The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2023 NFL draft with quite a bit of high-end draft capital. Seattle has two first-round choices and two second-round picks. And that is currently. It could be with a trade down from pick 5 overall or some other maneuvering, Seattle ends up with more first-round picks or more second-round ones.
But in the 2022 NFL draft, Seattle general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll, among others who have input, didn't overthink their picks. Instead, Seattle chose smartly and wisely for positions of need and chose those players who they thought might help them most in the long term. That said, no one thought fifth-round choice Tariq Woolen would immediately be as god as he was, but I digress.
My point is that the Seahawks don't need to overthink the 2023 draft, either. This draft, if done correctly, will add an abundance of talent to an already talented roster and could push Seattle into a championship contender by 2024. But at least three players on Seattle's board might turn out to be great. Or, well...complete disasters.
Seahawks draft 2023 boom or bust No. 1: Lukas Van Ness
Van Ness has all the physical ability to be great. But why was he not great enough at Iowa to ever start. I get the fact that even though he didn't start any game ever he might have been a very valuable member of the defense. But, still. Him not starting is either wretched coaching or something else we don't know about.
The fact is that currently Van Ness is a workout monster with speed and agility, but not much else. His technique needs a lot of coaching and he has no inside pass rush move to speak of. The problem is that he isn't that good against the run either. So was he working out so much in college that he didn't study film enough?
But Van Ness has the natural ability to be a disruptor. In two years he could develop into a very good edge rusher rusher who can play all three downs. But he is without a doubt a risk and there is no guarantee he is anything but a well-built athlete who isn't a good NFL player.
Seahawks draft 2023 boom or bust No. 2: Anthony Richardson
This one is obvious, right? In college, Richardson was an inaccurate passer but at times simply was a man among boys as far as physicality. He can run over nearly anyone, even an NFL player, but quarterbacks get paid mostly to throw the ball and read the defense and choose the right option to throw or run. We don't yet know if Richardson can do that.
We know he can easily throw the ball about 70 yards in the air. That is great if a quarterback faces zero pressure and his receivers are not covered. But as we all know, quarterbacks are under constant pressure in the NFL, and professional cornerbacks get paid lots of money to blanket receivers. Richardson's pro day was great, but it isn't reality.
What we know is that Richardson has a great arm but he struggles with accuracy. He only completed 53 percent of his passes in his last season in college. He seems like a good person, so there appear to be no character issues, but a good NFL quarterback has to be able make and complete all kinds of throws. Richardson has issues with the intermediate passes and that is a major concern.
That said, he would learn better technique from an NFL quarterback coach. Plus, I am sure Geno Smith would pass along some words of wisdom which would help him. But there isn't anything we've seen from Richardson that he is yet capable of being an accurate passer.
Seahawks draft 2023 boom or bust No. 3: Will Levis
I have a greater concern about Levis than Richardson. While both quarterbacks have strong arms and Levis has an extremely quick release, Levis seems to struggle more with simple decision-making. One game worth watching if you need to see where this concern stems from is Kentucky's game against Tennessee in 2022. Levis made numerous throws that were poorly-thrown and ill-advised as he either didn't see the Tennessee defender nearby or tried to force a pass at the worst time.
Levis finished the game against the Vols 16 of 27 for just 98 yards and 3 interceptions. And each interception was just a bad decision. Levis finished the season throwing 19 touchdown passes against 10 picks. That is not a ratio from a quarterback worth taking a high pick on.
There is no question about Levis's arm strength and ability to get rid of the ball. He should be able to success in the NFL with the skills he has. But more than Richardson's inaccuracy, which can be coached to be better, it is difficult to get a player to react differently mentally under pressure.
While the Seahawks should probably take a difference-maker on the defensive side with pick number 5, a person can't rule out the possibility of Seattle choosing a quarterback. The team exceeded expectations in 2022 and appears to be on the upswing towards being a championship contender, but taking the wrong player, especially if it is a quarterback, at pick 5 could set all the momentum back. Still, watch. All the players listed above will be Hall of Famers one day.