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Following Friday’s day of drama, I thought I’d join the millions of others rushing to put out another mock draft.

To recap — the 49ers traded up from #12 to #3 in order to position themselves to get a quarterback. Miami, having traded down to #12, then struck a deal with the Eagles to move back up to #6.

Here are a few notes before getting into a two-round mock:

— When thinking about what the 49ers might do, consider the following. Kyle Shanahan has predominantly had success with Matt Schaub, Kirk Cousins and Matt Ryan. They traded for Jimmy Garoppolo. They passed on Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. The scrambling, creative, improvising quarterbacks have not been Shanahan’s style. The players capable of staying on schedule, playing within structure and distributing the ball quickly and on time are the ones he’s gone with. A lot of people might not want to believe this but when you really think about it, Mac Jones could easily be their guy.

— Why would you trade so much to get up to #3 for Jones? Consider that many people, such as Mike Tannenbaum, have been saying that the feeling is Jones’ floor was #8 and the Panthers. If you truly believe Jones is the guy you can win with — and you know you have to trade into the top-seven — you might as well just go to #3 and make sure you get him. If you believe in a quarterback strongly enough to take them in the top-10, you clearly believe they are franchise-QB material. So while it seems expensive, is it really if you think you’ve found ‘the guy’?

— According to Tony Pauline, the Dolphins are planning to avoid players who held out of the 2020 season. Personally I think they moved back into the top-six because it was representative of where they think the elite talent stretches to in this class. The money is on them taking a receiver or Penei Sewell. I’m not so sure.

— I’ve spent a lot of time looking at Trey Lance and Justin Fields. I’m not saying for a second they are bad players. But I just cannot project them as high as some currently do. Fields has significant technical floors. From the long stride he makes on delivery to his elongated motion. The inability to process and progress through reads at a high level. That’s a problem. With Lance, he has minimal starts and he too carries technical issues which impacts his accuracy. He doesn’t throw with anticipation in the way some of the other QB’s in this class do.

— The Panthers apparently want to hit a home run at quarterback. Here’s the issue though. With the Deshaun Watson situation increasingly making it look like he won’t be dealt pre-draft, Russell Wilson having no interest in the Panthers and the top QB’s expected to go 1-2-3 — Carolina might have to accept their fate and kick the can down the road to next year.

— I’ve included four more trades in this projection. I have the Patriots moving from #15 to #9 in a deal with the Broncos. I have the Jets and Dolphins also trading back into round one. I have the Panthers trading into the back-end of round two with the Packers trading down.

As usual I’ve written out the mock in list form first, with thoughts on each pick to follow…

First round

#1 Jacksonville — Trevor Lawrence (QB, Clemson)
#2 New York Jets — Zach Wilson (QB, BYU)
#3 San Francisco (v/MIA, HOU) — Mac Jones (QB, Alabama)
#4 Atlanta — Kyle Pitts (TE, Florida)
#5 Cincinnati — Ja’Marr Chase (WR, LSU)
#6 Miami (v/PHI) — Patrick Surtain II (CB, Alabama)
#7 Detroit — DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama)
#8 Carolina — Penei Sewell (T, Oregon)
#9 New England (v/DEN) — Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State)
#10 Dallas — Jaycee Horn (CB, South Carolina)
#11 New York Giants — Rashawn Slater (G, Northwestern)
#12 Philadelphia (v/SF, MIA) — Jaylen Waddle (WR, Alabama)
#13 LA Chargers — Azeez Ojulari (DE, Georgia)
#14 Minnesota — Jaelen Phillips (DE, Miami)
#15 Denver (v/NE) — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB, Notre Dame)
#16 Arizona — Christian Darrisaw (T, Virginia Tech)
#17 Las Vegas — Alijah Vera-Tucker (G, USC)
#18 Miami — Micah Parsons (LB, Penn State)
#19 Washington — Trey Lance (QB, North Dakota State)
#20 Chicago — Elijah Moore (WR, Ole Miss)
#21 Indianapolis — Kwity Paye (DE, Michigan)
#22 Tennessee — Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa)
#23 New York Jets (v/SEA) — Kelvin Joseph (CB, Kentucky)
#24 Pittsburgh — Javonte Williams (RB, North Carolina)
#25 Jacksonville (v/LAR) — Kadarius Toney (WR, Florida)
#26 Cleveland — Levi Onwuzurike (DT, Washington)
#27 Baltimore — Josh Myers (C, Ohio State)
#28 New York Jets (v/NO) — Landon Dickerson (C, Alabama)
#29 Green Bay — Creed Humphrey (C, Oklahoma)
#30 Buffalo — Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson)
#31 Miami (v/KC) — Najee Harris (RB, Alabama)
#32 Tampa Bay — Jayson Oweh (DE, Penn State)

Second round

#33 Jacksonville — Pat Freiermuth (TE, Penn State)
#34 New Orleans (v/NYJ) — Kellen Mond (QB, Texas A&M)
#35 Atlanta — Trevon Moehrig (S, TCU)
#36 Kansas City (v/MIA, HOU) — Quinn Meinerz (G/C, UWW)
#37 Philadelphia — Greg Newsome (CB, Northwestern)
#38 Cincinnati — Christian Barmore (DT, Alabama)
#39 Carolina — Caleb Farley (CB, Virginia Tech)
#40 Denver — Daviyon Nixon (DT, Iowa)
#41 Detroit — Elijah Molden (CB, Washington)
#42 New York Giants — Gregory Rousseau (DE, Miami)
#43 San Francisco — Eric Stokes (CB, Georgia)
#44 Dallas — Milton Williams (DE/DT, LA Tech)
#45 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Alim McNeill (DT, NC State)
#46 New England — Ben Cleveland (G, Georgia)
#47 LA Chargers — Jalen Mayfield (T, Michigan)
#48 Las Vegas — Baron Browning (LB, Ohio State)
#49 Arizona — Brevin Jordan (TE, Miami)
#50 Miami — Tylan Wallace (WR, Oklahoma State)
#51 Washington — Tyson Campbell (CB, Georgia)
#52 Chicago — Wyatt Davis (G, Ohio State)
#53 Tennessee — Rashod Bateman (WR, Minnesota)
#54 Indianapolis — Sam Cosmi (T, Texas)
#55 Pittsburgh — Teven Jenkins (T, Oklahoma State)
#56 Seattle — Alex Leatherwood (G/T, Alabama)
#57 LA Rams — Rondale Moore (WR, Purdue)
#58 Baltimore — Joe Tryon (DE, Washington)
#59 Cleveland — Payton Turner (DE, Houston)
#60 New Orleans — Terrace Marshall Jr (WR, LSU)
#61 Buffalo — Tommy Tremble (TE, Notre Dame)
#62 Carolina (v/GB) — Davis Mills (QB, Stanford)
#63 Kansas City — Walker Little (T, Stanford)
#64 Tampa Bay — Tommy Togiai (DT, Ohio State)

A thought on each pick…

First round

#1 Jacksonville — Trevor Lawrence (QB, Clemson)

Even despite Zach Wilson’s mind-blowing pro-day, the Jaguars are clearly set on Trevor Lawrence being their guy.

#2 New York Jets — Zach Wilson (QB, BYU)
He showed he’s a special talent. The problem for the Jets now is getting value for Sam Darnold.

#3 San Francisco (v/MIA, HOU) — Mac Jones (QB, Alabama)
A lot of people will freak out but the reality is Jones fits the Shanahan offense better than the remaining options here.

#4 Atlanta — Kyle Pitts (TE, Florida)
New GM Terry Fontenot said they would take the best player available here. That’s Pitts.

#5 Cincinnati — Ja’Marr Chase (WR, LSU)
Of course, the offensive line is an issue for the Bengals. But reuniting Joe Burrow with the player he enjoyed so much success with has to be tempting?

#6 Miami (v/PHI) — Patrick Surtain II (CB, Alabama)
Some teams are going to view Surtain as an elite-level player. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dolphins went in this direction here.

#7 Detroit — DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama)
This could be Jaylen Waddle too. But when you’re desperate for a receiver and the player who dominated college football is available, it’ll be hard to pass.

#8 Carolina — Penei Sewell (T, Oregon)
If the Panthers have to punt on addressing the QB position pre-draft, this is a nice consolation prize.

#9 New England (v/DEN) Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State)
Fields shares a lot of similarities to Cam Newton. This would be an ideal transition for the Patriots, who move up to make sure they get their guy.

#10 Dallas — Jaycee Horn (CB, South Carolina)
He looks like a Greek God of a cornerback. Incredibly put together. Dominated Auburn’s Seth Williams.

#11 New York Giants — Rashawn Slater (G, Northwestern)
I’m not as sold on Slater as some others but plenty think he’s a top-10 prospect. I think he’ll make a good guard.

#12 Philadelphia (v/SF, MIA) — Jaylen Waddle (WR, Alabama)
What do the Eagles love at receiver? Pure speed.

#13 LA Chargers — Azeez Ojulari (DE, Georgia)
He’s fast and explosive with a dynamic burst to threaten the edge and the balance to straight and attack the quarterback. He has long arms. He could be special.

#14 Minnesota — Jaelen Phillips (DE, Miami)
Phillips was once a major recruiting superstar and has natural talent to get after the quarterback. Few players have his upside in this draft.

#15 Denver (v/NE) — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB, Notre Dame)
Highly explosive and dynamic — a true first round talent. He can jump a 39-inch vertical and a 10-3 broad jump.

#16 Arizona — Christian Darrisaw (T, Virginia Tech)
The profile is there but he reminds me a bit of Eugene Monroe. Can he be arsed to be great?

#17 Las Vegas — Alijah Vera-Tucker (G, USC)
He’s just a class act. He has short arms so will kick inside but his explosive testing will be right up Tom Cable’s street.

#18 Miami — Micah Parsons (LB, Penn State)
There are some character question marks that could lead to a bit of a fall.

#19 Washington — Trey Lance (QB, North Dakota State)
I’ve said for a while that Lance warrants a grade similar to Jordan Love. This is the range I think he should go in.

#20 Chicago — Elijah Moore (WR, Ole Miss)
Incredible player. Sturdy, explosive and fast. He ran a 4.35 at pro-day.

#21 Indianapolis — Kwity Paye (DE, Michigan)
The Colts love an insane physical profile and while Paye is rough around the edges, he has a high ceiling.

