It's highly improbable that the Seattle Seahawks could pull this off. But improbable is not impossible, as lightning strikes twice in this star-studded Seattle Seahawks seven-round mock draft.
I have to preface this, my third mock draft for the 2024 season, with a few words of caution. First, do not get your hopes up, 12s. I highly doubt that the scenarios that played out in my simulated draft would ever come to fruition in real life as they did in this simulated draft. But as with my previous drafts, I didn't rig the system. Just for kicks, I'll include the results you can get when you enable the cheat codes. It's laughably unrealistic, believe me.
As before, I used the draft simulator on Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The simulation tool is free but limits you to three rounds and you cannot make trades. Trades were integral to the success of this draft, as you'll see. As we have seen, John Schneider is not exactly averse to trades, so it made perfect sense to me to swing for the fences in this draft. What surprised me was that I hit two home runs with one blast.
The Seattle Seahawks won't be able to scam the draft like this
Before we dive into the mock draft that actually could happen with a vast amount of luck, I'll share with you a draft that could never happen. As I detailed in my first mock draft of the season, you can set the AI to be realistic, or really, really stupid. The three parameters are as follows: positional value, team needs, and randomness.
For all of my serious drafts, I set the AI at about 60 percent for positional value and team needs, and 30 percent for randomness. I also ran a draft with the values at 100 percent for positional value and team needs, and zero for randomness. Those are almost certainly tougher standards than the actual draft. I came away with the same top two picks, three of the same seven, and six of the same seven positions.
The difference there was I had to give up significantly more in trade value to get those selections. I'm not bothered by going with the less exacting draft, as we've all scratched our heads and asked, "Why the heck did (insert random GM about to lose his job) take that guy? So, I'll take the more incredible results, thanks. I didn't have nearly this much luck in my second mock draft, so I'll take this as a sign.
As an example of what can happen if you set the parameters to "just go crazy", I got Marvin Harrison Jr. with the 16th pick, Jer'Zhan Newton with the 42, Michael Penix Jr. with the 81st pick on day two, and Kool-Aid McKinstry with the - get this - the 151st selection. So yeah, this third draft was amazing, especially considering I didn't force the AI to cheat for me.
Seahawks stick at 16 and draft a future Pro Bowl tackle on day one
So let's get going with the draft that matters. Well, the one that matters in my head, anyway. I attempted a few trades to move up from 16 but got no takers. As I said, PFF's AI isn't an idiot, unless you force it to be. So I stood pat and watched with sheer joy as the best tackle of the draft fell to number 16. Joe Alt of Notre Dame, all 6'8" and 322 lbs of him, is coming to the Hawks. At least he is in this mock draft. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the fifth overall prospect, while the ever-useful Big Board at NFL Mock Draft Database lists him as the consensus eighth pick.
Alt graded out at 78.8 as a 19-year-old freshman at Notre Dame and got 614 snaps, nearly all of them at left tackle. Imagine starting eight games as a true freshman against the likes of Stanford, USC, and Ohio State and coming out of it, allowing just three sacks and seven hurries. He wasted no time improving on those numbers as a sophomore.
In 885 snaps at left tackle, Alt allowed zero sacks and just 6 hurries. He slipped badly as a senior though; he let one guy get the QB. Once. My guess is that Sam Hartman looked at him funny in the huddle, and got what was coming to him. Other than that, Alt gave up two QB hits and two hurries in nearly 700 snaps at left tackle.
PFF graded him at 91.4 and 90.7 for those last two seasons. He's just as nasty blocking runs as he is in the passing game. NFL Draft Buzz scouts report that he has no problem fending off stunts and blitzes, and that despite his height, has the bend to get his pad level low enough to hold blocks in the passing game or blow up defenders to open gaping holes for his backs. Considering the health of Abe Lucas, Alt would be a huge get for the Seahawks. Heck, he's an upgrade over a healthy Lucas or Cross, for that matter. At the seventh pick, Joe Alt would be a win. Sticking at 16 and getting him - that's priceless.
