Is it just me? I am having trouble getting hyped for this draft. I think the issue is 75. There are 75 picks between Seattle’s first and second pick. Lots happened in free agency, but Seattle has so many needs. And that is a huge gap where nothing will happen to help Seattle.

Continuing with thoughts on that first pick before going into the free agency moves. This draft is super heavy in wide receiver talent and most likely wide receivers and 4 quarterbacks will go before Seattle is on the board. Having those 8 go early will be similar to last year where Seattle had its pick of the second best defensive players in the draft. This year Seattle should still have a shot at the top guard, center, defensive tackle, and probably even the second best edge. All of those are positions of need, though center is probably unlikely as an option. So this pick has an opportunity to be pivotal.

QB-

I do not see the cards falling right for QB Michael Penix to be a realistic discussion for Seattle. It is fun conversation, but ends at that. QB Geno Smith has not been particularly endorsed by the new coaches, but also not ruled out. No matter what, this team is Geno’s this year. QB Sam Howell will compete, but I do not see him being able to win the job. If Seattle uses one of its 3 second day picks on a QB like QB Bo Nix or QB Spencer Rattler, then they could be in competition for the starting job next year too and Geno would likely just be out. But I think that is an unlikely scenario since Seattle’s draft capital on the second day is really scarce. And giving a pick to someone who could contribute the following year is a lot to give up. I think they will concentrate on the big guys instead.

My favorite mock drafts so far have all four of Seattle’s first four picks going into the trenches. Okay, I do have a bias and that would probably be the case for me every year. But that only makes sense when looking at who Seattle added and lost in free agency along with the unknowns on RT Abe Lucas’s injury. Seattle is probably set for the next year at center and hopefully left tackle and maybe right tackle, but the guard position is a need. That is why most mock drafts are rightly calling OG Troy Fautanu out of Washington for Seattle at 16. He seems to meet all of the criteria for the right pick other than when you look at Seattle’s bad luck history with first round offensive lineman. That is why I am pushing my offensive guard pick to the second day and hoping OG Mason McCormick or even OG Zak Zinter will be on the board in the fourth round. Or both. I would also like to see OT Kiran Amegadjie but I think he will go in the 5th and we do not have a pick in that round. He would be a fun pick at #179 though.

RB-

Another area of potentially fun conversation is running back but the reality is that Seattle is set with RB Ken Walker and RB Zach Charbonnet and both should get plenty of chances to show what they can do in the new scheme.

WR-

Again with the 75. Not only will many good receivers be gone before Seattle picks at 16, all of them should be gone in the next 75. Seattle is in good shape with WR Tyler Lockett, WR DK Metcalf, and WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba going into this year. WR Laviska Shenault is an interesting pick up, but I do not see adding anyone else to the mix.

TE-

TE Noah Fant was re-signed but TE Will Dissly and TE Colby Parkinson are gone. TE Brady Russell is not proven and no one else has been picked up yet. So it is quite possible that Seattle will pick a tight end.

TE Brock Bowers is quite likely available at 16, but that nasty 75 is there again. If Seattle was to pick Bowers over anyone in the trenches then they need him to be golden. I just do not think he can be practically the only pick in the top 100 and Seattle have had a good draft.

K-

PK Jason Myers. Leave it at that and I will continue along like you did not even have to read this.

D-

So if the first round pick has to make the impact needed in order to be practically the only guy in the top 100 that Seattle gets to pick, then there is one obvious position where that happens. Edge. It makes more and more sense to me that Seattle has to go edge at 16. DE Dallas Turner will certainly be gone. But DE Jared Verse, DE Chop Robinson, and DE Laiatu Latu may all be there. If they can be an impact edge then they would be the right pick. I would go with Verse. The other option is DT Byron Murphy who will also likely be there and could be an impact player too. But his last name is not Watt last I looked and Seattle is far more likely to hit on an edge rusher at 16. Also, when the third round pick finally comes up there is a good chance that DT Mike Hall, Jr or DT Maason Smith might be there and they are closer to Murphy in potential for impact than someone like DE Chris Braswell is to Verse. I would stay with the big guys in the third round after Verse and pick the best available of either offensive guard or defensive tackle. Maybe that is OG Dominick Puni or Smith. Then with the two fourth round picks I would also stay in the trenches so that there are two new guards, the edge and tackle. For instance Verse, Smith, McCormick and Zinter as the first four picks. That would be very interesting to me and I think have a potential for tremendous upside.

That also puts a lot of pressure on LB Tyrel Dodson and LB Jerome Baker working out, not to mention S Rayshawn Jenkins and S K’Von Wallace. Seattle could roll the dice to try to help those guys with someone from the 6th or 7th round or they could surprise and grab someone like LB Payton Wilson instead of one of the names I put above. LB Junior Colson and LB Edgerin Cooper line up to be gone in that dreaded 75 player gap, so even if Seattle was high on them they would never have the chance to get them. And Seattle really does not have draft capital to move around in this draft especially if they hold onto their 16th pick trying to make the impact they need to with it.

I am looking forward to a draft full of draft picks who are bigger than me for a change!

Go Hawks!

End.