The names are drip-feeding in as reporters share information on Twitter and players such as Matt Goncalves, Theo Johnson and Kam Kinchens share pictures on Instagram — but here are the confirmed names that have taken or are due to take official visits to Seattle so far:

Tyrice Knight (LB, UTEP)
Malachi Corley (WR, Western Kentucky)
John Rhys Plumlee (QB, UCF)
Grayson Murphy (EDGE, UCLA)
Nathaniel Watson (LB, Mississippi State)
Khristian Boyd (DT, Northern Iowa)
Theo Johnson (TE, Penn State)
Byron Murphy (DT, Texas)
Chop Robinson (EDGE, Penn State)
Travis Glover (T, Georgia State)
Bo Nix (QB, Oregon)
T’Vondre Sweat (DT, Texas)
Jared Verse (DE, Florida State)
Spencer Rattler (QB, South Carolina)
Matt Goncalves (T, Pittsburgh)
Kam Kinchens (S, Miami)
Qwan’Tez Stiggers (CB, Toronto)
Jowon Briggs (DT, Cincinnati)

I’m waiting on confirmation of a couple of players too, an offensive and defensive lineman, one of which visited Seattle last week and one who received an invitation just ahead of the weekend. (EDIT — one of them was Jowon Briggs, now confirmed).

If you look through Seattle’s draft history, they’ve taken players who visited. They’ve also been extremely careful to show minimal interest in other players they are targeting.

There were a couple of interesting anecdotes shared last week. ESPN’s Brady Henderson told Brian Nemhauser on HawkBlogger Mornings that a player really soured the Seahawks during one visit, as he complained about a busy pre-draft schedule and spent a ton of time on his phone. Albert Breer said the Patriots were put off A.J. Brown and Deebo Samuel because they shared the same agent, had done a series of visits together and had become quite chummy. Thus, when they visited New England, they seemed a little too ‘relaxed’ together. It put off Bill Belichick, who instead drafted N’Keal Harry, who Breer said was known for turning on the fake charm during meetings.

Clearly, these things can produce a mixed-bag of results.

Malik McDowell visited Seattle in 2017. He had serious character flags but clearly was able to convince the Seahawks to roll the dice on his remarkable talent (it’s a shame we never got to see what he could do). A year ago, Devon Witherspoon visited the Seahawks (as did Anthony Bradford and Jerick Reed).

Of the list of 16 names above, the visits will have different meanings.

For example, Matt Goncalves has had serious injury issues at Pittsburgh. It’s possible his visit is about medical checks and completing his profile in terms of health/longevity.

Grayson Murphy, Qwan’Tez Stiggers and Khristian Boyd were not invited to the combine. Inviting them could be about medical checks too, plus having meetings that were not possible in Indianapolis.

If you follow the tea-leaves, increasingly it looks like five quarterbacks will be off the board before Seattle’s pick at #16 — Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, J.J. McCarthy, Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr.

As noted on the blog and on the HawkBlogger Draft roundtable on Sunday, Bo Nix’s stock is ice-cold. He’s doing the rounds in the media, which is never a good sign this close to the draft. Todd McShay this week suggested he hasn’t spoken to a single team that has a first round grade on Nix. After a seriously underwhelming Senior Bowl and combine, all of Nix’s limitations were exposed. In my latest mock draft, I had Nix dropping into round three.

Spencer Rattler, meanwhile, is going to be a second round pick.

The Seahawks meeting with the two quarterbacks who are realistically going to be available to them isn’t a surprise. They need to start drafting quarterbacks. If either is available to Seattle, in a range they are comfortable, they need to be ready and prepared.

It’s also possible they would’ve had Penix Jr in for a visit, if they hadn’t already hired his former offensive coordinator. They could also invite him to the local pro-day. But they likely have all the intel they need on a player who should still be considered an option if he lasts to #16 (that seems increasingly unlikely).

The meeting with T’Vondre Sweat was likely arranged before his recent arrest and DWI charge. It’ll be convenient timing for Seattle to be able to grill him on that incident. They’ll also likely want to see what shape he’s in. It’s OK being 366lbs at the combine but if you’re 380-400lbs now it’ll reaffirm concerns teams have about his commitment to staying in shape. Drinking beyond the legal limited weeks before the draft then getting in a vehicle doesn’t seem like a good sign in that regard.

Nathaniel Watson has had some character issues in the past, including an arrest for an alleged DUI. The Seahawks will likely want to get to know what he’s all about too.

Kam Kinchens did not have a good 2023 season, in my opinion. There are things to like about his game — particularly his turnover production. However, his ability in space is majorly suspect. This play below sums up the problem:

There’s a feeling, after a bad combine, that Kinchens could drop into the fourth or even the fifth round range. He’s been seriously overrated in the media, including several mocks putting him in the first round during the college season. If he tumbles down the board, provided you’re willing to play him in a role that limits his weakness in space, he can be a useful addition. Getting intel on him is a good idea. He’s a serious individual and a man of few words — but he’s been praised for his attitude and the way he leads by example. Importantly for the Seahawks and Mike Macdonald’s system, he’s played all over the field — he’s a very versatile safety.

Then there are the ‘big’ names that are being widely tipped to be taken in range of the #16 pick — Jared Verse, Chop Robinson and Byron Murphy.

I do think all three are very viable options for the Seahawks. My opinion for a long time now has been that Troy Fautanu and Taliese Fuaga will be 1a and 1b in terms of preference for Seattle — with both being sufficiently good enough to snub trading down.

If both are gone — and if no reasonable trade-down offer is received — the Seahawks will have to pick. Verse, Robinson and Murphy make a lot of sense in a ‘best player available’ sense.

Verse has the kind of speed-to-power intensity that succeeds in the NFL. He’s a violent pass rusher, who does a ton of work both versus the pass and run and he’s adept at creating opportunities for others. Florida State loved to stunt him inside and have Braden Fiske peel around the edge. Macdonald loves to stunt too.

Robinson’s get-off and burst is elite-level. It’s something the Seahawks simply don’t have among their current group of edge rushers. His upside potential is to be a Micah Parsons-type pass rusher.

There aren’t many human’s like Murphy. You don’t often see players with his thick lower body yet minimal body fat on the top-half. He’s factory-made to play defensive tackle. His lower half reminds me of Jarran Reed when he was at Alabama — and he can similarly anchor and hold position because he’s so sturdy and explosive in his arse and thighs. Texas actually played Murphy, not Sweat, at nose tackle for a number of snaps in 2023. Yet he has the kind of twitch and athleticism of a pure pass rushing three-technique. The only issue is whether he’s capable of turning a high percentage of pressures in college to more finishing production. Is he ‘just’ a major disruptor or can he wreck games?

Gathering info on this trio makes a lot of sense. It’s also perhaps interesting that they’ve brought them in but none of the other first round offensive tackles have visited. We’ll see if the likes of J.C. Latham, Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton make a trip. You could look at the lack of names here in two ways. Either they’re trying to mask their intentions — or if they can’t get to Fautanu and Fuaga, perhaps they are prepared to pivot to a highly graded defender.

Personally, I think that would be a savvy move. There is some risk with the tackles. Latham is massive, talented and light on his feet — but we’ve seen several huge offensive tackles come into the NFL in recent years and struggle because they’re ‘too’ big. Mims has talent for days but he had eight college starts. Guyton is very quick and athletic — but it’s hard to forget watching Darius Robinson beat him off the edge at the Senior Bowl.

Verse, Robinson and Murphy just seem like surer things. You can well imagine all three becoming key starters in the league.

It’s just a shame the Seahawks have a huge black-hole between picks #16 and #81. Not feeling comfortable sticking and picking, to try and fill that void, is difficult to stomach. If they get a great trade offer, though, it’ll be extremely tempting to get more shots at this talented class.

I’d love to know how Schneider went from a year ago openly talking about how they wanted to get more picks for the 2024 draft (after acquiring an extra third rounder from Denver) because they thought it was a deeper class, to ending up in a situation where they have only picks #16 and #81 in the top-100.

If you missed it earlier, check out Curtis Allen’s awesome new article on Seattle’s quarterback situation in relation to the draft.

This is a guest article written by Curtis Allen…

With several quarterbacks available in this draft and the Seahawks having two quarterbacks on the roster who have had varying degrees of NFL success, there has been much discussion about whether they should break their draft cycle habit and seriously invest in the quarterback position for the first time since they drafted Russell Wilson in 2012.

It would be beneficial to explore both sides of this question as objectively as possible.

Why The Seahawks Should Not Draft a Quarterback

1-They have several long-term needs at other positions

The new administration has done an admirable job of filling the holes on the roster for this season.  However, many of the moves are merely temporary fixes.  Thankfully, many of the positions the Seahawks need to address have deep pools of prospects available in this year’s draft.  There is agreeable symmetry.

The Offensive Line is where the most questions are.  Olu Oluwatimi and Anthony Bradford have not yet established themselves as long-term options.  There are injury concerns about Abe Lucas.  Nobody knows who the starting Left Guard will be at this point.

Thankfully, this draft is the richest in recent memory for Offensive Line picks, something that should not be taken for granted.  There is quality all along the line available for the team to choose from.

Tyler Lockett is currently scheduled for a $31 million cap hit in 2025 and may choose to retire next year.  Noah Fant is the only contracted Tight End for 2025.

