Seattle Seahawks mock draft before the chaos of free agency
By Andy Excell
With just 4 picks in the 2021 draft and salary cap space at a premium, the Seahawks need to maximize the return on their four, maybe five draft picks. The first step in doing so is correctly identifying the needs. I would say the biggest needs are these:
Cornerback
Running Back
Offensive Line
Linebacker
Wide receiver
Next is to establish where in the draft you find the answer to each of these five needs. This is the tricky bit, as you are trying to evaluate when teams will draft each position. I suspect cornerbacks will fly off the boards early, so if your team does not have theirs by the end of round 2, you will be hoping that somebody got left behind for your team to pick up.
There is not a lot of top-end quality at running back in this draft, but there are plenty of second-level backs that will be taken in rounds 3-5.
What should the Seahawks do with their limited number of 2021 draft picks?
The Seahawks need interior linemen, so leaving that to round 6 will be too late to get what they need. Leaving a linebacker to be picked up in round 6. If the Seahawks do end up with a pick in round 7, which is a conditional pick that a decision has not been made on yet, that is when they should take a WR.
So having formulated the plan, how do the Seahawks put it into action? Which Cornerback should the Seahawks take in Round 2?