We’re turning the nook from the NFL season and into draft season. With it there will probably be all manners of arguments about participant positioning and who deserves to go No. 1 general, however one of the crucial intriguing predicaments within the top-5 comes from the Seahawks.
This is a staff who had been predicted to crater this season. In reality, 2022 was purported to be a tank yr earlier than it even started, with the notion being that Seattle would commerce away Russell Wilson, be rubbish because of this, and intention to pick out their quarterback of the longer term with a top-3 choose. Now they’re pushing to discover a spot within the playoffs, and Denver’s misfortunes have put the staff in a generational place to overtake all of the staff’s want positions in a few quick years, and that begins now.
That stated, this draft is extra difficult now due to Geno Smith. The quarterback’s resurgence has been simply the perfect story of 2022, and his play has actually warranted persevering with because the staff’s starter. Is one comeback season sufficient to disregard the QB place and deal with different wants? Today myself and Mark Schofield make our instances for whether or not Seattle ought to take a QB within the first spherical.
The Seahawks HAVE to a take a quarterback — by James Dator
I really like Geno Smith. I really like his play this season, I really like his story, and I really like how he’s defied expectations to legitimately change into top-of-the-line quarterbacks in 2022. I nonetheless suppose Seattle could be silly to disregard the chance to take a high passer this yr.
The Denver collapse has handed the Seahawks what I name a “Golden Goose Draft.” It’s one thing that solely comes alongside as soon as in a fantastic whereas, in any sport. The prime instance of this was the 1996-97 Spurs, which collapsed from a 59-23 document the yr earlier than, to ending up with the No. 1 choose due to a season-ending damage to David Robinson. It allowed San Antonio to take Tim Duncan with the highest choose, and construct a dynasty due to it.
Yes, this can be a little totally different, however I believe the impact is identical. Seattle is simply too good of a staff to plummet again into having a Top 3 choose, a minimum of within the quick future. This has to be the staff’s alternative to take a passer, even when they sit behind Geno in 2023.
As it stands the Seahawks with have the No. 2 general choose. Unless you actually dislike all the tops passers this yr there isn’t any cause to not take one. Every potential draft state of affairs I can consider is nice. Both Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud have the potential to be high tier NFL starters. Should the Texans be silly and roll the cube on Will Levis you’ll be able to take your choose of the perfect NFL-ready QB within the draft.
I do know this staff has large holes on protection that should be crammed. I perceive that going all-defense in 2023 may end in getting Seattle again to being an everyday playoff contender shortly. However, Geno can be going to be 33 years outdated subsequent season, and time is catching up on him earlier than we even discuss concerning the chance he can preserve this run going.
As far as I’m involved you’re taking a QB at No. 2. You lock up Smith to a 3-4 yr performance-heavy extension, and let it rip. The worst case state of affairs is you wind up just like the Chargers after they took Philip Rivers, and you can discover a QB-needy staff to commerce Geno for to recoup extra picks shifting ahead like San Diego did with Drew Brees.
If you need to get higher proper now, then by all means, draft protection. If you need an opportunity to show the Seahawks right into a decade-plus menace within the NFC you’re taking a high passer and chuckle all the best way to the financial institution figuring out your future is safe.
Seattle ought to comply with the Eagles’ strategy — by Mark Schofield
Seattle is in place to run the NFL draft subsequent yr.
They may prolong that in the event that they comply with what Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles did this previous offseason.
Let’s set the framework for this dialogue. Right now, the Seahawks maintain 5 picks within the first three rounds of the NFL draft, in response to Tankathon. They have their very own first spherical choice (at the moment seventeenth), their very own second spherical choice (at the moment forty eighth general), and their very own third spherical choice, which is at the moment 82nd general.
They additionally, due to the Wilson commerce, have extra picks within the first (2nd general) and the second, at the moment thirty fifth general.
That is lots of draft capital.
Prior to final yr’s draft, the Eagles had a trio of first-round picks at their disposal. That gave Roseman a ton of choices. But the Eagles had been in an analogous place final spring as Seattle finds themselves this yr.
Are they certain about their quarterback?
So what did Roseman do? He constructed round his quarterback, however gave himself a future hedge. In a pre-draft commerce with the New Orleans Saints, Roseman flipped a kind of 2022 first-round picks, however added a 2023 first-round choose.
As it stands proper now, the Eagles are choosing fifth with that Saints choice.
And due to the expansion from Jalen Hurts this season — in addition to how they used the remainder of their draft capital to construct round him, like they did with the A.J. Brown commerce that concerned one other of these first-round picks — they don’t must draft a quarterback.
However, if Hurts didn’t have the MVP-type season this yr that he’s having, they’d be in place, with a pair of first-round picks, to maneuver up for a quarterback in the event that they wanted to.
Now let’s speak about Seattle. Thanks to what Smith has completed this season — he ranks among the many league leaders in numerous passing classes, together with ANY/A, QBR, EPA, and CPOE — Seattle is 7-6 and chasing a playoff spot. Beyond the numbers, and the wins, what Smith has proven on the sphere can be a continuation of what we noticed from him final yr, when he was pressed into motion after Wilson suffered his hand damage. Touch, trajectory, accuracy, and pocket administration, are all traits Smith has displayed at a excessive degree this yr, as he did a season in the past.
As I wrote about him this summer time:
Staying and combating within the pocket is likely one of the hardest issues for a quarterback to do. It flies within the face of all human emotion. Large males are coming to do you hurt, and whereas instincts would possibly inform you to run for the hills — as they instructed me so many occasions over time — the power to remain throughout the pocket, create house and preserve the offense on construction is an amazing talent for a quarterback to have. That retains as many choices within the idea in play for the quarterback somewhat than instantly slicing the sphere in half, forcing defenses to nonetheless defend “every blade of grass.”
If Smith can unleash that trait as a lot as potential, in tandem with the others mentioned, he’ll not solely earn the beginning job in Seattle…however he’ll preserve it.
There isn’t any cause to imagine that can instantly go away subsequent yr.
So what ought to Seattle do? Find a method so as to add that future hedge, like Roseman did final yr. There isn’t any must pressure a quarterback choose this yr. Smith has proven over the previous two seasons that he could be the starter, and that he can play at a excessive degree.
It would possibly contain sliding again from the primary of the 2 picks, which proper now’s second general. There are numerous groups that can possible be within the quarterback sport this cycle, together with Indianapolis (at the moment choosing seventh), Carolina (at the moment choosing ninth), and doubtlessly Detroit, though the Lions may roll with Jared Goff and take an analogous strategy.
Hypothetically, think about Seattle trades down from two with Indianapolis, choosing up a 2024 first-round choose within the course of. They may add expertise on protection, maybe one other go rusher in Myles Murphy or Tyree Wilson, or think about pairing Kelee Ringo with Tariq Woolen? Jalen Carter may nonetheless be there, relying on how groups view inside defensive linemen. (Remember, Jordan Davis slid final yr to … the Philadelphia Eagles).
So what the Seahawks ought to do is construct round Smith for 2023, however give themselves an out for the 2024 draft ought to the necessity come up. Smith has confirmed together with his play over the previous two seasons that this isn’t a flash-in-the-pan scenario. Build round him, hedge with a future first, and hope that you just put collectively an analogous run like Philadelphia subsequent yr.
And if all of it goes south, use that hedge as a solution to get Caleb Williams. Somehow.