This draft is rich in Wide Receiver prospects and there are some Tight Ends who could match up very nicely with the team’s style of play.

On the Defensive Line, Jarran Reed and Jonathan Hankins are free agents next year and are in their 30’s.  Dre’Mont Jones is an open question and may not be on the team next year.  Mike Morris and Cameron Young are still mostly unknowns.  As we all know, investment along the Defensive Line is always a priority.

There is depth at the interior spot in this draft, something that is not a common occurrence.  Byron Murphy, T’vondre Sweat, Darius Robinson, Mekhi Wingo and Ruke Orhorhoro are among several tempting targets to pair with Leonard Williams.

In the pass rush spot, the team is well-provisioned — but they may not be able to say no if someone like Chop Robinson or Jared Verse is there at pick 16.

The Safety position has several intriguing prospects in the draft and the team only has Rayshawn Jenkins and Jerrick Reed contracted for 2025.

At the Inside Linebacker spot, the team has only Drake Thomas contracted in 2025.  Enough said.

They have so many needs, they could be forgiven for avoiding the Quarterback position in this draft and building their roster base with a new administration entering their first season.

In fact, it might play to their advantage to have a Quarterback or two sitting there at pick 16.  Some starry-eyed team might be talked into giving up more than they should to get their preferred target and the Seahawks could give their roster reset a charge by trading down and tapping into the depth of this draft at several positions.

2-They Have Already “Drafted” a Quarterback (technically)

By swapping picks with Washington to acquire Sam Howell, it could be argued they have already made their investment in the Quarterback position for the offseason.

Nobody should think of Howell as the long-term solution — but there are several intriguing reasons to consider him a prospect for the team.

As several outlets have noted, Howell is the same age as some of the Quarterbacks entering the draft but has two seasons of NFL experience already.  With eighteen career starts, he has a leg up on those prospects.

Backup Quarterbacks at his age coming off a 17-start, 3900-yard, 21-Touchdown season are not readily available for a simple mid-round pick.

Not to be ignored is that Howell threw 21 Interceptions and took 65 Sacks for Washington last year.

It is fair to say a good chunk of those sacks were Howell’s doing.  Washington’s Offensive Line performed adequately, and Howell frequently suffered from the classic ‘rookie trying to do too much’ syndrome.

It is worth noting that 40 of those sacks came in the first seven games of Howell’s season, starts 2-8 of his NFL career (a crazy average of 5.7 sacks per game).  The final 10 games of the season saw Howell’s rate drop to a more earthly 2.5 sacks per game.

Something else needs to be said, though:  The Commanders ran out by far the most lopsided run/pass split in the NFL last year, with a 34/66 split.

Just for reference, the next highest split came from Cincinnati at 36.5/63.5, a 2.5% swing, and only five other franchises were above 60% passing.

The point being, Eric Bienemy and Ron Rivera intentionally game-planned to place their young Quarterback in front of the cannons and asked him to advance while dodging live fire like no other Quarterback in the NFL.

While still learning the position!

And Howell did it — and lived to tell the tale.

As a thought experiment, ask yourself how, say, Michael Penix Jr, J.J. McCarthy or Drake Maye would have done in Year Two of their NFL careers with that kind of setup?

That has got to account for something.  To take that kind of beating and keep going.  When John Schneider says the team got a gamer in Howell, you can take that to the bank.

Is Howell the long-term future at the position for the Seahawks?  Possibly.

At the very least, his acquisition demonstrates a step in the right direction of addressing the position.  And it may be the only one the Seahawks intend to make this year.

3-Geno Smith Deserves a Chance to Work with This New Regime

2023 was not a great year for Smith.  His numbers were a sharp decline from the previous year.

A good portion of his regression could be directly apportioned to the coaching staff.  There is an obvious connection between the product on the field last year and the Seahawks ownership choosing to move in a different direction this offseason.

First, the low-hanging fruit.  The defense the team rolled out was very poor.  They were #25 in the NFL in Points Allowed and #31 in Rushing Yards Allowed.  That alone puts the offense under enormous strain.

On the other side of the ball, we have the Seahawks’ running game.  This is one of the most under-the-radar aspects about the 2023 team.  Their average dropped from 4.8 yards per carry in 2022 (#7 overall) to 4.1 yards per carry (#16 overall) last season.

Both factors conspired to make the Seahawks the worst team in the NFL in terms of time of possession.  Seriously – the bottom half the league averaged 28-29 minutes per game.  The Seahawks averaged 26.5 minutes per game.  They were the worst by a wide margin.

That means the Seahawks constantly asked Smith to not only be highly effective to keep up with the other team’s offense, but to be highly efficient at the same time, knowing the offense would not get the ball often or with much clock.

Add to that, their game-planning was egregiously bad at times, further hamstringing Smith in the performance of his duties.

All this before we talk about the team going stretches of the season without their starting Offensive Tackles.

One of the biggest effects on Smith’s play was his explosive ability diminished in dramatic fashion last year.

In 2022 he had 18 touchdown passes that were 15 yards or longer.  In 2023?  He only had six.

How would, say, Will Levis or C.J. Stroud have performed for the Seahawks in 2023 with those factors working against them?

There is an argument to be made that stabilizing the defense and a renewed focus on the running game would give Smith many more chances to be successful in 2024.

He has a very workable cap hit in 2024, with a current number of $26.4 million.  For 2025, his current cap hit is $38.5 million.  (Keep in mind that $15 million of escalators are available to him with an improved performance in 2024.)

If the Seahawks want to extend Smith, they can pick up almost $19 million of cap room in 2025.  Cap hits of $26.4 million in 2024 (age 34), $19.5 million in 2025 (age 35) and say a $30-35 million number in 2026 (age 36) are easily workable for both Smith and the Seahawks.

Why the Seahawks Should Draft a Quarterback

1-The Priority of the Position

If you do not have a top-five NFL Quarterback, you always need to be on the lookout for one.

John Schneider made comments after the draft last year about acquiring a Quarterback.  He has followed that up by making many comments this offseason about how the Seahawks have neglected the position when it comes to the draft.

He is aware of their history.

We talked above about all their other roster needs.  Those needs are real.  And some of them are acute.  But a top Quarterback comes along so rarely, if you do not have one, it should be always be considered the most important need.

If there is a Quarterback the Seahawks rate available at pick #16 (or if they can work out a reasonable trade up), they are almost duty-bound to select him.

There might be another reason to draft a Quarterback that is unique to the Seahawks:

Their coaching staff is set up very, very well to take advantage of the depth in this draft and free agent market.

Mike Macdonald has demonstrated an ability to develop players on defense that do not cost the team a premium in draft capital or salary cap space.  He has an energetic staff on defense, ready to implement his vision and several talented veteran players already at his disposal.

On the offensive side of the ball, Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff will bring a depth of knowledge not unlike Pete Carroll did when he first came to the Seahawks from USC.  Being involved in recruiting, playing with and against the top college talent, and scouting opposition players to prepare to win games at the highest level gives them a leg up like no other team has.

It is very possible that we see a Seahawks team that can make good use of this brief window to add late-round picks and undrafted free agents that can provide an impact.

That being the case, they could easily reason that they can afford to skip needy areas early in the draft in favor of a big-ticket item like a Quarterback.

2-The Timeline of this Team Strongly Warrants Selecting a Quarterback

The Seahawks are bringing in whole new systems on both sides of the ball.  That fact alone warrants a ‘honeymoon season’ on expectations to get the entire organization aligned.

Both Schneider and Macdonald have demonstrated with their words and their attendance (or lack thereof) at functions like the Scouting Combine and Pro Days that they are extremely busy putting their imprint on this organization.

It is already time for their first actual football activity starting Monday.  There they will start laying the foundation for how they practice, what the organization expects of their players and installing the basic tenets of their offense and defense on the practice field.

While the roster is by no means complete, they have several good pieces that can ease this transition in 2024 and be ready in 2025 or 2026 to make a deep playoff run.

Geno Smith will be 35-36 around the time this team is ready to seriously compete.  The rising cap cost and the question of a performance drop-off as he ages must be considered.  That is not a popular notion among fans but given the dramatic impact on team success the Quarterback has, I can guarantee you it is being discussed inside Seahawk Headquarters.

A Quarterback drafted in 2024 who has been groomed for a season – or has even perhaps won the job as a rookie like Russell Wilson did – would be ideally placed to rapidly rise just as this team is hitting its stride on both sides of the ball.  The Seahawks would have enough cap room to both pay their core players acquired in the 2022 and 2023 drafts and add some premier talent from the market.

As an aside, to me this is why Michael Penix Jr is an intriguing prospect for the Seahawks to consider if he is available to them.  He has the arm strength, athletic ability and leadership traits you want in a Quarterback in excess.

But Penix might be perfectly placed to be a unique draft pick in recent NFL history, as a player who:

— Would have time to develop if that is what the Seahawks decide is needed.  Geno Smith could guide this team, Sam Howell could be the primary backup, and Penix can just focus on learning the nuances of the NFL and eventually emerge after a period like Aaron Rodgers, Jordan Love or Patrick Mahomes did.

— Is not starting out on a team with expansion-level talent.  He would have three fantastic Wide Receivers, two bookend Offensive Tackles, a top Tight End and three Running Backs who can be pressure-release valves as he adjusts to the game.  Not to mention an improved defense.

