The 2024 NFL scouting combine gets underway in full on Thursday and the Seattle Seahawks, just like every other NFL team, will have a presence at the event. Seattle's new head coach Mike Macdonald will not be in attendance but general manager John Schneider will be. Macdonald will stay behind and he and his other coaches will work on implementing their schemes.
For Schneider, this will be his first combine where he will be in full control over Seattle's roster decisions. For the past 14 offseasons, former coach Pete Carroll had the final say. Schneider can finally pay attention to the guys he is most interested in instead of what Carroll might want to do.
Seattle does have a history of finding late-round gems in drafts, though. Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, and Riq Woolen were all fifth-round picks. Not all of the players that follow might fall to the fifth round in 2024, but they certainly are not household names yet. They will be in Seattle if they shine at the combine and the Seahawks choose them in the draft.
Under-the-radar prospects who might get Seattle Seahawks attention at the 2024 NFL combine
Defensive lineman Braden Fiske, Florida State
Even if Seattle finds the cash to re-sign Leonard Williams, the team is still going to need to add talent and youth to its defensive line. Williams is 30, Jarran Reed is 31, but at least Dre'Mont Jones is 27. Seattle is also likely to release Bryan Mone as doing so would save the team $5 million. Fiske might not be able to come in right away and take Williams' reps but he should be solid on obvious passing downs as he has good quickness and athleticism for a player who is nearly 6'4" and 295 pounds.
Fiske's best hope is probably to be chosen on day two of the draft. He played college for six years so he will enter the league as a 24 year old which isn't old in human years but is old for a draft prospect. He also struggles with his hand placement and has not been able to fix the issue in all those years of college. One might wonder why that is.
Still, if Fiske falls to the Seahawks on day three, Mike Macdonald might talk John Schneider into taking him and that would be ideal for Fiske as well. Macdonald will be able to teach Fiske proper technique and only put him in the best situations for him to succeed to begin with.
Linebacker Trevin Wallace, Kentucky
Seattle very well might have to rebuild their entire linebacker group, at least as far as replacing the veteran players who had proven they could do anything in the league. Bobby Wagner, Jordyn Brooks, and Devin Bush are all free agents. Wagner might not return because Mike Macdonald might want to get his defense to be a little younger and Wagner will be 34 years old at the start of the 2024 season. Brooks would be great to have back but might be too expensive to re-sign.
There might not be any better athlete among linebackers in the 2024 draft besides Wallace. The 6'2" and 240-pound player has all the raw physical traits to be productive. He will likely run a 4.4 40 or under and could have a vertical jump near 40 inches. He also reportedly squats 600 pounds. There is no reason physically he can't succeed in the NFL.
The issue is that NFL games are won in sprinting contests or by players competing in track events. Wallace will need to gain muscle mass to hold up to NFL blocking and not simply use his speed to get around offensive linemen. That won't last long as linemen would simply use technique and leverage against Wallace.
That does not mean Wallace can't gain muscle while maintaining his speed. Once in an NFL weight training program, he should be able to gain mass anyway. And there is little doubt that his draft stock could improve simply because he will probably put on a show in drills. The Kentucky prospect is expected to go in the first three rounds so if Seattle wants him they might need to make a trade to get their second-round draft pick back.
Safety Sione Vaki, Utah
Just as with Seattle's linebacker room, the Seahawks might have to replace most of their veteran safeties. Pro Bowler Julian Love is going to be on the roster but Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams might not be. Releasing Diggs would save the team $11 million and releasing Adams would save the team around $6 million but also open up a roster spot for a player likely to remain healthier than Adams seems to be able to do.
Seattle does not have any true replacements for Diggs and Adams already on the team. Coby Bryant was moved to safety in the preseason in 2023 but he didn't get much play at the position once the real games began. Jerrick Reed II was great on special teams as a rookie but there is no proof he can play every-down safety in the NFL.
Vaki is an interesting prospect because of his versatility. He is 6' and 210 pounds with excellent straight-ahead speed but he may not have the quickness to play deep safety. He potentially could play more in the box as Macdonald does play three-safety sets more than any other coach. But assuming Love is one safety and Vaki plays in the box, Seattle would still need another safety.
Vaki also played running back some in 2023 and was good on special teams. He will likely show good strength in combine workouts and he is very mature for a true sophomore so he will likely interview well. He is still only projected to be a day-three pick but if he tests well could move up to the fifth round.
Defensive end Austin Booker, Kansas
Like most teams, the Seahawks need more edge rushers. We saw how the team struggled after Uchenna Nwosu was lost for the season in Week 7. The good thing is Nwosu should be ready by Week 1 of 2024 and Boye Mafe will have another year of experience. Plus, with Macdonald as the head coach, the edge rush group should be much better in 2024 and beyond.
Booker is not going to go in the first round and he could teeter toward day three, but there is little doubt that he has the extremely raw ability to be a good player in the NFL. He has great length 6'4 1/2" with 34" arms. He can keep blockers at bay but literally keep them at arm's length. But what he cannot do yet is try to go head-to-head with NFL offensive linemen. Booker is nowhere near strong enough to do so.
This would be the issue for any team that takes Booker. He likely is not going to be ready to produce at a decent level for a couple of seasons. His first year might be a wash as he is going to need to spend that gaining muscle mass. He also does not have much experience as he only started one game at Kansas after transferring from Minnesota. With the Gophers, Booker played just six games in two years and recorded just one tackle.