Seahawks news for Thursday includes Mel Kiper mocking a QB to Seattle

In Seahawks news for your Thursday, several Seattle players were named finalists for different awards by the NFL on Wednesday, and Mel Kiper said what? This is some hard-hitting news, 12s. OK, it’s not really, but it’s some interesting stuff anyway.

Before we get into the two feature nuggets of news, let’s just start with the possibility of some coaches leaving the Seahawks this offseason. Associate head coach/defense Sean Desai may not be sticking around long. He was hired last year to help fix the defense and boy, did he do wonders! (OK, not really.) But he must have done something other teams liked because Desai has reportedly had interviews with the Miami Dolphins and the Minnesota Vikings to be those teams’ defensive coordinator.

Quarterback coach Dave Canales has reportedly drawn interest from the Baltimore Ravens about becoming their offensive coordinator. Canales did a great job helping Geno Smith in 2022 and he likely deserves a chance at being an OC somewhere. It may not happen with the Ravens but somewhere else soon.

Seahawks have several finalists for awards

Speaking of Geno Smith, he is a finalist and may be the front-runner, for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award for 2022. The league announced he was one of three finalists along with now-49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Giants running back Saquon Barkley. Smith isn’t really coming back from an injury like the other two guys so that could hurt his chances.

Rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen is one of three finalists for the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year along with CB Sauce Gardner of the Jets and Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. Gardner seems like a lock to win this award. But Woolen seems like a long-term lockdown corner and that’s more important.

Seahawks rookie running back Kenneth Walker is a finalist for the league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. The other two finalists are the Jets receiver Garrett Wilson and 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. Walker may not win, but he deserves to.

Geno Smith likely has the best chance to win of the three Seahawks nominated for year-end awards, though. If you want to actually see who wins, tune in to NBC at 6 pm PT on Thursday, February 9th and you’ll know. Maybe all three Seattle players will win?

Seahawks draft a QB at number 5 overall?

In the last bit of news, while the Seahawks have a bunch of needs in the 2023 NFL draft – edge rusher, linebacker, interior defensive line, interior offensive line – ESPN’s Mel Kiper thinks right now that Seattle will take a quarterback with their first pick (number 5 overall) in the 2023 draft. That quarterback will be Kentucky’s Will Levis, per Kiper. Kiper thinks Seattle gets an edge rusher (Tennessee’s Byron Young) at number 20.

I watched quite a bit of Levis in college. He has an incredible release and arm strength, so there is no dispute he has the raw ability to be good. But his decision-making was atrocious at times. He seems about ready to have a turnover at any moment. I think Seattle can do better.