Seahawks 2023 NFL Draft Preview: Going all in on CJ Stroud
The Seattle Seahawks season winds down to possibly the last game of the year this Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams. As the Rams look ready to finish their nightmare season, the Seahawks should finish the season above .500 at 9-8. This is a tremendous accomplishment if you looked at this team back during the preseason.
However, a disappointing 0-4 record against the lowly NFC South and a back-breaking 1-5 stretch in the second half has the Seahawks likely on the outside looking in after Sunday night. It is a frustrating end for a team that was 6-3 and had 1.5 game lead in the NFC West in mid-November. As the playoffs dream prepares to likely be extinguished by Aaron Rodgers, the biggest topic going forward for the next few months will be about the draft and the franchise-altering decision that awaits them with their first-round pick from the Denver Broncos.
This golden ticket, a top 5 pick that might be a top 3 pick, rewards a fringe NFC playoff team like Seattle with a potential blue-chip superstar talent. This could drastically change the outlook of this team in the final run of the Pete Carroll era. A pick this valuable, this important to the future of the franchise, is going to be debated and argued endlessly until draft night on April 27th.
Should the Seahawks take quarterback CJ Stroud with their first pick in the 2023 NFL draft?
Do the Seahawks take one of the top two defensive stars to help fix the run defense or add a legitimate pass-rushing star? Do they choose not to commit long-term to quarterback Geno Smith and take one of the four young QBs? Do they trade back, passing on a premier talent, but adding depth to a roster needing a talent infusion?
Over the next few months, we will be taking a deep dive look at several options that the Seahawks have to choose from. To kickstart our series, we’re going to take a look at potentially drafting quarterback CJ Stroud of Ohio State, who just played the game of his life in an epic College Football Playoff Semifinal.