John Schneider, Seattle Seahawks.
The Seattle Seahawks have a golden opportunity to upgrade their team in the 2023 draft. They have nine draft picks this year, including four in the top 51.
Seattle picks twice in Rounds (1 and 2). Seattle is on the clock for pick 5 and returns for pick 20. On Day 2, they make the 37th, 52nd, and 83rd overall selections.
Last year the Seahawks struck gold in the draft. They picked up bookend offensive tackles Charles Cross (1st round, 5th overall) and Abraham Lucas (3, 72). The team also added franchise running back Kenneth Walker (2, 41) and a shutdown cornerback Tariq Woolen (5, 153), among others.
Aside from the top three rounds this year, the Seattle Seahawks have four other picks:
Round 4 – 123rd.
Round 5 – 153rd and 156th.
Round 6 – 198th.
Pacific Northwest Sports will put out several mock drafts with and without trades as part of our coverage. We will also give Seahawks fans a look at what the internet thinks the team will do by posting compilation mocks. Finally, look for big boards that rank the top players at positions Seattle needs.
Seattle’s offensive line is a work in progress, for lack of a better term. Last year Schneider picked up his tackles. This time around, a starting center and guard to replace inconsistent Gabe Jackson should be at the top of his list.
As of now, the Seattle Seahawks have no backup quarterback for newly re-signed Geno Smith, on the roster. Last year’s backup Drew Lock is a free agent.
Pete Carroll has been very complimentary of Lock in the past, but there is no guarantee. Even if they re-sign him, this is a good crop of quarterbacks to take advantage of.
Jordyn Brooks played at a Pro Bowl level as Bobby Wagner‘s heir. Unfortunately, he tore a knee ligament in the Seattle Seahawks last regular season game.
First-year starter Cody Barton had a great season. But he can’t do it alone, and Barton is also a free agent. Another inside linebacker is needed.
As the season drew to a close, the Seattle Seahawks defense gelled. Even so, Seattle still needs to improve their run defense and pass rush. This draft class is loaded with impact players.
Rashaad Penny was in the midst of a great season when he went down with a gruesome injury in Game 5 at New Orleans. Second round pick Kenneth Walker stepped up to replace him, picking up 1,070 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns.
So the starting RB is set, but the Seattle Seahawks need a reliable backup. Penny is a free agent, and backups Deejay Dallas and Travis Homer haven’t proven to be reliable options.
D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are possibly the NFL’s best wide receiver duo. Still, it would be nice to have another legitimate threat to complement them.
Last year’s third wheel Marquise Goodwin is a free agent, and the Seattle Seahawks will be tight on cap space. It’s also safe to say that 2021 second round pick Dee Eskridge is a bust.
The Seattle Seahawks haven’t picked in the top five for quite some time. It’s only fitting they should cash it in on an athletic freak.
Tyree Wilson is 6′ 6” and 275 pounds with an unreal 86” wingspan. At the combine, he didn’t run any drills due to a foot injury.
A playmaker on the edge, Wilson had 27.5 tackles for loss, including 14 sacks over the last two seasons at Texas Tech. By drafting him, the Seahawks not only get a potential pass rushing ace, but they also pick up a strong run defender, which is something they need.
As a pass rusher, Wilson is a dangerous edge defender, and gives offensive tackles a lot of problems. The biggest strength that Wilson has is his length. With his long arms and wingspan, Wilson is superb at keeping offensive tackles away from his body, and they have a hard time getting into his chest to lock him up. With that space, Wilson uses his speed to get upfield, and he has the strength to break free from blocks. Wilson is not crazy fast off the edge, but he is quick and has good closing speed alongside a burst to eat up ground when he gets free.
Charlie Campbell, Walter Football
Seattle hasn’t gotten much of a pass rush from the middle of the defensive line. Bryan Bresee should be able to help solve the problem.
He doesn’t play as well lined up over the center as he does in the gaps. From that spot, Bresee is outstanding at getting into the backfield to cause havoc with his combination of size and strength.
A sure tackler, he’ll help the Seattle Seahawks close the middle against opposing rushers. Injuries held back his development so Bresee could get better at stopping the run. A little more bulk couldn’t hurt, either.
