Seahawks mock draft: 7 rounds, with no early offensive linemen

Seattle Seahawks mock draft that explores what might happen if the Seahawks decide to skip the offensive line for their first three picks in the draft.

Going into this mock draft, I wanted to force myself not to pick an offensive linemen over in the first three picks. The Seahawks need offensive line help, but their current group is very young. What they need is a veteran offensive tackle, not another rookie who is still learning the ropes while playing significant snaps.

I also went into this mock draft wanting to focus on defense. That didn’t work out as well as I’d hoped. The value on the offensive side of the ball was often too great to pass up on.

This mock draft was done on the Fanspeak draft simulator. It was done using the CBS big board. This simulator doesn’t allow trades, and it does not have compensatory picks included.

Marlon Humphrey made a ton of sense in the first round. The Alabama CB is long, fast and physical. He’s a guy that will fit in perfectly opposite Richard Sherman over the next four seasons.

After that I really wanted an inside pass rusher, but the ones I like for Seattle all disappeared before the Seahawks picked again. I ended up instead taking WR Cooper Kupp. Kupp is an instant upgrade in every way over Jermaine Kearse. It wasn’t a “need” pick, but he’s a good player.

Seattle’s third pick got them their SAM linebacker of the future. Rivers needs to work on his coverage skills, but he’ll be a solid performer in the run game and as a pass rusher as a rookie.

No Seahawks mock draft would be complete without at least one project offensive lineman. I made myself wait until the team’s 4th pick to grade one this time around, and the best available was Julian Davenport out of tiny Bucknell University.

Davenport is a terrific athlete that dominated a low level of competition. Unfortunately, the lack of talent across from him meant that he was able to dominate with poor overall technique. He’ll have a long learning curve before he’s ready to face NFL pass rushers.

After that it became a puzzle of fitting athletes into roles where the Seahawks need depth. Walker is a Clinton McDonald type pass rusher with no ability to help in defending the run. Roberts is an athletic project TE in the Luke Willson mold. Langi is a former RB with great athleticism but little experience.

Next: making the case for Darren McFadden

Overall, I don’t think most Seahawks fans will like this draft. There are too many small-school projects and not enough known quantities involved. I like this group though. There is tremendous upside for every player, so a little development time should lead to a productive draft class.