The 2023 NFL draft is now over and 12s know who the new additions to the Seahawks are. But some current Seattle players should be happy too. Why? Because the players chosen in the draft should mean their jobs are safe for now.
A team definitely gives a person an indication of how they see their roster by what they do in the draft. For instance, the San Francisco 49ers aren't going to draft a whole bunch of defensive linemen. They are set there. The same can be said of the Kansas City Chiefs; No need to take a quarterback.
But while many national pundits guessed at what the Seahawks would do in the draft - always a bit of folly to try as long as general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll are in charge - and guessed they would zig instead of zag, Seattle almost always does the opposite. Seattle went with the best players at available at positions they liked early in the draft and then drafted for needed. But based on Seattle's choices, who is safe on the roster?
Seahawks winner No. 1: Linebacker Devin Bush
Bush hasn't even played a down for Seattle yet, but he was only signed to a one-year deal this offseason after being a bit of a disappointment for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his first four seasons. He is fast and can tackle, though, and has the potential to be a very good inside linebacker. He was chosen number 10 overall in the 2019 draft for a reason. That is, if he stays healthy he can be very good.
Bush should feel happier after the draft, however, as Seattle didn't take an inside linebacker. This likely means while Bush was signed to a one-year deal that Seattle thinks he will be very good in 2023 and the team won't need a new ILB in 2024 (unless that happens to be a replacement for Bobby Wagner). Bush should party like it's 1999 - or 2019 - after the 2023 draft.
Seahawks winner No. 2: Left guard Damien Lewis
Seattle definitely needed offensive line help prior to the draft. But let me stop this train for a second just to address the fact that a bunch of the fear about Seattle's 2023 O-line is a bit overblown. Seattle did address the offensive line this offseason and added center Evan Brown. Brown was a good center for the Lions in 2021 and should be good for Seattle.
Phil Haynes wasn't awful at right guard either. It's just an assumption that Haynes isn't good. Is he among the better right guards in the NFL? No, but he certainly isn't the worst. And Haynes has been better the more playing time he gets. Meaning, when Haynes stays healthy enough to play he is good enough to start.
But the Seahawks left guard is Damien Lewis and Lewis was very good in 2022. In fact, Lewis was the 11th highest-graded guard in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). It seems like people like to dismiss the whole of the Seattle interior offensive line but forget about the specific parts. Lewis is one of those parts and was arguably the best offensive lineman Seattle had last year.
Guess who is aware of that? The Seahawks coaching staff. This is one reason Seattle got one guard and one center in the draft, neither of the picks will replace Lewis. Lewis should be re-signed next offseason and be a long-term starter for Seattle at left guard.
Seahawks winner No. 3: The quarterbacks
Let's put Geno Smith aside for just a minute. I am going to include both Seahawks quarterbacks on this last slide. Smith's backup is Drew Lock, of course, and he has been with Seattle for going on two years now. It would have been really easy for Seattle to take a quarterback at any point in the draft and make that QB Smith's backup.
Pete Carroll has spoken about how much Seattle likes Lock and that doesn't seem to be just lip service. Lock has a good arm (probably even better than Smith) and just needs to prove he can be more consistent and not turn the ball over. He could be a starter somewhere, and maybe even in Seattle one day.
And let's stop thinking the Seahawks want to replace Geno Smith. They have brought Smith back many times and this includes re-signing him even before they traded Russell Wilson. After Wilson was traded, Seattle didn't draft a quarterback and didn't try to sign another. Lock is only on the team because he was part of the Wilson trade.
Geno Smith might very well be the starter for the Seahawks for the entire three years of the contract he signed this offseason. For those people who don't think Smith is good let me ask why you think that. He was the most accurate quarterback in the NFL last year and didn't turn the ball over that much. He's got a good arm and could be even better in 2023.