We have reached the goal line of the NFL Draft season. After months of scouting, pro days, interviews, and constant debating, it is time for 257 names to be called and 257 dreams to be realized. The Seattle Seahawks are hoping a few of their dreams are realized this week as well.
After a second straight 9-8 season that saw the Seahawks just miss the playoffs, new leadership was called on. Out was Pete Carroll, the undoubted Hall of Famer and Seattle legend, and in comes the hottest coaching candidate on the market, Mike Macdonald. With 7 picks in total, but no 2nd or 5th round picks, this is one of the more unique and pivotal drafts in team history.
Does John Schneider and Macdonald believe that this team is close to real contention, or is it more of a legitimate teardown and rebuild in order? Will the Seahawks lean into their Michigan Wolverines or Washington Huskies connections? What if Michael Penix is there at pick 16, or are they truly all in on Geno Smith?
Seattle Seahawks 2024 3-round mock draft nets two impact players on defense
There are dozens of questions that will be answered in Detroit over the week. Arguably the most important is whether the Seahawks will trade back to collect more draft assets, or if they will stick and pick in round one. Sitting at pick 16, they are somewhat caught in between.
The team might just be a little too far away for a blue chip to fall to them, and they might not be able to find a team desperate enough to overpay to move up. We won’t be seeing any team offering the Seahawks a future first-rounder to move up, but instead, the focus would be on regaining picks in the 2nd and 5th rounds.
In today’s mock draft, we’re taking one last swing at mocking a “stick & pick” - meaning, the Seahawks do not trade back at all - draft before round 1 on Thursday night.
1st Round, pick 16 - Jared Verse, Edge rusher, Florida State
If the Seattle Seahawks are truly going to stay at pick 16 and give up a chance to collect more picks, then that must mean a blue-chip caliber player has fallen to them at their pick. Based on my personal rankings and consensus mock drafts all over, there are seven players that I can see being realistically worthy of that discussion.
Brock Bowers
Troy Fautanu
Tallese Fuaga
Jared Verse
Michael Penix, Jr.
Byron Murphy
Johnny Newton
I would say there's probably a 60 percent chance at best one of those first five players will be sitting there at number 16. A much higher probability that one of the premier defensive tackles should be available, which brings in the risk of losing out on one of them if you trade too far back.
In this mock draft, Bowers, Fautanu, and Murphy were gone, and we were staring down the choices of Fuaga, Verse, Penix, or Newton. After much deliberation with my draft team (me staring at my phone for 2 minutes), we decided to select the Florida State star pass rusher.
The 6-4 254 lbs pass star lineman was a transfer to Tallahassee from Albany, and became an instant star for the Seminoles. In his two seasons, Verse totalled 89 tackles, 29.5 for loss and 18 combined sacks, with 3 passes deflected this season, in 25 total games.
With a RAS score of 9.6 and a successful combine, Verse is not just a pass rusher, but a valuable piece along the defensive line that is a force in the run game as well. As Daniel Jeremiah noted in his Big Board, Verse has the best power of any pass rusher in the past few seasons. With it's his dominant bull rushing the offensive lineman into the quarterback, or his vicious stutter step and then lightning-quick charge to get past the tackles, Verse brings a physicality that has not been seen in Seattle since the handful of games that Jadeveon Clowney brought it when he was a Seahawk in 2019.
Penix is tempting as hell, Fuaga and Newton would be fantastic selections as well, but Seattle desperately needs a premier pass rusher, and Verse brings that potential while also bringing a physical and intense style of play that this roster desperately needs more of.
3rd Round, pick 81 - T'Vondre Sweat, defensive tackle, Texas
What do we do after the Seahawks go defensive line in the 1st round? We go right back to the defensive line, this time selecting the most polarizing defensive prospect in this class, big DT T’Vondre Sweat.
While Bryon Murphy is the man getting all the draft love from the Texas defense, it was Sweat who won this year's Outland Trophy, annually given to the best lineman in college football. At 6'4 1/2" and weighing 366 lbs, Sweat was a literal mountain for a Longhorns team that nearly played for the National Championship.
In 2023, Sweat totaled 45 tackles, with 8 for a loss, 2 sacks, and 4 passes deflected. While his stats don't scream an Outland Trophy, it was his ability to constantly eat up blockers, take on double teams, and allow his teammates to run free, while he was still able to produce.
At the combine, Sweat was one of the stars of the show, running a 5.27 40-yard dash. A man of his size, running at that speed, should terrify quarterbacks and running backs across the league. There would be real discussions about Sweat going in the top 50, but like every draft season, someone becomes the character issues dropper, and Sweat fits that bill this year.
Two weeks ago, Sweat was arrested while driving intoxicated. To have this happen, after there were drinking and partying concerns during his early years at Texas, on top of questions of him possibly being too big, Sweat could potentially drop as far as a Day 3 pick.
While there are real concerns, I think Seattle is a perfect fit for Sweat and can provide an atmosphere that blends the Ravens and Seahawks way, with Leonard Williams as his mentor. I believe the reward is worth the risk, and Seattle should not let him drop past pick 81. This is the type of talent that will not be asked to play all three downs but can eat blocks and finally fix this Seahawks' rush defense.
Do you want to set a new identity on defense with your new coach? A combo Verse and Sweat are absolute game changers and could turn this defense into a top-10 unit within two seasons.