Ikem Ekwonu, North Carolina State Wolfpack.
Up until very recently, 12s never expected to scout players projected to go early in the 2022 draft. After sending franchise QB Russell Wilson to Denver, the Seattle Seahawks now own the number nine pick in the first round.
Two of our PNWS writers, Ed Stein and Clint Prasky, go head-to-head to predict the Seahawks’ 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 do 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.
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, the same as in 2020 and 2019. Now both starting tackles, Duane Brown and Brandon Shell are free agents.
Russell Wilson is in Denver now, and his backup the past few seasons, Geno Smith, is a free agent.
The Seahawks didn’t exactly get their quarterback of the future back in this trade from Denver. What they did acquire was Drew Lock from the Broncos. Among all quarterbacks with the same amount of passing attempts or more as Lock since 2019, only Sam Darnold has a lower passer rating.
Seattle unceremoniously dumped franchise mainstay Bobby Wagner. They might move 2020 first round pick, Jordyn Brooks, to the middle or leave him outside and promote Cody Barton to starting MLB. Neither option is a long-term fix.
Over the last few seasons, Seattle has had difficulty getting pressure on the quarterback. Given enough time in the pocket to make plays, even average passers could pick on the Seahawks’ cornerbacks. The recent cuts of Carlos Dunlap and Kerry Hyder mean the Seahawks need more players on the edge.
Seattle went from Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar in 2020 to DJ Reed and a revolving door opposite him. Now Reed starts for the New York Jets.
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 this team needs a shutdown corner.
As in version 1.0, Ed and Clint are using the Pro Football Network Draft Simulator. The mocks will again cover Rounds 1-4. This time, the writers are allowed to make two trades. The simulator can offer deals or decide on counters and trade proposals. To keep things honest, no trades were forced through the simulator.
Also, Clint’s picks will be in blue, and Ed’s are in green.
The Seahawks nab their quarterback of the future early in the draft. Malik Willis is a raw but very talented young man. He doesn’t have the prototypical NFL quarterback size at 6′ 0” 219-pounds. Then again, Russ wasn’t a prototype either.
Although not a burner on his feet, Willis is a dual-threat as evidenced by him leading FBS quarterbacks in rushing for 2020. He’s an electrifying player who will push for the starting job by midseason, if not sooner. Get ready 12s; the future has arrived.
He’s an obvious leader and lover of the game. You can see Willis’ team rallies around him, and he often picks teammates up emotionally and physically. He always looks like he’s enjoying what is doing, like a kid on the field. – Natalie Miller, USA Today Draftwire.
The War Room got a call from Baltimore offering picks 14 and 45 for number 9. General Manager John Schneider tried to add a late round pick to the package, but the Ravens wouldn’t move off their proposal.
He’ll take it because it’s coming up to the ninth pick, and teams are passing on offensive tackles. Three of the top four are still on the board, Evan Neal, Ikem Ekwonu, and Trevor Penning.
It’s a gamble, but if all three are gone, he can still get edge rusher Travon Walker or corner Derek Stingley Jr.
It’s a bit of a surprise Ikem Ekwonu is still here. Some scouts rated him as the best tackle in the draft, while others think he’s fourth-best.
Ekwonu made great strides from 2020 to 2021. He went from raw talent with lots of potential to a top ten quality offensive tackle. No doubt Ekwonu could be a plug-and-play left tackle for the Seattle Seahawks in 2022.
There might be some growing pains. But Ekwonu’s combination of size (6’4” 310-pounds), technique, athletic ability, and football IQ, with a little bit of a nasty streak for good measure, says dominating left tackle.
Ekwonu embodies everything that the NFL is looking for in terms of play demeanor and setting the tone up front. He looks to embarrass his opponents and he piles on the pancake blocks every time he steps on the field. He constantly looks for work and his blend of power and aggressiveness is overwhelming for defenders that cross his path. – Joe Marino, The Draft Network.
The Seattle Seahawks own picks 40 and 41. With pick 40, we have our first trade of the draft for Schneider. Miami traded pick 50 and a 2023 third round pick for the right to move up ten spots. Fans won’t like this deal at first, but moving down ten spots for a future third isn’t too bad.
The Hawks are back on the clock with pick 41. They select defensive end David Ojabo from Michigan. A raw talent due to picking up football at age 16, Ojabo has good size at 6’4″ 250-pounds with a 4.55 40 time. The upside here is huge.
Ojabo is only on the board this late because he suffered a torn Achilles at Michigan’s Pro Day last week. Much like Darrell Taylor two years ago, Seattle is drafting for potential and the future as his rookie season is in question now.
34 picks into the draft, and there is a player Schneider wants badly and won’t last much longer. He needs a cornerback, and three are already off the board. John has the Jets on speed dial (stop groaning), and trades picks 41 and 45 (just acquired from Baltimore) to Gang Green for numbers 35 and 69.
Kaiir Elam has the tools in his box, size (6’2” 197-pounds), speed (4.38 40-yard dash), and physicality to be a top cornerback. He likes to play his man tight but is also good at sitting back in zone coverage. A top athlete, Elam can get up high to challenge receivers for 50/50 balls.
An injury last season caused him to miss several games and may have held back his development a little bit. The big thing Elam needs to work on is confidence. He can get beat which causes him to be handsy while covering his assignment.
With pick 50 obtained in the previous deal with Miami, the Seattle Seahawks make yet another trade down. As the 12’s moan and groan, the trade brings back picks 60 and 91 from the Tampa Bay Bucs. Seattle also sent their 7th round pick (229) to the Bucs.
Trader John wants to add more top 100 players. Fans don’t like the trade back even though they know it’s coming every year.
