Seahawks 2024 7-round mock draft features two big trades and more steals than Ichiro

The Seahawks land their O-line anchor in the first round

I refrained from writing the Hawks land their guard in the first round because I didn't want a revolt on my hands. Yeah, I know Schneider said he feels that guards are overvalued. I understand what he's saying, especially considering former Seahawks guard Damien Lewis got a $53 million deal. Schneider has never drafted a guard higher than the third round, which is where the Hawks took Lewis. Germain Ifedi was a first-round pick, but he played more tackle than guard in college, and only played one season inside for the Hawks as a rookie.

So why would the Hawks break tradition and take a guard in the first round? For one thing, they aren't making the pick; I am. I mean, it's a mock draft, after all. But I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Seattle take Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson with their first pick of the draft. Yes, I managed to pick him up in my previous mock draft, too, but the circumstances there were quite different.

I'd already been rewarded by the Mock Draft gods in that exercise, so JPJ was my second pick. Considering how rare it is for an interior lineman to be projected as a first-round pick at all, I'm comfortable that Powers-Johnson would make Schneider break with tradition. After all, Seattle hadn't drafted a cornerback before the fifth round until last year, and that worked out pretty well.

Virtually every draft service sees the 6'3" 328 lb junior as a late first-round pick. PFF has dropped him a bit, now projecting him at 24th, the same as the Big Board on the NFL Mock Draft Database. As I noted in my previous draft, JPJ has allowed just three hurries in over 1,300 snaps. Don't typecast him as a pass-blocking specialist, though.

Scouts for NFL Draft Buzz describe him as "an explosive draft blocker, excelling in both gap and zone schemes". Powers-Johnson just turned 21 in January, so he has plenty of time to add to his already considerable power. He's seen as a good fit at center or one spot over, as he played 400 snaps at right guard at Oregon. I picture Olu Oluwatimi or new Seahawk Nick Harris winning the competition at center, and JPJ playing at guard for the next decade.