4 Seattle Seahawks on the hot seat ahead of the 2023 NFL draft
By Lee Vowell
The Seattle Seahawks have the world open to them as they prepare for the 2023 NFL draft. With so much high-end draft capital Seattle has no excuse of not improving the roster a great deal. In the 2023 draft, it should be expected that Seattle drafts at least four potential starters with at least two of them being Pro Bowlers sooner than later.
But it could all go wrong. 12s got used to saying the Seahawks didn't draft well, it seems (and it also wasn't true), but then the 2022 draft happened and that appeared to be some kind of miracle. Seattle got what turned out to be five starters in the last draft. That may not have all happened in Week 1, but for most of the season Kenneth Walker III, Abe Lucas, Charles Cross, Tariq Woolen, and Coby Bryant were starters and good at their jobs.
With even better draft capital in 2023, should the expectation not be that the Seahawks get better production from the upcoming draft class long-term? Ideally, the 2022 and 2023 draft classes build the nucleus of a team that wins a Super Bowl or two. So which Seahawks should be worried about the 2023 draft?
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith is on the hot seat
Mind you, Smith has done nothing wrong in the last year or so. But he was only signed to a three-year deal this offseason and the contract seems to imply Seattle will be happy with him as QB1 in 2023 but after that? Maybe not so much. Therefore, Smith is on the proverbial hot seat ahead of the draft and he can only change what happens in the future after the draft.
If Smith is really good again this coming season then if Seattle takes a quarterback high in the 2023 draft that QB might just need to take a seat for a couple of years. Which kind of stinks because high draft capital spent on a QB that doesn't play for two years is basically a waste of a pick. Smith helps the team by being great this year and beyond but also hurts the team if he is as well.
But let's assume the Seahawks choose at quarterback at number 5 or 20. If Smith isn't good in 2023, he will be gone by 2024. But if Seattle passes on a quarterback in the first round, Smith's job is probably safe through at least 2024.