3 moves Seahawks need to make after the 2024 NFL Draft
It’s been a week since the NFL Draft, and it still feels like there is a buzz about the Seattle Seahawks draft. The consensus around NFL media and draft insiders has pretty consistently given the Seahawks anywhere from a B+ to an A+ grade for their draft, which is pretty incredible given the fact they entered the draft without both a second or fifth-round draft pick.
The ability to take advantage of a QB-heavy draft, and grab Byron Murphy II, widely viewed as the best defensive prospect in this class at pick 16, may go down in Seahawks lore as one of the biggest wins in Seattle draft history. The wins didn’t stop there, as the Seahawks were able to find arguably the best “natural” guard in this draft class, Christian Haynes out of UConn at pick 81, arguably 20 picks later than many had believed he would go.
It is an impossible science to accurately project how draft picks will pan out, look at Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold for example. That being said, it feels like John Schneider and Mike Macdonald gave themselves a real shot at not just a blue-chip star at pick 16, but also an immediate upgrade to the interior O-line, and someone who has Pro Bowl potential.
It feels like a home run caliber draft for this new regime, but there is still work to be done if this team wants to get back to the playoffs this season. What follows are three key decisions Seattle still needs to make this offseason.
Do the Seattle Seahawks reunite with "old friends”?
I believe this first key decision won’t be a hot topic for people. After the draft, there are still some questions about the depth of the linebacker and safety rooms. At LB, the Seahawks will have completely new faces, with the additions of Tyrel Dodson, Jerome Baker, and newly drafted Tyrice Knight out of UTEP.
While there’s talent there, we’re talking about thin depth, considering Baker’s health questions last year. These questions only ramped up even more when Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta mentioned that the Seahawks and the 49ers have kept in touch with polarizing safety Jamal Adams.
ESPN’s Brady Henderson added more fuel to this fire, confirming Condotta, but also acknowledging that, while it is not likely, the Seahawks could bring Adams back to play as a weakside linebacker. This comes on the heels of rumors about where Adams’ former teammate Quandre Diggs may sign.
We know that Mike Macdonald’s specialty is with the linebackers and the safeties, specifically with his preference for a 3-safety look. So what should Seattle do?
Personally, I would like to see what Jerrick Reed II can bring to the veteran trio of Julian Love, Rayshawn Jenkins, and K’Von Wallace, and that Diggs is probably not a fit for Macdonald at this point in his career. With Adams, while I have been pretty against everything he has done since 2021, I am actually open to the idea of him getting a shot in the preseason. His contract would be minimal, and I think he is at his best when he is blitzing the quarterback.
Maybe it’s on me, but I still can’t get over what I saw from him as a blitzer in 2020 (I know it's been a while) as well as the pressure he applied in his brief moments the past two years. Don’t forget his headbutt late against Cleveland that led to a game-winning turnover. I want to see what he can do (still just 28 years old) with a new voice, and with a little desperation as his career is likely on the line.