Seattle Seahawks: Grading the 2023 Draft Class
Ed Stein
|
Fourth Round
108th Anthony Bradford, guard
123rd Cameron Young, defensive tackle
Why did the Seahawks wait this long to fill two important weaknesses?
I had Chandler Zavala ahead of Bradford, but not by so much that it made a difference. Bradford will be fine and the Seattle Seahawks will have a pair of LSU alums playing guard.
Bradford isn’t plug-and-play, so Seattle has to live with Phil Haynes at right guard for a little while. Advantage – Aaron Donald.
Young, on the other hand, fills a position where they needed help, but Seattle could have done better. The Seahawks traded down from 83 to 108 and picked up a future third rounder from Detroit. That’s a good trade, and again, Bradford will work out.
Waiting until pick 123 to grab a defensive tackle when there were very good prospects available at 83 puts a damper on the windfall. Young will be adequate at best and will get into the rotation because the team is thin on the interior defensive line.
Resigning Al Woods would be a good idea about now.
Grade B: The Seattle Seahawks filled some big holes.
Rounds Five through Seven
5th round, 151 Mike Morris, defensive end
5th round, 154 Olusegun Oluwatimi, center
6th round, 198 Jerrick Reed II, safety
7th round, 237 Kenny McIntosh, running back
For the third time in four years, the Seattle Seahawks take a defensive end in the fifth round. And for the second straight year, they did so after taking an edge player in the second.
My problem with the pick has nothing to do with Morris; he’ll push out Alton Robinson, which helps. The issue is how well the Seahawks allocate their resources.
Was Morris the highest ranked player on the Seahawks’ board? Maybe, but I doubt it. This was the time to take an inside linebacker, especially while they have Bobby Wagner to learn from.
Not to beat a dead horse, but Seattle should have taken a center sooner. It would be nice if Oluwatimi was a better run blocker, but he does other things well.
At least he has some time to acclimate to the NFL before he is thrust into action. Seattle signed Evan Brown from Detroit to be their center in 2023. I do see a scenario where if Oluwatimi impresses in camp, the Seahawks move Brown to guard.
The Seattle Seahawks need some depth in the secondary, and Reed is a good fit both there and on special teams. Anyone who watched McIntosh play for Georgia last year saw what he could do. No knock on him, but if the Seahawks were going to double up at a position, more offensive line depth would help more.
Grade B: Oluwatimi has potential to be a starter. Morris and McIntosh are good value picks.