Neal, OT, Alabama (2); Devin Lloyd, linebacker, Utah; Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa; Ahmad Gardner, cornerback, Cincinnati, Aidan Hutchinson, Edge, Michigan, and Travon Walker, defensive line, Georgia.
We audited 18 mock drafts that went into the second round. Since the Seattle Seahawks go back-to-back here, 34 different suggestions were made (two trades moved a second rounder).
So much can happen between pick 9 and 40, making it hard to be accurate. Different mock drafters may have great sources, but every team and evaluator sees talent differently.
There are many variables in play that make graft predictions very difficult. Consequently, it’s no surprise that 18 different players were selected.
Fifteen more mock drafters believe the Seahawks take a quarterback in round two. The funny part is last edition’s second round favorite Desmond Ridder didn’t make it to the Seahawks at all. Taking his place as the quarterback of choice is Matt Corral from Mississippi, who showed up nine times. North Carolina signal-caller Sam Howell was next with five picks.
Corral looks like the best fit for what the Seattle Seahawks want to do on offense. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 8,287 yards with 57 touchdowns and only 23 interceptions in his time under center at Mississippi. Fleet of foot, Corrall ran for 1,338 yards and 18 more TDs.
Watching film on him, Corral does some of his best work scrambling out of the pocket and improvising. That should sound familiar to Seahawks fans.
Minnesota edge rusher Boye Mafe tied Howell for the second-most selections. He won’t be an immediate starter but definitely has the talent to be an effective NFL pass rusher.
Mafe is an athletic freak, which shows up on film. His size, speed, athletic ability, and explosiveness are right there with the top of this draft class.
It’s not fair to say Mafe is raw because he isn’t. A better description would be that he lacks the finishing touches the players selected above him have. Once Mafe masters the details and advanced skills, he could be a Pro Bowl-caliber pass rusher.
A great fit for the LEO position the Seattle Seahawks use, Mafe’s arrival won’t be good news for incumbent Darrell Taylor. Then again, teams can never get enough pressure on the quarterback.
Others receiving support in the mocks are Bernhard Raimann – OT Central Michigan (2); Quay Walker, linebacker, Georgia (2); David Ojobo, edge, Michigan, Arnold Ebiketie, edge Penn State; Darrian Beavers, linebacker, Cincinnati; Daxton Hill, safety, Michigan; Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida; Kenny Pickett, quarterback, Pittsburgh; Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington; Ed Ingram, guard, LSU; Nakobe Dean, linebacker, Georgia; Sam Williams, edge, Mississippi; Tariq Woolen, cornerback, Texas-San Antonio; and Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa.
It was difficult to find mock drafts that went through two rounds. At this stage in the process, finding mocks that go further than the second is a chore. Fortunately, our research department found 12 mock drafts that go through at least the third round.
Seattle didn’t have a third rounder last year but found a keeper in Round 4 with Tre’ Brown. This year the Seahawks do pick in Round 3. They can add someone who will help the team this year and develop into a starter not too far down the road.
Of the 13 mock drafts, only one player showed up twice, cornerback Tariq Woolen. Combining good size with blazing speed, Woolen is 6’4″ 205-pounds with a 78″ wingspan. His 4.26 40-yard dash time put the “meep, meep” in the UTSA Road Runners’ defense.
A converted wide receiver, he’s only been a cornerback for two years. So he will take some time to get settled in. After playing WR for so many years, he can still think like one, which will help him overcome the technical aspects of cornerback that he’s still learning.
Other players the mock drafts had Seattle selecting in Round 3: Phidarian Mathis DL, Alabama; Amare Barno, edge, Virginia Tech; Cam Taylor-Britt, cornerback, Nebraska; Christian Harris, linebacker, Alabama; Coby Bryant, cornerback, Cincinnati; Dameon Price, running back, Florida: Zach Tom, offensive line, Wake Forest; Jaramee Salyer, offensive line, Georgia; Josh Jobe, cornerback, Alabama; Kingsley Engabare, edge, South Carolina; Sam Williams, edge, Mississippi; Nicholas Petite-Frere, OT, Ohio State.
Eight drafts went as far as the fourth round. Players selected by mock drafters are: Cam Taylor-Britt, cornerback, Nebraska; Christian Harris, linebacker, Alabama; Troy Anderson, linebacker, Montana; Dylan Parham, guard/center, Memphis; Amare Barno, edge, Virginia Tech; Jermaine Waller, cornerback, Virginia Tech; Joshua Williams, cornerback, Fayetteville College; Kellen Diesch, OT, Arizona.
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