With the 2023 NFL draft having passed a few weeks ago and training camp not yet beginning until July, it's the time of year when NFL fans can have a bit of fun speculating how good their favorite teams are and how they can be even better. For the Seattle Seahawks, while the roster has improved this offseason there is still a lot of unanswered questions. For instance, is Geno Smith good enough to still be the quarterback in two years?
In the 2024 NFL draft, Seattle doesn't have quite the draft capital that it has had the last two years, but the Seahawks will still have four choices in the first three rounds. This means an ever-improving roster should be even better after next year's draft. But what should Seattle do with their picks in 2024?
A lot will change before the 2024 draft, of course, but let's assume the needs that Seattle had entering the 2023 draft are basically the same ones they have next year. There is one exception, though, and that is Seattle will take their quarterback of the future in 2024. Using Pro Football Network's mock draft simulator, I took a very early guess at Seattle's draft next year.
Seahawks first round, pick 21 - Quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas
After trading back from 19 to 21 with the New Orleans Saints, while also picking up a 2025 fourth-round choice, Seattle chooses Ewers. If Ewers had come out after the 2022 season, there's no way I'd choose him as he still had a lot of room for growth. However, getting another year at the University of Texas, helped by a solid offensive coaching staff, should make Ewers into a potential high first-round choice.
Ewers has the intangibles to be a successful NFL quarterback. He is 6'3" and 210 pounds and will probably gain more weight as well. He has an excellent arm with decent accuracy. But at times last season, he looked lost and made some poor decisions. There is a good chance Ewers has a great year in 2023 and isn't around at pick 21, but he was in PFN's mock so I took him.
Seahawks Day 2 picks
Seahawks second round, pick 51 - Linebacker Omar Speights, LSU
Seattle signed linebackers Bobby Wagner and Devin Bush to one-year deals so Seattle might be looking for a new inside linebacker or two next offseason. One that could come through the draft is Speights. Speights is a ferocious tackler with good speed and can work sideline to sideline. And he doesn't just tackle opposing runners, he punishes them.
Speights isn't tall, though, as he is 6'1" and he hasn't shown he can be good in coverage. He will be playing for LSU in 2023, though, after transferring from Oregon State so he likely will be better coached at his new school. Speights not be the greatest pass rusher, but he can definitely be a force against the run.
Seahawks third round, pick 81 - Defensive tackle Fabien Lovett, Florida State
With a third-round choice picked up from the Denver Broncos during the 2023 draft, Seattle continues to rebuild its defensive line. Lovett is a true defensive tackle with the size to play right away at 6'4" and 320 pounds. For his size, he also has excellent athleticism. Lovett is also a good fit in the Seahawks' system as he knows how to attack gaps which Seattle's interior defensive linemen must do well.
Seahawks third round, pick 83 - Defensive tackle Paris Shand, LSU
Another defensive tackle? Sure! I mean, 12s were screaming at their television during the draft when their favorite team took running back Zach Charbonnet in the second round instead of a defensive tackle. Seattle will get two on Day 2 of the 2024 draft. Shand is a bit more versatile than Lovett but likely will add mass and play on the inside once in the NFL.
Seahawks Day 3 picks
Seahawks fourth round, pick 125 - Tight end Bryson Nesbit, North Carolina
Nesbit currently is a better receiver than a blocker. He will gain strength once in an NFL weight training program, however, and could bulk up to about 260 pounds. He has the frame for it as he is 6'6". But what Nesbit does do well (i.e. catching the football), he does extremely well.
In 2022, Nesbit was fourth in the nation in yards per reception among tight ends at 15.3 yards per catch. He also had 4 touchdowns. Nesbit gets to play with quarterback Drake Maye at UNC, though, so Nesbit's production and draft value could increase quite a bit in 2023.
Seahawks fifth round, pick 147 - Offensive tackle Robert Scott, Jr., Florida State
Scott has good size at 6'5" and 315 pounds. He does struggle at times with fast edge rushers, but I have the Seahawks taking him in the fifth round as a projected backup to Charles Cross. While Seattle struck gold in the 2022 draft with tackles Cross and Abe Lucas, Seattle also needs to add depth and Scott should be good enough to do that.
Seahawks sixth round, pick 179 - Defensive tackle Gabe Hall, Baylor
A third defensive tackle? Why not? Taking another one in the sixth round makes complete sense, too, as this is where a team wants to find depth at spots. Hall isn't overly athletic but he has great lower body strength and good size. He will eat up blockers in the NFL and allow the linebackers to clean up.