— Would step into an offensive system he has lived and breathed for the last two years.  He has strong relationships with Grubb and Huff.  He would know their terminology, how they think, how they relate to their players and have a leg up like no other rookie would have.  No doubt Grubb will not implement the exact same offense in the NFL that he ran at Washington.  Yet Penix has a knowledge base to work from that no one else on the offense will.  He might be a team leader from Day One, schooling teammates in the system and acting as a facilitator between the players and coaches.

There is more than the usual incentive for the Seahawks to consider Penix.

3-The Value Proposition

Hitting on a Quarterback on a rookie contract is the best and easiest way to substantially increase your viability as a Super Bowl contender.

The Seahawks practically invented this method, paying Russell Wilson $300,000 a year and building around him.

Look at what the Houston Texans have done by hitting on a rookie Quarterback and having an excellent Defensive Head Coach.  The Seahawks could be even better-placed to replicate that model, as they are not starting with a team that has ‘expansion-plus’ level roster talent that the Texans did.

The 2025 salary cap situation is already very, very tight for the Seahawks and they will need to create room to continue progressing.  Shedding a veteran Quarterback’s salary is a very big way to do that.

4-The Current Quarterbacks on the Roster Have a Ceiling

We can all agree that for Sam Howell to become a Super Bowl-winning Quarterback, a dramatic and unexpected improvement will need to happen.

What about Geno Smith?  What is his ceiling?

Most agree that he slots in at about the #10-15 Quarterback in the NFL.

Is that good enough to get the Seahawks to a Championship?  Honestly.

Championship-caliber Quarterbacks elevate their teams in a way that others cannot.   

When the defense is being trampled.  When the offensive line is leaky and the running game is not clicking.  When they’ve thrown a couple of poor interceptions.  When they’re on the road in a tough environment and it is cold and raining.

Top Quarterbacks buckle down, command the game and will their teams to victory more often than not.

Brass tacks:  Is Geno Smith that kind of Quarterback?

He is a good Quarterback.  At times, a very good Quarterback.

But we frequently see ‘Goldilocks’ type of play from Smith.

He is very good if the offensive line is having a good day.  If the defense makes stops and does not let the team get too far behind.  If the running game is more than just an attempt to keep defenders honest.

If their safety takes a ball off his forehead and it comes down in the arms of the good guys.

Then we get the ‘very good’ version of Smith.  But otherwise, it is hard to depend on him to overcome big obstacles.

John Schneider has acknowledged this in his words this offseason.  Asked to assess Smith’s play as quarterback, he pointed out he has had good halves and not-good halves in each of the last two seasons.

Schneider and Macdonald also frequently pivoted to talking up Drew Lock when asked about the Quarterback position from Day One, and had steadfastly refused to openly say that Smith is their starting Quarterback for 2024 until very recently.

These are not the comments of a leadership team that believes Smith is The Guy to elevate them to a championship.

One path they could pursue is to focus intently on building up every other spot on the roster to make everything just right for Smith to succeed.  But at that point, would it be too late because Smith has aged out of the game and is carrying a prohibitively expensive cap number?

If the answer to these concerns leans more toward yes than no, the Seahawks need to commit to drafting a Quarterback.  The downside of taking that chance cannot outweigh the upside of staying with the familiar and comfortable if that choice cannot take them where they want to go.

——

What do you think?  Should the Seahawks draft a Quarterback this year or not? Have your say in the comments section.

T’Vondre Sweat tanks his stock

There were already concerns about Sweat within the league. The feeling before the 2023 college season was he couldn’t control his weight and that he’d failed to live up to his talent at Texas. There was hope the light had finally switched on going into his final season — and so it proved. Sweat had a terrific 2023.

The weight concerns remained, though. They developed further when he refused to weigh-in at the Senior Bowl. Sweat performed very well in Mobile and when he weighed in at 366lbs at the combine, things seemed to be going well.

That is until he was arrested on Sunday morning and charged with DWI.

When you’re two-and-a-half weeks away from the draft, not being able to keep your nose clean means one of two things. Either Sweat has a problem, or he’s incredibly stupid. Neither will do much for his stock.

Further to this, it’s now being reported that Sweat was ‘up front’ with teams about his ‘partying’ and that he ‘made it a point of emphasis (to teams) that it was all in the past’. So much for that.

This is going to tank his stock. Like I said, there were already concerns about his weight and conditioning. Now it appears he lied to teams that he’s stopped partying — and has shown he cannot be trusted when he’s being charged with a DWI so close to the draft. He couldn’t even just stay at home for a fortnight and binge Netflix or whatever.

There were already people thinking he’d last into round three. Where he goes now is anyone’s guess.

The Seahawks might be sensing an opportunity here. Reportedly, he’s set to visit Seattle for an official visit later this week. If he’s tanked his stock enough to end up in day three, it’d be a shot to nothing.

Bo Nix visits the Seahawks

You can read too much into these things but it was certainly interesting to hear the Oregon quarterback had taken an official visit to Seattle.

So what does it mean?

My best guess is this — Nix’s stock seems to be sinking. He’s doing a lot of media — doing long interviews with Colin Cowherd and Chris Simms recently. While the likes of Michael Penix Jr are being talked up a ton, Nix’s name has mostly dropped off the radar apart from the occasional, slightly lazy, connection to Sean Payton and Denver.

In my latest mock draft I had the Broncos trading up for J.J. McCarthy, with the Vikings instead pursuing Penix Jr (more on that in a moment). If this scenario came to pass, who takes Nix? He doesn’t feel like a Raider. After a mediocre combine and Senior Bowl, it’s possible he could drop into round three.

Maybe the Seahawks are anticipating this possibility? I have Nix graded in round three. If he’s there for Seattle, it’d be justifiable to consider him. If their intention is to start taking shots at quarterback until they find the guy, this would make sense.

After all, John Schneider was in Green Bay when the Packers used a second rounder on Brian Brohm, despite having Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers on the roster. When you don’t have the long-term answer, you look until you find it.

Ryan Grubb also attended Nix’s pro-day in person. I think they’re doing homework here. But I’m not convinced it’s much more than due diligence just in case Nix is available in a range few anticipated at the turn of the year.

One thing to remember — it’s been reported fairly extensively that Schneider liked Andy Dalton a lot in 2011. It’s even been suggested they had his name written on a card that was never turned in. Just keep that in mind.

The truth about Cooper DeJean

I’ve seen an increasing number of people suggest the Seahawks might use a first round pick on the Iowa defender, with the feeling he could be Mike Macdonald’s ‘Kyle Hamilton’ in Seattle.

I think this is 2+2=5, just like the talk about Seattle signing Patrick Queen, Geno Stone or Jadeveon Clowney because they were in Baltimore.

The truth is DeJean is nothing like Hamilton. They don’t have similar playing styles, physical profiles or college backgrounds. DeJean played almost exclusively as a zone cornerback in college. He had 1183 snaps at corner for Iowa in 2022 and 2023. He only had 173 snaps in the slot, 23 in the box and one snap at deep safety.

Projecting him to safety based on this is pure guesswork. I get the feeling it’s because it’s widely accepted that his biggest flaw as a prospect is stiffness in his hips in transition. So because he’s a great athlete and had some opportunistic picks, stick him at safety. There’s nothing to say he’ll make that transition smoothly — so it’d be a gamble for any team in round one. Especially one with major issues in the trenches who just signed two veteran safety’s.

There’s really no reason for the Seahawks to do this. There are a cluster of safety’s set to be available between rounds 2-4 who’ve actually done roles similar to Hamilton’s in Baltimore. Cole Bishop for example had 247 deep snaps, 180 snaps in the box, 25 at corner and 97 in the slot in 2023. He had 553 snaps in the slot or the box in 2022. Dominique Hampton had 366 at deep safety, 296 in the box, 249 in the slot and 36 at cornerback in 2023. He had 503 in the slot in 2022 alone.

Hampton is far better suited to this role and I think he’ll be a round three pick, maybe early fourth. If the Seahawks really believe they need this type of player — they’re better off taking someone like that.

As far as athleticism goes — DeJean ran a 4.43 pro-day forty today. Bishop ran a 4.45 at the combine. Why would you take one in the first round, when Bishop (and others) will be available later?

What the Ron Wolf tree tells us

A few weeks ago I was speaking to someone who used to work for Wolf. I asked what his approach to drafting was, given John Schneider credits Wolf as a mentor. I was told that Wolf was big on the trenches. ‘Trenches, trenches, trenches’ was the way it was emphasised to me. Very little focus was paid to the combine. Wolf wanted football players and relied on the tape. A good testing performance would simply give you a nudge to return to the tape to see if there was anything you’d missed.

What does this mean for the Seahawks in the 2024 draft? They might not focus on certain physical traits the way they did under Carroll (although, that said, the Packers seem to share similar preferences and ideals under Brian Gutekunst). Physically dominant trench players (but not necessarily amazing testers) could be the focus — even if said players lack eye-catching ‘twitch’.

