Multiple mock drafts have Seahawks going OT with pick number 9

The Seahawks need a quarterback. And well, a cornerback too. They have a lot of needs. Going offensive tackle might be the way to go in round one in 2022 and several recent mock drafts have Seattle going that way with the number 9 overall pick in the NFL draft.

This would be a smart move. None of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft are sure things. (Correct me in 10 years when three of them are likely on their way to Hall of Fame careers and I am just an idiot.) While there are several good cornerbacks in this draft class, Seattle has never gone higher than round three when taking a CB.

Plus, the Seahawks currently have picks 40 and 41 and there is likely going to be a potentially very good corner still on the board for one of those picks.

Seahawks to go left tackle in the first round of many 2022 NFL mock drafts

But like with every year, there is a huge dropoff between top-end tackle talent versus anyone else. In Pro Football Focus’s most recent mock draft, Seattle is going to take Charles Cross from Mississippi State. CBS’ most recent mock agrees with PFF. In ESPN’s most recent mock draft, the Seahawks are going to choose Ikem Ekwonu of North Carolina State.

I actually think CBS’ write-up for why Seattle chooses Cross is fairly funny: “The Seahawks need OL help and what would be better than throwing a high first-round tackle pick in Russell Wilson’s face the second he leaves town?” So true.

PFF’s mock write-up hints at what might be a Seahawks-only experiment. That is, Seattle seems to not have a plan at offensive tackle as the team not only needs a left tackle but a right one as well. Maybe Seattle is just going to run everything up the middle?

Ekwonu is an elite pass blocker. He allowed just 9 pressures in all of 2021. Or basically, what it felt like Kyle Fuller did for Seattle as a center in any one game he played this past season.

Finding a future franchise QB is extremely important but so is finding someone who is going to protect his blindside for years. If the QB class were better in 2022, Seattle should choose one. But maybe Seattle should choose a QB in 2023 instead and have the player protecting his blindside already on the roster.