Seattle Seahawks mock draft 3.0: Seattle avoids taking a quarterback early

The Seattle Seahawks' season is done, of course, and now general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll just need to focus on making the team better. That could come in free agency, but the focus should be on the NFL draft. The biggest question, though, is does Seattle take a quarterback with their first pick.

My guess currently is no. Just like I do not think Seattle will be without Pete Carroll coaching the team next year. But in the mock draft that follows, I do have Seattle addressing a position of need early.

I did take an early trade. For those looking just at the draft picks and rounds, you might miss this part. The reason I use Pro Football Network's mock simulator is it does offer interesting trades. The one I chose had the Seahawks moving back from pick No. 16 in the first round to No. 27 (and that certainly would not be the first time general manager John Schneider traded back since 2010), but I was able to pick up a second-round choice to replace the one Seattle gave away in the trade that brought Leonard Williams to Seattle in the middle of this season.

Seattle Seahawks go defense early and often in 2024 NFL mock draft

Many 12s believe that the Seahawks should have gone with an interior defensive lineman in the 2023 NFL draft but Seattle instead went with cornerback Devon Witherspoon. While taking someone like Jalen Carter might have been good, he did have his red flags entering the draft that scared several teams away. Plus, Witherspoon looks like a long-term difference-maker at cornerback. He was excellent in every facet of the game this season.

But that doesn't change the fact that the Seahawks need a defensive lineman this year as badly as last. Plus, Seattle could lose Leonard Williams to free agency and he was by far Seattle's best defensive lineman at the end of the season. Jarran Reed had a good year in terms of pass rush, but he wasn't great against the run. No Seattle defensive lineman was.

Newton might still need to gain a little weight, but the Illinois product is 6'2" and 295 pounds and extremely strong. He has the base to be able to hold up and attack the run. He will also supply high-end interior pass rush. The reason he could fall into the later part of the first round is he doesn't have the longest arms. But he does have strong arms and can use them to move offensive linemen where he wants them to go.