Seattle Seahawks draft needs solidify as draft nears

The countdown to the draft has reached only six days. We’re finally getting close to finding out who the newest 11 faces on the roster are going to be. First, we should take a closer look that Seattle Seahawks draft needs for 2015.

Here is every position on the roster, listed from the biggest need to the least. With 11 draft picks, they are going to be able to address just about any position they want to this year.

Offensive Line

This one should be obvious to anyone who has seen the Seahawks play a game in the last two season. Add in that Max Unger and James Carpenter are no longer on the roster, and the Seahawks have a serious problem.

The recent signing of Lemuel Jean-Pierre doesn’t change Seattle needs for offensive line help. He’s a backup, and they need starters. It does decrease the panic level slightly, but that’s about it.

The truth is that the Seahawks need to find two starters. Unfortunately, they won’t be able to do so. Getting one is a must, and then they’ll have to figure out a way to find a one-year bridge at the other position.

Wide Receiver

Seattle’s overall talent at wide receiver is near the bottom the league right now. Doug Baldwin is a good player, but behind him there isn’t much to get excited about. Keep in mind that Paul Richardson will almost certainly start the season on the PUP list.

The Jimmy Graham trade lessened this need. He may be listed as a tight end, but he isn’t a guy who is going to be doing much blocking. His impact will be exclusively in the passing game.

The performance of Chris Matthews in the Super Bowl also helps. He could still end up being a one-hit wonder, but at least there is some hope that he has a future. There is also Kevin Norwood, who didn’t see the field much last season. He battled injuries in training camp, and never really caught up. he should get a chance to contribute this season.

Overall, the Seahawks need to add another player. They cannot going into another year with Jermaine Kearse as a starter. They must upgrade the talent at the position and give Russell Wilson another weapon.

Defensive Tackle

This might not be a need, but the Seahawks will be looking for a talent with one of their early picks this year. Seattle needs to get younger and cheeper at the position.

Don’t kid yourself, the Seahawks would love to find a NT that would allow them to drop Brandon Mebane’s contract. He’s now one of the oldest and most-expensive players on the team. That’s a bad combination in the John Schneider era.

Edge Rusher

You can never have too many pass rushers. Or in Seattle’s case, they simply don’t have enough yet. The Seahawks were short one on last season’s roster, and then saw O’Brein Schofield leave in free agency.

Seattle needs to add another edge rusher in the draft. They also needs guys like Cassius Marsh and Greg Scruggs to get and stay healthy for most of next season.

Tight End

The addition of Jimmy Graham fixes the tight end position on paper, but not in scheme. On the field Graham is a essentially a big wide receiver. He doesn’t offer the in-line blocking ability necessary for Seattle’s rushing attack.

Luke Willson is a solid backup, but not a starting caliber player. Cooper Helfet is roster filler. A player with the potential to develop into a starting tight end down the line isn’t a necessity this year, but it would be great if they were able to find one.

Cornerback

Cornerback was arguably the Seahawks’ biggest need at the start of the offseason, but the signings of Cary Williams and Will Blackmon took care of that. Both are over 30 though, meaning they are short-term fixes, not long-term solutions.

Under Schneider, the Seahawks have had great success drafting and developing late-round corners. That trend should continue this year, especially since the Seahawks have so many picks at their disposal.

Linebacker

Linebacker is still one of the strengths of the defense, but the depth took a hit in free agency. Schofield, who played defensive end and linebacker, is gone. The same goes for Super Bowl XLIII MVP Malcolm Smith.

Neither of these players were starters, but depth has been a key ingredient in the Seattle’s run over the last few seasons. That depth must be replaced.

Quarterback

The Seahawks have Russell Wilson, but no backup. Tarvaris Jackson could re-sign at any point and that would fix the problem. If he doesn’t, then the Seahawks could take a flyer on a late round project.

Safety

The Seahawks have two All-Pro starters, and both should be healed and ready for the start of the season. They also have DeShawn Shead, Dion Bailey and Eric Pinkins behind them. Competition for the backups would nice, but certainly not necessary at this time.

Running Back

The Seahawks already have three good ones. This includes arguably the best in the NFL in Marshawn Lynch, whom they just re-signed. It is safe to say the team doesn’t need a running back unless they do something unexpected like trade Christine Michael.