My Preferred 2023 Seahawks Draft (And review of the actual draft)

I did this last year, and I correctly had us selecting Tariq Woolen.  I did not, however, realize he would turn into a star in his first year.  Well anyway, I thought I'd do a mock Seahawks draft again.  I'm using a combination of two things: Walterfootball.com and a document a Seahawks fan put together, measuring draft prospects against guys we typically take.  I'm also going to do this assuming no trades.  It's silly, as the Hawks very likely will trade down at some point, but to guess where and how far would just be a crapshoot.

In BOLD, I say where the player listed ended up getting drafted.  Some of these I was quite far off on.  Oops.

Round 1, Pick 5: Tyree Wilson, Edge, Texas Tech
I think the Cardinals take Will Anderson to help their pass rush (or someone trades up to get him).  I also think Jalen Carter falls a bit in this draft, and I actually believe we pass on him.  Tyree Wilson is a bit of a reach at 5, but that's nothing new to the Hawks.  Charles Cross was a slight reach at 9 as well last year.  Let's just hope whoever we take here does better than the last defensive player we took at least this high, Aaron Curry in 2009.

Tyree ended up going #7 to the Raiders.  We ended up taking Devon Witherspoon.  It'll be interesting to see who has the better career.  I'll say this: Witherspoon is going to the better organization than Wilson.

Round 1, Pick 20: Siaki Ika, NT, Baylor
The Seahawks pass on Jalen Carter, hoping he maybe falls to 20, but he does not.  So instead, they take Siaki Ika from Baylor.  He's heavier than the DT's they usually draft, but he's about the same size as other DT's the Hawks have had over the years, like Bryan Mone and Al Woods.  The Hawks definitely need a nose tackle to replace Al Woods, who was cut, so they likely spend one of their earlier picks on one.  

Oh boy.  I was off.  Siaki ended up going pick 98 in round 3 to the Browns.  I saw he could've been first round talent, and we know the Hawks have reached in the past.  The Hawks ended up taking Jaxson Smith-Njigba, who I'll definitely look forward to all the misspellings of his names by Seahawks fans on Reddit, Facebook, etc.  I prefer the Hawk's actual pick (actually), and I think JSN will have a better career than Ika.

Round 2, Pick 37: John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
Yes, even with the signing of Evan Brown, the Seahawks could use another center. And I expect them to take one with one of their 2nd round picks, if not their 20th overall pick.  Better to not wait, so I have them spending the first of their two second-round picks on the highest-graded center, John Michael Schmitz from Minnesota.  Carroll and Schneider still long for the days of Max Unger, so they know they need a good stalwart at center.  They badly missed out on Creed Humphrey, selecting D'Wayne Eskridge instead (Ouch).  They won't make the same mistake (I hope).

The Hawks instead took Derick Hall, defensive end.  I wish we had taken JMS, who ended up going to the Giants at pick 57.  If he becomes an all-pro like Creed Humphrey, I might lose it.  I'm not particularly excited about Hall, seeing as we've yet to really develop an edge rusher... ever.  Ok, Frank Clark is one, but there's an exception to every rule.

Round 2, Pick 52: Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State
This is where I could see the Hawks trading down, especially if they've addressed their immediate needs (DL, interior OL/C).  I know Carroll loves his speedy linebackers, and why not take a local kid in Daiyan Henley from WSU?  I know we signed Devin Bush and Bobby Wagner, but I guarantee Bush will have competition.  We'll need depth there, anyway, with Bush's injury history and with Brooks missing the start of the season.

The Hawks instead took Zach Charbonnet, running back.  I wish we had grabbed the local kid in Henley.  The Hawks in fact did not take any pure linebacker in the draft (if you don't count Hall or Morris as one).  Henley went #85 to the Chargers.  So we could've had him, just like Schmitz.

Round 3, Pick 83: Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss
Hmmmm... drafting a bigger wide receiver from Ole Miss on Day 2?  Well, it worked out for the Seahawks once before with DK Metcalf, so why not try again?  I'm sure DK would love to work with Mingo and mentor him.  The Hawks have been looking for a legit #3 for years, and I think they'll try to find it in the draft.

We did draft a receiver (JSN), but all the way up at #20.  The Hawks traded down to 108 and took Anthony Bradford, guard.  Mingo went #39 to the Panthers, so we wouldn't have had a shot to get him, at least not here.

Round 4, Pick 123: J.L. Skinner, S, Boise State
Maybe PC/JS are trying to rebuild the Legion of Boom.  They already have their Richard Sherman clone in Woolen.  What about a Kam Chancellor clone?  Granted, Skinner is a bit on the skinny side, but he could bulk up, I bet.  I just bet Carroll would love his 6'4" frame.  We do have Adams and Love, but Adams is injury prone.  And Love is a newcomer, so it's yet to be seen how he'll fit in.  If they are able to get Skinner to bulk up enough, he could move to linebacker.

Instead the Hawks drafted Cameron Young, defensive tackle.  I felt like they should've taken one sooner, but what do I know?  Skinner went all the way at 183 to the Broncos.  So I was off again.

