Seattle Seahawks 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Rebuilding the trenches

Day 2 Seahawks draft picks

Round 2 Pick 37: Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor

Did I say we’re trying to reload the trenches? At pick 37, the Seahawks selected the massive nose tackle out of Baylor. Ika, who’s 6’4″ and a monstrous 357 lbs, has been the best player on a fantastic Baylor defense for the past couple of years after transferring from LSU.

Ika brings an immediate size and strength advantage that opposing offenses have to throw bodies at. As one of the worst rush defenses in the league this year, Ika could immediately bring the Seahawks’ rush defense back up to respectability. After the Seahawks let teams like New Orleans, Atlanta, Las Vegas, and Carolina run all over them, Ika could potentially turn a few of those games for Seattle.

Round 2 Pick 52: Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia

With Seattle adding an extra top 60 pick with their Carolina trade, we used pick 52 as a luxury pick, selecting the number 2 tight end in this draft class in Darnell Washington.

Washington had a wildly successful season for his back-to-back championship Bulldogs. The 6’7″ and 265 lbs. TE continued to be the best blocking tight end college football has seen in years, and that was expected. What wasn’t expected was seeing Washington steal 5-star prospect Arik Gilbert’s playing time as a receiving tight end. Gilbert caught 28 passes for 450 yards and 2 touchdowns. For not having played much of a role in the passing in the previous two seasons, his potential growth could make him special.

Round 2 Pick 60: Brandon Joseph, Safety, Notre Dame

With the second pick acquired in the Carolina trade, Seattle takes a slight gamble on a new safety in Brandon Joseph.

Joseph had dominant 2020 and 2021 seasons at Northwestern that had him on track to be a first-round pick, but after an underwhelming season after transferring to Notre Dame, Joseph’s draft stock is now in question.

The Senior Bowl, draft combine, and pro day will play a pivotal role in whether Joseph gets drafted on day two or day three in this year’s draft. With uncertainty at both safety spots for the Seahawks, I believe Pete Carroll can reach the untapped potential that Notre Dame failed to unlock in Joseph.

Round 3 Pick 83: Luke Wypler, Center, Ohio State

Completing our mission to fully rebuild the offensive line, we take the center behind one of the best offenses in college football the past two seasons. The redshirt sophomore allowed just one sack all season, and thoroughly outplayed Georgia’s Jalen Carter in their Peach Bowl battle.

The addition of Wypler completes an offensive line that is young, but extremely talented with Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Peter Skoronski, and Abe Lucas ready to dominate.