The Seahawks are likely getting closer to the part of the year that really currently matters: The 2023 NFL draft! Yes, Seattle could somehow still make the playoffs in 2022 but it doesn’t seem like they have any real chance of winning games once there. Seattle is in the midst of a rebuild – a somewhat short one hopefully – so let’s look forward to the young talent Seattle can add.
Before you start to yell, “Lee, how can the Seahawks really end up with four picks in the first round in 2023?!” let me explain how they got there. To do this mock draft, I used Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator. I like this simulator because it offers you trades as you go. I took two of the ones offered.
In fact, I trade down from pick 3 to pick 7 to pick 10. I did this because I was still able to draft what I think the Seahawks’ future needs are. And in the meantime, I was able to go from two first-round choices for Seattle in 2023 to four. Why would I not do those trades?
Seahawks 2023 NFL mock draft: Trades will help make the team great
I also was able to end up with 13 overall choices with eight of them coming in the first three rounds. Seattle needs to stay to the game plan and draft for need and build the team around whoever the future quarterback is. Therefore, I didn’t choose a quarterback early on, though I did take one on Day 3.
I also went defense-heavy as that is where Seattle has the greatest need at this point. That said, I was able to get a great weapon for the 2023 QB and one that will help DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett see more one-on-one coverage. Let me just say if Seattle comes anything close to this mock draft (not because I am any kind of genius, far from it, but because they are able to acquire such high-end talent via trades), Seattle could be a Super Bowl contender in 2024. Here are the picks.
Seahawks 2023 mock draft: First-round picks
One of Seattle’s most glaring needs entering 2023 is to improve the interior of its defensive line. But this goes well beyond just trying to stop the run. The Seahawks must get some interior pass rush as well and Bresee, who is 6’6″ and 300-plus pounds, has great quickness to get through blockers fast enough to stuff the run and chase down quarterbacks.
Florida State seems to know which transfer players to take. In 2021, FSU had Jermaine Johnson come to them, and, after being taken in the first round of the 2022 draft, he’s had a solid rookie year for the Jets. Verse is a lot like Johnson is that he has explosive speed and a bunch of power too. Verse transferred from Albany to FSU this year and ended up with 14.5 tackles for loss for the Seminoles.
There should be zero questions about how much talent Smith-Njigba has, but he does need to show he can stay healthy in the NFL. Smith-Njigba had a huge year in 2021 with 1,606 receiving yards for the Buckeyes but he only played in three games this season because of a hamstring injury. But adding him to a Seattle team that has DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett gives whoever Seattle’s quarterback is another great weapon while allowing Smith-Njigba a bit of time to acclimate to the NFL.
The Seahawks need to fix all the levels of their defense. The secondary might be OK if Jamal Adams can come back healthy in 2023 but Seattle needs to add another cornerback. But Seattle should make linebacker a higher priority as they need playmakers there. Sanders is an inside linebacker and could immediately replace Cody Barton; Barton is a free agent. Sanders also had 9.5 sacks for the Razorbacks this year.
Seahawks 2023 mock draft: Day 2
Seattle should be set at offensive tackle for many years to come. They need a center for sure but none of their guards are playing great either. Torrence is huge at 6’5″ and 345 pounds but still has good athletic ability. He is fantastic as a pass protector but has the size to develop into a dominant run blocker as well.
The Seahawks have three tight ends set for 2023 with Will Dissly, Colby Parkinson, and Noah Fant. But after 2023, the only tight end currently signed is Dissly. Plus, Mayer might simply be too good to pass up as he has great hands and excellent size at 6’5″ and 250 pounds. He runs really well and can block too.
Seattle seems to have the worst luck with running backs in the sense of that unit staying healthy. Every year it seems as if Seattle goes multiple games with RB3 or beyond starting. Seattle needs to find quality depth behind Kenneth Walker III and Corum is a three-down back who can take on a lot of reps.
Kelly has good size at 6’1″ and consistently has sticky coverage. His raw statistics don’t jump off the page at you but that is mostly because opposing quarterbacks don’t throw his way that often. Kelly will be a starter in the NFL and has the size to start on the opposite side of Tariq Woolen in Seattle for many years.
Seahawks mock draft: Day 3
If Campbell is still around in the fourth round, and according to Pro Football Network’s mock simulator for this mock he was (thankfully), then the Seahawks will get a steal. Campbell is a beast against the run and this is exactly what Seattle needs. He also has the ability to chase down quarterbacks but his strength is the Seahawks’ weakness (stopping the run) and Campbell will immediately help fix Seattle’s D.
Seattle’s safeties have not been the strength that they were expected to be heading into 2022. Backup Ryan Neal is actually Pro Football Focus’s top-graded safety but does anyone expect Neal to start once Jamal Adams returns? No. And Neal could leave in free agency after this year. Hickman could help replace Neal as a backup for Seattle.
Each season for Missouri, McGuire has improved his sack totals. In 2022, he had 8.5 in the tough SEC. McGuire is 6’4″ and 265 pounds so he is a bit too big to be a speed rusher and a bit too small to be a pure defensive end. He can be productive in the NFL as a situational pass rusher, however.
McIntosh has decent size at 6’1″ and 210 pounds and also has decent speed. He doesn’t have any plus-plus aspects of his game, though, and that will keep him from being taken high in the draft. But McIntosh can be used on all three downs – he is a good pass catcher – and would supply solid depth behind Walker.
Finally! The Seahawks draft their quarterback of the future! OK, I am joking a bit here.
No offense to Tune, but he probably isn’t going to be a long-term starter in the NFL. What he does offer is decent size with poise. If he comes in and learns an offense and can run that offense if called upon as a backup, that will be his key towards earning an NFL paycheck for several years.