The 2015 NFL Draft is less than a week away and the Last Word On Sports NFL department is winding down their coverage of the top three needs series for all 32 teams. Next up are the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.
Seattle was one play away from being back-to-back Super Bowl Champions. The franchise has built a formidable roster that has the depth and talent almost every team in the NFL envies. This team has become a specialist in the draft, landing top talents such as Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner and more. Player development has also been key for the team, as Kam Chancellor’s emergence shows. Never doubt that any player will fail to have an impact in Seattle because head coach Pete Carroll knows exactly what buttons to push to get the most and more out of his players.
The Seahawks have already had an impressive offseason headlined by the acquisition of tight end Jimmy Graham from New Orleans. Seattle has reloaded and is fully capable of a third Super Bowl run. While Arizona and St. Louis will be strong opponents inside the division, Seattle will once again be the favorite to win the talented NFC West. With the right moves in the 2015 NFL Draft, we may be looking at two championships in three years for the Seahawks.
Seattle has plenty of picks in the draft, and while they may not be high (Seattle traded their first-round pick in the New Orleans deal), we expect them to fill out the depth chart and develop their talent. The team has three fourth-round picks, two fifth-round picks and three sixth-round picks. Seattle could also be in position to trade up for a high pick in the second or third round due to all the extra selections.
Picks:
Second round (63rd overall)
Third round (95th overall)
Fourth round (112th overall) – trade with New Orleans
Fourth round (130th overall)
Fourth round (134th overall) – compensatory pick awarded
Fifth round (167th overall)
Fifth round (170th overall) – compensatory pick awarded
Sixth round (181st overall) – trade with New York Jets
Sixth round (210th overall) – compensatory pick awarded
Sixth round (215th overall) – compensatory pick awarded
Seventh round (249th overall)
Seattle Seahawks 2015 NFL Draft: Top 3 Needs
Wide Receiver
Seattle was clearly limited by the lack of a top target for Wilson last year. Despite his incredible ability to move and create opportunities to throw the ball, imagine how much easier it would be to have a top talent for Wilson to target on a consistent basis. Sure, new arrival Jimmy Graham will help give Wilson a big target at all times, but adding a complement in the draft would be huge.
The team currently has Jermaine Kearse, Doug Baldwin and Ricardo Lockette under contract for next season. Add in Chris Matthews, the surprise wonder of the Super Bowl, and Seattle will have a decent receiving corps next season. Paul Richardson will likely miss some of the year due to injury so expect Seattle to grab a receiver with one of their first few picks.
The team has been linked to Oklahoma product Dorial Green-Beckham as a potential match on draft day. However, few expect Green-Beckham to be available past the middle of the second round (their first pick is at the end of Round Two). It is possible that the Seahawks could trade their second and fourth round picks to move up and get Green-Beckham. The young man has had behavioral issues but he is very talented. If the Seahawks could clean up his non-football issues and give him playing time in a low-pressure offense, Green-Beckham could develop into a very good receiver.
Offensive Line
The Seahawks traded their starting center Max Unger to New Orleans in the Graham deal and need to add more talent on the offensive line to make sure running back Marshawn Lynch is as effective as possible. I read recently that Seattle is very interested in South Carolina guard A.J. Cann in the second round. A second round guard worked well for Seattle before, as they took John Moffitt in 2011.
I think Seattle would be better off waiting and grabbing a guard in the third or fourth round since there is a huge surplus of linemen available in this year’s draft between rounds three and five. With the abundance of picks, a trade for a higher pick is also never out of the question if Seattle wants to add elite talent to the line.
Cornerback
The Seahawks have a great secondary; that much is certain. However, former starting cornerback Byron Maxwell left in free agency for Philadelphia. Nickel corner Jeremy Lane tore his ACL at the end of the season and is expected to be out for a while. Suddenly, Seattle is a little weaker at the position than people may expect.
The team did sign Cary Williams and Will Blackmon to add depth, but I think Seattle needs to add a younger player that could potentially start in a year or two and learn under Sherman. With so many picks in the middle of the draft, Seattle will definitely use one on the secondary. There are a lot of possibilities, but one that has been thrown around is UCF cornerback Jacoby Glenn. The guy has talent but he is expected to be a mid-round pick and could develop into a good corner that lacks height but makes up for it with ball skills.
Other NFC West Teams:
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