The Morning After: 2023 Seahawks Draft Complete

Overall Draft RatingUpsideAddressed NeedsPositional ValueReader Rating47 Votes4There are a few different ways to assess the pivotal 2023 draft for the Seahawks. You can look at the quality of the players they added. You can look at the price they paid for the players they selected, giving bonus points for bargains. You can look at whether they addressed needs. Finally, you look at how it fits with the rest of offseason to assess whether key weaknesses have been addressed. How about […]

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There are a few different ways to assess the pivotal 2023 draft for the Seahawks. You can look at the quality of the players they added. You can look at the price they paid for the players they selected, giving bonus points for bargains. You can look at whether they addressed needs. Finally, you look at how it fits with the rest of offseason to assess whether key weaknesses have been addressed. How about we do all those things?

Quality: Grade B/B+

If you exit a draft with just one All-Pro player (e.g., top 2-3 at their position in the league), it has been a successful draft. Even grabbing a Pro Bowl player (e.g., top 5-12 at their position) is close to making a draft good on its own. Seattle drafted two players in the first round who both could have All-Pro ceilings. Pro Bowls seem almost likely. To put it another way, they will have underperformed my expectations if they both do not make a Pro Bowl.

Anthony Bradford is other player who has the athletic profile to become one of the best at his position in the league. He is far more of a project, with far less probability that he will reach that ceiling, but his potential is tantalizing. His athletic traits at 332 pounds are eye-popping, ranking 28th of 1,382 guards ranked for Relative Athletic Score (RAS) since 1987. He is a mover who is excellent in pulling and targeting guys in space, which is a perfect fit for the Seahawks offense.

I could possibly talk myself into Zach Charbonnet having Pro Bowl potential. I love his style and fit here. This was a guy who some had as the second best featured running back in this draft after Bijan Robinson, and was always expected to go in the second round even if not all of us believe that is a good place to draft running backs. He is big and has just enough shift to his game to avoid and break tackles. He was a guilty pleasure pick in some of my mock drafts leading up to this week. Given how much Seattle runs the ball and how well he compliments Kenneth Walker, I doubt Seattle will ever regret the choice.

I do not see a lot of other top-shelf potential in this class. I do see some guys who could become quality starters.

Derick Hall is a try hard athlete with a lot of power and speed. If absolutely everything comes together for him, maybe he can become something like Frank Clark. His more realistic ceiling is someone like Bruce Irvin. He is a pretty one-dimensional straight line pass rusher, but that one dimension is good enough that he could be someone who collects 5-8 sacks in a season. I have some question of where he will get snaps relative to Boye Mafe, Uchenna Nwosu, and Darrell Taylor, which impacts the probability of hitting a high ceiling.

Olu Oluwatimi has the potential to become a starter early in his career. His athletic traits are modest enough that it is hard to project him as a top-shelf starter. He is a technician and is a true center who has played in a pro style offense where he had to make the line calls. There is a pretty clear path to him finding snaps should he either beat out Evan Brown this year or take over next year once Brown’s contract ends.

Cameron Young feels almost identical to Jarran Reed. He is a stout 300-pound defensive tackle, who projects as a good run defender with limited pass rush. He could work his way into starter snaps, but would be a rotational player who would only be on the field for early downs. He could play an important role, even if there will not be many accolades for doing it.

Mike Morris is an interesting one. He has played different positions at different weights. He revealed in his press call yesterday that he was up to 295 from 275 at the combine. Seattle wants him to play on the line instead of as an outside linebacker. There are flashes on his tape that are intriguing, especially as someone going up against a guard. He is not the quickest guy, but plays with good power and motor. I do not see elite traits to indicate he could be a Pro Bowl player, but I do see something there that could develop into a valuable rotational player. Something like Rasheem Green comes to mind.

Jerrick Reed has the nastiness to his game to make him easy to root for, and Kenny McIntosh has everyone rooting for him after that emotional conference call following his 7th round selection. I usually prefer elite athletic traits with lesser college production in the very late rounds (think David Moore or Chris Carson) in the hopes you win the lottery. I do not believe either of these guys fit that category. Reed may have what it takes to become a starting safety or nickel corner. He is probably a special teams guy, if he makes it. McIntosh was one of the slowest running backs at the combine. He is a great receiver out of the backfield, and could be some competition for DeeJay Dallas on special teams and as a third down back.

Most likely, the Seahawks will get two high-end starters out of this draft. That’s a very good thing. Bradford is a key to determining the overall quality. If he becomes a Pro Bowl level player, this draft automatically leaps into elite territory. Hall becoming something like Clark could do the same, even if I see that as pretty unlikely.

Mostly, it feels like the Seahawks added a number of solid role players after round one.

Value: Grade S

Trying to grade whether a team got a good bargain on their picks based on pre-draft rankings of folks who have a fraction of the access that team’s do is stupid, so I give it a grade S. The only thing I will really say here is that taking a running back in the second round, especially two years in a row, is really questionable strategy. I will add that the difference between Oluwatimi in the 5th and some of the centers that went before him in the 2nd and 3rd rounds is slimmer than most would think which makes it a solid value pick.

The picks with the highest potential to make their draft position look like a steal are:

Smith-NjigbaBradfordHallOluwatimiReed

Some would say McIntosh, but I just don’t generally see running backs as a steal when you draft them late. That’s where you should try and get them.

Addressed needs: Grade B-

The biggest need on this team was on the interior defensive line, and it was not close. There were limited options at defensive tackle in this draft, and Seattle came out with very limited upside there. Fans and media are clamoring to bring back guys who played on the line last year when it was a disaster. That’s objectively a bad sign.

