3 reasons Seahawks must avoid taking a QB in first-round of 2022 NFL Draft
By Lee Vowell
Reason 2: Seahawks have too many other pressing needs besides quarterback
Besides needing to build the team and not the position, this draft offers a lot of quality at positions of need for Seattle other than quarterback. Seattle released Carlos Dunlap and Benson Mayowa, both edge rushers and Dunlap led the team in sacks with 8.5 in 2021. Seattle also let Kerry Hyder go in free agency.
At cornerback, D.J. Reed left Seattle for the New York Jets. Reed said after signing with the Jets that he thought Seattle’s offer was “disrespectful.” This is odd as Seattle hasn’t chosen a cornerback above the third round since Carroll and John Schneider came to Seattle in 2010, don’t see the sense in signing their own good draftees after they enter their free agent year (such as Shaquill Griffin) and then don’t seem to want to match offers from other teams for CBs that have managed to get good as Seahawks (Reed).
That said, Seattle has treated this offseason a bit differently than they have in other years. Who would have thought that Carroll and Schneider would have ever traded Russell Wilson, for instance? But they did. Maybe Seattle actually picks a cornerback at number 9 overall in the 2022 draft?
Hopefully, this will also be the draft where the Seahawks don’t trade down and actually stay at number 9 and take an edge rusher, left tackle or a cornerback. Any one of those positions manned by a top-end talent would improve the team almost instantly.