Seattle Seahawks: Dueling Mock Drafts 1.0
Clint Prasky
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After last week’s trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver, the Seattle Seahawks are rife with draft picks. Two of our writers go head-to-head to predict who Seattle selects.
Up until very recently, 12s never expected to scout players in the 2022 draft. However, after this week’s bombshell trade of franchise QB Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks now own the number nine pick in the first round.
The Seahawks didn’t exactly get their quarterback of the future back in this trade from Denver. What they did acquire was Drew Lock and other compensation from the Broncos. Based on what he showed so far in the NFL, nobody expects Lock to be Seattle’s next franchise quarterback.
2022 Draft
So with that out of the way, let’s get into what picks the Seahawks now own. They currently have the 9th pick in the first round. Picks number 40 and 41 now belong to them as well as picks 72 and 108, 152, 153, 227.
ESPN has Mel Kiper and Todd McShay hashing out their versions of the draft. Pacific Northwest Sports pitted two of our writers, Clint Prasky and Ed Stein, against each other to get the best Seahawks mock draft. For version 1.0, we used the Pro Football Network Draft Simulator and went four rounds.
Team Needs
There are several areas where the Seattle Seahawks need help. Among the most critical positions that need reinforcing are:
Offensive Line
The O-line continued to be an issue in 2021. Now both starting tackles, Duane Brown and Brandon Shell are free agents. Additionally, Ethan Pocic isn’t exactly an All-Pro center, so that they can upgrade that position as well.
Quarterback
Russell Wilson is in Denver now, and his backup the past few seasons, Geno Smith, is a free agent. As we mentioned earlier, Lock is not the long-term answer, so a quarterback is a premium position of need. Unfortunately, this year’s draft isn’t big on high-end QB talent.
The Seahawks found out the hard way in 2021 that Smith is unreliable, so it’s unlikely they re-sign him. Even if Schneider finds a backup in the free agent market, it’s time to start developing someone else.
Edge Rusher
For the past few seasons, Seattle has had a difficult time getting pressure on the quarterback. With more than enough time in the pocket to make plays, even average quarterbacks had enough time to pick on the Seahawks’ cornerbacks. Even though Seattle has Carlos Dunlap and Darrell Taylor, another young pass rusher would help greatly.
Running Back
Chris Carson signed a big contract in the offseason, but he only made it to Week 4 before a neck injury put him on the sidelines for the remainder of 2021. Rashaad Penny came off IR for Game 10 and ended the season with 671 rushing yards in the final five games. In between Carson’s opening and Penny’s close, Alex Collins did a solid job as the Seattle Seahawks lead back.
It’s unknown when or even if Carson will return. Penny and Collins are free agents, which leaves the Seattle Seahawks with DJ Dallas and Travis Homer.
Cornerback
Seattle went from Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar in 2020 to DJ Reed and a revolving door opposite him. Now Reed is a free agent. Tre’ Brown played well enough to make Brandon Flowers expendable. That is until Brown suffered a season-ending injury in Game 10.
Sidney Jones took over for him and played well, but he’s on the open market too. The position is thin, and no starting spots are guaranteed.