Seahawks in rare draft position holding No. 5 overall pick

RENTON, Wash. — Of their lengthy tenure because the mind belief of the Seattle Seahawks, John Schneider and Pete Carroll have by no means skilled the exhilaration of proudly owning a choose this excessive on the draft board.

Thanks, Denver, to your horrible 2022 season after buying Russell Wilson and sending a bounty of picks again to the Seahawks.

“Everyone’s very excited in regards to the fifth choose, so we’ve got a whole lot of normal managers on this constructing proper now and head coaches,” Schneider mentioned.

Probably the most necessary drafts of the Schneider-Carroll regime arrives subsequent week with Seattle holding picks in locations the Seahawks merely haven’t had the chance to draft due to their success for a lot of the previous 13 seasons.

Seattle has 5 picks within the first 83 picks starting with No. 5 total, seeking to complement a roster that final season was adequate to shock most of soccer and earn a wild-card berth within the NFC playoffs. Seattle can be scheduled to select at Nos. 20, 37, 52 and 83.

Final 12 months’s draft seems prone to be thought of a smashing success for Seattle by touchdown the likes of beginning offensive linemen Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, working again Kenneth Walker III and cornerback Tariq Woolen.

Hit on one other draft this time, particularly with these early picks, and Seattle might be on the cusp of getting expertise depth capable of do extra than simply slip into the postseason.

“I feel what’s thrilling about this, you get the primary problem arising at 5 after which we get a complete different one at 20 after which day two, we’ll come proper again once more,” Carroll mentioned. “These three massive occasions of these early picks it type of comes again to us in a rush and makes it actually enjoyable and a problem. Quite a lot of situations and extra so than regular.”

The uncertainty about Seattle surrounds what it’ll do at No. 5. This isn’t an place within the draft Seattle is aware of properly, having made solely two picks within the prime 10 throughout the Carroll-Schneider regime. Each these instances, Seattle used the choose on a left deal with — Russell Okung in 2010 and Charles Cross final 12 months.

A lot of the eye coming into this draft has targeted on the quarterbacks that might be out there to Seattle at No. 5, probably as a developmental possibility behind Geno Smith. Extra doubtless could be a defensive participant resembling Will Anderson Jr., Tyree Wilson or Jalen Carter.

And all the time a risk with Schneider on the controls is a commerce that might slide Seattle again somewhat bit within the first spherical and probably stack some extra second- and third-day picks onto the Seahawks’ plate.

PICK ’EM

Seattle owned No. 20 and No. 52 picks as its pure picks, however picked up Nos. 5 and 37 from Denver within the Wilson commerce. Seattle additionally has an additional fifth-round choose, No. 151, from Pittsburgh.

QB QUESTION

Seattle is locked in with Smith doubtless for the subsequent couple of seasons because the beginning quarterback. However the Seahawks made a degree of visiting and assembly with all the highest quarterbacks anticipated to be out there on the prime of the draft.

It appears unlikely the Seahawks will go together with quarterback at No. 5 with wants elsewhere, however Schneider and his workers have achieved their analysis in case the chance develops.

DEFENSE FIRST

Most of Seattle’s strikes in free company have gone towards a makeover on the defensive facet. Seattle signed defensive linemen Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed, security Julian Love, linebacker Devin Bush and introduced again Bobby Wagner, among the finest defensive gamers in franchise historical past.

The 2 areas Seattle hasn’t particularly addressed in free company and is probably going to have a look at within the draft is the move rush and the inside line of defense. The Seahawks ranked eighth within the league in sacks final season with 45, however the consistency of the move rush was absent. Uchenna Nwosu and Darrell Taylor each had 9½ sacks, however just one different participant had greater than 5½.

SKILL NEEDS

Seattle has two elite vast receivers in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett and a burgeoning star in Walker.

The depth at these talent positions behind that trio is extraordinarily skinny.

Seattle has unsuccessfully tried to discover a everlasting answer for its No. 3 vast receiver for a number of years, particularly as former second-round choose Dee Eskridge has struggled with accidents. Final 12 months’s No. 3 receiver was Marquise Goodwin, who signed with Cleveland in free company.

Equally unsettling for Seattle is the depth behind Walker. Deejay Dallas is the one different working again presently on the Seahawks roster and as Seattle has proven up to now it wants depth on the place.