Young will help. Morris is more of a project. The Seahawks defensive line has a high potential to be one of the worst in the NFL again. That is a bitter pill.

Inside linebacker is another area of concern that got zero attention in the draft. Again, the options were very slim, but the team painted itself into a corner by betting on Devin Bush in free agency over other, better, options knowing this was a bad linebacker class. Bobby Wagner is gone after this season. Jordyn Brooks had ACL surgery this year. It is looking more and more like Jon Rhattigan is going to have a larger role than people expect.

Third receiver was a sneaky big need, especially if it was a guy who had upside to move outside and replace Tyler Lockett in a year or two. Smith-Njigba is the absolute ideal pick to do exactly that. Home run. Hand in glove.

Putting an elite corner opposite Tariq Woolen was a need the way that new Maserati you’ve been eyeing is a need. Very few teams have Pro Bowl players at two corner spots. Seattle may wind up with three. Witherspoon, Woolen, and Tre Bown have tremendous upside. Coby Bryant and Michael Jackson cannot be slept on. If you are going shopping for a pickup and come home with a Maserati, can you really be that upset?

It was hardly a need to add another edge player to a room with Nwosu, Mafe, Taylor, Tyreke Smith, and Alton Robinson. That said, Nwosu and Taylor are entering the last years of their contracts. Mafe was just okay as a rookie. Taylor struggled mightily in everything that was not rushing the passer. Mafe was limited a pass rusher. A guy like Hall could wind up being a better combination of skills that fits a nice role on certain downs or against certain teams.

Young fits a clear need in the middle of the line as a run stuffer.

Bradford is a very good option for guard, even if there were a few guys I would have preferred earlier in the draft with higher floors.

Oluwatimi hits the spot at center, where Seattle has been mediocre or worse for a decade.

Charbonnet and McIntosh help fill out a running back room that was paper thin before this draft.

I think tight end was a bigger need than most realize with Colby Parkinson and Noah Fant entering the final years of their deals. This draft had some great tight end options. That said, you cannot hit every position, and this was a logical omission.

Creating strength / Addressing weaknesses: Grade B

Fixing the defense

Seattle had one of the worst defenses in football last year, and that’s been the case for a few years. Their run defense, in particular, was a disaster. Their best run defender was Al Woods, and he was released. The defensive line, in general, was completely lacking any dynamic athletes that gave opposing teams headaches. They added Dre’mont Jones, but added nobody else threatening around him, reducing his upside since teams can focus on him.

Taylor was a major issue in run defense on the edge. Hall may be better, but the scouting reports were that he struggled in run defense. Mafe was already getting snaps and was not enough of a factor to address the issues.

Wagner should definitely help against the run on early downs, but also is more of a liability in coverage at this point than some of the guys Seattle ran out there last year. I have very low expectations of Bush, who may wind up being worse than Cody Barton.

If I want to make my most optimistic case for an improved Seattle defense next year, it is that an elite secondary will help them commit more players to the run and possibly blitz more often to create favorable matchups for pass rushers. Julian Love could be a very valuable addition and if Jamal Adams and Jordyn Brooks can somehow actually contribute, there are some pieces to play with.

Seattle almost certainly will hit the free agent market again after they figure out how to clear cap space. Akiem Hicks is a name to watch. Maybe even someone like Jadeveon Clowney would make some sense.

As it stands, this defense has a number of guys who do one thing well and other things quite poorly, which makes scheme and personnel groupings tough. I do not yet see a team that can dictate a lot to offenses. The hard truth is we may be another offseason away from rebuilding this defense. I absolutely hate that thought.

Interior offensive line

Another weakness later last season was the play of the interior offensive line. This had a major impact on the play of Geno Smith and the run game. There is a better chance this has improved. Gabe Jackson was doing nothing for this team. Austin Blythe was losing steam and retired. I like Evan Brown getting his first real shot as a starting center and Oluwatimi pushing him. I like Phil Haynes coming in as a starter with Bradford pushing him. Damien Lewis quietly had the best PFF grade of any Seahawks offensive lineman.

Elite units

While it is important to patch weaknesses, it is also critical to create true areas of elite strength. A team with no weaknesses and no elite strengths has a very low ceiling in the NFL. You need to be so damn good at some things that other teams have no answer for them. Seattle now has a few that could be reaching that status.

The cornerback room is loaded. There is a chance this group could be among the top 3-5 in the league, and stay that way for years to come at very affordable prices.

The secondary as a whole could become one of the best in the league as Love provides much more certainty that safety will be a position of strength.

Wide receiver is another group that has to be in the top 2-3 rooms in the league. I cannot imagine how teams will cover all three of these guys.

The running back room could be young and elite.

The offensive line has the potential to become one of the best if the tackles take a big step forward and the interior options work out. They are young and affordable as well.

Many Seahawks fans will question this, but the quarterback position already demonstrated it was among the best in the league, and certainly among the top 2-3 in the NFC. Smith has more weapons, better protection, and a full offseason to prep as a starter. There is every reason to think he will be one of the best again.

Consider that last season there were no position groups that could have been reasonably been projected as elite heading into the season outside of maybe safety. There was an elite duo at receiver but nothing after them. You cannot go from bare cupboards to overflowing talent overnight. I would rather see the team create true strength by taking great players than forcing picks to address their biggest needs.

Seattle almost undoubtedly got better in this draft. I have some questions about upside beyond the first round. There is a lot riding on Witherspoon and Smith-Njigba. It will be great to see these guys on the field and against NFL competition. Until then, it is all guesswork.