It’s why I’m keeping Darius Robinson in mind. I think the Seahawks are going to focus on the O-line. However, if they trade down and out of range for the best O-liners, Robinson could be an alternative first pick. He’s the type of player Baltimore and Pittsburgh draft. Cam Heyward ran the same forty and jumped the same vertical (he was only 9lbs heavier). Robinson is big, physical, mature, has supreme leadership qualities and can play numerous positions on the D-line. He might not be the best athlete and there may be some stiffness in his movement — but he went to the Senior Bowl and showed he can win 1v1.

Abe Lucas could be the key to the draft

If the Seahawks really do believe he has a ‘chronic’ knee injury, the chances of them drafting a right tackle are massively increased. This is an unusually strong draft at right tackle.

There’s a lot of talk online about Troy Fautanu and Taliese Fuaga — for good reason. I think they’ll be 1a and 1b targets for Seattle (I just don’t expect either to last to #16). After that, you hear chatter about Byron Murphy and players like DeJean who we talked about earlier.

There’s not enough talk about the right tackles given the concern about Lucas. J.C. Latham, Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton are very realistic options for Seattle. Any decision on whether to trade down could be dictated by their confidence in one of the three being available, or Graham Barton, if they trade down — assuming Fautanu and Fuaga are gone.

Either way — given Seattle’s O-line needs, lack of investment in the unit so far this year and the fact it’s a great offensive line draft — I’d be shocked if the Seahawks didn’t use two of their first three picks on offensive linemen. They might do what they did in 2011 and go O-line in round one, then in round three. They might even try to use one of their fourth rounders to move up from #81.

A scenario where they go one of Fautanu/Fuaga (to play right tackle), or if they’re gone one of Latham/Mims/Guyton (to play right tackle), then find a way to get into the Christian Haynes, Cooper Beebe, Dominick Puni, Zak Zinter range for a guard. If they end up taking Barton with their top pick, they might try to get Roger Rosengarten to play right tackle.

If they can hit on two really talented offensive linemen in this draft, the class will be a success. It would give them a chance, under Scott Huff and Ryan Grubb’s guidance, to create an aggressive, young, athletic O-line.

Further thoughts on Minnesota’s draft plan

In my latest mock, I had the Vikings shocking the NFL. They didn’t trade up from #11 and instead drafted Byron Murphy. Then, they traded up from #23 to #12 to get Michael Penix Jr.

The thought is, what’s better? Spending three first round picks to get J.J. McCarthy? Or spending three first round picks to get Murphy and Penix Jr? It’s a no-brainer for me.

I think they are interested in moving up to #4 but they’re trying to smoke Arizona out. They know the Broncos can’t beat their best offer, because they have two first round picks this year. All Denver can do is offer three firsts, eliminating a serious chance to build around their QB until 2027.

Can you do that for McCarthy? I appreciate people in the media now saying ‘the league likes him better than fans and amateur scouts’. Fine. But is he worth spending three first round picks on? There’s a difference between justifying taking him with your native pick in round one and mortgaging your next two drafts to acquire him.

I suspect Minnesota has offered Arizona #11 and #23 and are holding that position. The Cardinals are trying to get others to offer more and then it’ll be up to Denver to determine whether they want to do something daft. If they do, Minnesota pivoting to Penix Jr could be extremely plausible.

Low and behold, the Vikings had Murphy in for an official-30 visit today.

I’ll say this though — if Minnesota comes out of this draft with Murphy and Penix to add to what they already have, I’d be pretty jealous.

I’m appearing on Brian’s show again today, as part of a draft roundtable. You can watch the stream below from 2pm PT.

Meanwhile, Bo Nix had an official-30 visit to the Seahawks. Enjoy your weekend!

I think today’s mock is a realistic and fair projection for the Seahawks. I think it’d deserve a reasonable review if it happened, very much in the ‘they did the best they could’ category. However, I also think it’s nowhere near enough for this team to get to where it needs to be.

I was listening to Brian Nemhauser recently and he made a point I very much agree with. The Seahawks need a transformational draft. We’ve seen teams do it. Look at the Texans. They’ve gone from league laughing stock to contender in 12 months — all based on a highly successful 2023 draft class.

Other teams have also propelled themselves into contention with a strong draft. The Saints in 2017 drafted Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, Marcus Williams, Alvin Kamara, Alex Anzalone and Trey Hendrickson. They had a 39-15 regular season record over the next four seasons, dominated the NFC South and only missed out on a Super Bowl appearance due to incredible misfortune in playoff games against the Rams and Vikings.

I still think the Seahawks had good drafts in 2022 and 2023. I don’t think either has been transformational, though. The 2022 class flirted with it but key players didn’t take the big step forward we hoped in 2023. Now, it’s starting to look ‘decent’ rather than ‘transformational’.

Perhaps the hope is the new coaching staff can elevate both classes? If the argument is that Pete Carroll and his staff essentially held everyone back over the last two years, then it’s organisational malpractice that they didn’t move on from Carroll sooner. It’s weird to think now that they allowed Carroll the chance to be in control when the Wilson trade haul was used, then fired him immediately after the resources were spent.

Admittedly, having a transformational draft isn’t easy — otherwise every non-contender would do it. Yet the Seahawks are going to have to have one of these classes — as they did in the 2010-12 period every year — to propel themselves out of middling franchise status.

The draft I’ve projected below isn’t transformational. It won’t tilt the field in Seattle’s favour in the NFC West. It’ll be a good draft and we’ll be able to say it deserves a thumbs up. They need more than that though. Somehow, if we want this team to be great again, they’re going to have to find a way to do something special in a draft. Otherwise they’ll remain stuck in the middle ground of the NFL, with the best case scenario being a ‘make up the numbers’ playoff appearance.

It’s a full two-round projection below with five trades included. I’ve pitched some different scenarios here that I think are quite interesting and not that unrealistic. I’ve given my reasoning on the trades and thoughts on Seattle’s picks below. Let me know what you think in the comments section.

Round one

#1 Chicago (v/CAR) — Caleb Williams (QB, USC)
It’s been a foregone conclusion for a long time that Williams would be the #1 pick.

#2 Washington — Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU)
For me, he’s the clear #2 quarterback on the board.

#3 New England — Drake Maye -(QB, North Carolina)
I think they could easily trade out of this spot, with Eliot Wolf targeting an offensive lineman with the first pick instead of a quarterback.

TRADE #4 Denver (v/ARI) — JJ McCarthy (QB, Michigan)
We all assume this will be Minnesota’s move — but what if they have a different plan? Instead, the Broncos are the aggressor.

#5 LA Chargers — Marvin Harrison Jr (WR, Ohio State)
For all the talk of O-line, they need a receiver and are perfectly placed to land a potential star.

#6 New York Giants — Rome Odunze (WR, Washington)
Tony Pauline mentioned this week that some teams worry about Malik Nabers going to a big-city team and have Odunze rated above him as a consequence.

#7 Tennessee — Malik Nabers (WR, LSU)
Everyone says they’ll go O-line here. Brian Callahan is on the record as saying the modern NFL relies on dynamic quarterback and receiver play. He’ll trust his dad to put together a functioning offensive line. Remember when everyone thought the Bengals, with Callahan as OC, should take a tackle and they took a dynamic LSU receiver instead? That worked out OK.

#8 Atlanta — Dallas Turner (DE, Alabama)
I think Turner’s tape is massively underwhelming but there’s no doubt he’s a physical specimen.

#9 Chicago — Troy Fautanu (T, Washington)
I think he’s the best left tackle in the draft and teams may well agree.

#10 NY Jets — Brock Bowers (TE, Georgia)
They’re in win-now mode and take another dynamic weapon.

#11 Minnesota — Byron Murphy (DT, Texas)
The Vikings don’t trade up — yet — and instead stay right here and take Byron Murphy to be a dynamic interior rusher.

TRADE #12 Minnesota (v/ARI, DEN) — Michael Penix Jr (QB, Washington)
Now the Vikings trade up — right in front of the Raiders. The Cardinals move down again, accumulating future first round picks from both Denver and Minnesota. In this scenario, the Vikings’ plan wasn’t to use their picks to trade into the top-five. It was to make sure they get Murphy and a quarterback in an attempt to contend ASAP.

#13 Las Vegas — Taliese Fuaga (T, Oregon State)
After missing out on Penix Jr, they settle for a Raiders’ style O-liner.

#14 New Orleans — Joe Alt (T, Notre Dame)
Everyone thinks he’ll be the first O-liner taken but he just reminds me of Mike McGlinchey.

#15 Indianapolis — Quinyon Mitchell (CB, Toledo)
The Colts have a need at cornerback and Mitchell’s had an outstanding draft process.

TRADE #16 Philadelphia (v/SEA) — Terrion Arnold (CB, Alabama)
With the first cornerback coming off the board at #15, the Eagles don’t hang about. They give the Seahawks a fourth rounder (#120), a fifth rounder (#161) and swap a second round pick in 2025 for a fourth rounder to move up.

#17 Jacksonville — Brian Thomas Jr (WR, LSU)
After losing Calvin Ridley, the Jaguars get a replacement.

#18 Cincinnati — JC Latham (T, Alabama)
The Bengals love size on their offensive line. Latham can play guard in year one, then kick outside to right tackle in year two.

#19 LA Rams — Chop Robinson (DE, Penn State)
The Rams get a steal with Robinson’s dynamic get-off and remarkable edge-bending ability. He’s wildly underrated with special qualities.

#20 Pittsburgh — Amarius Mims (T, Alabama)
There’s a feeling the incredible looking Mims won’t get out of the top-20.

