NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Seattle Seahawks.
The Seattle Seahawks have many holes on their roster. Unfortunately, they don’t have a lot of draft picks to make it happen. That doesn’t mean they can’t fix the problems. It just means it might be more difficult.
So, exactly what are the Seattle Seahawks needs? The quick and easy answer is the offensive line, offensive line, and offensive line. However, the offensive line is an area of need. As is the pass rush/edge rusher and also cornerbacks.
Fortunately, this draft comes with a deep class in both the offensive lineman and edge rushers. The Seattle Seahawks should be able to land a player that can fill the hole. However, it just may take some time for them to be up to NFL standards. With that being said I predict the Seahawks look to address their edge rusher issue with their first pick.
The player with the best odds to be an immediate impact player for the Seattle Seahawks is Jermaine Johnson (PFF#8/big board #43) out of Florida State. Some might say Cameron Thomas (PFF #9/big board #44) out of San Diego State is better. For me, I worry a little bit about the competition he faced in college.
More will be determined at the combine. Two other names to keep an eye on are Travon Walker (PFF #10/big board #45), Georgia, and Myjai Sanders (PFF #11/big board #48), Cincinnati. These two might take a little more time to develop and be impactful for the Seahawks.
If they take one of those guys with their first pick there are a couple of intriguing names with their second pick. Zach Harrison (PFF #13/big board #73) from Ohio State and Alex Wright (PFF #14/big board #74) from UAB. Harrison will need to be motivated to give his all on every down. Wright will just need to show that his dominance can translate to some much more challenging competition.
The Seattle Seahawks need a long-term answer at their left tackle position. Duane Brown is not getting any younger. If the Seahawks are to grab their left tackle of the future with their first draft pick they’ll need some luck in that the players will fall. Specifically, Trevor Penning (PFF #4/big board #24) of Northern Iowa.
If Penning is no longer available then Zion Johnson (PFF #5/big board #41) might be a good consolation prize. He started at a small school, Davidson, before transferring to Boston College. His physicality rose to meet the upgrade in competition.
If neither of these guys is there then the Seattle Seahawks will have this question to ask themselves. Do they “reach” for one of the other available tackles, or hope one of them falls? If they don’t go with a different position then these are the guys that they’ll potentially have to choose from local boy Abraham Lucas (PFF #6/big board #70) of Washington State, Kellen Diesch (PFF#7/big board 73) of Arizona State, Tyler Smith (PFF #8/big board 75) of Tulsa, Max Mitchell (PFF#9/big board 81) of Louisiana, or Daniel Faalele (PFF #10/big board #83) of Minnesota.
Personally, of this second group of players I’d prefer them in this order: Lucas, Diesch, Faalele, and Mitchell. Yes, I intentionally left the Tulsa player off the list. It’s not good when scouts are already projecting you as a Guard at the NFL level. The Seattle Seahawks should go with one of the safer options that can already potentially come in and play now. Especially since both of last year’s starting tackles are set to be free agents.
This year’s crop of cornerbacks may not be very good to choose from. At least in regards to where the Seattle Seahawks are picking and who might be available. If the Seahawks decide to go away from the trenches with their first pick the likely choice is a cornerback.
The Seattle Seahawks will need a little bit of help but if Mississippi State’s Martin Emerson (PFF #6/big board #33) can fall to Seattle he’s the guy they should consider taking. If he’s off the table, and most likely will be, then Andrew Booth Jr. (PFF #7/big board #34) of Clemson or local boy Kyler Gordon (PFF #7/big board #46) of Washington should be the next guys for consideration. Personally, of this group Booth is the one that Seattle should avoid drafting.
Subsequently, if the Seattle Seahawks don’t use their first pick on a cornerback and elect to target the trenches then their second pick could be where they draft a cornerback. The options here are Marcus Jones (PFF #9/big board 68) of Houston, Derrion Kendrick (PFF #10/ big board 72) of Georgia, or Storm Duck (PFF #11/big board #82) of UNC.
Personally, Seattle shouldn’t go Duck hunting (get it) here. He might end up being a really good player at the NFL level. However, typically no one gets healthier as they get older and Duck has been getting hurt the last two years. Either Jones or Kendrick would be good picks here.
Alright, let’s bring this reader home. We’ve shown you the options for each of these positions. Along with what the Seattle Seahawks might do with either of their first two picks. So, how might the Seattle Seahawks draft go? Well, PNWS has compiled a list of all the mock drafts to date.
If that’s not good enough or you want a better inside scoop then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s how the Seattle Seahawks will use their picks. This is of course not factoring in any trades or moves in free agency. Obviously, trades and/or free agency will alter the teams’ needs. However, as of this writing, and the Seahawks’ current needs/holes this is how they’ll proceed.
With their first pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Seattle Seahawks select Travon Walker out of Georgia. He still needs some work on his pass-rushing but his athletic ability gives the Seahawks another chess piece to utilize. Pairing Walker with emerging edge rusher Darrell Taylor gives the Seahawks a young dynamic pass rush. Add in Jamal Adams and now the defense can get creative.
Fast-forwarding to the third round the Seahawks select Kellen Diesch out of Arizona State. Look I’ll be honest, passing on local boy Abraham Lucas wasn’t easy. A difference is that Diesch has already gotten some NFL coaching from ASU’s head coach Herm Edwards. Plus Lucas’ pass protection needs some work and Diesch allowed only SEVEN pressures all year!
Russel Wilson gets some needed protection and Pete Carroll gets another skilled defensive piece to play with. So there you have it. That is how the Seattle Seahawks will go with their first two draft picks.