#22 Tennessee — Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa)
He only ran a 5.03 forty at SPARQ but when you put on the tape he jumps off the screen. He looks like a first rounder.

#23 New York Jets (v/SEA) — Kelvin Joseph (CB, Kentucky)
They’ve added some pass rushers so they might pivot here to cornerback and O-line.

#24 Pittsburgh — Javonte Williams (RB, North Carolina)
He had a record 0.48 broken tackles per rush attempt in 2020, registered 7.0 YPC and 4.59 yards-after-contact per carry. He’s exceptional.

#25 Jacksonville (v/LAR) — Kadarius Toney (WR, Florida)
There’s been talk that his main passion in life might be a music career.

#26 Cleveland — Levi Onwuzurike (DT, Washington)
He gets after it up front with effort and speed. He can disrupt. Some will be put off by a lack of length and skinny lower body.

#27 Baltimore — Josh Myers (C, Ohio State)
Incredibly consistent, tough and very athletic center with a long career ahead of him. He ran a 4.49 short shuttle at 310lbs.

#28 New York Jets (v/NO) — Landon Dickerson (C, Alabama)
I have the Jets moving up from #34 to get ahead of Green Bay and Kansas City. Injuries or not, teams are going to clamber over each other for a chance to draft Dickerson.

#29 Green Bay — Creed Humphrey (C, Oklahoma)
He’s a 3.25 TEF tester and teams will covet his mix of explosive physicality, aggressiveness, combo-blocking and agility. Players with his profile go early.

#30 Buffalo — Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson)
In this range they can afford to seek value. Najee Harris is good but Etienne is simply quicker and more explosive.

#31 Miami (v/KC) — Najee Harris (RB, Alabama)
The Dolphins, having added two defensive studs with their first two picks, move up from #36 to add Harris to their offense.

#32 Tampa Bay — Jayson Oweh (DE, Penn State)
They’ve brought everyone back so can take a few shots in the draft. Oweh’s incredible pro-day performance could secure a place at the end of round one.

Second round

#33 Jacksonville — Pat Freiermuth (TE, Penn State)
The ‘Baby Gronk’ nickname is warranted. Superb body control and size. They’ve appointed his old coach.


#34 New Orleans (v/NYJ) — Kellen Mond (QB, Texas A&M)
I think he’s a great talent and he’s worth considering as a quarterback with starter potential.

#35 Atlanta — Trevon Moehrig (S, TCU)
This has become a big need for the Falcons. Moehrig is steady if somewhat unspectacular.

#36 Kansas City (v/MIA, HOU) — Quinn Meinerz (G/C, UWW)
Meinerz is a 3.41 TEF tester with great length and size. He was also superb at the Senior Bowl. He could go earlier than people think.

#37 Philadelphia — Greg Newsome (CB, Northwestern)
He ran a quicker than expected forty but appeared to tire quickly during his pro-day workout.

#38 Cincinnati — Christian Barmore (DT, Alabama)
Turned it on late in the season but had a slow start. No doubt he can flash as a pass rusher in college but can he do it consistently at the next level?

#39 Carolina — Caleb Farley (CB, Virginia Tech)
His injury is a concern. His tackling is another issue.


#40 Denver — Daviyon Nixon (DT, Iowa)

A TFL machine in 2020 (13.5). Nixon creates havoc from the interior and is a true playmaking defensive tackle.

#41 Detroit — Elijah Molden (CB, Washington)
Outstanding player who will only last this long based on his size and straight-line speed. Ran a 3.93 short shuttle at SPARQ and jumped a 37 inch vertical.

#42 New York Giants — Gregory Rousseau (DE, Miami)
He’s long and lean but a lot of his wins are unusual. He’s not a dynamic speed rusher and he lacks the sand in his pants to control as a five-technique.

#43 San Francisco — Eric Stokes (CB, Georgia)
An ascending player with great length, speed, agility and great consistency on tape.

#44 Dallas — Milton Williams (DE/DT, LA Tech)
What a pro-day! He ran a 4.25 short shuttle at 284lbs and jumped a 38.5 inch vertical. Incredible physical talent who can rush inside/out.

#45 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Alim McNeill (DT, NC State)
Massive, highly athletic prospect who will shock people when he runs and does the agility testing. Ran a 4.27 short shuttle at SPARQ.

#46 New England — Ben Cleveland (G, Georgia)
The mountain from Game of Thrones.


#47 LA Chargers — 
Jalen Mayfield (T, Michigan)
Tackle or guard prospect with the skills to succeed at either position

#48 Las Vegas — Baron Browning (LB, Ohio State)
Wow-athlete at linebacker with tremendous character and intensity. Ran a 4.18 short shuttle at SPARQ and jumped a 37 inch vertical.

#49 Arizona — Brevin Jordan (TE, Miami)
He ran a sensational 4.21 short shuttle at 250lbs at SPARQ.

#50 Miami — Tylan Wallace (WR, Oklahoma State)
The Dolphins wait on the receiver position and are rewarded with a highly competitive, very talented player in Wallace.

#51 Washington — Tyson Campbell (CB, Georgia)

He has great size and agility but his agility and change of direction might be an issue and I just didn’t see him play the ball well enough in college.

#52 Chicago — Wyatt Davis (G, Ohio State)
Very solid guard prospect who can start quickly.

#53 Tennessee — Rashod Bateman (WR, Minnesota)
Had a highly consistent 2019 season but followed it up with a weird 2020 — before he wisely took himself out before damaging his stock any further.

#54 Indianapolis — Sam Cosmi (T, Texas)
They need a tackle and the Colts consistently take highly explosive athletes for their O-line. Cosmi excelled at his pro-day.

#55 Pittsburgh — Teven Jenkins (T, Oklahoma State)
He’s big and physical but do you need to kick him up the arse to max out his potential?

#56 Seattle — Alex Leatherwood (G/T, Alabama)
With the top center’s off the board the Seahawks pivot to a tackle for the future. Leatherwood has decent length and jumped a 34.5 inch vertical plus an incredible 9-10 broad. That’s the kind of profile Seattle likes.

#57 LA Rams — Rondale Moore (WR, Purdue)
He’s a first round athlete — the question is whether he’s more than just a gadget player.

#58 Baltimore — Joe Tryon (DE, Washington)
Outstanding athlete who can drop when needed and is a great fit for the Ravens defense.


#59 Cleveland — Payton Turner (DE, Houston)
Massive potential, great personality. A player with a big future.

#60 New Orleans — Terrace Marshall Jr (WR, LSU)
He’s had some concentration drops but he still excelled during a miserable season for LSU.

#61 Buffalo — Tommy Tremble (TE, Notre Dame)
He’s a head-hunter as a blocker. His second name is what players do when they’re near him on a run-block. He destroys defenders.

#62 Carolina (v/GB) — Davis Mills (QB, Stanford)
The Panthers move up to at least buy a lottery ticket at the QB position this year.

#63 Kansas City — Walker Little (T, Stanford)
He has what you want in a left tackle. He’ll only last because he hasn’t played for two years.

#64 Tampa Bay — Tommy Togiai (DT, Ohio State)
Big, physical interior defender with a fantastic motor.

Thoughts on the Seahawks

This is why you sign a draft hedge. Ethan Pocic is eminently replaceable. But you’re picking at #56. You’re not sat there at #23, knowing you’ll be able to get one of the top guys (even after potentially trading down).

Explosive offensive linemen go early. Explosive offensive linemen with good college tape and a top Senior Bowl go even earlier.

I wouldn’t bank on Quinn Meinerz or Creed Humphrey being available and there’s just too much buzz around Landon Dickerson (even with his injury issues).

In this scenario the Seahawks have to look elsewhere.

They could focus on the guard position where options remain in a deep class (Aaron Banks, Trey Smith). I’m not a fan of moving Damien Lewis to center and I really hope they don’t decide to do that. However, it’s the kind of thing Seattle is always willing to contemplate it seems.

They could draft a tackle/guard. In this mock I have them taking Alex Leatherwood. I’m not convinced he has the feet and agility to hold down the left tackle position at the next level. Yet he does have decent length (34.5 inch arms) and major explosive traits. That’s generally what Seattle goes for on the O-line.

Dillon Radunz is a similar prospect they could consider here. D’Ante Smith has great length and excelled in Mobile. Brady Christensen had an unbelievable workout at the BYU pro-day but his lack of length (32 inch arms) is an issue in terms of projecting him to the Seahawks.

They could also move off the O-line altogether and look at receiver. Speed is important here — a 4.4 forty or faster is Seattle’s benchmark.

Rondale Moore is so explosive and quick that he could be an option. However — he’s very much an ‘around the LOS’ and YAC type player when the Seahawks want deep threats. They might prefer D’Wayne Eskridge, who was also available.

Another option could be Duke’s Chris Rumph, depending on how he tests. For me he’s a linebacker who can reduce down rather than a full-time EDGE. He could act as a SAM/LEO for the Seahawks but typically they only take exceptional athletes for that role. He would need to perform well at Duke’s pro-day on Monday. If they don’t re-sign K.J. Wright though, he’s an option.

So many people rush to tell you this draft is a write-off or worth punting on purely because there’s no combine, meetings and a few players opted out of the 2020 season. If you actually study this class, there’s a lot of really good players with quality depth at several positions.

The value from the end of the first deep into the second is not to be sniffed at.

I’ll happily hold my hands up if I’m wrong — but I cannot see any way John Schneider goes into this draft with only three picks. I also can’t see him trading out of the top-60 completely for the sake of a couple of late round picks to boost the coffers.

One way or another — I think they’ll make a move to re-gain stock.

We have to be realistic about how they’re going to do that though. A lot of people, in our comments section and on other sites, thought they could get a third or fourth round pick for Jarran Reed. That was never going to happen. In the end they couldn’t even get a swap of picks or a seventh rounder.

Trading Tyler Lockett would decimate your receiving group and create more friction with the quarterback (Freddie Swain and John Ursua as WR2 & WR3? No chance).

There are only three players on the roster who can be realistically moved to re-gain legitimate stock. The draft is a month away. It should be an interesting few weeks.

If you missed yesterday’s live stream check it out below…

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Before getting into the big news of the day, earlier I conducted a live stream with Robbie, discussing the latest news relating to Seattle’s free agency.

Check it out here…

Now onto the San Francisco 49ers trade.

