2014 NFL Draft: 3 Draft Needs for the Seattle Seahawks

Apr 26, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell speaks before the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to find many weaknesses on a young and talented team that recently won the Super Bowl in convincing fashion. But with the NFL Combine going on this past week it’s important to take a look at the places where the Seattle Seahawks can improve next season. After all, the only thing better than one Lombardi Trophy is two. With that in mind here are three positions that the Seahawks should try to upgrade on draft day.

1. GUARD- The offensive line in general had several low points this past season but guard play is an especially important position for the Seahawks to focus on in the offseason. J.R. Sweezy is a great story, Paul Mcquistan is very adaptable, and James Carpenter is finally healthy but it would be real nice to see the Seahawks try to upgrade the offensive line with their early round picks.

2. DEFENSIVE END- This may sound crazy considering the exceptional play of the defensive line this past season but the bottom line is there are too many high-paid Seahawks on defense. Red Bryant, Chris Clemons, and the impending big contract necessary to retain Michael Bennett lead me to believe that Seattle will need to look for some more depth at this particular position in April. Having an excess of pass rushers is a staple of Pete’s Carroll defensive philosophy and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

3. WIDE RECEIVER- I hope I wasn’t the only person that laughed for a second thinking that the Seahawks signed the moderator of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews (OK, it was just me). After signing CFL standout Chris Matthews, Seattle appears to have a big target to replace Sidney Rice next season. However, the talent at the receiver position in this year’s draft is impressive and Seattle would be well-served to take a shot on someone in the first three rounds if possible. A move like that would create a great roster competition during next year’s training camp with the Seahawks benefiting greatly.

It’s hard to get a complete picture of the Seahawks personnel needs until free agency dies down but this is a good early look at what Seattle will need to consider if they want to get back to the Super Bowl next season. Although, after saying all this, I should note that Seattle will probably focus on none of these positions in the draft and make myself and all other draft predictors look foolish by getting a great bunch of solid new talent. I have to admit though, it’s fun to watch John Schneider and Pete Carroll make everyone look bad on draft day.