1. What’s going on?

I’m intrigued that two people, Daniel Jeremiah and Dane Brugler, both randomly mocked cornerback Terrion Arnold to the Seahawks at #16 in their final mocks. Jeremiah explained on the NFL Network he’d heard whispers of the team doing a lot of work on the position.

Either this pair have played an absolute blinder with their sources, or this is one of the more ludicrous things I’ve seen in a while. There’s no middle ground.

Or maybe there is? I like Arnold. His personality is A+ and he’d fit the Seahawks in that regard. If they’re truly going ‘best player available’ and he’s BPA when they pick, OK then. That’s how you qualify it.

There are also people out there who think Quinyon Mitchell is one of the best 2-3 defenders in the draft. If they really are committed to their board, I guess the cornerbacks could be higher than a lot of other players at different positions.

Yet it’d be so utterly frustrating. At least for me. Mike Macdonald’s been saying this week how they want to beat teams up in the trenches. They want to try and copy the hard-nosed style of the AFC North. They’ve gone on about that for years — but they’ve been finesse in the players they’ve selected.

Adding another first round corner, to go with the one taken fifth overall last year and the 20th overall receiver, not to mention the two previously wasted first rounders on Jamal Adams and the second rounder on Dee Eskridge, would be more of the same.

What good is it having talent at corner if a middling team like Pittsburgh can travel the length of the country and run the ball down your throat like they did in week 17 last season? They had Seattle’s pants down, on both sides of the ball.

If they took Arnold at #16, they wouldn’t pick again until #81. There’s a very real chance that their most significant additions to the trenches this year would be George Fant, Laken Tomlinson and Johnathan Hankins. That’s how they would be going about fixing the problem, with the new staff.

It’s unthinkable to me that they would do this. But we’ll see. I think perhaps people have become so focused on trying to work out ‘what Mike Macdonald wants’ and have ended up overthinking things. Arnold at corner, Cooper DeJean trying to be squashed into some type of Kyle Hamilton lite (even though he never even played safety in college).

Here’s the crux of it. This team has been crap in the trenches for years. The new staff might be an antidote of sorts but they need help. The pass rush remains milquetoast, the O-line doesn’t cut the mustard. And by the way, they don’t have a long term answer at quarterback.

Before adding more defensive backs, a year after spending a top-five pick on the unit, maybe the Seahawks can focus on what really matters? In a draft tailor made for the trenches.

I’m guessing these mock predictions are simply going to go the same way as the rampant ‘Jalen Carter at #5’ talk we had last year, in the final stages. Thankfully we only have a few more hours to wait and find out.

2. Can they get the best of both worlds?

If Troy Fautanu has a flagged medical due to his knee, could he last a bit longer than originally expected? Assuming it’s not a major issue, of course.

What if the Seahawks were able to trade down, get the picks they want/need for day two, and still get Fautanu?

That would be a home-run scenario. And frankly, I’m not sure it’s that unrealistic.

3. A few predictions I want to get out there

I still think it’s very likely the Seahawks are going to take a quarterback relatively early. Spencer Rattler in round two. Michael Pratt in round three. I wouldn’t 100% rule out Michael Penix Jr or Bo Nix either. I think John Schneider is determined to start adding at the position.

I think the Seahawks might be higher on two Huskies than most people think. One is offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten. The other is safety Dominique Hampton. If they don’t take an offensive lineman in round one, keep an eye on Rosengarten.

Braden Fiske’s medicals are a thing to consider but his testing, playing style, Senior Bowl and combine workout are interesting. He’s not an ideal two-gapper but I wanted to mention him today.

A quick reminder I’ll be doing a live blog throughout the draft and I’ll be joining PuckSports’ live broadcast at the start of round one — be sure to tune in!

Please check out my recent appearance on VSIN this week, just published to YouTube. The more views, comments and likes the better!