They’ve moved from #12 to #3, giving up a third rounder this year and their first round picks in 2022 and 2023.

Miami immediately dealt the #12 to Philadelphia for a 2022 first rounder in a crazy, unprecedented day of draft board manoeuvring.

Although no name has been suggested, I have to imagine they are planning to draft Trey Lance.

For starters, he had his pro-day a while ago. Justin Fields’ pro-day isn’t until March 30th. You don’t make a trade like this unless you’re at least convinced by Lance and are willing to be convinced by Fields.

I would suggest, though, that because Lance has had his pro-day that he suitably impressed the Niners and that’s why they made this move.

On top of that — Fields struggles to play within structure, has difficulty processing and progressing through reads and relies on improv. His throwing technique, with a large stride and elongated delivery, needs a ton of work.

This isn’t the way Kyle Shanahan runs his offense.

I wouldn’t completely rule out Mac Jones. Out of the three, he’s arguably the best fit in terms of the offense, scheme and what Shanahan wants to do.

Yet Lance has far more physical upside.

So is this a good move?

I recently watched Lance’s pro-day in full. Here were my notes:

The overwhelming reaction from the workout was positive with media types everywhere heaping praise on Lance.

I watched every throw. I was nowhere near as convinced.

His accuracy was highly inconsistent with too many throws behind the receiver or a fraction high. Remember — he’s throwing against thin air here.

I can’t recall a recent pro-day with so many balls hitting the turf. I saw overthrows and under-throws. He’s toesy with his feet and his technique needs further work to sharpen up his accuracy.

On tape you see some of this show up. North Dakota State does a good job scheming to create wide-open targets. When he has to read plays, go through progressions and throw with anticipation — I thought Lance was lacking.

This isn’t a huge surprise given his limited number of starts. That in itself though is a cause for concern — especially when his accuracy was more miss than hit in a scripted environment designed to show off what he can do.

He has a great physique and all of the traits you want. In part, I think that’s why he got such a positive review. He looks the part. I think people were smitten with his physical appearance.

He did throw some nice passes, especially one long down-field bomb to the sideline that was inch perfect. His throws had velocity. Yet to me he looks incomplete and a significant project. He may need the same two-year learning curve that Josh Allen had — yet he doesn’t possess Allen’s super-human profile.

Allen was a gift from the football gods in terms of height, athleticism, arm strength, hand-size and mobility. Lance is good but not that good.

The hype is too much for me. It’s always possible a team becomes enamoured with the upside and takes him very early. I think he’s a fraction more appealing than Jordan Love and deserves to go in the same kind of range.

There’s no doubting he’s physically impressive and in terms of character and personality — he looks and sounds like a pro.

Yet for me he’s going to need at least two years to develop.

For that reason the Niners might hold on to Jimmy Garoppolo for now. Lance will require time and patience.

From a Seahawks perspective I don’t think it’s particularly scary news.

Lance is really raw. If it’s Fields instead — yes he has the physical attributes too but he also needs time and comes with a lot of question marks. Jones operated the Alabama offense well but is he a terrifying prospect to face twice a year?

It’s a highly aggressive move by the Niners but I’m not sure it’s the best — unless their intention is to move up one more spot to try and get to Zach Wilson.

For a team that passed on Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, I’m a little surprised Shanahan is staking his legacy on a move like this.

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In 2019 and 2020, the Seahawks had to scramble around to address the pass rush.

It was critical they didn’t make it three years in a row.

With the greatest respect to Kerry Hyder and Benson Mayowa, there was a danger history would repeat.

Carlos Dunlap might not be perfect but he was clearly Seattle’s best pass rusher last season.

He has 87.5 career season sacks for a reason. Part of that is talent. Part of it is durability. He’s consistently been available in an 11-year career. That’s important.

Cutting him to save $14m wasn’t a problem as long as he returned. Getting him back was vital. It’s a huge relief that today, without weeks of uncertainty, he’s agreed terms.

He’s only a short-term fix, obviously. He just turned 32. Yet for next season at least he legitimises Seattle’s pass rush and ensures they have someone who can reliably threaten the edge in 1v1 situations.

My points raised in the article earlier today are still relevant.

What exactly is the future at left tackle, right tackle, defensive end, cornerback, free safety and receiver? So many of Seattle’s key players are out of contract after 2021. If they pay Jamal Adams a salary worth $18-20m a year, they simply won’t have much to spend unless they’re willing to shift Bobby Wagner or Russell Wilson.

And let’s be right here — the Seahawks, by not restructuring Wilson’s contract — are leaving the door open to a trade. Until they do that, the possibility of him being dealt (either this year or next) remains distinct.

They can eliminate any lingering uncertainty by re-working his deal, without his permission, to free up millions.

Until that happens, it’s a thing. Especially when, currently, they decide to part with Jarran Reed rather than re-work Wilson’s deal.

Cutting (or trading) Reed, as the Seahawks will reportedly do tomorrow if they can’t find a trade partner, doesn’t put the Seahawks in the black in terms of cap space. So subsequent moves are required.

With only three draft picks — I still think a trade involving someone is realistic.

These are things we have to consider if we want a serious, proper discussion about the Seahawks.

At the same time though, it does at least seem like a lesson has been learned from a year ago.

Bringing back Dunlap and Mayowa and adding Hyder provides a much better rotation of pass rushers than a year ago. Rasheem Green and L.J. Collier aren’t good enough, so Hyder will hopefully be an upgrade at the five-technique. Mayowa’s at his best in a rotational role spelling a DE1. Now, the DE1 is back in the building.

They might not be Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd, Chandler Jones and JJ Watt or Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead — but neither is this group the inadequate unit they began last season with.

They have a chance to create pressure and deliver results. That’s a big plus.

I do think Reed’s departure warrants some reflection.

Signing him to a hefty two-year contract as a priority a year ago, only to burden yourself with $5m in dead money 12 months on, is careless.

I think we all knew what Reed was and wasn’t a year ago. His 10.5 sack season in 2018 was partly inspired by the brilliance of Frank Clark, who had a career year absorbing attention off the edge.

Even with an $8.5m saving, they’re set to pay him $5m to play somewhere else. In a year where the cap is tighter than ever, that’s not great.

Personally I will miss Reed too. He was one of the few draft hits the Seahawks have had in recent years. His play might not have been spectacular but he was solid and produced 22 sacks from the interior. That’s not to be sniffed at.

The trade up to get him in 2016 was, for me, the Seahawks at their opportunistic best. When players fall for whatever reason, they’re good at identifying the moment to strike. We’ve seen that a few times over the years.

They tend to get in trouble when they force needs. It’s strange how the two extremes clash so much with this front office. There’s not a lot of in-between.

He provided intensity and attitude. He was often the man in the middle of a pre-game huddle, rallying the troops.

Cutting Reed to pay for some of the prior free agency moves was a challenging thought. Cutting him to help bring back Dunlap is far more palatable.

There are still big decisions to be made though and positions of need, plus depth, to address.

Other moves are forthcoming. I wonder what they’ll be?

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A lot of arguments are made to justify the Jamal Adams trade but none really cut the mustard. I argued against some of them here and here but here’s a brief recap of some of the points.

He set a record for sacks by a defensive back

This is explained by a highly unusual 8.2 blitzes per game, producing 0.8 sacks.

If you blitzed Ryan Neal eight times a game there’s a chance he will record one sack. I’m afraid this record is more an indication of Seattle’s need to justify Adams’ presence, rather than any sign of anything remarkable about his performance.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (especially with this being an unusual draft with no combine or in-person meetings)

Not really. With a cap crunch consuming every team, you need cheap talent to fill out your roster.

At the moment the Seahawks are officially $6m over the cap — that’s the worst cap situation in the league. They also have the third fewest contracted players (57).

Something has to give. In order to simply fill out the roster — they’re going to have to either sacrifice players they’d rather keep or they’re going to have to borrow against the cap — with consequences down the line.

He’s a blue-chip stud and you need players like that

There’s no doubting Adams is a talent but is he a fit in Seattle? It’s well known by now that he was the 53rd ranked safety according to PFF in 2020. Injuries and a new scheme may have partly contributed to that ranking. However, I’m not convinced it’s just down to that.

The 3-4 schemes run by Todd Bowles and Gregg Williams in New York exploit looks where any defender can rush. You never know where the pressure’s coming from. The Seahawks don’t do this in their scheme. Often Adams simply rushed off the edge with the linebackers also blitzing to suck in protection. It’s predictable.

I don’t think his 53.1 coverage grade was just ‘one of those things’ either. The Seahawks essentially put him in a position where they needed him to be a downfield attack-dog so often. That’s not conducive with some of the traditional duties expected of a safety.

Either way you’re paying $18m for someone who has to blitz a lot or just plays like a more orthodox defensive back. For all his desire to be seen as a ‘football player’ with no defined position, the reality is he’s a box safety.

You can’t trade a player so soon after making a big investment in him

I think this is the worst argument of the lot. Not being too proud to fix a mistake isn’t something to criticise. It should be celebrated. The Seahawks have done it plenty of times already — moving on from Michael Bennett a year after giving him a huge extension, in order to repair their culture. Getting rid of Percy Harvin.

Right now the Seahawks need depth, they need to invest in key positions for the future and they need club-control on salary.

They don’t need a safety absorbing $18m a year.

Look at it this way. The Seahawks gave up two firsts and a third rounder for Adams. They’re paying him $9.8m this year. He will expect at least $18m a year from 2022.

That works out as three cheap players drafted in the top-100. If they trade down in round one, you could theoretically be getting five players in the top-100.

And while it’s true that their recent draft history is poor — that’s not a reason to stop drafting altogether.

Selecting Rashaad Penny instead of Nick Chubb, Malik McDowell instead of TJ Watt and LJ Collier instead of AJ Brown or Deebo Samuel is simply indicative of team needing to make better decisions, not eliminate those decisions altogether.

When they’ve avoided desperately drafting for need — they’ve made terrific choices (DK Metcalf, Damien Lewis).

Adams’ salary this year is similar to Gabe Jackson’s. Trade him and you’d have no issue bringing back Carlos Dunlap. You might even get Dunlap and another.

Next year you could have two players on the same salary as Jackson.

So the reality of the trade is it’s either Jamal Adams or five drafted players over the next two years plus potentially two Gabe Jackson-level free agents/trades.

I find it impossible to argue that Adams is the better decision when it’s broken down like that. Especially given Seattle’s striking lack of depth, cap space and picks.

