4 dream prospects the Seahawks should draft in first round but won't

The 2024 NFL draft is less than a week away. By next Sunday, Seattle Seahawks fans will know who the newest players on their favorite team are. Hopefully, there will be much rejoicing.

With general manager John Schneider in complete control over the roster for the first time, no one can be quite sure what Seattle will do. Maybe Seattle trades back to try to get a couple of more picks in the first three rounds. That would be grand. Or maybe Seattle sticks at number 16 and takes a punter. Anything is possible.

Unlikely, however, is Seattle taking any of the four players that follow. There are various reasons for each. Getting one of the below would be great, but there is one major reason Seattle probably won't be able to choose them: Seattle will likely trade back.

Four dream prospects the Seattle Seahawks will probably miss out on in the 2024 NFL draft

Tight end Brock Bowers, Georgia

Teams have to be wary of taking tight ends in the first round. There have been ten tight ends taken in the first round since 2011 and only three of them made the Pro Bowl with their original teams, T.J. Hockenson, Kyle Pitts, and Evan Engram. Eric Ebron did make a Pro Bowl but that was after he had left the Detroit Lions for the Indianapolis Colts and Ebron is no longer in the league after being taken in 2014. Bowers has flashed the ability to be a high-level player but there is no guarantee of that, of course.

Seattle does need a tight end as well. Currently, the active 53-man roster would likely feature Noah Fant and Pharaoh Brown. Fant should have good numbers in Seattle's revamped offense, but Brown is mostly a blocker. Adding another pass catcher at the position would help. But while Bowers does fall to pick 16 in some mock draft, he will likely be gone before Seattle has a chance to choose him.

Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, Texas

Seattle's defensive line should be solid in Mike Macdonald's scheme. There is talent in the persons of Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and Dre'Mont Jones. The Seahawks will have a 4-3 front, however, and while free agent signee Johnathan Hankins is a veteran who should be decent against the run, he is more of a rotational player than a starter. Seattle could use an upgrade.

Murphy is strong enough to hold his own against NFL offensive line against the run and he is quick enough to get some interior pressure. He would also bring the kind of versatility that Macdonald loves in interior defensive lineman. The issue for Seattle is that the team will probably trade back and Murphy will be taken just before the team has a second chance to take the Texas product.

Edge rusher Jared Verse, Florida State

Seattle could have an unexpectedly huge need at edge rusher during the 2024 season. Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe should be good to great; both could have their best seasons under head coach Mike Macdonald. But the players after Nwosu and Mafe all have question marks. Can Darrell Taylor learn to play the run? Can second-year player Derick Hall prove he is not a second-round draft bust from 2023?

Adding Verse would improve the Seahawks' run defense as Verse excels against the run and has the size and strength to set a hard edge. He should also be capable of immediate production in terms of pass rush. Verse is better than Taylor at stopping the run so the rookie should get Taylor's reps and even be a fill-in starter should Mafe or Nwosu go down. But Verse will likely be gone before 16.

Or, worse, if an NFL.com mock is correct, Seattle will trade back with the Philadelphia Eagles to pick 22 and the Eagles will then draft Verse. That would hurt.

Offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, Washington

Fautanu would be a perfect choice for Seattle. He played at the University of Washington under Ryan Grubb and Scott Huff; Grubb is now the Seattle offensive coordinator and Huff is Seattle's offensive line coach. There would be no easier transition for Fautanu entering the NFL than him falling to Seattle at pick 16. The pick would be a win for the player and Seattle as the Seahawks need a great young offensive lineman who can play guard or tackle and start right away.

But there are several reasons Seattle might not take Fautanu. One is that he is good enough for another team to snatch him up before 16. Another reason could be that Seattle trades back and Fautanu might have been available at pick 16 but he isn't at the later choice. But the biggest reason that Seattle probably won't choose Fautanu is the many mock drafts expect that to happen and John Schneider seems to like doing the unexpected.