At pick 60, the Seattle Seahawks select another electrifying player, cornerback Tariq Woolen from The University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners.
Woolen is an athletic monster standing 6’4″ 205-pounds with a 4.26 40 time. With that kind of speed, he put the “Meep, Meep” in Roadrunners.
Woolen converted to corner from receiver just two years ago, so he is a bit new to the position. But he has the measurables that Pete Carroll loves in his corners, like height, arm length, and speed.
Another advantage Woolen has experience at wide receiver. After playing WR for so many years, he can still think like one. The Seahawks coach can’t wait to get started coaching his newest pupil.
Even though he played across Michigan’s defensive line from likely number one overall pick Aidan Hutchinson, Ojabo still had 11 sacks last year. That was more than enough to him a Second-Team All-American.
I agree with Clint on this pick. Talk about an accident that cost someone millions of dollars; Ojabo is the new poster boy. After he heals, Ojabo is a work in progress. He’s still a raw prospect with a high ceiling.
It may take a year of game action under his belt to become a starter. But the tools are there. Once Ojabo gets it all down, he’ll be an NFL player for a long time.
At pick 72, the Seattle Seahawks select Brandon Smith, LB from Penn State. Smith is 6’3″ 241-pounds with a 4.52 40 time (he ran at 4.38 in HS, so maybe Smith has a little more than he showed that day).
He has experience at both the Sam and Will linebacker spots, and his sideline to sideline speed will fit well in Seattle. Also, Penn State is Linebacker U. and has a history of turning out quality players at the position.
Coaching and more experience will help Smith unlock his potential, and he could end up being a steal on day two, but he is far from a finished product. He will be an excellent nickel & dime linebacker to start his career with the potential to grow into an every-down star. – Nick Falato, Sports Illustrated FanNation.
With the 91st pick obtained in the Tampa Bay trade, the Seahawks select Ohio State University offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere. Nicholas is 6’5″ 316-pounds with a 5.14 40 time.
A junior who decided to come out early, Petit-Frere is somewhat of a project. With some great coaching from new Seahawks Offensive Line Coach Andy Dickerson, this young athletic Left Tackle could blossom into our anchor for the next generation.
Schneider didn’t intend on picking a defensive tackle until Day 3, but Devonte Wyatt was too good to pass on in the third round. Heck, ESPN has him as one of their top prospects.
Wyatt had to wait his turn at Georgia, but once he finally got his opportunity, he seized it and became part of college football’s best defense. As a one-year starter, he lacks experience and will need to get stronger to compete at the next level.
Devonte Wyatt has become an important part of the best defense in college football during 2021 and is an excellent pro prospect. He has an instinctive set of pass rush skills, combined with elite speed for the position, impressive measured strength, and very good lateral ability as a run defender. – NFL Draft Buzz.
Why not get a bookend for Ekwonu, and put together a solid O-line? The Seattle Seahawks would have liked to get Washington State’s Abe Lucus here, but he went a few picks earlier. Daniel Faalele, however, is far from just a consolation prize.
He’s a mountain at 6’8” and a svelte 385-pounds (down from over 400). Even his hands are huge at 11”. Like Ojabo earlier in the draft, Faalele is fairly new to the game. His instincts and technique are still developing, two things the Seahawks can coach. Don’t expect him to contend for a starting job immediately.
Moving on to pick 109, Seattle selects Jalyn Armour-Davis CB from Alabama. Another player with good size and speed, Armor-Davis, is 6’1″ 197-pounds and runs a 4.39 40-yard dash.
As a former Bama corner, the Seahawks decide to bring in JAD, and he may have had a little inside info from his college position coach Karl Scott now employed by the team as its Passing Game Coordinator and defensive backs coach.
Armor-Davis had to wait his turn with the Tide and started only one season. But we all know how it is on the Alabama depth chart. His best days are ahead of him, and can’t wait to see how he develops.
Damone Clark isn’t the inside linebacker his former LSU teammates Devin Bush and Patrick Queen are, yet. Then again those two were elite players coming out of college.
Great against the run, Clark hits both linemen and backs like a truck. The Butkus Award finalist needs a little more work to round out his game before he becomes a starter in the NFL. In the meantime, he’ll contribute to the Seahawks’ special teams.
When everything clicks, Clark looks dominant. Clark has moments where he tracks the running back through traffic with ease, both downhill and when working to the perimeter. He also has the speed to finish those plays without much issue. It is rare that he takes a bad angle to the play. – Bleacher Report.
R5 – Pick #153 OL Cade Mays – Tennessee. In college, he played four different positions on the Vols O-Line. His versatility will be invaluable to the Seahawks.
R5 – Pick #154 TE Jelani Woods – Virginia. Yes, Seattle has Noah Fant and Will Dissly at tight end. But Woods’s 44 catches for 598 yards and 8 touchdowns make him worthy of a pick here.
R5 – Pick #153 CB Marcus Jones – Houston. Jones makes up for his 5’8” frame with outstanding speed and athleticism. By far the best kick returner in the draft; he could be Devin Hester 2.0.
R5 – Pick #154 OG Jamaree Salyer – Georgia. In a year or two, Salyer may develop into a starter. If he pans out, Seahawks left guard Damien Lewis could move to center.
R7 – Pick #227 RB Ty Chandler – North Carolina. Taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility, Chandler transferred to North Carolina to finish his college career. He had a breakout season with 1,308 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns.
Dueling mocks will be back in two weeks with version 3.0
Which of our PNWS writers did the best job at being Seattle Seahawks GM John Schneider? Let us know in the comments section below.