The trade could only be justified for a true game-changer — a Myles Garrett or Aaron Donald for example. Not a highly energetic, blitzing box safety.

I still maintain that getting out of the deal, saving money and regaining picks is the right thing to do.

Today, I’ll try to explain further as to why.

The Seahawks have no long term solution at left tackle, cornerback or pass rusher.

These are key positions, second only to quarterback.

Duane Brown turns 36 in August. He has one year left on his deal. You might need to replace him in 12 months.

A good plan would be to draft and develop.

Usually it’s very difficult to find explosive, physically talented tackle prospects. Not this year. For all the concern about the 2021 draft, multiple offensive linemen have excelled at pro-day.

Some of these players need developing and harnessing. Yet they have the kind of skills you usually can’t find beyond the top-15.

For example, Texas’ Sam Cosmi jumped a 30 inch vertical and a 9-9 broad jump. That’s remarkable. He could easily last into round two because technically he needs major work and he needs to learn how to finish. Give him a year or two learning the ropes and you could find a natural successor to Brown.

Alex Leatherwood has footwork issues preventing him from kick-sliding effectively to defend the edge. He needs to learn how to make the most of his length. Yet at his pro-day he jumped a 34.5 inch vertical and a 9-10 broad. Again — he could be a tremendous prospect to work with as a potential heir apparent.

Alijah Vera-Tucker lacks length (32 inch arms) but he had a majestic season at left tackle for USC which should allay some fears. He jumped a 32 inch vertical and an 8-10 broad. He’s a fantastic talent who will go in round one, it’s just a case of how early.

Walker Little hasn’t played for two years due to injury and sitting out 2020. Yet he has the ideal tackle frame and he managed a 9-3 broad to go with a 29.5 inch vertical.

Dillon Radunz had an explosive workout, jumping a 32 inch vertical and a 9-4 broad. He also excelled at the Senior Bowl.

Some players are yet to test and I could add even more names to the list.

The fact is for the first time in a long time, there’s an opportunity for the Seahawks to draft a tackle who might be able to be their long term answer at a vital position.

Without any picks though — they’ve pretty much eliminated themselves from contention. With only #56 and then nothing until #129 — they can’t afford to draft someone who won’t play in 2021.

If/when Brown calls it a day — what then? Another expensive trade? The next version of Bradley Sowell or Rees Odhiambo?

What is better for the Seahawks? Being forced to start the safety they took in round two in 2019 — Marquise Blair — and having a potential long term left tackle? On top of all the other players you can add. Or is it having Jamal Adams?

Let’s go a step further.

For three seasons now they’ve been going year-to-year at defensive end. They don’t have a consistently effective, dynamic, young pass rusher.

If you want to believe Darrell Taylor could be that guy, that’s fine. Personally, I think until we see him out on the field practising it’s impossible to have any faith. His is an unusual injury that requires him feeling comfortable playing with a plate in his leg. The reality is, it seems to be a challenge for him (understandably so).

I’m not a big Jayson Oweh fan because of his tape. He looks like a man without a plan. He didn’t have any sacks in 2020.

Yet Lance Zierlein raises a good point. He only started playing football in 2016. He has rare physical skills. He just ran a 4.36 at the Penn State pro-day, adding a 39.5 inch vertical. He’s 6-5 and 257lbs.

Oweh has the kind of physical profile Seattle badly needs attacking the edge. If you can harness that potential, he could be a star.

There’s a chance because of his testing he’ll go in round one. He could’ve been there for Seattle — and if not, the chances of Kwity Paye, Jaelen Phillips or even the #1 edge Azeez Olujari being there increase.

So right off the bat you could’ve been looking at a pass rusher and left tackle for the long term with your first two picks — with a $9.8m salary saving that could’ve been used to upgrade at center next to Gabe Jackson.

Again — how is that not more appealing?

It’s been a long time since the Seahawks spent regular picks at cornerback. This is a rich class at the position. It would’ve been a good opportunity to potentially add someone in the middle rounds to develop. Especially given that both prospective starters and your backup at the moment are all out of contract after 2021.

Yet with only picks #56 and #129 — the chances to get someone you like are severely limited.

I haven’t even discussed a third receiver. This draft is loaded there too.

It really does feel like a massive missed opportunity for the Seahawks this year to try and address some needs for the present and future.

The Adams trade was highly aggressive and with hindsight, ill-advised. Many still back the move and probably always will. Yet the chances of Adams ever justifying the picks and salary investment are remote.

The Seahawks need cap space. They need to fill holes. They need cheap talent.

They don’t need an expensive safety blocking Marquise Blair’s path to starting, essentially wasting the second rounder spent on him too (because there’s no reason to kick Ugo Amadi out of the nickel role).

All is not lost though. They can still put things right.

They won’t get a refund on what they spent. Finding the best deal to move on, get back in the draft and save salary is still however, by far the most sensible option.

There are a lot of weird and wonderful trade suggestions involving the likes of Jarran Reed and Tyler Lockett at the moment because everyone acknowledge something’s got to give and people are uncomfortable with the thought that the man to depart could still be the franchise QB.

You wouldn’t get anything for Reed. He has one year left on his contract. He’s expensive. He’s a defensive tackle. You might get a fifth rounder if you’re lucky. You only save $8.5m this year and nothing in 2022.

Moving Lockett would obliterate Seattle’s receiving options while adding to Russell Wilson’s angst. Good luck justifying it to the quarterback. Hey Russell — other than Metcalf your next two best receivers are Freddie Swain and John Ursua. Now go win us the NFC West. Yeah right.

The clear and obvious answer is to trade Jamal Adams, start Blair, make better use of your resources and just move on — with the intention of trying to draft a long-term piece for the O-line and D-line.

The only other option is to trade Bobby Wagner and start Jordyn Brooks at linebacker. The draft compensation won’t be as good, however, and Wagner is clearly a good fit for Seattle’s defense.

Nobody forced the Seahawks to spend high picks at safety and linebacker. They could’ve used those picks on other positions.

If they pay Adams — they’ll be on the hook for around $38-40m just for their starting strong safety and middle linebacker in 2022. That’s incomprehensible.

Neither is it realistic to go into next year with about $55m in cap space and only 25 contracted players — with Brown, Lockett, both starting cornerbacks, Reed, Quandre Diggs and others out of contract. All for the sake of a luxury addition in Adams.

I’ve argued this since day one and nobody, so far, has produced a convincing counter. Too much resource has gone into safety and linebacker. They don’t have long term answers at key positions.

That simply has to change.

Of course, the elephant in the room is that one other player could still be dealt.

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Unfortunately we’ve had to postpone tonight’s live stream. We’ll re-arrange soon. However, it does mean I can post my three-round mock draft a day earlier.

I haven’t done one of these for well over a month — so here’s a three-round projection. It’s a little different than the others you’ll see on the internet. Yet this could easily be the most unpredictable draft we’ve ever seen, given the circumstances.

Expect surprises. I wanted to show that here.

I’ve put the mock in list form first, then there’s a note on each pick. I finish with thoughts on Seattle’s selection and the options available.

Pre-mock notes

— There’s a lot of talk that we’ll see four quarterbacks drafted in the first eight picks. I’m just not convinced you can make a call on Trey Lance or Justin Fields that early. I’d have a really tough time if I was Miami and Atlanta at #3 and #4 passing on the two best players in the draft not named Trevor Lawrence.

— This might be the most explosive offensive line class ever. I’m recording pro-day data for a TEF article down the line. Some of the testing by the O-liners so far is remarkable. It’s an exciting group.

— There’s strong depth at receiver and cornerback in this draft too — with a value sweet-spot all the way from the end of the first round all the way to the top of the third. For all the hand-wringing about no combine or meetings — there’s clearly a lot to like about this class, especially on day two.

First round

#1 Jacksonville — Trevor Lawrence (QB, Clemson)
#2 New York Jets — Zach Wilson (QB, BYU)
#3 Miami (v/HOU) — Penei Sewell (T, Oregon)
#4 Atlanta — Kyle Pitts (TE, Florida)
#5 Cincinnati — Ja’Marr Chase (WR, LSU)
#6 Philadelphia — Jaylen Waddle (WR, Alabama)
#7 Detroit — DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama)
#8 Carolina — Mac Jones (QB, Alabama)
#9 Denver — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB, Notre Dame)
#10 Dallas — Patrick Surtain II (CB, Alabama)
#11 New York Giants — Rashawn Slater (G, Northwestern)
#12 San Francisco — Kellen Mond (QB, Texas A&M)
#13 LA Chargers — Azeez Ojulari (DE, Georgia)
#14 Minnesota — Jaelen Phillips (DE, Miami)
#15 New England — Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State)
#16 Arizona — Jaycee Horn (CB, South Carolina)
#17 Las Vegas — Alijah Vera-Tucker (G, USC)
#18 Miami — Micah Parsons (LB, Penn State)
#19 Washington — Christian Darrisaw (T, Virginia Tech)
#20 Chicago — Trey Lance (QB, North Dakota State)
#21 Indianapolis — Kwity Paye (DE, Michigan)
#22 Tennessee — Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa)
#23 New York Jets (v/SEA) — Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson)
#24 Pittsburgh — Javonte Williams (RB, North Carolina)
#25 Jacksonville (v/LAR) — Elijah Moore (WR, Ole Miss)
#26 Cleveland — Levi Onwuzurike (DT, Washington)
#27 Baltimore — Josh Myers (C, Ohio State)
#28 New Orleans — Caleb Farley (CB, Virginia Tech)
#29 Green Bay — Creed Humphrey (C, Oklahoma)
#30 Buffalo — Kelvin Joseph (CB, Kentucky)
#31 Kansas City — Landon Dickerson (C, Alabama)
#32 Tampa Bay — Najee Harris (RB, Alabama)

