2024 Seattle Seahawks mock draft tracker: Mike Macdonald gets his defensive weapon

General manager John Schneider is in charge of who the Seattle Seahawks will take in the 2024 NFL draft. In years past, former head coach Pete Carroll made the final roster decisions, so Schneider should feel more freedom to make the team into his image instead of what Carroll wanted. But Schneider will also have an eye on which players fit new head coach Mike Macdonald's scheme, especially defensively.

The fun part is, of course, no one knows what Seattle will do in the draft. Schneider might want to go with the best player available on the Seahawks draft board instead of just a position of need. Hopefully, however, this turns out to be one and the same.

As far as mock drafts, some are still split on guesses about Seattle. One recently even has Seattle going defense first. Most, though, still seem to center on one player in particular.

Seattle Seahawks mock draft tracker features one fun player and one who would fit a great need

Cooper DeJean, defensive back, Iowa

Mocked by: Michael-Shawn Dugar, The Athletic

OK, so if you glimpsed below, you can already tell where most mock drafts are still heading for the Seahawks. Seattle needs offensive line help and the player below would make sense. But if general manager John Schneider wants to take the best player available, that could be DeJean. Plus, the Iowa product is a near-perfect fit for what new head coach Mike Macdonald likes to do.

Macdonald does not blitz much but instead prefers to disguise his defenses pre-snap and then allow players to move into spots. For instance, DeJean could line up at slot corner, outside corner, or safety and an offense might not know exactly where he is going to be until the ball is nearly snapped. He is fantastic in coverage, excels as a tackler, and has no apparent weaknesses.

Troy Fautanu, offensive lineman, Washington

Mocked by: C.J. Doon, Baltimore Sun; Tyler Forness, Sporting News; Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football; Field Yates, ESPN; Mike Tannenbaum, ESPN

So, back to reality most likely. While DeJean would be a fantastic player to draft, the secondary is not among the position groups of greatest need. The most desperate need by far is along the offensive line. The Seahawks have a huge hole at left guard and no proven starters at center or right guard. Fautanu was mostly a left tackle at Washington, and a very good one, but his athleticism and size will allow him to play guard at a high level in the NFL.

DeJean could be a Week 1 starter, though Seattle could be set at safety and corner to begin next season. Fautanu, however, is a definite starter to begin the 2024 season and immediately fix a problem. Both players would make nice choices, but Fautanu is the bigger need.

Read more from 12th Man Rising