Seahawks mock drafts show a huge need in one area
By Lee Vowell
Now that the playoffs are winding down, mock drafts are beginning to appear everywhere. And the Seahawks are clearly in need along the defensive line.
The Seahawks always seem in need of an upgrade at two units, the offensive and defensive lines. But in 2019, Seattle has a much bigger need on defense than on offense. And several mock drafts are predicting that Seattle tries to fix the issue.
Even if Seattle does the clear and right thing and extend defensive end Frank Clark to a long-term contract, Seattle still needs at least two other players who can get to the opposing quarterback. Jarran Reed was good this year from his defensive tackle position, but Reed and Clark should not be expected to get pressure by themselves. They need help.
Mel Kiper, Jr. of ESPN thinks that Seattle chooses defensive end Oshane Ximines with the 21st pick in the NFL draft. According to Kiper, Ximines has excellent versatility and explosiveness. My only concern with the pick is that Ximines hasn’t faced a lot of top-end talent in his college career while playing at Old Dominion. Seattle may need a more proven player to help right away.
USA Today (which is still a thing, I promise) has Seattle selecting defensive end Brian Burns of Florida State with their first-round choice. Burns had 10 sacks this season for a mediocre Seminoles team. Burns is an early-entry in the NFL draft and played three seasons at FSU.
FanSided’s NFL Spin Zone, though, thinks the Seahawks get cornerback Deandre Baker of Georgia with their first pick. The only issue with this, and NFL Spin Zone’s take could be a lot better than mine, is that John Schneider and Pete Carroll are loathe to pick a cornerback so early – they haven’t chosen a cornerback so soon in the draft in their nine years in Seattle. Plus, picking Baker means Seattle might be thinking of giving up on Shaquill Griffin or Tre Flowers and they haven’t.
Next. 4 players the Seahawks could target in free agency. dark
Still, nearly every mock draft has the Seahawks picking a defensive player with their first pick in the 2019 NFL draft. This is different than most recent years when everyone assumes Seattle will choose an offensive tackle. This is a nice change. Yet, we all know Seattle is going to trade down out of the first round to pick up more picks. Seattle only has four right now in the entire draft. That number will probably end up closer to 8 or 9.