Second round

#33 Jacksonville — Pat Freiermuth (TE, Penn State)
#34 New York Jets — Eric Stokes (CB, Georgia)
#35 Atlanta — Trevon Moehrig (S, TCU)
#36 Miami (v/HOU) — Elijah Molden (CB, Washington)
#37 Philadelphia — Greg Newsome (CB, Northwestern)
#38 Cincinnati — Christian Barmore (DT, Alabama)
#39 Carolina — Jalen Mayfield (T, Michigan)
#40 Denver — Tyson Campbell (CB, Georgia)
#41 Detroit — Tylan Wallace (WR, Oklahoma State)
#42 New York Giants — Gregory Rousseau (DE, Miami)
#43 San Francisco — Brevin Jordan (TE, Miami)
#44 Dallas — Milton Williams (DE/DT, LA Tech)
#45 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Alim McNeill (DT, NC State)
#46 New England — Wyatt Davis (G, Ohio State)
#47 LA Chargers — Walker Little (T, Stanford)
#48 Las Vegas — Baron Browning (LB, Ohio State)
#49 Arizona — Daviyon Nixon (DT, Iowa)
#50 Miami — Kadarius Toney (WR, Florida)
#51 Washington — Davis Mills (QB, Stanford)
#52 Chicago — Asante Samuel Jr (CB, Florida State)
#53 Tennessee — Rashod Bateman (WR, Minnesota)
#54 Indianapolis — Sam Cosmi (T, Texas)
#55 Pittsburgh — Teven Jenkins (T, Oklahoma State)
#56 Seattle — Quinn Meinerz (G/C, UWW)
#57 LA Rams — Tommy Togiai (DT, Ohio State)
#58 Baltimore — Joe Tryon (DE, Washington)
#59 Cleveland — Payton Turner (DE, Houston)
#60 New Orleans — Terrace Marshall Jr (WR, LSU)
#61 Buffalo — Tommy Tremble (TE, Notre Dame)
#62 Green Bay — Jayson Oweh (DE, Penn State)
#63 Kansas City — Rondale Moore (WR, Purdue)
#64 Tampa Bay — D’Ante Smith (T, ECU)

Third round

#65 Jacksonville — Amari Rodgers (WR, Clemson)
#66 New York Jets — Ronnie Perkins (DE, Oklahoma)
#67 Houston — Alex Leatherwood (G/T, Alabama)
#68 Atlanta — Ben Cleveland (G, Georgia)
#69 Cincinnati — Aaron Banks (G, Notre Dame)
#70 Philadelphia — Joseph Ossai (LB, Texas)
#71 Denver — Jay Tufele (DT, USC)
#72 Detroit — Nick Bolton (LB, Missouri)
#73 Carolina — Shaun Wade (CB, Ohio State)
#74 Washington (v/SF) — Carlos Basham (DE, Wake Forest)
#75 Dallas — Dillon Radunz (T, North Dakota State)
#76 New York Giants — Benjamin St. Juste (CB, Minnesota)
#77 New England — Forfeited
#78 LA Chargers — Ifeatu Melifonwu (CB, Illinois)
#79 Minnesota — Talanoa Hufanga (S, USC)
#80 Arizona — Chris Rumph (DE/LB, Duke)
#81 Las Vegas — D’Wayne Eskridge (WR, Western Michigan)
#82 Miami — Khalil Herbert (RB, Virginia Tech)
#83 Washington — Jevon Holland (S, Oregon)
#84 Chicago — Trey Smith (G, Tennessee)
#85 Philadelphia (v/IND) — Dylan Moses (LB, Alabama)
#86 Tennessee — Cade Johnson (WR, South Dakota State)
#87 New York Jets (v/SEA) — Cam McGrone (LB, Michigan)
#88 Pittsburgh — Nico Collins (WR, Michigan)
#89 Detroit (v/LAR) — Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, USC)
#90 Cleveland — Justin Hilliard (LB, Ohio State)
#91 Minnesota (v/BAL) — Richie Grant (S, UCF)
#92 Cleveland (v/NO) — Dyami Brown (WR, North Carolina)
#93 Green Bay — Tyler Shelvin (DT, LSU)
#94 Buffalo — Jamien Sherwood (S, Auburn)
#95 Kansas City — Liam Eichenburg (T, Notre Dame)
#96 Tampa Bay — Michal Menet (C, Penn State)
#97 New England — Joshua Kaindoh (DE, Florida State)
#98 LA Chargers — Jamin Davis (LB, Kentucky)
#99 New Orleans — Andre Cisco (S, Syracuse)
#100 Dallas — Kenny Yeboah (TE, Ole Miss)
#101 Tennessee — Jackson Carman (T, Clemson)
#102 LA Rams — Tutu Atwell (WR, Louisville)
#103 San Francisco — Jemar Jefferson (RB, Oregon State)
#104 LA Rams — Jaelon Darden (WR, North Texas)
#105 Baltimore — Spencer Brown (T, Northern Iowa)
#106 New Orleans — Cornell Powell (WR, Clemson)

First round

#1 Jacksonville — Trevor Lawrence (QB, Clemson)

Urban Meyer took this job because of big Trev.

#2 New York Jets — Zach Wilson (QB, BYU)
His ability to drive the ball downfield from difficult angles, off-balance, and on the run, is reminiscent of the top quarterbacks dominating the modern NFL.

#3 Miami (v/HOU) — Penei Sewell (T, Oregon)
The depth at receiver means they might be able to wait on the position, while plugging in Penei Sewell to complete their O-line rebuild.

#4 Atlanta — Kyle Pitts (TE, Florida)
I’m just not convinced you can pass up a player like Pitts to take a rough-around-the-edges quarterback prospect, when Matt Ryan’s only 35.

#5 Cincinnati — Ja’Marr Chase (WR, LSU)
Joe Burrow and Jam’Marr Chase were the dynamic duo in 2019. Reunite them.

#6 Philadelphia — Jaylen Waddle (WR, Alabama)
The Eagles love speed. Waddle provides the electric downfield quickness that De’Vonta Smith lacks.

#7 Detroit — DeVonta Smith (WR, Alabama)
This is a huge need for the Lions and DeVonta Smith would be a great pickup for them here.

#8 Carolina — Mac Jones (QB, Alabama)
I’m not convinced Jones will be their guy. But DeShaun Watson is hardly in a position to be acquired at the moment.

#9 Denver — Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (LB, Notre Dame)
Highly explosive and dynamic — a true first round talent. He can jump a 39-inch vertical and a 10-3 broad jump.

#10 Dallas — Patrick Surtain II (CB, Alabama)
There are questions about his long speed but he’s in fantastic physical shape, he’s explosive and he can start quickly.

#11 New York Giants — Rashawn Slater (G, Northwestern)
I’m not as sold on Slater as some others but plenty think he’s a top-10 prospect. I think he’ll make a good guard.

#12 San Francisco — Kellen Mond (QB, Texas A&M)
I think he’s a terrific prospect and the third best quarterback in the draft.

#13 LA Chargers — Azeez Ojulari (DE, Georgia)
He’s fast and explosive with a dynamic burst to threaten the edge and the balance to straight and attack the quarterback. He has long arms. He could be special.

#14 Minnesota — Jaelen Phillips (DE, Miami)
Phillips was once a major recruiting superstar and has natural talent to get after the quarterback. Few players have his upside in this draft.

#15 New England — Justin Fields (QB, Ohio State)
The athleticism is top notch. The decision making, processing and ability to go through progressions is a concern. He and Cam Newton can run a similar offense — so this would be a seamless transition.

#16 Arizona — Jaycee Horn (CB, South Carolina)
He looks like a Greek God of a cornerback. Incredibly put together. Dominated Auburn’s Seth Williams.

#17 Las Vegas — Alijah Vera-Tucker (G, USC)
He’s just a class act. He has short arms so will kick inside but his explosive testing will be right up Tom Cable’s street.

#18 Miami — Micah Parsons (LB, Penn State)
There are some character question marks that could lead to a bit of a fall.

#19 Washington — Christian Darrisaw (T, Virginia Tech)
The profile is there but he reminds me a bit of Eugene Monroe. Can he be arsed to be great?

#20 Chicago — Trey Lance (QB, North Dakota State)
I thought his pro-day was more miss than hit. His technique isn’t quite right and it leads to inaccurate throws, even in a scripted setting. I’m not convinced you can bank on him in the top-five. For me, he’s a slightly better prospect than Jordan Love.

#21 Indianapolis — Kwity Paye (DE, Michigan)
The Colts love an insane physical profile and while Paye is rough around the edges, he has a high ceiling.

#22 Tennessee — Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa)
He only ran a 5.03 forty at SPARQ but when you put on the tape he jumps off the screen. He looks like a first rounder.

#23 New York Jets (v/SEA) — Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson)
I thought he had a ‘meh’ 2020 season but ultimately he’s dynamic and quick and could produce big results in the Shanahan running scheme.

#24 Pittsburgh — Javonte Williams (RB, North Carolina)
He had a record 0.48 broken tackles per rush attempt in 2020, registered 7.0 YPC and 4.59 yards-after-contact per carry. He’s exceptional.

#25 Jacksonville (v/LAR) — Elijah Moore (WR, Ole Miss)
Moore is sturdy for his size and just a marvellous playmaker. He’s underrated.

#26 Cleveland — Levi Onwuzurike (DT, Washington)
He gets after it up front with effort and speed. He can disrupt. Some will be put off by a lack of length and skinny lower body.

#27 Baltimore — Josh Myers (C, Ohio State)
Incredibly consistent, tough and very athletic center with a long career ahead of him. He ran a 4.49 short shuttle at 310lbs.

#28 New Orleans — Caleb Farley (CB, Virginia Tech)
He has talent but you don’t see much effort in run-support, his tackling isn’t great and he’s not a physical player. He’s a player you want to like a lot but there’s enough to make you pause for thought.

#29 Green Bay — Creed Humphrey (C, Oklahoma)
He’s a 3.25 TEF tester and teams will covet his mix of explosive physicality, aggressiveness, combo-blocking and agility. Players with his profile go early.

#30 Buffalo — Kelvin Joseph (CB, Kentucky)
Looks the part of a pro cornerback and after departing LSU he showed well for Kentucky

#31 Kansas City — Landon Dickerson (C, Alabama)
Teams will just love his personality and playing style. It won’t be a shock if someone takes a punt in this range.

#32 Tampa Bay — Najee Harris (RB, Alabama)
You’re the Super Bowl champs. Why not make a pick like this?

Second round

#33 Jacksonville — Pat Freiermuth (TE, Penn State)
The ‘Baby Gronk’ nickname is warranted. Superb body control and size.

#34 New York Jets — Eric Stokes (CB, Georgia)
An ascending player with great length, speed, agility and great consistency on tape.

#35 Atlanta — Trevon Moehrig (S, TCU)
This has become a big need for the Falcons. Moehrig is steady if somewhat unspectacular.

