One name is getting more love in Seattle Seahawks mock drafts than any other
By Lee Vowell
The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of needs in April's 2024 NFL draft. Most of these are defensive. While Seattle's most glaring need might be along the interior of the offensive line, Seattle does not need to take a receiver or a running back high in the draft, and if Seattle re-signs either Noah Fant or Colby Parkinson then Seattle does not need a tight end either.
But Seattle does need help and needs to get young talent along the defensive line, at linebacker, and at safety. Seattle also needs a high-end edge rusher who is versatile enough to help against the run as well. Boye Mafe looks like he can do that, but Derick Hall and Darrell Taylor have not shown they can do anything consistently well.
The safety class in the 2024 draft is not overly talented or deep. Kamren Kinchens is probably the best of the group but if Seattle chooses him at pick 16, where the Seahawks currently hold their first selection in the draft, that would appear to be a bit of an overreach. The same might be said of any inside linebacker that would be available at pick 16.
Seattle Seahawks might have a good chance to take Dallas Turner in the 2024 NFL draft
But as we have already begun mock draft season (12th Man Rising has already done several, to be completely honest), more and more sites are coming up with the same name for who Seattle should choose. That player is Alabama edge rusher Dallas Turner. Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Around the NFL, and The Draft Network are just three of the sites that have mocked Turner to Seattle.
The Draft Network might have had the most positive take on the Seahawks. They wrote that Seattle is "rounding out one of the better rosters in the NFL." Nice! Whether that is true or not is up for debate as it does not feel that way yet, but hopefully it will in 2024.
As far as Turner, he is 6'4" and 250 pounds and was the SEC's Defensive Player of the Year for this season. All of his flaws, such as hand placement and run defense technique, are fixable. He has a wide array of pass rush moves already, though, and he is quick enough to go around tacklers and strong enough to go through them.
He does need to add a few pounds to hold up to NFL punishment, but he will do that once in an NFL weightlifting program. He also would not have to start in Week 1 of 2024 as Mafe is still on the roster and Uchenna Nwosu should be ready after suffering a Week 7 season-ending injury in 2023. Turner would then just be part of an improved edge rusher rotation that could be formidable under new head coach Mike Macdonald.