3 players the Seattle Seahawks should pass on in the 2023 NFL draft
By Lee Vowell
The 2023 NFL draft is fast approaching. The Seattle Seahawks have high-end picks, and how they use them to add talent to a roster that is getting ever-younger but ever-better could make or break the team for the next few years. Since general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll came to Seattle in 2010, the team has not had the draft capital opportunities that they have this year.
Seattle, of course, could do a number of things in the first round. They could trade back and that would surprise no one. Heck, they could even trade up from pick 20 and grab a player they love but think will be gone by that selection. Or, maybe most surprisingly of all, do nothing and stay at the picks they have. The draft is Schneider and Carroll's oyster and their chance to turn the team into a contender as soon as 2023.
But they can't make wrong choices at either of the current first-round picks. Even a bad choice in round two could be detrimental to what Seattle wants to do moving forward. A home run class like the 2022 one, though? 12s will be very happy. But here are some players the Seahawks should avoid.
Seahawks should avoid drafting receiver Jalin Hyatt
For the record, I like Hyatt and think he could be a good pro in the right system. I don't think that system is with Seattle, though. Hyatt needs to be with an offense that throws the ball more. My concern is that Hyatt is a system receiver the same way his quarterback in college, Hendon Hooker, is a system QB.
Tennessee Volunteer coach Josh Heupel is such a near-genius college coach that players will thrive in his system the way they might not elsewhere. Heupel's system spreads a defense out and this allows receivers to see more open field and more one-on-one coverage. In that system Hyatt's best skills, his great speed, can be used to peak performance.
But Hyatt needs to gain about 20 pounds to be able to hold up to NFL-type punishment. His speed is good but his route tree needs to be better to be successful in the NFL. If he adds weight, will that affect his speed? Hyatt reminds me of Marquise Goodwin. Goodwin is a good player, but not one you would draft in the first or second round.