4 Seahawks players who should be nervous ahead of 2024 NFL draft

The Seattle Seahawks, like every other NFL team, of course, will be involved in the 2024 NFL draft which begins on Thursday, April 25. Seattle currently holds one first-round choice, one Day 2 pick, and five on Day 3. Expect that to change.

The fun for 12s is that no one can have an idea of what the team will really do early in the draft. Seattle needs an interior offensive lineman and that would be the safe pick. The Seahawks do not normally make the "safe" choice, though.

Some Seattle players should be a bit anxious about what the team does do early in the draft, though. Their jobs might be on the proverbial line should Seattle choose a player at their position. Here are four players who should be most nervous.

Four Seattle Seahawks players who should be nervous ahead of the 2024 NFL draft

Edge rusher Darrell Taylor

Taylor might have been tendered a deal as a restricted free agent this offseason, but that does not mean he is guaranteed a roster spot in 2024. If Seattle chooses to take an edge rusher first, that could mean Taylor is on his way out of Seattle, potentially in final roster cuts ahead of Week 1. Taylor would definitely make more sense to release than Boye Mafe or Uchenna Nwosu who are both more productive than Taylor. Releasing Taylor would save the team $3 million.

Taylor absolutely needs to show the new coaching staff that he can play the run at a higher level than he has in the first few years of his career. He is an inconsistent pass rusher as well, so doing only one thing well sometimes is not going to secure his job. If Seattle takes an edge rusher with their first choice, that player should get Taylor's reps and Taylor's money.

Safety Rayshawn Jenkins

Jenkins is set for 2024. He was only signed this offseason so Seattle clearly believes he can be a good player in Mike Macdonald's system. But he is also on a prove-it deal because while he was signed through 2025, his deal after this coming season has no guaranteed money and the Seahawks would save $5.4 million by not having him on the team past this year.

While the Seahawks choosing a safety first in the draft would be unexpected, if they do take a player such as Cooper DeJean they would want DeJean to play and learn and that might mean Jenkins plays less. Julian Love was a Pro Bowler this past season with Seattle and unless his play falls way off then he likely would be offered an extension. Due to the size of Jenkins' contract, that would make him the odd-man-out for the Seahawks in 2025.

Cornerback Mike Jackson

Jackson has been a good coverage corner for Seattle and he has been an inexpensive player as well. This offseason, however, Seattle had to choose whether to tender Jackson and they decided to keep him. That means Seattle will need to pay him $3,116,000 in 2024 which isn't a huge expense but it would be a needless one for a cornerback that is not playing very much.

Seattle taking a corner would be weird, but general manager John Schneider is also likely to take the best player available whenever Seattle does choose. DeJean was mentioned about and he can also play cornerback and did more of that in college. Drafting DeJean should mean, for financial reasons, that Jackson is released. If by some miracle Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell falls to Seattle then he should be taken and Jackson released.

Quarterback Geno Smith

One of the biggest questions about the 2024 Seahawks draft is whether the team will choose a quarterback or not. John Schneider has said he is not proud of the fact the team hasn't chosen but two quarterbacks since 2010, though one of those was Russell Wilson which meant taking a quarterback in any draft since 2013 was fairly silly. But with Schneider in charge of final roster moves for the first time, he might want to make his mark by taking a quarterback.

That could be the beginning of the end for Smith in Seattle as well. In fact, if Schneider does not choose a quarterback in the draft, that is a stamp of approval for Geno Smith. Some sites have suggested Seattle could take a quarterback and then trade Sam Howell instead of releasing or trading Smith but that makes zero sense. Why trade a quarterback you gave up a third-round pick for this offseason? Plus, if the Seahawks take a quarterback in the first round and release Smith next offseason, the team saves $25 million.