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NFL draft

Hawks go corner and receiver in first round, leaving DL to Day 2

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The Seahawks ignored the defensive line with both first-round picks, instead drafting a corner and receiver in the round for the first time since Pete Carroll and John Schneider arrived in 2010.

Despite fielding calls for the No. 5 pick, they took Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon — a guy they were said to love as the draft neared.

At 20, they ended up with Ohio State WR Jaxon Njigba-Smith, a guy who was often mocked to them.

The Hawks eschewed defensive linemen Jalen Carter and Tyree Wilson early and Nolan Smith and Myles Murphy late. (The Eagles ended up with Carter and Smith.)

Continue reading Hawks go corner and receiver in first round, leaving DL to Day 2 →
NFL draft

Draft day: ‘A lot of different scenarios’

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At Seattle’s pre-draft presser on April 19, John Schneider was asked whether the top of the 2023 draft was pretty predictable by now.

“You would think so, right?” he said before giving the reality. “It doesn’t feel like it, no. … You’re constantly trying to paint pictures and scenarios of what you think will happen and what other teams will do.

“There’s just a ton of different variables up there. A lot of different scenarios. A lot of different ways we can go.’’

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NFL draft

Looking at first-round options and overall strategy

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The NFL draft is two weeks away, and the Seahawks are finishing up their evaluations of players and starting to put together their final draft board.

John Schneider outlined upcoming steps on his radio show on Thursday: Scouts went over the board last week and coaches are meeting to go over it again this weekend. Next week, Schneider will hear from his medical team and let the analytics squad “pick the board apart” (he said that with a laugh). On Tuesday of draft week, Schneider and Pete Carroll will go over the board one last time.

Schneider said it’s time to “hunker down in the draft room with everybody and be able to study and continue to bounce things off each other and try to figure this thing out.”

So let’s figure it out with them.

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NFL draft

Will Jalen Carter be on Seattle’s board?

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Jalen Carter reportedly will meet with the Seahawks in the “coming days” – and it will be one of the most important pre-draft meetings in franchise history.

Carter, one of the top two defenders in this draft, is almost surely going to be available when the Seahawks draft at No. 5. Talent-wise, he seems like a perfect fit, but in nearly every other way he sure seems like the anti-Seahawk.

All signs indicate he would be the second coming of Aaron Curry (Seattle’s 2009 bust at No. 4 overall who never earned the millions he was paid). The current Hawks have their own cautionary tale as well in Malik McDowell, their top pick in 2017 who never played for them.

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NFL draft

A QB at 5 is fine, but Hawks should not burn good picks to move up

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The Seahawks are not hiding their interest in Anthony Richardson, but are they really willing to trade up to No. 3 to get him? Knowing it would cost them valuable resources they could use on their defense?

Two reports this week mentioned league buzz about Seattle possibly trading up with Arizona to draft the Florida quarterback. Corbin Smith of SI.com also reported that the Seahawks showed a lot of interest during Richardson’s Pro Day — John Schneider meeting with Richardson’s agent and Pete Carroll talking privately with Florida coach Billy Napier.

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Contracts, Free agency

After Wagner’s return, Hawks ‘pretty tapped out’ but still have work to do

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After the Seahawks cut Al Woods last week, John Schneider told Seattle Sports 710 “… we needed to create some space to try to get something done.”

And then they got that “something done,” bringing back Bobby Wagner on a deal reportedly worth up to $7 million.

It put the cap on perhaps the most aggressive free agency period we have seen by Schneider and Co., who signed six projected starters – five of them on defense – and paid an aggregate annual average of $8.5 million, the most they have ever spent on outside free agents in an offseason. Most of that is thanks to paying $17 million per year to new star defensive lineman Dre Jones, but all except Evan Brown got more than $3.5 million per year.

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Contracts, Free agency

Hawks full of (good) surprises in first week of free agency

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John Schneider and Pete Carroll were not kidding when they declared they were going to get better on the defensive line this offseason.

They surprised everyone by breaking out of their frugal free agency routine when they gave Dre Jones the biggest deal they have ever given an outside free agent: $17 million per year over three years. It was a stunningly aggressive start to what has been a surprising free agency period in several ways.

Jarran Reed unexpectedly returned. The Hawks got a good veteran center for much cheaper than expected. Linebackers went fast, but the Hawks added Devin Bush — and Bobby Wagner remained unsigned through this publish, giving Quandre Diggs and many fans hope that he might yet return. The Hawks also added a good starting safety at a bargain, creating all kinds of questions and possibilities at that position.

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Free agency

Setting up free agency

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As free agency looms, a big trade on Friday shook up the top of the draft and essentially guaranteed the Seahawks will have a shot at one of the top two defensive players.

The draft is still over a month away though, and the Hawks always like to fill their starting spots with vets before they get that far.

To the delight of many around the league (but not all Seattle fans), the Comeback Player of the Year came back this week: Quarterback Geno Smith signed an incentive-heavy three-year deal.

Seattle also addressed right guard, with Phil Haynes returning and Gabe Jackson leaving. Those moves followed the re-signings of special-teams stalwarts Jason Myers and Nick Bellore.

The Seahawks still need a center, two inside linebackers, a No. 3 receiver and upgrades across their defensive line — though the latter probably will come in the draft.

Let’s first look at the salary cap situation in the wake of Smith’s deal and then the positions they need to tackle next week and beyond.

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NFL Combine, NFL draft

Should Hawks play the lottery and use No. 5 pick on a QB if possible?

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The Seahawks’ draft position improved Saturday.

No, they didn’t make a trade. But Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson’s record-setting performance at the Combine seemed to vault him into the top five of the draft.

That put the Hawks in an even better spot at No. 5, with the top five players now expected to be, in some order, Richardson, Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud, Alabama QB Bryce Young, Alabama OLB Will Anderson Jr. and Georgia DE Jalen Carter.

So the Hawks will have their choice of a top QB or an elite front-seven player – a winning proposition however you slice it.

Last year, after the Hawks traded Russell Wilson, a QB in this draft seemed a no-brainer. But then Geno Smith put together a Pro Bowl season, and there is a real debate now about whether they should take a QB at 5 — especially knowing it is a 50-50 bet or worse.

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NFL Combine, NFL draft

Experts on draft’s top four defensive ends

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At the Combine today, Pete Carroll said the Seahawks are “totally connected to the quarterbacks coming out” in the draft.

However, other teams are likely to scoop up the top two guys, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, in the top three picks. That’s OK, because the Seahawks really need to use their top pick on the best combination defensive lineman they can find – a guy who can set the edge against the run and rush the passer from both inside and out.

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