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.
Edge rusher Jared Verse, Florida State
Verse could fall out of the top 20 but not because he does not have talent or drive. His issue, and one he cannot control, is that his arms are short for an NFL edge rusher. This means he can extend to keep blockers at bay as well and must rely on the strength he has when getting close to a player. He also could be limited in tackling radius as he wouldn't be able to reach as far as some other players trying to bring a ball carrier down.
To be sure, Verse did struggle with tackling during his college career. In 2023, he missed 19.1 percent of his tackle attempts but that was, unfortunately, a career low. In two different seasons, he missed 27.3 percent of his tackle attempts. But he likely just wasn't taught proper technique at Albany or Florida State.
But Verse also has the will to win every matchup he is involved in and he does have the strength to play right away in the league. He works extremely hard to improve and appears to be very coachable as well. This will not only help him get better fasters in the league, but he will also earn the respect of his veteran teammates such as Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed.
He totaled 62 pressures in 2023 including 11 sacks. He lined up outside the tackles on the vast majority of his reps so while he might not have been a good fit for Seattle in the last two years when the Seahawks were running more of a 3-4 base, Verse should work perfectly in Mike Macdonald's 4-3.
Defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois
Adding another Illinois player high in the draft for the second year in a row would be a smart move for Seattle. In the 2023 draft, the Seahawks chose cornerback Devon Witherspoon at pick number five and he was a Pro Bowler in his first season. He likely is only going to get better and could be on All-Pro teams soon. Witherspoon should be able to help his former teammate transition to the NFL.
Newton likely needs to gain a little weight as he is 295 pounds but 6'2" but this should not be an issue in an NFL weight-training program. He also seems a little stiff in his movements, but those are possibly his only two issues. Otherwise, he is certainly strong enough to join a defensive line rotation early in his career while he still develops. His technique is excellent and he knows how to use his hands to move his blocker where he needs him to go.
Newton also has alignment versatility. He does not have to play just a 3-4 base or 4-3. While Seattle will move back to a 4-3 with Mike Macdonald in charge of the defense, the coach will still not allow his defense to be predictable so having a player such as Newton that can be moved around some is an advantage.
Seattle might even be able to move back a few places in the draft and still get Newton while hopefully picking up a second-round pick. Not that Newton is not worthy of being taken in the top 20 of the draft because he is. Other teams just might have greater needs than choosing a defensive tackle.
Offensive lineman Troy Fautanu, Washington
Assuming that right guard Anthony Bradford is better in his second season than he was in his - at best - mediocre rookie season, and assuming center Olu Oluwatimi can develop into a good player in his second year, the Seahawks still need a left guard. Or Seattle might be in a bit of a mess as Bradford and Oluwatimi could both be bad and Seattle's offensive line is somehow worse in 2024 than it has been in recent seasons. That is not going to make new offensive line coach Scott Huff look good and none of that would really be his fault.
But for the sake of this article, let's assume that Bradford and Oluwatimi are at least decent. Seattle still needs a left guard. Troy Fautanu would make the most sense to fill that role as he is capable of making a Pro Bowl early in his career. Plus, he would have an easier transition than most to the NFL as his O-line coach in college was Huff and his offensive coordinator was Ryan Grubb who happens to be Seattle's new OC too, of course.
Fautanu would be the Week 1 starter next season and would be placed next to left tackle Charles Cross which could help form the best left side of the Seattle offensive line since the early 2000s when Walter Jones and Steve Hutchinson were wearing Seahawks uniforms. That doesn't completely fix the offensive line, of course, as the right side might still be a mess, but at least Seattle would halfway be there.
If Fautanu is still around at pick 16, Seattle should take him no matter who else is on the board. The team has no bigger problem than its offensive line. Why not take a player who can help remedy that issue for the next 10 years?
Defensive back Cooper DeJean, Iowa
John Schneider has liked players who can produce a lot in a few different positions. Mike Macdonald clearly valued players who were interchangeable while he was with the Baltimore Ravens. They should both have good reasons for that. Having several players on the field capable of versatility helps keep an offense honest because they cannot be too sure when a certain player is going to be in a certain spot.
DeJean is a master of many spots. He can play any cornerback spot - outside or in the slot - and safety. He doesn't have to play any one of those as the Seahawks could conceivably move him around on different plays depending on what the call is on any given play. The Iowa product could be in the slot one play and deep safety the next and do each one extremely well.
In the last two seasons, DeJean allowed just 2 touchdown passes (none in 2023) but intercepted 7 passes. He has no obvious weaknesses in coverage as his footwork is elite, his instincts are nearly without peer from other defensive backs entering the draft, and he obviously knows how to force turnovers. He chose not to participate in many of the NFL Combine drills and instead will showcase his athleticism at his pro day.
He has good size to play any defensive back position as he is nearly 6'1" and 205 pounds. He is a solid tackler who doesn't mind creating contact so he can be a force when playing the run as well. He is a Week 1 starter in 2024, and the Seahawks just need to find what spot he will play on the first down of the season. If one of the worst things NFL.com can say in his draft profile is "Played a series of bad offenses and wasn’t challenged much in 2023," then you know he is a potentially great player.