For all intents and purposes, the “exciting” part of NFL free agency is over. The Seattle Seahawks were decidedly busier than normal in terms of significant acquisitions, replacing quarterback Geno Smith with Sam Darnold, signing former Los Angeles Rams star Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling to fill voids at wide receiver, and adding veteran defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence to bolster the defensive line.
Offensive line? Well… I guess they tried? Maybe Josh Jones is better than we think?
Anyway, we’re not here to talk about the offensive line.
We’re t-minus one month until the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay. The Seahawks have 10 draft picks and half of them are in the top 100. Usually teams with winning records don’t have this much capital to play with in April.
Today’s open thread discussion is about non-offensive line draft needs for the Seahawks. Which one is the biggest priority based off of Seattle’s offseason moves?
Quarterback may still be viewed as a big need if you’re of the opinion that Sam Darnold’s 2024 season might have been a Nick Foles-esque one-off and not something that can sustain itself in the long-term. Or you’re skeptical enough of Darnold that you want to try and land a long-term QB solution right now.
Inside linebacker seems set with Tyrice Knight and Ernest Jones IV, but depth is a clear concern on this front. Likewise for the cornerback position given the departures of Tre Brown and Artie Burns in free agency. There’s every reason to believe Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen, and Josh Jobe will be the starters/getting the majority of the snaps this season, but the bottom-end of the depth chart looks a bit different.
I’m very biased when it comes to having ample wide receiver depth and I think that wide receiver is a big priority for the Seahawks—that doesn’t mean using No. 18 on a receiver, but at the very least either No. 18 or one of the second-rounders goes to WR. I have full confidence in Jaxon Smith-Njigba beyond 2025 and then absolutely no one else. Cooper Kupp could be anywhere from an awesome hometown story to Tim Ruskell’s T.J. Houshmandzadeh. I’m not a particularly big fan of the Marquez Valdes-Scantling and his deep history of bad drops and not being able to do a whole lot outside of “run very far down the field” is not remotely close to a multi-year investment. Seattle got older at the position by trading DK Metcalf and acquiring Kupp and MVS. Jake Bobo is a nice story but WR4 is probably his ceiling. Dareke Young has three targets in two years and a lot of annual preseason hype. Cody White is likely another fringe player who had a nice game against the Los Angeles Rams. John Rhys Plumlee is camp fodder looking to make the roster one way or another.
Sorry, but there’s no depth here and the second-best option behind JSN has a significant recent injury history. Seattle would be bordering on irresponsible to just chill at this position through draft weekend. I would accept a receiving tight end in lieu of another receiver but I think the WR group needs major boost next month. Matthew Golden is a pipe dream at this point but Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel from Iowa State are both highly intriguing talents. For a more local connection I’ve grown to the idea of taking Kyle Williams from Washington State.
Now it’s your turn! Discuss away in the comments!
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