#21 Miami — Laiatu Latu (DE, UCLA)
With injuries to their starters, the Dolphins might be prepared to tap into the value of taking Latu here.

#22 Seattle — Graham Barton (T/G/C, Duke)
The Seahawks have Steve Hutchinson as an advisor in their draft room. Hutchinson was 6-5, 315lbs, had shorter arms (32 1/8 inches) and played with an edge. He might see a bit of himself in Barton, who’s 6-5, 313lbs, has 32 7/8 inch arms and plays with an edge.

#23 Arizona (v/MIN, HOU, CLE) — Jared Verse (DE, Florida State)
After trading down 19 spots, they still get Verse and a haul of picks. What a draft this would be for the Cardinals.

#24 Dallas — Olu Fashanu (T, Penn State)
I think he might last longer than people think.

#25 Green Bay — Tyler Guyton (T, Oklahoma)
They need to add to the tackle position and Guyton can play on the left or right side of the line.

TRADE #26 Washington (v/TB) — Jordan Morgan (T/G, Arizona)
The Commanders see the left tackle options running out so move up in a deal with the Buccs to get Morgan.

#27 Arizona (v/HOU) — Nate Wiggins (CB, Clemson)
The Cardinals continue to build their defense up with a fast, talented cornerback.

#28 Buffalo — Adonai Mitchell (WR, Texas)
The Bills replace Stefon Diggs without needing to trade up.

#29 Detroit — Kamari Lassiter (CB, Georgia)
I think people are sleeping way too much on Lassiter, who I liked a lot on tape and in combine drills.

#30 Baltimore — Ladd McKonkey (WR, Georgia)
The Ravens take a dynamic outside receiver who is Mr. Reliable with excellent upside.

#31 San Francisco — Jer’Zhan Newton (DT, Illinois)
The 49ers continue to use first round picks on their defensive line.

#32 Kansas City — Cooper DeJean (CB, Iowa)
The Chiefs generally draft for top-tier physical traits.

Round two

TRADE #33 Tennessee (v/CAR) — Roger Rosengarten (T, Washington)
#34 New England — Kingsley Suamataia (T, BYU)
#35 Arizona — Ricky Pearsall (WR, Florida)
#36 Tampa Bay (v/WAS) — Jackson Powers-Johnson (C, Oregon)
#37 LA Chargers — Darius Robinson (DE, Missouri)
#38 Carolina (v/TEN) — Xavier Worthy (WR, Texas)
#39 Carolina (v/NYG) — Ben Sinnott (TE, Kansas State)
#40 Washington (v/CHI) — Malachi Corley (WR, Western Kentucky)
#41 Green Bay (v/NYJ) — Junior Colson (LB, Michigan)
#42 Houston (v/MIN) — Kool-aid McKinstry (CB, Alabama)
#43 Atlanta — T.J. Tampa (CB, Iowa State)
#44 Las Vegas — Troy Franklin (WR, Oregon)
#45 New Orleans (v/DEN) — Keon Coleman (WR, Florida State)
#46 Indianapolis — Braden Fiske (DT, Florida State)
#47 NY Giants (v/SEA) — Mike Sainristil (CB, Michigan)
#48 Jacksonville — Michael Hall Jr (DT, Ohio State)
#49 Cincinnati — T’Vondre Sweat (DT, Texas)
#50 Philadelphia (v/NO) — Javon Bullard (S, Georgia)
#51 Pittsburgh — Roman Wilson (WR, Michigan)
#52 LA Rams — Spencer Rattler (QB, South Carolina)
#53 Philadelphia — Xavier Legette (WR, South Carolina)
#54 Cleveland — Edgerrin Cooper (LB, Mississippi State)
#55 Miami — Cooper Beebe (G, Kansas State)
#56 Dallas — Zach Frazier (C, West Virginia)
#57 Tampa Bay — Payton Wilson (LB, NC State)
#58 Green Bay — Cole Bishop (S, Utah)
#59 Houston — J’Tavion Sanders (TE, Texas)
#60 Buffalo — Tyler Nubin (S, Minnesota)
#61 Detroit — Ja’Lynn Polk (WR, Washington)
#62 Baltimore — Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (S, Texas Tech)
#63 San Francisco — Christian Haynes (G, Connecticut)
#64 Kansas City — Jalen McMillan (WR, Washington)

Players not included in the two-round mock

Bo Nix (QB, Oregon)
Zak Zinter (G, Michigan)
Theo Johnson (TE, Penn State)
Ruke Orhorhoro (DT, Clemson)
Bralen Trice (DE, Washington)
Chris Braswell (DE, Alabama)
Brandon Coleman (T, TCU)
Jermaine Burton (WR, Alabama)
Trey Benson (RB, Florida State)
Jaylen Wright (RB, Tennessee)

The trades explained

Denver trades #12 plus their 2025 & 2026 first rounders to Arizona for the #4 pick
The Broncos make their move to get J.J. McCarthy, giving up a haul of picks to do so. Sean Payton has never been afraid to use future picks to get the guy he wants.

Minnesota trades #23, #108 and their 2025 first rounder and 2026 second rounder to Arizona for the #11 pick
The Cardinals come out of this mock in possession of Denver and Minnesota’s first round picks next year, plus Denver’s first and Minnesota’s second in 2026. They are still able to select Jared Verse and Nate Wiggins in round one. They win the 2024 draft.

Philadelphia trades #22, #120, #161 and a 2025 second rounder to Seattle for the #16 pick and a 2025 fourth rounder
The Eagles need youth and talent at cornerback and after seeing Quinyon Mitchell leave the board at #15, they don’t hang around and make a move to get Terrion Arnold.

Washington trades #34 and #78 to Tampa Bay for the #26 pick
The Commanders need a left tackle and find a willing trade partner in the Buccs, allowing them to move up for Jordan Morgan.

Tennessee trades #38, #106 and #182 to Carolina for the #33 pick
The Titans work a deal with the Panthers before round two kicks off, enabling them to jump ahead of New England so they can select Roger Rosengarten (who has the ability to play left or right tackle).

Thoughts on the Seahawks’ first round pick

I continue to think if Troy Fautanu and Taliese Fuaga are off the board at #16, the Seahawks will trade down. That was the case in this projection and I think this scenario is very likely.

Ideally they’d get a big offer that includes an additional day-two pick, preferably a second rounder. However, I think teams will really value their second round picks in this class and will be wary to give them away. Plus, trade-up candidates such as Dallas, Green Bay and Buffalo all address needs without having to trade up in this mock.

I have the Seahawks doing a deal with the Eagles to get a fourth and fifth round pick this year, plus a swap of picks in 2025 (Seattle gets Philly’s second rounder, the Eagles get the Seahawks’ fourth rounder). It’s fair value per the trade chart, given the 2025 second rounder will carry the value of a third. The Seahawks accept their fate in this draft, get something of real value for next year and trade down into a range where they can still get a player they really like in round one.

The Eagles are very much in ‘win right now’ mode and might be prepared to be aggressive, as they have been in the past.

Graham Barton is plugged in at left guard immediately, with the Seahawks seeing value in his ability to potentially play center or tackle too. His talent is worthy of the 22nd pick — so it’s a nice case of need meeting value.

This would leave the Seahawks with a third rounder (#81), three fourth rounders (#102, #118, #120), a fifth rounder (#161) two sixth rounders (#179, #192) and a seventh rounder (#235).

They’d have the option to use all of those picks — and there will be good options through to round four — or they could use this stock to move up from #81 if a player they really like drops into range. Or, they could package two fourth’s to get back into round three.

Seahawks seven round mock

#22 (R1) Graham Barton (T/G/C, Duke)

As discussed above, he’d be a plug-and-play offensive lineman drafted in a range that matches need with talent.

Seahawks trade #120 to the New York Giants to move from #81 to #70

#70 (R3) Bralen Trice (DE, Washington)

Trice was sick prior to the combine, lost a ton of weight and performed poorly. His stock has dropped. The Seahawks might sense an opportunity to trade up and get excellent value. Trice had the same pass rush grade (per PFF) as Jared Verse (90.8) and he was well ahead of Dallas Turner (89.3). He led the NCAA in pressures (80) and hurries (53) in 2023, plus he was second for QB hits (19). This is an opportunity to add a dynamic talent at a value range.

#102 (R4) Dominique Hampton (S, Washington)

I’m not a Husky fan before anyone asks — but tapping into a team that reached the National Championship game isn’t a bad thing. Hampton is a dynamic athlete and a versatile safety who plays with toughness and discipline. He’d be an ideal fit in Macdonald’s defense.

#118 (R4) Ryan Flournoy (WR, SE Missouri State)

He shone at the Senior Bowl, gaining separation with ease in 1v1’s. He ran a 4.44 and jumped a 39.5 inch vertical. He also has massive 10 1/8 inch hands for a player who’s only 6-1 and 202lbs. Flournoy is well known for his high level of football character.

#161 (R5) Nathaniel Watson (LB, Mississippi State)

Macdonald says his defenders need to blitz. Nobody blitzes better than Watson, with 21 college sacks from linebacker. He has an old-school mentality, fits perfectly for the 3-4 defensive system and has quickness shown via a 1.59 10-yard split. Watson also called the plays on defense for Mississippi State.

