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

Day three brings defense and more defense to the Hawks

The final day of my mock draft - approximately seven minutes in real time - kicks off with the player I consider the first major steal of the day for me. The Seahawks have added two solid linebackers in free agent steal Tyrel Dodson and a sneaky-good signing of Jerome Baker. Both are only on one-year contracts, though, as we noted earlier. Since I'm also jettisoning Jon Rhattigan - I mean, almost $3 million for a special-teamer when Dodson will be your starting Mike LB for $1.2 mil more?

I like Rhattigan, but he couldn't push the since-departed Cody Barton or the then-35-year-old Bruce Irvin for a single snap on defense. I mean, fullback and special-teams beast Nick Bellore got nine snaps on defense that year. So no, I don't think the Hawks need to hang on for the blossoming of Rhattigan. That being said, it would be very cool if he proves me wrong.

But as I don't expect Rhattigan to do that, I drafted Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. with the 102nd overall selection. PFF lists the 6'0" 228 lb junior as the fourth linebacker and 88th overall prospect. The consensus Big Board also ranks him as the fourth LB but sees him as the 77th overall pick. Despite his lack of size, Trotter proved extremely versatile for the Tigers. PFF graded him above the 78th percentile in pass rush, above the 80th in run defense, and at the 82nd percentile in coverage.

In simpler terms, Trotter can do it all. In 689 snaps last year, he had 78 combined tackles, 37 being stops. He had 27 pressures, with seven QB hits and another seven as sacks. In coverage, he broke up two passes and had two picks with a passer rating of 82.7. Getting an all-around talent like Trotter in the fourth round, when NFL Draft Buzz projected him as a late second-rounder, is absolutely a steal.

Let's make Mike Macdonald happy and stick with defense, shall we? We haven't visited the defensive line since the second round, so let's hit it again. With the 113th overall pick - again, thank you Ravens - I selected Duke defensive tackle DeWayne Carter. So basically, I exchanged D-Waynes, adding about 110 pounds to the Seahawks roster. The 6'2" 302 lb Blue Devil is ranked as the 10th DT prospect by the Big Board, 9th by PFF, and 4th (huzzah!) by Draft Buzz. Virtually all the draftniks cite his high football IQ and high-end motor.

The fact he was a three-year captain at Duke speaks to both of those qualities. He logged 23 stops, 11 tackles for a loss, and 50 total pressures as a senior in 2022. He saw a dropoff last season to 15 stops, 3.5 TFL, and 22 pressures. He only had 60 fewer snaps, so I'd say he probably faced more double-teams as both Darius Joiner and Shaka Heyward left Duke after 2022. Regardless, bringing in another three-down lineman at this point in the draft is a solid win for the Seahawks.