5 bold predictions for the Seattle Seahawks 2023 NFL draft

Bold prediction No. 5: The Seattle Seahawks choose a cornerback at pick number 5

So what will the Seahawks do with the fifth overall choice? Should they, assuming they are still available, take Will Anderson, Jr. or Jalen Carter? Or will Seattle do the very Seahawks-y thing of taking a player no one expects? Maybe a long-snapper? (That last one was a joke.)

In this article, I say the Seahawks choose a cornerback at pick number 5 overall and here is why. In the early 2010s when Schneider and Carroll were trying to remake Seattle into a playoff contender, they decided to build from the back of the defense to the front. Sure, they added Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril but that was through free agency, the same way Seattle signed Dre'Mont Jones this offseason. One of the first draft picks Schneider and Carroll took was safety Earl Thomas.

While Thomas was a safety, of course, and I have Seattle taking a cornerback in the first round in this article, the idea is the same. Seattle should continue to build up the secondary to help the pass rush. Seattle hasn't chosen a cornerback higher than the third round since Schneider and Carroll came to Seattle in 2010, so this is one reason taking a CB at 5 overall would be a surprise.

With the fifth overall pick, the Seahawks will take Illinois corner Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon has the skill to be a shutdown corner but he won't have to be a number one corner with the Seahawks as Tariq Woolen is already on the roster. But Witherspoon plays with Richard Sherman-like tenacity and loves to tackle hard. He'll be a great fit in Seattle and help create LOB 2.0.