#179 (R6) Jack Westover (TE, Washington)

Another Husky pick — but Westover was clutch in big moments during the 2023 season. The Seahawks need to add a tight end at some point and if they get this far without adding one, Westover would be a good option.

#192 (R6) Karsen Barnhart (G, Michigan)

The Seahawks met with him at Michigan’s pro-day. He has positional versatility, everyone on that Michigan line plays with toughness and he has some explosive ability (9-3 broad jump).

#235 (R7) Emani Bailey (RB, TCU)

He’s an ideal third-down back — capable of running crisp routes with soft hands. As a runner, he finishes and plays with aggression. He shone during the Senior Bowl game and should’ve been MVP.

Thoughts on the Seahawks’ seven rounder

It might not be the flashiest draft but if the Seahawks can’t fill the hole between #16 and #81 by trading down, this might be the type of class they end up with. There’s no guarantee better offers will be available to trade down.

Barton would fill a void at guard and could develop into an all-pro at his position — he has the talent to achieve it. Trice’s stock might’ve taken a hit after the combine but he was a regular impact player at UW and could be a third round steal, enabling the Seahawks to get a top-50 talent.

Hampton is a far better player than I think people realise and could be an immediate impact player, while Flournoy could easily be a nice receiver option for the future when Tyler Lockett eventually moves on. Watson has starter level potential while Westover, Barnhart and Bailey provide depth.

The addition of Trice could allow the Seahawks to save money by cutting Darrell Taylor or trading Dre’Mont Jones after June 1st to create cap room.

Again, it feels like a plausible projection and one that it’d be difficult to challenge if this is all they can get to trade down. Is a draft like this going to dramatically alter Seattle’s ability to be a contender, though? Sadly, I don’t think so.

Is there anything they can do differently to have a transformational draft?

I think there are two possible options. One, is to hit on a player so good that he completely transforms one side of the ball. Typically that only happens when you land a franchise quarterback or a true, elite pass rusher.

The other is to accumulate numerous picks in the first three rounds and hit on a lot of players in a big way. That would mean trading down and getting a great offer.

In this scenario, with five quarterbacks off the board by pick #12, the chances of getting a franchise-changing quarterback are remote. The available player who I do think could have difference making ability is Chop Robinson. There is legitimately some Micah Parsons to his game. His get-off is top-notch and his ability to bend and straighten off the edge is incredible. If you stick and pick at #16, take him, and he becomes anything close to Parsons — that could be transformational. It’s good to see the Seahawks arranged an official-30 visit with Robinson.

Can they get a great offer to move down? Sure. But as noted in the mock — this isn’t the kind of class where teams are likely to be desperate to relieve themselves of day two picks. Plus, the Seahawks won’t be the only team looking to move down. That means, perhaps, there’s a case to be made for sticking and picking at #16 if a player like Robinson is available — rolling the dice on a high upside talent with blue-chip credentials, rather than just trying to have the kind of ‘decent’ draft I’ve projected above.

Players who will go earlier than people think

Every year there are players who are underrated in the media. Here are five players who will go earlier than projections are suggesting…

Dominique Hampton (S, Washington)

There’s a chance he’ll go as early as the third round and at worst the early fourth. Hampton has excellent size and length (6-2, 215lbs, +33 inch arms) and at the combine he ran a 4.14 short shuttle and jumped a 39 inch vertical. This is elite-level athleticism for his position. My source at UW had this to say about him:

“Freak of nature, smart, consistent and he’s a great dude. Quiet killer. Our defensive scheme funnelled the vast majority of plays to the strong safety by design and he was good enough in that key position for us to go to a Championship”

On most simulators I see him regularly available in the later rounds. That won’t happen. He’s going to go a lot earlier than people think and it won’t be a surprise if a team like the Seahawks keep a keen eye on him.

Ben Sinnott (TE, Kansas State)

I notice that he’s often available in round three on most simulators and in one of his recent draft previews, Brock Huard said Sinnott was a fourth round pick. I don’t think there’s much chance he gets out of the top-50 and he could go in the top-40. At 250lbs he ran an elite 1.59 10-yard split and a 4.23 short shuttle. These are the two key metrics at tight end. On top of this, he jumped a 40 inch vertical.

Sinnott has A+ character and will be a versatile chess piece capable of lining up in a variety of different roles from in-line tight end to H-back and full back. He finishes every play, can make the spectacular happen and he’s very reliable.

The thing that makes him stand out, though, is the fact he basically led Kansas State’s offense last season. Jim Nagy made this point when I interviewed him last week — the Wildcats didn’t have a premier receiver to draw coverage. They had to go through Sinnott — and he delivered, producing 676 yards and six touchdowns. That trailed only Brock Bowers, J’Tavion Sanders and Dallin Holker among tight ends in college football in 2023.

He’s a safe pick with high upside and as teams look for the next player capable of having a Sam LaPorta impact — Sinnott has a chance to be that type of player.

Beaux Limmer (G, Arkansas)

Teams do pay attention to explosive traits in the trenches and Limmer is by far the most explosive offensive lineman to enter the league since 2016. His 3.68 TEF score dwarfs former top testers like Tristan Wirfs (3.47), Peter Skoronski (3.37) and Bernhard Raimann (3.37).

His best position is guard and although he shifted to center to help out Arkansas, he’ll be at home moving back to his preferred role while retaining some positional flexibility.

Limmer’s short arms (32 inches) aren’t helpful but his hand placement is good, he gets his angles right and when he doesn’t have to focus on snapping and then getting into position, he’ll have every chance to be an attack-minded aggressor.

Typically you see him projected in the later rounds but it’ll be a surprise if he doesn’t go in the third with his major physical upside.

Nathaniel Watson (LB, Mississippi State)

I don’t understand why there’s so little buzz around Watson compared to other linebackers in this class. We’re talking about a player who can play inside or outside linebacker in a 3-4 system. He called the plays for Mississippi State’s defense (college football’s version of a green-dot player). He can blitz better than any other player at his position in this class (21 career sacks) and he has an old-school demeanour.

He’s not a physical slouch either. He ran a 1.59 10-yard split which shows he has some burst and acceleration and he plays with length (33 inch arms) and heavy hands (10 inches).

Critically for the Seahawks especially, he’s also a finisher. He had the sixth best missed tackle percentage among college linebackers last season (5.4%) and was only a notch below bigger names Peyton Wilson and Junior Colson (both 4.7%).

Most mocks and simulators have Watson as a late day three pick but I think he’s much more likely to go in the fourth round.

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (S, Texas Tech)

I like the safety class more than most and believe the likes of Tyler Nubin, Javon Bullard, Malik Mustapha, Jaden Hicks, Cole Bishop, Dominique Hampton and Kitan Oladapo have a great chance to become effective starters in a value range. One name who could rival Nubin and Bullard to be the first off the board (depending on how you want to describe Cooper DeJean’s position in the NFL) is Texas Tech’s Taylor-Demerson.

He was the first safety I watched during the 2023 season and he immediately created an impression. You can see his athleticism on tape and it wasn’t a surprise he ran a 4.41 and jumped a 38 inch vertical at 5-10 and 200lbs.

Aside from the traits, he plays with great instinct. He has a tendency to be at the right place at the right time, enabling him to record 10 interceptions in three seasons. He plays with range and can cover ground to get into the right position quickly. He also has genuine positional flexibility and can line up anywhere on the back-end or in the nickel role to help disguise intentions.

It won’t be a surprise if he sneaks into the back-end of round two.

Other predictions I feel confident about

— Troy Fautanu will not make it to the 16th pick for Seattle because he’s a brilliant tackle and we need to stop all this guard talk just because, in the past, people thought he lacked the size to stick outside. He has 34.5 inch arms. He’s a tackle and a bloody good one. He’s a top athlete, he plays with a level of aggression teams will love and he’s one of the 10 best players in this draft. He’s bigger, longer and more athletic than Alijah Vera-Tucker — and a team traded up to #14 to draft him. I think there’s almost no chance he gets to #16 yet he’s the trendy pick for Seattle. I don’t think people realise how good Fautanu actually is.

— Amarius Mims won’t get out of the top-20. When you have his frame and you look as natural on tape as he does, this isn’t a player who lasts in round one. Sure, the lack of playing time is a thing. Yet it’s not just because of injuries — it’s also because he had to bide his time on a loaded Georgia team. It won’t be a surprise if some teams believe he can be the best tackle from this class with the right coaching and guidance. Pittsburgh at #20 might be his floor — he’s just too big, too comfortable in his movement at his size and he plays too important a position to last deep into round one.

— Olu Fashanu, alternatively, will not go as early as people think. I’ve never quite understood the way he is discussed in the media. He’s always had technical flaws. A year ago, had he declared, teams likely would’ve put it down to inexperience. When those same flaws appeared during the 2023 season, you start to wonder why. On top of this, he literally has the same sized hands as small-handed quarterback Kenny Pickett (8.5 inches). This isn’t a good thing when you need to play with heavy hands. He’s a first round pick — but he’s not a top-10 pick.

Value fourth round picks

I think there’s every chance the Seahawks will trade down from #16 if/when Troy Fautanu and Taliese Fuaga come off the board. However, they might not be able to get the day two picks they probably crave to move down. It’s not a big problem though, because round four is likely to be full of good options.