“Bresee is an incredibly explosive athlete with easy mobility out of his stance. He generates instant acceleration off the snap and has the elite explosiveness to surge past pulling blockers. Bresee uses his elite first-step quickness to instantly get inside the torso of his opponents and drive power forward. Moreover, the Clemson DT showcases frightening closing burst when he has a free lane to the ball carrier.
Ian Cummings, Pro Football network
Tape of Steve Avila shows both a strong and technically sound blocker. He rarely got beat by pass rushers at TCU, and there is no reason to think that won’t continue in the NFL.
Avlla is a big man, which makes him hard to get around. He’s strong and can seal gaps along the line.
Like Damien Lewis in 2021, Avila should be able to start from day one. Where is another matter. He can play both guard and center. With Austin Blythe retiring, center is a priority, but depending on free agency, Avilla could also replace Jackson.
(Avila is) a power blocker, relying on his strength and leverage to dominate the trenches, which he has done throughout his college career. He has room to grow in his technique and dealing with better finesse rushers, but his power is there, and he’s athletic enough to be a week one starter.
John Vogel, NFL Draft Blitz
At 5′ 9” and 171 pounds, Josh Downs is small. Despite his size, Downs dominated in the slot for North Carolina.
Over the last two seasons, his production was outstanding. Downs caught 195 passes for 2,364 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Getting Downs with pick 51 means the Seattle Seahawks pick up a great athlete that can compete for 50/50 balls due to his 38 1/2” vertical leap. Confident in his ability to catch passes, he isn’t afraid to go over the middle.
Obviously, size is an issue. However, the talent is undeniable. That’s the kind of player who can do well in the Seahawks offensive scheme.
Andrew Vorhees wasn’t the top choice with this pick, but he’s no conciliation prize either. The best interior lineman available, Vorhees could develop into a solid starter in a year or two.
Pete Carroll will love his run blocking as he can drive his man back and is consistent with his assignments. Vorhees needs work with pass protection which is why he won’t see much time as a rookie.
*Note – Vorhees suffered a knee injury at the combine.
As mentioned above, the Seattle Seahawks need someone reliable to spell Walker in the backfield. That player could come from free agency, but even if it does, adding another running in the draft is still a good idea.
Bigsby put up monster stats in his three seasons at Auburn. He had 2,903 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns on 5.4 yards per carry.
A good runner between the tackles, Bigsby has issues catching passes which limits his time on the field.
Without Brooks and Barton, Seattle has a huge hole at linebacker. It’s looking more and more like Bobby Wagner could be headed back to the Emerald City. The Seattle Seahawks need him, desperately.
Even if they do bring in Wagner, there is another opening which is where Ivan Pace comes in. A strong, tough as nails tackling machine (136 stops last year), he can bring the “Boom” back to Lumen Field.
Pace also has the intangibles that coaches love such as heart and athleticism. His man-coverage skills need work, but he handles zone coverage well.
Pace makes the most of his terrific contact balance and high motor when clashing with larger opponents. He rallies to the ball as a secondary tackler and gets his hands in passing lanes. Pace has the downhill burst to make plays as a backside run defender. As a second-level defender, he frequently slips or slides off blocks before locating and chasing down the ball carrier
Sports Illustrated Draft Bible
If they intend to use Karl Brooks as a 3-4 edge, then this is a reach. But move him further inside to the 3 or 5 technique, and the Seattle Seahawks could have someone to eventually replace Shelby Harris.
Seattle will have to go to his pro day. Despite his 10 sacks for Bowling Green in 2022 and strong play at the Senior Bowl, Brooks wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine.
He’s got great speed and quickness for a 6′ 4” 300-pounder. Obviously, the competition he faced in college wasn’t Power-5 quality, so there is a bit of an X factor with Brooks.
Why not a quarterback here? Aiden O’Connell is worth a flier this deep in the draft.
A steady pocket passer, O’Connell brings leadership and accuracy to the table. Among the things that hold him back are arm strength and lack of mobility in the pocket.
O’Connell probably won’t be an NFL starter, he does however posses enough ability to stick around the league for a long time as a backup.