The Seattle Seahawks are not reloading as a franchise, but they are rebranding. With the move to make Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald the new head coach, the Seahawks are choosing to go younger and more aggressive. General manager John Schneider remains of last year’s underwhelming team. He has the sole responsibility of creating a team that can get back into the playoffs. With the NFL Draft, Schneider has made some big moves to improve the team, but more must be made for any hope of a solid path to becoming an NFC West Divisional winner. The 2024 NFL Draft process officially started with a full week of coverage and evaluation from the 2024 Senior Bowl. There are many players that the Seahawks should seriously consider from the Senior Bowl, including some early potential draft selections.
Senior Bowl Standouts The Seahawks Could Target
Addressing A Future Franchise Quarterback
The Seahawks have been in the rumor mill for several offseasons to get a young future franchise quarterback. While Geno Smith wasn’t the problem last season, there is going to come a time when Smith might decline due to age. The Seahawks have been linked to a few quarterbacks in round one or two, including Oregon’s Bo Nix or Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. Both Nix and Penix had great and rough moments at the Senior Bowl. Penix was the quarterback who should have the most consistency and was at the top of most analysts’ quarterback rankings. He was also named the National Team quarterback of the week in a roster that includes Nix and Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman.
Drafting a quarterback like Penix or Nix doesn’t mean that the Seahawks have to prepare to start this season. The Green Bay Packers’ patient development of Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love has shown that some successful teams pick up the same productivity when a quarterback’s time is up. Penix or Nix could be the option for the Seahawks in the future with the first-round pick, but this is still Smith’s team.
Reshuffle the Pass Rushers
The pass rush for the Seahawks has a bit of yin and yang. There have been great moments with the sophomore leap from Boye Mafe and Unchenna Nwosu potentially returning healthy. On the other side of the spectrum, Derick Hall, one of their second draft picks wasn’t great and there isn’t a lot of depth.
The good news is that if the Seahawks want to get an elite pass rush to potentially match the San Francisco 49ers, they can look at the Senior Bowl. The player who had the best overall three days of practice was Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson. Robinson was the player who stood out the most consistently in the three practice days in front of NFL scouts and coaches. He reportedly passed over every drill with flying colors and dominated multiple one-on-one matchups. The First-Team All-SEC selection accounted for 43 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. If Seattle has a chance to give their defense and new head coach a new shiny weapon, they should take it.
Shift The Offensive Line
The biggest problem offensively from a player/unit personnel was the lack of efficiency from the offensive line. It all started when second-year right tackle Abraham Lucas went down with a knee injury in Week 1. Lucas played only six games and wasn’t fully healthy, but he was, by far, the least of the Seahawks’ problems on the offensive line. There were viable options at right tackle with Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe, and 41-year-old Jason Peters being terrible backups/starters. The interior of the offensive line also had horrible moments last season creating efficient run-blocks or keeping the pocket clean. Rookie Anthony Bradford showed good, but not great moments. Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes are free agents. Finally, Evan Brown underperformed as the starting center.
One option that the Seahawks could consider is moving Lucas from right tackle to potentially right guard. This leaves Seattle with the opportunity to draft an offensive tackle, potentially early in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Senior Bowl always gives some of the best offensive linemen in the draft a huge spotlight to be evaluated and potentially have their draft stock boosted. One tackle the Seahawks should consider from the Senior Bowl is Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga. He has been a trending blocker throughout the early draft process. Keegan was named the top National team offensive tackle by his teammates. If Fuaga is gone by the time Seattle is next to pick, the option for UConn’s Christian Haynes is there. Haynes was the top American team offensive tackle by his teammates. He is a player Seattle could acquire from the second or third round.
Main Photo: Vasha Hunt – USA Today Sports