#36 Miami (v/HOU) — Elijah Molden (CB, Washington)
Outstanding player who will only last this long based on his size and straight-line speed. Ran a 3.93 short shuttle at SPARQ and jumped a 37 inch vertical.

#37 Philadelphia — Greg Newsome (CB, Northwestern)
Not a huge fan personally, I think he’s fairly average. He ran a quicker than expected forty but appeared to tire quickly during his pro-day workout.

#38 Cincinnati — Christian Barmore (DT, Alabama)
Turned it on late in the season but had a slow start. No doubt he can flash as a pass rusher in college but can he do it consistently at the next level?

#39 Carolina — Jalen Mayfield (T, Michigan)
Tackle or guard prospect with the skills to succeed at either position

#40 Denver — Tyson Campbell (CB, Georgia)
He has great size and agility but his long-speed might be an issue and I just didn’t see him play the ball well enough in college.

#41 Detroit — Tylan Wallace (WR, Oklahoma State)
Aggressive, physical receiver who plays beyond his size. The Lions double-dip at a key need.

#42 New York Giants — Gregory Rousseau (DE, Miami)
He’s long and lean but a lot of his wins are unusual. He’s not a dynamic speed rusher and he lacks the sand in his pants to control as a five-technique.

#43 San Francisco — Brevin Jordan (TE, Miami)
He ran a sensational 4.21 short shuttle at 250lbs at SPARQ.

#44 Dallas — Milton Williams (DE/DT, LA Tech)
What a pro-day! He ran a 4.25 short shuttle at 284lbs and jumped a 38.5 inch vertical. Incredible physical talent who can rush inside/out.

#45 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Alim McNeill (DT, NC State)
Massive, highly athletic prospect who will shock people when he runs and does the agility testing. Ran a 4.27 short shuttle at SPARQ.

#46 New England — Wyatt Davis (G, Ohio State)
Having lost Joe Thuney, Davis could be a high-upside replacement.

#47 LA Chargers — Walker Little (T, Stanford)
He has what you want in a left tackle. He’ll only last because he hasn’t played for two years.

#48 Las Vegas — Baron Browning (LB, Ohio State)
Wow-athlete at linebacker with tremendous character and intensity. Ran a 4.18 short shuttle at SPARQ and jumped a 37 inch vertical.

#49 Arizona — Daviyon Nixon (DT, Iowa)
A TFL machine in 2020 (13.5). Nixon creates havoc from the interior and is a true playmaking defensive tackle.

#50 Miami — Kadarius Toney (WR, Florida)
There’s some talk that he loves making music more than football and there’s a roughness to his game.

#51 Washington — Davis Mills (QB, Stanford)
I think he’s a terrific prospect. Only having 11 starts to judge isn’t anywhere near enough, so he will last. Yet he has everything you want in terms of a player to draft and develop.

#52 Chicago — Asante Samuel Jr (CB, Florida State)
They created a hole at cornerback and it needs to be filled.

#53 Tennessee — Rashod Bateman (WR, Minnesota)
Had a highly consistent 2019 season but followed it up with a weird 2020 — before he wisely took himself out before damaging his stock any further.

#54 Indianapolis — Sam Cosmi (T, Texas)
They need a tackle and the Colts consistently take highly explosive athletes for their O-line. Cosmi excelled at his pro-day.

#55 Pittsburgh — Teven Jenkins (T, Oklahoma State)
He’s big and physical but do you need to kick him up the arse to max out his potential?

#56 Seattle — Quinn Meinerz (G/C, UWW)
The Seahawks will be fortunate if Meinerz is here. His combination of explosive traits, length and a wow-Senior Bowl could push him into the top-50 easily.

#57 LA Rams — Tommy Togiai (DT, Ohio State)
Incredibly physical interior defender who is a better-than-expected pass rusher and his motor never stops.

#58 Baltimore — Joe Tryon (DE, Washington)
He could go a lot earlier than this. He looks like a Terminator and can rush the edge with skill of brute force.

#59 Cleveland — Payton Turner (DE, Houston)
In terms of potential, Turner’s upside is through the roof. He can rush the edge with speed, mix things up with power and hand-use and he has superb balance to bend the arc.

#60 New Orleans — Terrace Marshall Jr (WR, LSU)
Marshall has some concentration drops but he also excelled during a difficult 2020 season for LSU.

#61 Buffalo — Tommy Tremble (TE, Notre Dame)
He’s a head-hunter as a blocker. His second name is what players do when they’re near him on a run-block. He destroys defenders.

#62 Green Bay — Jayson Oweh (DE, Penn State)
He has a first round physical profile and day three tape.

#63 Kansas City — Rondale Moore (WR, Purdue)
He’s fast, explosive and an incredible tester. The question is — can he be more than just a gadget player at the next level?

#64 Tampa Bay — D’Ante Smith (T, ECU)
He was superb at the Senior Bowl and whether he plays at tackle or guard he has the kind of potential teams crave on the O-line.

Third round

#65 Jacksonville — Amari Rodgers (WR, Clemson)
They need to build around Trevor Lawrence and he already has chemistry with Rodgers, who is built like a running back.

#66 New York Jets — Ronnie Perkins (DE, Oklahoma)
I love some of his tape and he plays with his hair on fire — but he doesn’t have an ideal frame for the position and his testing was pretty ‘meh’.

#67 Houston — Alex Leatherwood (G/T, Alabama)
Big, long, physical offensive lineman. He just isn’t very spectacular and he didn’t excel at the Senior Bowl.

#68 Atlanta — Ben Cleveland (G, Georgia)
He’s the ‘mountain’ from Game of Thrones. We’ve always said he’s a far better athlete than many think. He’s 350lbs and runs a 4.85. The strongest player in the draft.

#69 Cincinnati — Aaron Banks (G, Notre Dame)
Big, tough, physical left guard. This would be tremendous value.

#70 Philadelphia — Joseph Ossai (LB, Texas)
Explosive linebacker-turned pass rusher who could quickly move into their rotation.

#71 Denver — Jay Tufele (DT, USC)
Kind of a forgotten man in this class but he does a bit of everything — interior anchor, some pass rush ability.

#72 Detroit — Nick Bolton (LB, Missouri)
I really like Nick Bolton but the problem is he just isn’t very fast. He’s an old-school thumper.

#73 Carolina — Shaun Wade (CB, Ohio State)
He had a very disappointing 2020 season and it seems his stock has plummeted. He can still be a great slot corner for me.

#74 Washington (v/SF) — Carlos Basham (DE, Wake Forest)
He has physical tools but does he need to slim down to play the edge or get bigger to kick inside?

#75 Dallas — Dillon Radunz (T, North Dakota State)
Physical and held his own at the Senior Bowl but probably has to kick inside.

#76 New York Giants — Benjamin St. Juste (CB, Minnesota)
Long, intelligent, extremely agile cornerback who does a superb job playing the ball to break up passes.

#77 New England — Forfeited

#78 LA Chargers — Ifeatu Melifonwu (CB, Illinois)
I think he looks more like a safety than a corner.

#79 Minnesota — Talanoa Hufanga (S, USC)
I really like him. He plays like Jamal Adams for a fraction of the cost.

#80 Arizona — Chris Rumph (DE/LB, Duke)
Possibly the ideal replacement for Haason Reddick. He’s a hybrid SAM/DE.

#81 Las Vegas — D’Wayne Eskridge (WR, Western Michigan)
A dynamite kick returner who can make things happen in space.

#82 Miami — Khalil Herbert (RB, Virginia Tech)
He’s super quick and when he has a lane he can accelerate and break off big gains. Slightly older than ideal.

#83 Washington — Jevon Holland (S, Oregon)
Another forgotten man in this class after opting out who could provide some value.

#84 Chicago — Trey Smith (G, Tennessee)
He looks like a first round pick in terms of body type. His tape and health record is more day-three level.

#85 Philadelphia (v/IND) — Dylan Moses (LB, Alabama)
He was underwhelming in 2020 after returning from an ACL-tear.

#86 Tennessee — Cade Johnson (WR, South Dakota State)
He reminds me a lot of Tyler Lockett. He’s incredibly mature and won’t be fazed by the first weeks in camp. Superb Senior Bowl.

#87 New York Jets (v/SEA) — Cam McGrone (LB, Michigan)
Robert Salah loves athletic, dynamic linebackers with speed and agility. That’s Cam McGrone.

#88 Pittsburgh — Nico Collins (WR, Michigan)
The Steelers do a good job finding value at receiver. Collins competes for the ball well and can be a red zone threat. Can he separate at the next level, though?

#89 Detroit (v/LAR) — Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR, USC)
He’s polished and consistent but is he fast enough to go earlier than this?

#90 Cleveland — Justin Hilliard (LB, Ohio State)
His performance level at the end of the season was remarkable, especially against Northwestern.

#91 Minnesota (v/BAL) — Richie Grant (S, UCF)
He excelled at the Senior Bowl and made a lasting impression with his playmaking ability.

#92 Cleveland (v/NO) — Dyami Brown (WR, North Carolina)
Seemed to do a good job moving the chains for UNC and he can get downfield.

#93 Green Bay — Tyler Shelvin (DT, LSU)
Big, physical nose who can eat up space but he offers no pass rushing upside.

#94 Buffalo — Jamien Sherwood (S, Auburn)
Great testing numbers, packs a punch and could be terrific value here.

#95 Kansas City — Liam Eichenburg (T, Notre Dame)
The O-line rebuild continues. He could be tried at guard or tackle.

#96 Tampa Bay — Michal Menet (C, Penn State)
There’s nothing that spectacular about Menet — he’s just very, very consistent.

#97 New England — Joshua Kaindoh (DE, Florida State)
Kaindoh could go undrafted. But a few years ago he was the talk of recruiting circles and he has rare traits.

#98 LA Chargers — Jamin Davis (LB, Kentucky)
Solid linebacker prospect who flashes some big plays but doesn’t ‘wow’ on tape.

#99 New Orleans — Andre Cisco (S, Syracuse)
A dynamic athlete and playmaker who has a shot to be really good at the next level. Ran a 4.27 short shuttle at SPARQ, adding a 36 inch vertical.

#100 Dallas — Kenny Yeboah (TE, Ole Miss)
He has real mismatch qualities attacking the seam and in the red zone.