Hawks trade up and get another future Pro Bowler with the 17th pick
Encouraged as I was by my incredible luck that Alt fell to number 16, I was shocked to se another consensus top-ten pick was still on the board. I've run several mock drafts, and neither of these players made it out of the top ten in any draft, other than the crazy no rules one. Now a lot of 12s are going to balk at this choice, as the Hawks seem to be loaded at the position. My response to that is, you can never have too many cornerbacks.
To make sure I got my guy, I struck a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold the 17th overall pick. The AI version of Trent Baalke balked at my ersatz John Schneider's first offer; I think it was my 2025 second-round pick and a bag of donuts. He bit at my next offer though. I traded the Hawks 1st-round pick of 2025 - tough, but worth it - along with this year's 118th pick in round four, and edge defender Darrell Taylor. You may know I'm not exactly enamored with Taylor's wildly inconsistent play. Hey, if the Seahawks won't move on from him, at least I can. Trust me, the trade was worth it.
As I said, you can never have too many corners. You can certainly never have too many corners like Iowa's Cooper DeJean. Both PFF and the guys at NFL Draft Buzz rank him as the top corner in the draft. With a 4.50 40, you might wonder what the scouts are seeing. The tl;dr version is the most versatile defensive back in the draft. DeJean has the reaction time to play outside corner, the quickness to play slot, and the strength to play safety. Over the past two seasons, he took 114 snaps lined up in the box, 163 at slot, and 1,183 at outside cornerback.
Take a look at Walter Football's scouting report on DeJean. Now, I won't list all 29 strengths they've marked for the 6'0", 207-pound junior. Suffice it to say, he can play man or zone equally well, and he's as good in run supports as he is in coverage. Over the past two seasons, his passer rating allowed is a ridiculous 49.7 and 37.8. He missed the final three games of 2023 as a leg injury sidelined him in late November, but he's expected to make a full recovery.
Several NFL scouts see him as a hybrid safety/slot corner. And we know how much Mike Macdonald loves guys he can move all over the field. Adding DeJean to Pro Bowler Julian Love and new addition Rayshawn Jenkins would be another huge draft day win for the Hawks.
The Hawks get just one pick on day two, but make the most of it
The Seahawks don't have a pick in the second round this year, as you know. Considering that they already re-signed their top defensive lineman Leonard Williams for three years, they got value for that pick already. As I already managed to swing what I considered to be a spectacular deal on day one, I was content to see who would fall to the Hawks on day two. As it turned out, I was able to replace Taylor with the player NFL Draft Buzz sees as the sixth-best edge defender in the draft.
A redshirt sophomore, Austin Booker played one season at Kansas, transferring after two uneventful seasons at Minnesota. Both PFF and the consensus board at the Mock Draft Database rank him just outside the top 10 at the position, but given his potential, I'm comfortable with that. From a reserve player with the Golden Gophers who had just 23 snaps in 2022, Booker exploded onto the scene in 2023. He made the first team on the All-Big 12 Conference squad and was the Defensive Newcomer of the Year for the conference as well. The 6'4" 240 defender had 27 hurries, two QB hits and an impressive nine sacks, all on just over 480 snaps.
As Lance Zierlein wrote for the NFL's own draft site, Booker has already shown a solid repertoire of pass rush moves, far more than you'd expect with a player with his limited playing time. He's no slouch at stopping the run, unlike a certain player I traded away in the previous round. Booker had 56 tackles, forced two fumbles, and tallied an impressive 34 stops, including 12 tackles for a loss. I think you can see why I'm comfortable with this pick, compared to the player he's replacing. Remember, he'd be in a rotation with Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. Oh, and just for the record, Zierlein sees Maxx Crosby as his most comparable player. Yeah, he could do some damage, alright.
Seattle adds depth across the board on day three
That's what day three is all about, right, 12s? After the real-world trade for Same Howell and my previous move here, the Seahawks have just one fourth-round pick followed by two in the sixth and one seventh-rounder. My trades are done, as I look to fill in the depth chart on both sides of the ball. One position I wasn't able to fill was guard.
Yes, it's a need for the Hawks, as the only pure guard on the roster now is Anthony Bradford. They did sign free agent Nick Harris last week. While he's played the last two seasons at center, he did play his first season in Cleveland at right guard, as well as two seasons at UDub. The Hawks would have to look for another guard on the free agent market if they followed my draft.