I’ve already talked about two great prospects (Nathaniel Watson and, if they’re lucky, Dominique Hampton). Here are some more:

Malik Mustapha (S, Wake Forest)
On tape he reminded me of Budda Baker. For some reason his stock has never taken off. He’s an A+ character player, who I interviewed a few weeks ago. He has legit starting potential. Team captain and a vocal leader.

Brennan Jackson (EDGE, Washington State)
He ran a 1.62 10-yard split despite not being 100% healthy, then ran a 4.34 short shuttle at pro-day (the same as Laiatu Latu). He plays ever snap like his life depends on it and he’s a playmaker off the edge. Fantastic communicator who I interviewed recently. Team captain.

McKinley Jackson (DT, Texas A&M)
The heart and soul leader of the Aggies defense, Jackson lacks dynamic physical traits but he’s aggressive, can play the run well and he can provide some pass rush. He’s a player who could really come on at the next level playing with better players. Team captain.

Tip Reiman (TE, Illinois)
His lack of action as a receiver will stymy his stock and he looked a bit awkward at the start of the season running routes — yet he’s a strong blocker with exceptional upside (1.55 10-yard split, 4.26 shuttle). Team captain.

Tanor Bortolini (C, Wisconsin)
High character, major upside player who fits the mould of the dynamic, athletic center many teams look for these days. He ran a 4.94 and a 4.28 shuttle at 303lbs, then jumped a 32.5 inch vertical and a 9-4 broad. His 7.16 three-cone is basically a time you’d expect for a really agile tight end. Technically strong.

Fabien Lovett Sr. (DT, Florida State)
Widely respected as a high-character individual, Lovett Sr. has exceptional length (35.5 inch arms) for his 6-5 and 314lbs frame. He’s a tremendously stout two-gapper who plays with consistently heavy 10.5 inch hands. Gets the job done. Team captain.

Caedan Wallace (T, Penn State)
A really consistent blocker who never seems to get flustered and is just really difficult to beat. He could end up having a far better career than some of the bigger name tackles set to go early. Ideal size (6-5, 314lbs, 34 inch arms, nearly 11 inch hands) and tested well (31 inch vertical, 9-8 broad).

Ray Davis (RB, Kentucky)
Incredible upbringing has created a hardened, determined individual who people gravitate towards. Was visibly leading his group at the combine and was the loudest supporter of teammates at the UK pro-day. Runs through contact but more importantly for the Seahawks, has the hands and route-running discipline to be a great third down back.

Tylan Grable (T, UCF)
A high-upside tackle who could play either side of the line. He’s a former quarterback who is now 6-6, 306lbs and has 33.5 inch arms and 10 1/8 inch hands. He ran a 4.95 forty, a 1.69 10-yard split and jumped a 36.5 inch vertical and a 9-9 broad. In terms of physical upside, he has NFL starter level talent.

Jaylen Harrell (EDGE, Missouri)
He has the talent to be a threat off the edge and his testing numbers (pro-day & combine) suggest he has physical upside too. He’s certainly explosive — with a 37 inch vertical and a 9-10 broad. He made some high-impact plays in critical games for Michigan.

How far the Seahawks might be comfortable trading down

This is a draft with a higher than normal number of ‘first round’ players. If Fautanu and Fuaga are off the board by #16, I think the Seahawks will want to trade down. I don’t think they’ll want to trade too far though, to take themselves out of range for the legit first round players.

I think the sweet-spot for this — considering a couple of players will go earlier than they should do — is likely to be around the 26th pick. If the Seahawks trade down beyond that, it’ll likely be because the offers are too good to turn down and possibly include 2025 stock.

It’s been reported this week that Chop Robinson is having an official-30 visit in Seattle. I keep seeing mocks with him lasting into the 20’s, which is stunning for a player that talented. If that’s the case, and the Seahawks move down into the 20’s, they’re right to do as much work as possible on him. He’d be an absolute steal in that range — just as T.J. Watt was as the 30th pick back in 2017.

If it’s not Robinson, someone like Graham Barton would be a viable alternative. I’m not sure you’d want to go any lower than dealing with Green Bay at #25.

Many are suggesting the Bills as possible trade partners but I don’t see it. Buffalo has a lot of needs, so trading away a bunch of stock to move up to #16 just to get, say, Brian Thomas Jr, doesn’t make any sense in a loaded receiver class. Neither would it really benefit the Seahawks unless it’s an amazing offer, because #28 likely takes you out of range for the first rounders in this draft.

The Bills and Chiefs might have to give up a haul to get to #16. For that reason, Philadelphia (#22) and Green Bay (#25) might be more likely trade partners.

Wherever Seattle picks in round one — I think ‘best player available’ is the likely approach. If Fautanu or Fuaga make it to #16, I think they’ll stick and pick.

Another thing on Chop Robinson…

The Ravens selected Odafe Oweh in the first round three years ago, a year before Mike Macdonald was appointed defensive coordinator in 2022. Oweh ran a reported 1.59 10-yard split at pro-day, along with a 4.20 short shuttle. He also jumped a 39.5 inch vertical. he was 6-5 and 257lbs. Robinson ran a blistering 1.54 10-yard split, a 4.25 short shuttle and jumped a 34.5 inch vertical at 254lbs. There are some similarities here — so this is a ‘fit’ in terms of Baltimore’s approach to building their defense.

Oweh had a 56.8 PFF grade in 2022 when Macdonald returned to the Ravens. In 2023, that grade massively increased to an 80.7. So Macdonald’s had some success developing a player like this in his system. I’d also suggest that Robinson’s pass-rushing tape is far better than Oweh’s was.

Granted, the Seahawks may well feel that Macdonald can do for Darrell Taylor what he did for Oweh. Thus, that would make this pick redundant. I also think you can invest too much in edge rushers if they’re going to struggle to get on the field. With only two of Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and potentially Robinson being able to play at the same time, this will be difficult to justify if the end product isn’t an outstanding pass rush.

Even so, Robinson is that good. Given the flexibility they have to get out of Taylor’s contract — I wouldn’t rule out a pick like this first up. Especially if they believe he has game-wrecking potential.

Abe Lucas at guard?

I keep hearing fans and media alike questioning Abe Lucas’ fit at guard. So I’m going to keep chucking this line into my articles…

The Washington Huskies last season had Nate Kalepo at guard. He’s 6-6 and 327lbs and a former High School tackle. Before that, Jaxson Kirkland — who is 6-8 and 321lbs — played guard after shifting inside from tackle. Clearly, Scott Huff is very comfortable using big, tall interior linemen. There’s no reason to think a player like Lucas couldn’t kick inside in this scheme if he’s healthy. And it opens up the possibility of Seattle drafting a tackle in round one.

And a final note…

I asked my source at UW for his prediction on a range for Michael Penix Jr. This was before the Falcons signed Kirk Cousins — but this was his response:

“He won’t get past Atlanta and Minnesota”

So seeing this today isn’t a huge surprise:

The Falcons are sending a sizable group to Seattle to conduct a private workout with Washington QB Michael Penix today, per sources. HC Raheem Morris and GM Terry Fontenot are among those in the traveling party, which left this morning.

Atlanta holds the eighth overall pick.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) April 5, 2024

The Falcons are tied to Cousins until the end of 2025. That’s it. And Cousins is coming off a serious achilles injury.

It may or may not happen — but planning for the future in Atlanta wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world. Good teams should always be planning for now and the future at QB.

If you missed it yesterday, don’t forget to check out my first appearance on the new Puck Sports show, available wherever you get your podcasts:

Every Thursday I’ll be appearing on Puck Sports, courtesy of Superior Linen. Our first show is out now so please check it out below and be sure to subscribe (Puck Sports is available wherever you get your podcasts). Also today, Puck has a great interview up with Mike Garafolo.

As I’ve been mentioning a fair bit recently, it does seem an awful lot like the Seahawks are setting themselves up for an O-line centric draft. By now everyone knows this is the best offensive line class in years. It feels like ‘best player available’ will perfectly match ‘need’ as far as the Seahawks are concerned — whether they stay at #16 or move down.

I’ve long felt that Troy Fautanu and Taliese Fuaga would be ideal picks. Their highly aggressive, athletic playing styles are a great match for what Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff appear to want to create. Either player would potentially be a ‘must draft’ at #16 short of an unbelievable trade-down offer.

I don’t think Fautanu or Fuaga will last to #16 personally. I sense that’ll be the case even if Michael Penix Jr comes off the board in the top-15 (more on that in a bit).

If that happens, they could trade down. Or they could pick from the pool of remaining players — which would still include highly talented O-liners such as J.C. Latham, Amarius Mims and Tyler Guyton.

I’ve also talked about the possibility of Seattle moving down and selecting someone like Graham Barton. Lance Zierlein projected this in his latest mock draft. The only problem is, I’m not convinced Barton will get by Pittsburgh at #20 and Miami at #21. Especially after his superb pro-day.

Anyway, that’s enough of a throat-clearing. Onto the key topic at hand.

Would the Seahawks be doing the right thing if they focus on the O-line?

It’s not the ‘of course, duh’ answer you might think. Clearly O-line is a need. Clearly the Seahawks would benefit from being better up front on offense.

However, there’s something else to consider. I talked about this with Brian Nemhauser and Jeff Simmons on the Hawkblogger Mornings podcast on Sunday.