#101 Tennessee — Jackson Carman (T, Clemson)
I thought his tape was underwhelming and he’s very much a move-inside prospect.

#102 LA Rams — Tutu Atwell (WR, Louisville)
Explosive and capable of chunk plays but really undersized.

#103 San Francisco — Jemar Jefferson (RB, Oregon State)
I’ve got a feeling he could emerge as a mid-round steal.

#104 LA Rams — Jaelon Darden (WR, North Texas)
I can’t recall a player so adept at juking defenders in the open field.

#105 Baltimore — Spencer Brown (T, Northern Iowa)
Explosive tester, could eventually replace Orlando Brown at right tackle.

#106 New Orleans — Cornell Powell (WR, Clemson)
Only one season of production but he really flashed at times in 2020.

Thoughts on Seattle’s pick

It’s still not clear exactly how the Seahawks are adding to the roster, given they’re over the cap. No news has emerged on any contract restructures and there haven’t been any trades either.

The signing of Ethan Pocic was a classic draft hedge. It’s cheap, he can be carried as a backup and if the board works against you — you’ve at least retained your 2020 starter.

There are some strong center options in this draft. Explosive, physical players.

I have the Seahawks selecting Quinn Meinerz, who ticks every box for Seattle.

He has +33 inch arms. He had a superb Senior Bowl. He’s highly explosive — jumping a 32 inch vertical and a 9-3 broad jump at his pro-day. Had he achieved his 35 reps on the bench press (he didn’t do the bench due to a slight wrist issue) he would be a 3.41 TEF tester.

His attitude, personality and physical profile makes him the ideal Seahawks center target.

Of course, there will be other teams who also feel this way. It won’t be a surprise if he’s off the board by #56 and in that scenario, the Seahawks would have to pivot.

In my projection Creed Humphrey and Landon Dickerson are also off the board (although Humphrey has short arms and Dickerson has a concerning injury record). I still believe there’s a chance Josh Myers will go in the late first round too.

If Meinerz wasn’t available, they could look at guards instead with the possibility of shifting Damien Lewis inside (something I’m not a huge fan of). Ben Cleveland is a huge mountain of a man — the strongest player in the draft with great athleticism to match. Alex Leatherwood had an excellent pro-day. Aaron Banks, Dillon Radunz, Trey Smith and D’Ante Smith are alternative options.

There are pass rushers available — I’ve interviewed both Joe Tryon and Payton Turner and they’d be great options. Ronnie Perkins is there but I’m not sure his body type and agility testing will appeal to Seattle.

Jayson Oweh is pretty much Seattle’s dream of a LEO but while his physical profile is worth a top-10 grade, his tape is day-three level. Chris Rumph could be a SAM/LEO option.

At receiver, the highly explosive Rondale Moore falls a bit this time. There’s no doubting his athletic upside, it’s just a case of whether he’s just a gadget player or someone capable of becoming an all-round dynamic weapon.

Amari Rodgers might not have run well enough (4.5’s) to be considered. Cade Johnson was a joy to interview and plays a lot like Tyler Lockett.

The Seahawks need a third wide receiver one way or another.

There are plenty of quality players available. Picking in the 30-70 range will be a big deal this year. The Seahawks could really do with getting back into that part of the draft.

I’ve interviewed a number of the prospects in Seattle’s range here. I’ve re-posted them below in case you missed them, starting with my conversation with Quinn Meinerz…

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Former 49ers’ DE Kerry Hyder is signing a three-year, $16.5 million deal with upside to $17.5 million with the Seattle Seahawks, per his rep @ErikBurkhardt.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 23, 2021

Well, we called for pass rushers.

Now we’ll see if the Seahawks have found some answers to a huge need area.

On the one hand, addressing this now at least eliminates some of the uncertainty.

Last year was a bit of a disaster for Seattle. Too much patience waiting for Jadeveon Clowney. Feeling like they had to trade up for Darrell Taylor. In part, the Jamal Adams trade was an aggressive attempt to improve the situation.

They started the season with no semblance of pressure and if it wasn’t for the Carlos Dunlap trade, the defensive unit probably would’ve continued on a historically bad pace, setting records along the way.

By retaining Benson Mayowa and adding Kerry Hyder, at least they won’t be left in the same situation.

And perhaps the addition of Hyder is indicative of a desire to avoid history repeating.

I have no idea what Dunlap’s situation is. Let’s assume, based on the news today, that he’s perhaps not that close to making a decision. He might be going somewhere else. Yet for the purpose of this scenario, let’s say he’s waiting to feel out the market.

You don’t want to be left in the cold again — waiting for him and ultimately missing out, just as they did with Clowney.

Now, at least they have someone. If they have to wait for Dunlap, at least they won’t be asking Mayowa to play an obscene number of snaps, reducing his effectiveness.

Sincerely, I hope there’s still a chance Dunlap comes back. He’s ageing but he’s also a proven quality player. He had a big impact in Seattle and brought out the best in Mayowa and Jarran Reed.

I don’t know if we can necessarily expect the same from Hyder.

He’s bounced around the league as a former undrafted free agent. He’s had spells with the Jets, Cowboys and Lions before joining the 49ers last season. He turns 30 in May so he’s not young.

In five years he’s had two decent seasons — recording eight sacks for Detroit in 2016 and 8.5 sacks for the Niners in 2020.

In his other three years in the league, he has three total sacks.

Dunlap has 87.5 in his career.

Throwing Hyder into the pot as a potential upgrade for Rasheem Green and L.J. Collier is a decent idea. Buying into him as a direct replacement for the far more proven and consistent Dunlap would be a potential downgrade.

And despite his 8.5 sacks in 2020, it’s worth noting his pass rush grade via PFF was a very disappointing 58.8. His run defense grade, in comparison, was a 69.9.

I’ll never complain about pass rush additions. It needed to be the focus for the Seahawks along with the O-line this off-season.

It’s still a little hard to stomach that while the rest of the NFC West boasts Aaron Donald, Leonard Floyd, Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Chandler Jones and JJ Watt — the Seahawks have zero game-wreckers up front.

Without a doubt, this has been one of the great failures of this franchise since the reset began in 2018. They’ve done a pretty awful job replacing Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril and having made the decision to trade Frank Clark — it’s been one band-aid after another, trying to find solutions.

I don’t know if these two moves present any big step forward in that regard. Mayowa has always been a fairly average rotational player. A good #3. Hyder is hardly the game-changer they need. We have to hope he can emulate his two eight-sack seasons moving forward, while continuing to deliver good run support.

But with no picks and a desperate need to make the most of free agency — to me it still feels like they badly need Dunlap back. He might be 32. He might not be quite as good as he used to be. He’s the best available though and he fits.

Bring him back and they might at least have a functioning D-line — even if they badly need a better long-term plan for beyond 2021.

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If you missed the latest SDB live stream you can watch it on catch-up below. We discuss the pass rush, free agency, Seattle’s recent drafts, Russell Wilson and a lot more. Please subscribe to the YouTube channel so you don’t miss a video.

Enough is enough.

This needs sorting now.

It’s quite incredible that a week into free agency, the Seahawks are nearing an inglorious hat-trick.

For the last two years, they’ve done an appalling job addressing their pass rush.

In 2019 they traded Frank Clark before the draft and insufficiently replaced him. They forced themselves to reach for L.J. Collier, when preferred options were off the board. They then took a huge gamble on Ziggy Ansah’s surgically repaired shoulder.

By the time the pre-season came around, they were starting Cassius Marsh, Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin as their top pass rushers.

The Jadeveon Clowney trade bailed them out somewhat — yet he basically ran a one-man show in 2019.

The Seahawks finished with 28 sacks, second fewest in the league behind only Miami (23). Their sack percentage was 4.5% — third worst overall.

They had only 126 pressures, sixth fewest in the league behind Detroit (125), Oakland (117), Houston (117), Atlanta (115) and Miami (96). Seattle’s pressure percentage was the fourth worst in the league (19.3%) behind Detroit (18.9%), Houston (18.1%) and Miami (16.7%).

It was a mess.

They entered the 2020 off-season saying fixing the pass rush was the key — stating retaining Clowney was a priority.

Yet the unpredictable nature of Clowney’s approach to free agency caught them off guard. They found themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do you move off Clowney, potentially missing the chance to re-sign him down the line? Or do you keep waiting, missing out on alternative options?

In the end they waited and by the draft nothing had been resolved. They took another gamble — trading up for Darrell Taylor. Pre-draft, league insiders had expressed concern about his injury situation. He hadn’t been cleared to perform at the Senior Bowl or combine.

Due to the global pandemic, nobody could do the necessary homework on the injury.

Feeling desperate, the Seahawks traded a third rounder to move up in round two to select Taylor. He didn’t play a down as a rookie and faces an uncertain future.

This time there was no Clowney trade. They started the 2020 season asking Benson Mayowa — usually a rotational lineman — to play a large bulk of the snaps and be their primary pass rusher. More responsibility was placed on Collier and Rasheem Green.

Inevitably, it didn’t work.

By the mid-way point in the season they were on a historic pace in terms of passing yards conceded. They had a 3% sack percentage, the most total yards conceded per game and a horrendous third down conversion rate.

They’d practically doubled their usual blitzing total in order to try and create pressure.

A tremendous strain was being placed on Russell Wilson who was having to carry the team, putting up his own historic numbers in the first six games of the season just to engineer a cluster of tight victories.

The Seahawks were winning but it wouldn’t take much for the piñata to shatter. A 5-0 start was followed by a 3-4 record.

They made a trade for Carlos Dunlap before the deadline. Suddenly, they had a pass rusher. The defense transformed. It wasn’t all down to the performance of Dunlap. He did, however, seem to bring everyone together.

Jarran Reed was back to his best. Mayowa returned to his rotational role which suited him. The extra blitzing was a complement rather than a necessity. Their sack percentage more than doubled — going from 3% to 6.4%.

It’s a stretch to say the defense was a ‘strength’. They beat up a lot of bad opponents and second and third rate quarterbacks. The unit wasn’t a liability any more though — which, based on the way the season started, was a plus.

The Seahawks cut Dunlap recently to save $14m. It’s understandable that they didn’t want to pay him that much. An extension rather than a parting would’ve been preferable. Yet here we are.

They simply cannot afford not to bring him back.

Nobody should deem it acceptable to face a third year in a row of drifting along, hoping a solution emerges down the line to fix the pass rush. That would be rank neglect.

