5 players Seattle Seahawks can draft to make Mike Macdonald's life easier
By Lee Vowell
General manager John Schneider is in full control over the Seattle Seahawks roster now. That responsibility used to belong to former head coach Pete Carroll, but, of course, Carroll was removed from his duties this offseason. Seattle brought in Mike Macdonald to be head coach and Macdonald's responsibility is to make the players Schneider assembles into a cohesive and winning unit.
Macdonald, though, is a first-time head coach in the NFL so anything helping his transition from defensive coordinator is only going to help. The biggest assistance Schneider could give Macdonald is to give him good players. Seattle has seemingly signed some good free agents but no sure Pro Bowlers. Getting one (or five) in the draft is important.
The five players that follow could all be available when the Seahawks choose at pick 16 in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. Some might be gone, obviously, but at least as of right now, there is a greater chance to take these guys instead of, say, Caleb Williams. Any of the five should help Macdonald's job be easier.
Five players the Seattle Seahawks should think of taking in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft
Cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
Seattle does not truly need a cornerback with their first pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Riq Woolen will hopefully get back to his 2022 level of play next season and Devon Witherspoon should improve on the greatness he showed in 2023. Plus, Mike Jackson and Tre Brown are underrated corners. Pass defense from the cornerback group in 2023 wasn't Seattle's biggest area of weakness. Not by far.
Still, if the Seahawks do choose the best player available and Mitchell is still on the board at pick 16, he could be John Schneider's choice. Mitchell would help make Seattle's cornerback room the best in the league. Of course, shutting down opposing receivers is also only going to help the pass rush as a quarterback will be forced to take more time to throw.
Mitchell is 6' and almost 200 pounds and his college statistics are staggering. In his final two years at Toldeo, only 40.9 percent of the passes thrown his way were completed and he did not allow a touchdown last year. He also has 6 interceptions over the last two seasons combined. Mock drafts have Mitchell going anywhere between pick 7 to pick 27, so Mitchell could still be around for Schneider and Seattle.