Seattle Seahawks 3-round mock draft after first wave of free agency

With NFL free agency beginning this week, and the 2024 draft six weeks away, it's time for another Seattle Seahawks mock draft. John Schneider and Mike Macdonald have been busy, cutting Will Dissly, Nick Bellore, Quandre Diggs, and Jamal Adams. (Seattle created a lot of cap room for itself in free agency.)

Questions remain as to who will return to the Seahawks. Which former Ravens might join Macdonald in Seattle, if any? Are there any surprise star additions given the massive amount of money that has been freed up?

I assume this roster will look a lot different over the next three weeks. Until then, we're going to take a unique spin with this mock draft. This will be only a 3-round mock, where we will look at how the Seahawks could have a successful draft, by not only trading back but then trading up as well.

Seattle Seahawks 3-round mock draft improves the defense

Round 1 pick 26, Seahawks select Johnny Newton, DT Illinois 
Seahawks trade picks 16 and 151 to Tampa Bay for picks 26 and 57

The Leonard Williams trade will be viewed as a disaster if he suddenly digresses next season after being re-signed by Seattle. Even with re-signing Williams, though, the Seahawks need to continue to look at ways to get better, and younger in the trenches.

With no 2nd round pick, and the Buccaneers interested in grabbing one of the dynamic cornerbacks in this draft, we were able to strike a deal that matches up well on the NFL Trade Value Chart. Seattle gets back their 2nd round pick and is still in a position at number 26 to get trench help.

With the selection, Seattle grabs former Devon Witherspoon teammate Johnny Newton out of Illinois. The 6-1 and 304 lbs defensive tackle is an energizer bunny of mayhem against the run and the pass. He has a devastating spin move that has wreaked havoc on the Big Ten over the past two years. During that time, Newton has combined for 114 total tackles, including 22.5 for a loss and 13 sacks. If Newton was on a better team and wasn't trailing all the time, these sack numbers could be a lot higher.

There's a real chance Newton is gone by pick 26, and if so, the Seahawks should still look at trench help for pick 26. Guys to be looking at here, if not Newton, are Bryon Murphy, Graham Barton, or Jackson Powers-Johnson.