Seattle needs guards, so of course I drafted wide receiver Javon Baker with the 102nd selection of the draft. PFF has him ranked as the 76th overall prospect, while Draft Buzz sees him at 91. The 6'1" 208 lb Baker transferred to the University of Central Florida as a junior after two seasons at Alabama. With a 4.54 40, he doesn't have exceptional speed. What he does have is production.
As a senior, he reeled in 52 catches for 1,139 yards and seven scores. Of his 37 snaps, 102 were in the slot and 275 split wide. As Draft Buzz noted, his passer rating when targeted was a sweet 117.9. Sure, it's a crowded receiver room, but as we've seen with Dee Eskridge, you're always one injury away from looking for a new number three guy. Yes, that's Jake Bobo, but depth never hurts a team.
Speaking of depth, I looked to the back end of the Seahawks' defense next. Beyond Julian Love and Rayshawn Jenkins, there aren't a lot of proven starters on the roster. Coby Bryant got very little time there, and Jerrick Reed II is still recovering from an ACL tear, although he's expected to be ready to go before minicamp. So with my 179th pick, I went with the 6'4" 231 lb James Williams from the Miami Hurricanes.
It's not every day you find a safety that can pat DK Metcalf on the top of his head. NFL Draft Buzz ranks him as the ninth safety in the draft. His size, power, and tackling can make him a standout on special teams. As he just turned 21 last month, he has plenty of time to grow into the role of a box safety. Over the past two seasons, he played deep on 534 snaps and in the box for 541 snaps. Yeah, he's versatile.
With my second pick of the sixth round, I took the biggest risk of the draft. I'd say drafting a player from James Madison is a risk, right? Charles Haley was a monster, sure, but he was drafted almost 40 years ago. Here's the thing, 12s; Jalen Green has the potential to put up numbers like that Hall of Famer. Call me crazy, but Haley had 17 sacks in his four seasons at JMU.
The 6'1" 245 lb edge rusher Green had 18 sacks last year alone, according to PFF. By the way, that was in just nine games, as he suffered a season-ending injury in November. Other sources show Green with 15.5 sacks, but his 21 tackles for a loss kinda make up for that. NFL Draft Diamonds has an excellent write-up on Green. Suffice it to say, there's no way I'd take a chance and let this guy wait until after the draft. I'm calling him on day three.
My third mock draft wraps up with another weapon in the backfield
Here it is, 12s, my final pick, a round seven selection and number 235 overall. Once again, I foolishly ignored the chance to draft a guard. Hey, just following Schneider's axiom, that guards are overvalued and overpriced. I moved back to the offensive side of the ball, to hand off to South Dakota State's Isaiah Davis.
The 6'0" 218 lb halfback would at the very least be an upgrade over Deejay Dallas. With a 4.57 40, he isn't going to leave anyone in the dust like Kenneth Walker can. But he did rush for 1,578 yards and 18 touchdowns on 236 carries. I love Lance Zierlein's description of Davis on nfl.com as a Brinks-truck runner. Maybe not a lot of top-end speed, but not exactly easy to stop.
PFF reports Davas forced a phenomenal 80 missed tackles, and gave him an outstanding overall grade of 94.8, along with an elusiveness grade of 139.3. So he can not only break tackles but make guys miss. For context, Walker earned an overall grade of 89.3 and a 147.5 elusiveness rating in 2022. Walker had 1,168 yards after contact as a senior at Michigan State, the best in the nation. Davis had 936, good for 8th in the NCAA. Yes, there's a considerable difference in the level of football in the Big 10 and the Missouri Valley Conference. Considering that he's seen as a fifth-round prospect by most sites, I'll take a seventh-round flier on a banger like Davis.
So, no guards, and yes, that's an oversight. If I ran the draft again, I'd probably skip Baker, as much as I like him, and go after someone like Michigan's Zak Zinter, generally projected to be available in that early hundreds range. But considering that I picked up the best tackle in the draft and the best corner/nickel/safety hybrid - okay, probably the only one - I'd be pretty happy if the Seahawks brought in this haul like this next month.