The Seahawks hardly did a thing we expected them to in the draft.
They had three major needs – edge rusher, defensive tackle and offensive tackle – and we also expected them to move down from the first round to end up with five Day 2 picks in a draft that was especially loaded in the second round.
But, they didn’t accomplish most of those things. In fact, it’s the first time since 2015 that they did not address two of their top three needs in a draft.
Yes, they got their pass rusher — two promising ones, in fact. But they had to be really aggressive to do it, which took them the wrong direction in those Day 2 picks. Instead of five, they ended up with three.
Because they couldn’t move down from the 27th overall pick on Thursday, they were not able to add the extra third they have in the past. They actually made their original pick for the first time since 2011 – choosing Texas Tech linebacker Jordyn Brooks. (We thought they might draft a linebacker, but we thought it would be Wisconsin’s Zack Baun, who is a proven pass rusher.)
The Seahawks had their eyes on a pass rusher, though. They really wanted Tennessee’s Darrell Taylor — so much that they worked the phones from the start on Day 2. They finally got a deal with the Jets to move up 11 spots in the second round for Taylor, whom they hope is their future star LEO. But that move cost them their third-round pick (101 overall). They still picked in the third round, dropping from 64 to 69 to add a fifth-rounder to their thin Day 3 allotment. But they did not get the Day 2 bonanza we expected.
At 69, they had a chance to fulfill one of their top needs, but they eschewed D-tackles such as Justin Madubuike and Davon Hamilton and O-tackles such as Josh Jones and Lucas Niang to take LSU guard Damien Lewis. He’ll have to become the starting right guard by 2021 to make that move look good (some think he will bump D.J. Fluker this year).
We also thought they might have looked at drafting a center (B.J. Finney is signed for just two years), but they went with the guard instead.
On Day 3, the Hawks picked three times from 133 to 148 — adding Stanford tight end Colby Parkinson, Miami running back DeeJay Dallas and another pass rusher, Syracuse’s Alton Robinson. They didn’t necessarily need a tight end now, but they had no real long-term options there; aging Greg Olsen and young Jacob Hollister are on one-year deals and no one knows whether Will Dissly will ever stay healthy enough to become the star he could be. So Parkinson, the tight end they don’t need now, could end up their starter in 2021.
Dallas provides depth at the weakest position on the team, as Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny rehab injuries. Travis Homer, Dallas’ Miami teammate, is the default No. 1 back right now — though Carson is expected back for the start of the season (heck, Penny might make it for the start if the season is bumped back a month or two).
Expect the Seahawks to add a veteran back at some point — whether it’s Isaiah Crowell, another vet or perhaps, on the eve of the season, Marshawn Lynch (who turned 34 the day before this draft). If they don’t re-sign Carson (which seems 50-50 at best right now), the Hawks will be looking for a running back in the 2021 draft, too.
Robinson was a nice pickup — Carroll thinks he has skills as good as edge rushers drafted higher. Nothing wrong with double-dipping at the biggest need position.
Of course, that all meant the Hawks eschewed the tackle spots. So they are headed back to free agency to add a D-tackle (there are a bunch of vets out there) to rotate with Jarran Reed and Poona Ford.
It also means they are comfortable with star-crossed Cedric Ogbuehi being the swing tackle. Maybe Jamarco Jones (left) and Chad Wheeler (right) are backup options on the offensive edges as well, but — unless Jones suddenly steps up at left tackle — there is no heir apparent to 34-year-old Duane Brown, who has two years left on his deal.
The Seahawks also did not address corner, a position that has a lot of uncertainty beyond this year as Shaquill Griffin and trade pickup Quinton Dunbar enter the final year of their deals.
So, we have a good idea of the 2021 draft needs already: offensive tackle, running back, cornerback and defensive tackle. We’ll see whether they hit them next year.