Pointing to the brief flashes from Alton Robinson — who only played 29% of the defensive snaps in 2020 — isn’t enough. He needs to be a bigger part of the rotation, not the person you hang your hat on.

Taylor has to prove he can even practise before we can invest any faith that he’ll play for the Seahawks. Even if he does play this year — how much can you realistically expect from him?

We’ve seen enough of Green and Collier to know that, if we’re being honest, they’re both eminently replaceable.

The Seahawks have been aggressive in many ways over the last few months. They traded the house for Jamal Adams. They just gave the Raiders one of their few remaining draft picks to acquire Gabe Jackson and his $9.35m salary. They traded up for Taylor.

There’s absolutely no reason to muck about with Dunlap and try to save a few pennies.

There’s currently $67m in non-guaranteed salary on the roster that can be moved around to create cap space.

There’s no excuse not to create room and get something done with Dunlap. And then once you’ve got him back on board — you can play the market to bring in a #2. But only then. Not now, not with Dunlap still unsigned.

If he goes somewhere else, what’s the alternative? A 33-year-old Ryan Kerrigan? A 32-year-old Melvin Ingram coming off an injury?

A return for Clowney barely seems realistic given what happened last year and it’s already been reported he’ll take his time (again) as he recovers from a knee injury.

There aren’t any other options after that.

Plus you only have two draft picks in the top-130. If they still owned their #1 pick (#23) they’d be in the perfect spot to tap into the pass rushers in the class. By #56 — the options are much thinner. And you don’t want to force another pick, again, because you failed to act in free agency.

It’s confounding how this same issue has dogged the Seahawks for years. It’s a terrible review of the front office efforts, frankly.

It speaks to the misuse of resources that so much has been ploughed into other positions (linebacker, safety) rather than a key position such as defensive end.

Look at the rest of the division:

— The Rams have Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd

— The Cardinals have Chandler Jones and JJ Watt

— The 49ers have Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Dee Ford and Javon Kinlaw

The Seahawks have Collier, Green, Robinson and Taylor.

You’re not competing for any Super Bowls with that. It’s time to get this sorted — now. No more waiting for the exact right value. If you have to pay a bit more to get Dunlap back — so be it.

And as I’ve suggested all along — if you need to be bold and sacrifice an asset to do it, so be it.

You spent a first round pick on a middle linebacker a year ago. Why do that when you’re already paying your starter $17m this year and $20m next year?

In 2019 you traded down from the first round into the early second to select Marquise Blair. You made that call, nobody forced the Seahawks to select him. Then you trade an obscene amount for a blitzing box safety.

You could trade Jamal Adams and give his $9m salary to Dunlap and get back in the draft to fill other remaining holes and depth.

Whatever way they do it, something needs to be done now before it’s too late.

They have to create resource. At the moment, it’s not clear how they’re going to fill out the roster with no money and three draft picks.

They could of course restructure Russell Wilson’s contract right now without even consulting him. The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes just did it. They choose not to though, despite the saving it would create. You can only assume they haven’t done this so they can leave their options open regarding a trade. That’s where this franchise is at.

They cannot continue with this annual game of musical chairs with the pass rush, or with the mystery surrounding Wilson’s future.

It’s time a little pressure was applied by people on the outside, so that pressure can be applied by those on the field.

If you missed my interview with Jake & Stacy on 710 ESPN on Friday, talking Seahawks and the draft, check it out below…

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Today I was invited to talk about the Seahawks, free agency and the draft with Jake & Stacy on 710 ESPN. You can hear the full interview below…

Meanwhile the Seahawks re-signed Chris Carson today on a three-year deal worth $24.6m. Reportedly, it voids after two years.

They needed a running back. None of the options were perfect. Leonard Fournette has had a strange career to date and wasn’t a sure thing to lead the running attack. Phillip Lindsay is electric and explosive but undersized (he’s just signed with the Texans).

Carson is exactly what Seattle likes in a runner — tough, physical and capable of high-quality performance. The problem is his health. They practically had to coddle him through the second half of last season to get to the playoffs.

A lot of people would’ve freaked out a year ago had the Seahawks used their top pick on a running back. Yet here’s the reality of the situation today. Jonathan Taylor’s cap hit is $1.7m in 2021. That’s considerably cheaper than Chris Carson’s cap hit.

Was it really worth drafting a middle linebacker, given the huge investment already made in Bobby Wagner, rather than saving yourself considerable money at the running back position, with years of cheap club control?

Even though Jordyn Brooks showed some promise as a rookie, I’m still not entirely sure why the Seahawks settled on that position with their top pick in 2020.

Nevertheless, the physicality Carson plays with carries real value. He’s one of Seattle’s draft hits over the last few years. The offense benefits greatly from his presence when he’s 100%. A cap-hit of about $5.5m with incentives is decent value for a player with his talent.

So what’s next? Pass rush is the #1 need. They must address that. They can’t repeat the last two years of trying to solve that problem right before — or during — the regular season.

At the very least, they have to find a way to bring back Carlos Dunlap and deliver a solid #2 — whether that’s Benson Mayowa or someone else.

They could also do with adding an eye-catching third receiving option. You need weapons in the modern NFL.

In order to do this, they’ll have to create cap space one way or another. They now have $67m in non-guaranteed salary to play with on the roster, which can be moved around via extensions or restructures.

I also think they should consider trades. Surely they can’t only pick three times in a draft with a lot of eye-catching options? After all, they have the fourth fewest players signed for 2021. How do you fill out the depth on your roster with no picks and severely limited cap space?

If you missed my article earlier today discussing the latest on the Russell Wilson situation, click here.

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This is Adam Schefter, the leading journalist covering the NFL, insisting that Russell Wilson ‘will’ be traded if the #Seahawks find a quarterback to replace him in the draft.

Even if it doesn’t happen this year, I just don’t know how you can ignore this. pic.twitter.com/O7dNWDFmUM

— Rob Staton (@robstaton) March 19, 2021

Every time I tweet about the Russell Wilson situation, the following happens.

I get a whole bunch of Bears fans asking how likely it is he’ll end up in Chicago (courtesy of their franchise allowing fans to dream about the possibility, only to make a craptastic offer to the Seahawks which was inevitably rejected).

I also get a whole bunch of Seahawks fans shouting, swearing and insisting that this is all one big drama over nothing.

It’s time to get real.

Adam Schefter is the leading journalist in the NFL. I’ve been a journalist for the BBC for 13 years. I could only dream of reaching Schefter’s level. It’s akin to Nick Bellore going to bed at night and contemplating an alternative reality where he’s the one lifting his seventh Lombardi Trophy as the GOAT.

Contrary to what people generally think, ‘clicks’ are not what motivates journalists. I’m not so naive to suggest it doesn’t play a part in some sections of the industry. It does. At the end of the day, private companies need to pay the bills. Practically every local and national news service requires you to click on their website to feed advertising revenues. Otherwise, they cease to exist.

Yet at the very top of the game you have individuals such as Schefter. Here is a man with 8.2 million twitter followers. I’ve had a twitter account for 12 years. The first person I followed was Schefter (with Mike Sando a close second).

In all of that time, I can’t think of a single thing Schefter has misreported.

This is a professional at the very top of his game. He has a well-earned reputation as a man with his finger on the NFL pulse. He is the big beast of NFL journalism. When it comes to breaking sports news, Adrian Wojnarowski is pretty much his only peer.

This is not someone who tosses around thoughts to provoke a reaction. Or gain clicks.

It might be inconvenient for Seahawks fans to hear what he has to say. It might be extremely tempting to fire back at Schefter, accusing him of clickbait or stirring up a non-story.

But the reality is this is just a coping mechanism for the harsh reality of what is going on. People don’t like the thought of following a dysfunctional franchise with question marks surrounding the best player.

Yet that’s exactly what we have here.

The Seahawks might not trade Wilson this year. It’s possible that they don’t find a quarterback they love in this draft. Frankly, I’d almost be a little bit surprised if they did find one. Not only that, they’d have to be picking in the top three to absolutely make sure they could get them.

That’s not really the point though, is it?

This isn’t about whether Wilson is dealt this year.

It’s about a broken relationship.

It’s about an inevitable divorce that appears part of Seattle’s destiny, sooner rather than later.

I’m already getting twitter replies discrediting Schefter. Someone highlighted that Wilson said ‘Go Hawks’ on an Instagram post (as if that means anything).

People will cling to anything to deny reality — yet ignore the following:

— Wilson’s agent literally sent the NFL’s #1 insider a list of four teams, on the record, that he’d be willing to be traded to

— Tony Pauline reported last week that the Seahawks are as prepared to move on as Wilson is and it’s just a case of whether it’s this year or next

— Multiple reporters have declared that the Seahawks indulged the Chicago Bears in trade talks and only decided to turn down their offer this week (and is it any surprise given what was offered?)

— Mike Florio reported last May that people within the NFL believed Wilson’s days in Seattle were numbered

— Colin Cowherd, who is close to the Wilson camp, read out a lengthy monologue detailing why the quarterback was unhappy with Pete Carroll, the offensive vision, the control Carroll has within the organisation and other concerns

— Neither the Seahawks or Wilson has moved to deny this story, which they could nip in the bud immediately

— Just today, Jason La Canfora (also with connections to Mark Rodgers) reported: “A contentious offseason between player and team has moved the camps further apart, and done nothing to quell the superstar quarterback’s reservations about where the franchise is headed and how well he will be incubated from future sacks and beatings.”

That is the reality.

I could keep listing things. The old saying ‘no smoke without fire’ barely feels adequate. This is just fire. Lots and lots of fire.

If I was going to put $20 on how this plays out — I’m not convinced I would put the money on Wilson leaving in 2021. I don’t know whether it’s realistic that Seattle will do a deal with the Jets, Dolphins, Falcons, Eagles or Panthers. Or that they could make a deal with the idea that someone like Trey Lance can come in immediately and get this team rocking.

Equally, I’m not sure how they’d work a way for Sam Darnold to come to Seattle — the other name that has been linked by reliable sources such as Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune.

La Canfora says Wilson isn’t willing to expand his list of teams this off-season anyway, making the whole situation moot unless he has a change of heart.

But again, I’m not sure any of this matters.

The main thing is a divorce seems to be on the cards. Whether it’s this year or next.

And we need to talk about that, not pretend it’s fake news.

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