NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Seattle Seahawks decision at pick 16 is anyone's guess

The 2024 NFL draft will not start until April 25 and there will likely be a lot of changes in what mock drafts say now compared to what they will say then. There is still the NFL combine to go through as well as a lot of different pro days. But there is also never a normal year in terms of what the Seattle Seahawks might do in a draft: Trade down, pick a player who doesn't fit a position of need, take the safe bet - literally anything can happen in a Seahawks draft.

That is especially true this year. For the first time since 2010, Pete Carroll will not have the final say over who the Seahawks choose in the draft. Carroll, of course, lost his job after the regular season. General manager John Schneider is in charge now and maybe he wants to do things differently than before, for whatever that means.

This all kind of shows up in recent mock drafts. Not even the great Mel Kiper is too sure what Schneider and Seattle might do. There is probably a good chance Seattle trades back and tries to get the second-round choice back the team lost when they traded for Leonard Williams during the season. But here is a sampling of guesses about what Seattle will do in the first round.

Seahawks mock draft roundup: Offense, defense, whatever

Mel Kiper, Jr., ESPN: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

Kiper is one of the few pundits to have Seattle taking a quarterback first. He does say he does not have a first-round grade on McCarthy but he believes Seattle will see his upside. The issue is that Seattle has other needs than at quarterback.

Luke Easterling, Sports Illustrated: Troy Fautanu, OL, Washington

Personally, I would love this pick. Seattle might have to replace left guard Damien Lewis if he leaves in free agency and right guard could use an upgrade. Fautanu can play anywhere along the interior of the offensive line and has the strength to play in Week 1 of 2024.

Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports: Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami

Kinchens is by far the best safety prospect in the draft. Seattle will likely release either Jamal Adams or Quandre Diggs (releasing Diggs would save the team $11 million) or both. Kinchens has the versatility to play either free safety or strong safety and could team up with Julian Love to form Seattle's safety duo for the next five years.

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Byron Murphy, DT, Texas

Seattle is unlikely to re-sign Leonard Williams due to his price tag. Even if Williams stayed, the Seahawks need to get younger and more athletic along the defensive line. Plus, Murphy is great against the run and all 12s know how important that is.

Joe Broback, Pro Football Network: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

There is a chance that Fuaga could transition to guard, but the Seahawks might need to replace presumed starting right tackle Abraham Lucas sooner rather than later. Lucas has a bad knee that might not ever allow him to play full seasons and he is only entering his third year. Make no mistake, though, Fuaga would be a very good tackle for Seattle.

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