John Schneider’s approach, or the approach during the Pete Carroll era at least, has been to fill out the roster as much as possible. This works alongside the vision that Schneider has reiterated again this off-season. He’s said their intention is to try and compete next season. He says it is the remit of Jody Allen to try and compete every year — however unrealistic that might seem currently.

I’m not sure this is the best approach.

The idea, I’m sure, is to create a nice balance by spreading your resources across the roster. That sounds good but can it prevent you from ever achieving greatness in one particular area without consistently elite drafting and/or great luck? Are you better off being balanced, or are you better off trying to invest heavily in one important aspect of your team to create a positional group that is the envy of the league?

For example, should the Seahawks try and create the best defensive line possible — having already invested a lot in the defensive front — to create a potential top-five unit? It might leave the offensive line weak in 2024. Would it be worth it to possess a potentially ‘great’ D-line — something that could be the foundation for a contending team in the future?

Let’s put it this way. How would you feel if the Seahawks were starting Laken Tomlinson, Olu Oluwatimi and Anthony Bradford in 2024 — if it meant spending your top pick on another interior pass rusher to try and create something special?

Can the current D-line deliver ‘special’? Will the offensive line reach anywhere near that level just with a couple of high draft picks? Or will you just be left with, at best, two units that are potentially ‘decent’ (all being well).

The idea of trying to craft a great defensive line intrigues me. Would this be a better process for building greatness? Focusing on making one unit ‘great’ while creating an identity for the Mike Macdonald era?

Brian, Jeff and I conducted a mock draft simulation where we traded down a few spots, selected Byron Murphy the defensive tackle and then with an acquired second rounder we selected his Texas teammate T’Vondre Sweat. It’s overkill, granted. Two more defensive tackles? To add to what you already have? That probably isn’t realistic.

Yet think of it this way. You’d suddenly be able to field a defensive front that included the dynamic Murphy with the disruptive Leonard Williams. On early downs you can anchor with Sweat in the middle. The likes of Jarran Reed and Cam Young could rotate in. You’d have flexibility to trade Dre’Mont Jones after June 1st for much-needed cap relief ($11.5m) and you’d have the edge rushers in Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and Darrell Taylor to work the edges.

That could become a big-time identity for this team. Even if you only took Murphy instead of the two Texas DT’s — this would be a defensive front that might just scare the likes of San Francisco and the LA Rams. Fancy that. After years of worrying about the way those two teams rush the passer, you could reinforce your D-line at the exact time they lose Arik Armstead and Aaron Donald. It’d be poetic.

There’s probably a lesson to learn from the 49ers. They relentlessly spent their first round picks on the D-line. Armstead (2015), DeForest Buckner (2016), Solomon Thomas (2017), Nick Bosa (2019) and Javon Kinlaw (2020). They also paid big money to Javon Hargrave a year ago, used a second rounder to trade for Dee Ford, rented Chase Young for a third rounder and recently paid Leonard Floyd.

They’ve made a concerted effort to build up a fearsome pass rush and that was their identity. Comparatively, they’ve spent very little on the O-line. They traded for Trent Williams, paid him, and drafted Mike McGlinchey (before letting him walk). They also spent a second rounder on Aaron Banks.

With Macdonald as Head Coach in Seattle now, should the Seahawks go all-in on their defensive line too? Should they be looking to add even more talent, with the mindset of beating the 49ers at their own game?

For what it’s worth, it wouldn’t necessarily have to be a defensive tackle either. If they believe Chop Robinson has Micah Parsons-level upside — as I do — then he could be an option too. I’m just not sure, having invested so much in Nwosu, Mafe and Hall, whether they want to limit their reps rather than plan for life beyond Jarran Reed (who has one year left on his deal).

Here’s what this would mean for the O-line. It’d likely mean one of Tomlinson or Cody Whitehair at left guard. It’d mean the highest pick you spend on the O-line could be #81. It might mean a line that struggles to function and would be relying on superior coaching and guidance to succeed.

I suppose you could argue that is going to be the case anyway, even if you spend a high pick on one offensive lineman. They are going to be young. There are going to be question marks. But the perception will be that the Seahawks aren’t taking this unit seriously if they ignore it early in the draft. If the line fails in 2024, that will lead to criticism.

It’s a tough call to make. Yet it’s also a debate we should have. The Seahawks can’t afford to just sit comfortably in the middle of the NFL, pretending to compete because at 8-8 they might sneak into the playoffs in the final game (they did in 2022 and failed to in 2023). How do you break out of this zone, short of landing an elite quarterback? Yet until the Seahawks find that player, how do they start to go into seasons feeling as bullish as the 49ers or Eagles in recent years, or as the Lions currently are after a short rebuild? They need a serious plan to become ‘great’ not just ‘good enough not to be bad’ or ‘as balanced as possible’.

A terrifying D-line feels like a pathway to breaking out of being one of the NFL’s ‘beige’ teams.

The one other thing to consider is this is a draft class with starter-level O-liners available in the middle rounds. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with going after Michigan’s linemen — such as Zak Zinter or Trevor Keegan — after they demolished most college opponents last season. The likes of Dominick Puni, Christian Haynes, Mason McCormick, Beaux Limmer and Jacob Monk could offer solutions. There are others you could mention too.

The situation wouldn’t be a total lost cause if you waited until the middle rounds — but again, it’d be risky if it didn’t work.

Given what we know about the Seahawks with Schneider as GM, I suspect they’ve done most of their business on the D-line. This is the GM who once said ‘you can find a nose tackle’ anywhere provided he did the job in college at a reasonable level. I think Johnathan Hankins rotating with Cam Young and/or Jarran Reed is your nose tackle situation sorted. They may well keep Dre’Mont Jones to operate with Leonard Williams as interior rushers, with Mike Morris and Myles Adams mixing in too.

They’ve already used three second round picks at edge rusher in recent years and they paid Nwosu.

My guess is they’re likely going to challenge Macdonald and his staff to turn what they already have into a potent force and they’re much more likely to spend their first two picks on the O-line, rather than gamble on mid-round picks to offer solutions.

It’s a debate worth having though. Should the Seahawks try and add to what they already have on the D-line? Should they try to emulate San Francisco’s ‘you can never have enough good defensive linemen’ approach? Should they be trying to create a pass rush that is the envy of the NFC to find a way to be difference makers in key games, rather than hope a balanced team will be sufficiently good enough as a collective?

I said I’d come back to Michael Penix Jr and his stock. A connected friend reiterated his belief to me this week that the Washington quarterback will be off the board by the #16 pick. In the media, he’s picking up steam at the same time that Drake Maye’s stock seems to be falling. For what it’s worth, I’ve had Penix Jr ahead of Maye on my horizontal board for a while.

Don’t be surprised if Penix Jr goes earlier than many have been thinking. He has flaws, he has medical concerns — but he also has a sensational arm.

I think it’s very plausible Caleb Williams goes #1 to Chicago, the Commanders take Jayden Daniels with the #2 pick. Then it gets interesting. I think the Pats may well look to trade down. I’ve said a few times — Ron Wolf is often mistaken as a quarterback guy. I’ve spoken to people who worked for him and he was all about the trenches. His son, Eliot, may well trade down with the intention of taking an offensive lineman. Or, as my source mentioned, don’t be shocked if they pick Rome Odunze (there are connections there on the staff) or even Michael Penix Jr (they’ve shown a lot of interest).

If the Vikings move up to #3 — there are two trains of thought. One, that they’ll take Maye — in part because Josh McCown, now on the Minnesota staff, coached him in High School. Two, that they’ll prefer J.J. McCarthy because they are an analytically-driven front office and McCarthy has the better analytics in key areas such as third downs and completion percentage when scrambling.

That could set up a situation where it’s a Williams, Daniels and McCarthy top three — and then Arizona will be in an interesting spot. Will teams be prepared to trade up for Maye or will he, as Lance Zierlein has been suggesting, suffer a small drop? Would he get past the Giants at #6? I suspect not, given Brian Daboll has had success with raw, physical talents in the past. But I wouldn’t rule out a Maye fall, or Penix Jr being the fourth off the board.

I don’t think any of this makes it more likely that Fautanu or Fuaga last to #16 though. I think the media is overrating Joe Alt and it’s definitely overrating Olu Fashanu. Besides, with the Chargers, Titans, Bears, Raiders, Saints and potentially the Colts all in the O-line market (Chris Ballard went onto the field at the combine specifically to watch the offensive linemen work out) — we’re still likely to see something of a run on the position.

It won’t be a bad thing if you’re in favour of trading down. Teams in the 20’s and 30’s will be eager to trade up for the last of the top offensive tackles, the top two cornerbacks or the remaining top pass rushers. Brian Thomas Jr could also be a desirable prospect as WR4. There’s a lot of fatalism when it comes to trading down among Seahawks fans (wrongly, in my opinion). This team needs to add talent in a number of areas and this is draft chock-full of possibilities on day two.

I’m heading on vacation for the next week. I’ll still be writing and posting on the blog but I wanted to put a video out before setting off to the airport. Here’s my expectation for what the Seahawks are going to do at #16…

Today I’ll be making an appearance on Brian’s ‘Hawkblogger Mornings’ series, along with Jeff. Do join us for some quality Seahawks debate and discussion.