The Seattle Seahawks are mostly done with free agency this offseason. Maybe there is a player or two they will add, but Seattle will soon be turning almost all of its attention to the 2023 NFL draft. The Seahawks have two picks in the first round and while there is lots of speculation about what to do at pick 5, pick 20 is nearly as important.
Seattle could do a number of things in April’s draft, of course. This includes trading down from pick 5 and pick up even more high-end draft capital. Or Seattle could choose a potentially great defender at number 5 overall.
If that happens, maybe the Seahawks should just have some fun at pick 20. The team has a few positions of need, but they could also add high-end talent to positions of less need, like a wide receiver. Here are four choices worth maybe overreaching for with Seattle’s second choice in the first round.
Reach No. 1: Seahawks could draft wide receiver Jalin Hyatt
The Seahawks do need a third receiver and instead of overpaying for one, it makes sense to draft one. The question is how high of draft capital to spend on a receiver. Pick number 5 should be out of the question. Seattle has much greater needs than WR3, such as a defensive lineman or edge rusher.
Pick number 20 for the Seahawks could be one where they just have a little fun. With their first pick in the 2023 draft, they must take a good player that fits a position of need. With their second pick in the first round, however, just get a potentially good player who can be a weapon. Jalin Hyatt could be that player, though Hyatt might still be around in the second round.
Like with all these choices, overreaching at number 20 simply comes down to how much the Seahawks like a player and if they fear he won’t be around in the early second round. Hyatt has good hands and good speed. He does need to add some strength and weight to absorb all the impact he will get in the NFL, but at 6 feet tall he is tall enough to be a threat on the outside or in the red zone. The biggest question about him might be whether he is a product of Josh Huepel’s system at Tennessee or if he simply learned how to be a great receiver in his junior season.
Reach No. 2: Seahawks could draft tight end Michael Mayer
The Seahawks don’t need a tight end in 2023, but they might need two in 2024. After this coming season, Seattle might need two. Both Noah Frant and Colby Parkinson will be free agents after 2023. Adding Mayer might simply be taking a very good player a year ahead of a position being in need. But make no mistake, Mayer could play a bunch this coming season and be really good.
Being a tight end, however, Mayer could fall into the second round. This is especially true as while he did have excellent receiving numbers at Notre Dame, he doesn’t have elite speed and teams may not want to spend high draft capital on a player who they don’t think will help them right away as a receiver. Mayer would be able to come in and immediately benefit Seattle’s run game, though. He was taught excellent blocking technique with the Irish and that can translate quickly to the NFL.
But while Mayer doesn’t have elite speed, he still would help in the passing game because he gets open through fantastic route-running and he has good hands. Carrying four tight ends wouldn’t be normal for the Seahawks, but if the fourth tight end is Mayer, it makes sense. Seattle could also use fellow Fant more as a third receiver while keeping Mayer and tight end Will Dissly on the field at the same time.
Taking Mayer at 20 might be a bit of an overreach but he would also be a player Seattle can get decent production out of as a rookie and he could be very impactful by his second season. Mayer is projected to go in many mock drafts before pick 37 which is where Seattle has their first choice of the second round. I am not saying the Seahawks should take Mayer at pick 20, but he would be a good player for several years.
Reach No. 3: Seahawks could draft defensive tackle Calijah Kancey
Kancey is projected in some mocks to go as early as near the top ten, but most mocks have him going from the mid-20s and later. There is little doubt that athletically Kancey can play in the NFL. The concern some teams have is that he isn’t the biggest player as he is 6’1″ and about 280 pounds. His lack of length might mean he needs to rely too much on his athleticism to get around offensive linemen but NFL offensive linemen are pretty athletic as well.
Still, Kancey gets a lot of comparisons to Aaron Donald for a reason. Both played at Pittsburgh, both are basically the same size, and both have extreme athleticism. If Kancey had not played at Pittsburgh, he might not have the Donald comparisons but they are still appropriate. I am not saying Kancey is as good as Donald currently as Donald is one of the best players to ever play, but if Kancey is 80 percent the player Donald is then Kancey is worth choosing high in the 2023 draft.
Kancey could fall in the draft simply because he is a pure defensive tackle. He isn’t long enough to be a defensive end, but that should be perfectly fine with the Seahawks. Adding the super-quick Kancey to a mix that includes Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones would make the Seattle defensive line night and day compared to 2022.
Kancey would also be able to learn from Jones how to use his interior quickness to beat centers and guards. Kancey’s 16.5 sacks in college, plus 34.5 tackles for loss, are no fluke. He was a great college player. He should be a very good NFL player as well.
Reach No. 4: Seahawks could draft edge rusher Nolan Smith
Picking Nolan Smith in the first round is a bit like taking Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson high in the draft. What teams would be betting on with both players is that their immense athletic ability can make them productive while they are still truly learning how to play their positions. Smith has the physical attributes to be a good edge rusher in the NFL, but can he? No one really knows.
Smith played four years at Georgia but he wasn’t one of the top guys at his position until 2023. That may have to do with Georgia basically being an NFL minor league team, but it could be that Georgia coach Kirby Smart simply saw something else from the other players in the edge rusher group. Smith was solid in college but his numbers don’t really scream first-round choice. In his last season at Georgia, he played in eight games and had 3 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. Decent but not great numbers.
But at the NFL combine, Smith was a standout. Smith ran a 4.39 40 (which is ridiculous for someone his size), had a broad jump of 10’8″, and a vertical jump of 41.5 inches. The problem is that football games aren’t won by how fast someone can run or how high someone can jump. That’s more of a track activity. Even with great speed, unless a player has excellent technique and a high football IQ, they might not make a good NFL player.
Smith could be a great NFL player, but it might take him a year or so to adjust and learn. The chance a team takes on him involves patience. You might not see much production out of Smith in his rookie season, but hopefully by year two. Does that mean Smith is worth taking a chance on with pick 20 in the 2023 draft?