Round 5, Pick 151: Roschon Johnson, RB, Texas
Roschon's vertical isn't particularly ideal, but I think PC/JS might take a running back mid-late in the draft who is larger and can withstand some hits.  Roschon is 6'0" 219 lbs, so he'd be a nice contrast to the smaller Kenneth Walker.  

Roschon went at 115 to the Bears, so earlier than I thought.   Instead of us drafting a mid-round RB, we drafted an early one (#52, Charbonnet) and a late one (#237, McIntosh).  Here we drafted Mike Morris, defensive end.

Round 5, Pick 154: Yaya Diaby, Edge, Louisville
You think PC/JS would be happy with just Tyree Wilson?  Maybe... but I could also see them taking someone else as a project, such as Yaya Diaby.  One, I like his name.  And two, he seems to have all the measurables.  He also just seems like a PC/JS kind of guy based on his name and personality.

Unfortunately, we didn't get Diaby, who I would've love saying the name of.   He went #82 to the Buccaneers, so I was way off.  Instead, we drafted Olusegun Oluwatimi, whose name I'm going to have to learn how to spell correctly without looking up... someday.  I'm totally fine with that change.  Rumor is that the Hawks were thinking about taking Diaby at #83, but the Bucs sniped him away from us, so the Hawks traded down.  

Round 6, Pick 198: Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati
The Hawks may draft two receivers (almost a guarantee to draft at least one), and I could see Tre Tucker coming to us.  He's got decent speed, so he could compete with Dee Eskridge for a spot on the roster.  The Hawks could use an underneath speedy guy to emerge.

We did not draft a second WR, but we did draft a safety like I thought.  Just a bit later than I thought.  Tucker ended up going #100 to the Raiders, so again I was way off.  The Hawks went with Jerrick Reed, safety, instead.  I'm okay with that.

Round 7, Pick 237: Cameron Mitchell, CB, Northwestern
The Hawks may take a corner to see if they can one day be our nickel. Mitchell has the speed and measurables that line up.  This could be any position here, but I decided to go with something the Hawks hadn't taken yet.

Funny how the Browns and Raiders took a combined four players that I liked.  Mitchell went at 142 to the Browns, so again just so far off.  We took Kenny McIntosh, who I love and I think has a good chance of making the roster.

I didn't get any players that the Hawks ended up taking (damn).  But I'll say this: I think I prefer the Seahawks draft over the one I had them take.  It's close.  I would've loved John Michael Schmitz, but if Oluwatimi ends up being as good (or better) than JMS, this draft was an absolute win.

Well, there you have it!  I'd be stoked with this draft.  Here's what a 53-man roster would look like with this draft:

QB (2) - Geno Smith, Drew Lock
RB (5) - Kenneth Walker III, Deejay Dallas, Roschon Johnson, FA (Undrafted?), Nick Bellore
WR (6) - Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Jonathan Mingo, Dareke Young, 2 of the 3 of D'Wayne Eskridge/Cade Johnson/Tre Tucker
TE (3) - Noah Fant, Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson
OL (9) - Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas, Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe, Phil Haynes, Damien Lewis, Evan Brown, John Michael Schmitz, Joey Hunt
DL (5) - Dre'Mont Jones, Bryan Mone, Siaki Ika, Jarran Reed, Myles Adams
Edge (4) - Tyree Wilson, Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu, Darrell Taylor/Yaya Diaby
LB (6) - Bobby Wagner, Devin Bush, Daiyan Henley, Alton Robinson, Tyreke Smith, Vi Jones
CB (5) - Tariq Woolen, Mike Jackson, Coby Bryant, Tre Brown, Cameron Mitchell/Artie Burns
S (5) - Quandre Diggs, Jamal Adams, Julian Love, J.L. Skinner, Joey Blount
ST (3): Jason Myers (K), Michael Dickson (P), Ott/Tinker (LS)

And unlike last year, I'm going to give a quick comment on each position and how they shape up.

QB: Two QB's under contract.  Might bring in someone for pre-season, but they likely get cut.
RB: Hawks almost guaranteed to draft one, they'll need someone to replace Penny/Homer.  Might have a surprise UFA make the team here.
WR: A draft pick, possibly two make the team.  

TE: Same three as last year.
OL: Starting five would be Cross, Lewis, Schmitz, Haynes, and Lucas.  
DL: Ika and Mone are the more traditional nose tackles/run stuffers.  The rest are used in pass situations.
Edge: Three of four likely are first or second round picks (this year or in year's past), plus a big FA last year in Nwosu.
LB: Brooks will be on the shelf early on, so I expect the starting 'backers to be a combo of Bush, Wagner, and a draft pick (Henley?).
CB: Honestly, they'll probably draft a CB higher than what I said, but it is what it is.
S: With Neal seemingly on his way out, we will need a safety, especially if we adopt 3 safety sets like it is rumored.
ST: Same as last year.

So, there you have it!  It'll be interesting to see if we end up taking any of the guys above.  I'll come back after the draft and mention who we took instead and who ended up taking the guy I wanted.