Austin Jackson to Seahawks in 2020 draft would make too much sense

The Seahawks need help on both the offensive and defensive lines. But Seattle picking tackle Austin Jackson in the 2020 draft seems too logical.

Austin Jackson is a young man with lots of potential. He plays a position of need for the Seahawks, but will Seattle take a chance on drafting him in the 2020 NFL draft that takes place starting April 23rd? Maybe Seattle should, but they are unlikely to. Rarely do John Schneider or Pete Carroll make the logical choice.

Many times with their first picks the Seahawks make choices that aren’t great long-term. But after that their picks are pretty golden. That is weird, right? In 2019, Seattle chose L.J. Collier. Collier so far has been a huge bust. Maybe he will be better in his second season and beyond, but there is no evidence he will be.

In 2018, the Seahawks chose Rashaad Penny for no real reason other than they wanted the best player available they had on their draft board. Penny hasn’t worked out so far, mostly due to injuries.

But in 2020, the Seahawks need defensive line help and offensive line help. Really what they need on the offensive line are players who are young with a very good upside that will become Seattle starters for several seasons. Enter Austin Jackson.

Jackson is 6’5″ and 315 pounds. He is just 21 years old. But in offseason workouts, Jackson has shown very good athleticism and seems more like he weighs 260 pounds and not 315 pounds. Jackson ran a 5.07 40 at the NFL combine. He had 27 reps of 225 pounds. He is fairly fast and definitely strong.

Here is why the Seahawks won’t pick Jackson, though: It makes too much sense. Seattle clearly needs help on both of their lines, defensive and offensive. Left tackle Duane Brown is great but aging. Seattle has made a bunch of changes to its offensive line this offseason, but the line doesn’t seem better. Jackson would make it better.

Instead, the Seahawks will trade down out of the first round to pick up more picks. Seattle will then choose an edge rusher or a skill position player, likely the latter. If Seattle does pick a defensive lineman it will be a defensive tackle. Austin Jackson will go to another team and be very good. The closest Seattle will get to Jackson is in a few years when we are writing articles about how Seattle should try to sign him as a free agent.