Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Trading the way to a dominant draft

Seahawks trade first pick

TRADE: Seahawks trade pick 5 to Carolina for picks 9, 61 and a 2024 1st-round pick

In one of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers will be selecting a quarterback with their first pick, come hell or high water. Owner David Tepper and new head coach Frank Reich appear to be all in on taking the surprising 7-10 Panthers to the next level on the back of a franchise rookie QB. If rumors are true, Tepper desperately wants Will Levis in Charlotte, so we struck a massive deal with Carolina.

The Panthers get their QB of the future to add to a team loaded with talent and primed to take control of the NFC South. Seattle moves back to pick 9 and collects a late second-round pick as well as a 2024 first. This is a steep price, but a fair one. There’s always going to be a QB trade tax whenever you are looking to trade up, and Seattle has the relationship with GM Scott Fitterer and leverage over Tepper to get those three assets. This is a win-win.

1st Round Pick 9: Lukas Van Ness, Edge, Iowa

While this trade is a massive haul for Seattle, they do lose out on Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson. When Wilson goes through the combine and his pro day, he will have teams wondering whether he should be going ahead of Will Anderson Jr more so than whether he lasts to pick #9. While losing out on him stings, I believe the Seahawks get the 3rd best edge rusher in this draft in Iowa’s Van Ness.

Van Ness is a 6’5″ and 269 pounds redshirt sophomore who was a freshman All-American in 2021 and averaged 6.5 sacks over his two-year career at Iowa. With a good enough speed to go with blue chip level power, Van Ness has a near-perfect frame to be a versatile weapon used at multiple positions along the d-line. He’s raw, but at only 22 years old, he could easily develop into a Trey Hendrickson-type power rusher and run-game disruptor for the Seahawks that Cincinnati has ridden to two straight AFC championship games on defense.