Another draft is in the books and the Seahawks came away with eight new players, including three offensive linemen. There are several things that we love about this class, from Byron Murphy’s interior pass rushing prowess to Christian Haynes’ ability to pancake defenders to the overall well above average athleticism of this new crop of rookies. As always, we have a few doubts and lingering questions about this group. Here are seven questions we have about the decisions that Seahawks general manager John Schneider made during the draft.
Grading every pick by the Seahawks in the 2024 NFL draft
1
Should they have traded down from 16?
After the end of Round 1 Schneider told reporters that he had four offers to move down from the No. 16 overall spot, including some strong offers. Instead, he chose the best defensive player in the draft as far as the Seahawks are concerned, selecting Texas DT Byron Murphy II at that spot. We expect Murphy to be a difference-maker for Mike Macdonald’s defense. However, given what we know about the value of extra picks it’s hard not to think about what the team could have gotten if they’d traded down instead. No doubt there still would have been some very good interior linemen still available in the 20s – Johnny Newton from Illinois didn’t come off the board until Round 2, for one. No matter how good Murphy turns out to be the best long-term strategy for overall roster strength is taking a good trade-down offer, so it’s fair to wonder what might have been.
2
Was Christian Haynes really the biggest steal of Round 3?
We absolutely love the fact that the Seahawks landed Christian Haynes as late as they did in the draft (No. 81 overall). Haynes was expected to come off the board in the second round, sometimes as high as the early 30s. While his prediliction for rolling over defenders will get more attention (he was Brandon Thorn’s best finisher in this class) what Seattle really need was improved pass protection at the right guard spot, and that’s exactly what they got. Haynes posted strong pass blocking grades and only allowed a grand total of three sacks and four quarterback hits in three years. An exceptional value at where the Seahawks got him.
3
Should they have made a pick on the edge?
Heading into Day 3 of the draft we identified five different positions the team should target. While they made time to draft a tight end, a linebacker and a couple of offensive linemen, they neglected to add another piece to their edge rush rotation – and that might be a mistake. Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe make an excellent starting duo here but the team’s depth leaves much to be desired. The Seahawks have to be banking on Derick Hall to take a big leap forward in Year 2, as well as some major improvement from Darrell Taylor. It would have been safer to throw in another promising young edge rusher in case those things don’t pan out.
4
How many cornerbacks are too many cornerbacks?
We really liked the first cornerback pick the Seahawks made – taking Auburn’s Nehemiah Pritchett with the first pick in the fifth round of the draft. Instead of addressing their long-term needs at safety or taking a chance on a developmental quarterback, the team went right back to the exact same well a couple picks later, taking Pritchett’s teammate D.J James in Round 6. As well as Artie Burns and Mike Jackson have played in backup roles, it seems extreme to load up on cornerbacks this much – especially when starters Devon Witherspoon, Riq Woolen and Tre Brown have done so well. We’re just not sure if another corner was the right call.
5
What's the succession plan at safety?
Another position we are expecting them to draft on Day 3 was safety, where the team has Julian Love, Rayshawn Jenkins and K’Von Wallace at the top of the rotation, but none of whom are under contract after 2025. Passing on safeties may be a vote of confidence in Jerrick Reed II, their sixth-round pick from last year. However, by passing now all they did was make safety a greater priority for next year’s draft. Perhaps one of the cornerbacks they already have on the roster can make the switch, mitigating some of this need.
6
Did they do enough to improve the offensive line?
On paper three offensive line picks should be enough to give a real boost to the offensive line. However, the details matter. We love Haynes and expect him to start at right guard for a long time to come. The other two (Sataoa Laumea and Michael Jerrell) are sixth and seventh-round picks respectively and are projected as backup tackles. While they needed more bodies behind Abe Lucas and Charles Cross, Seattle also needed somebody who could play either left guard or center, where both spots are perilously thin. Schneider is putting a great deal of faith in 2023 undrafted free agent McClendon Curtis and the other interior backups.
7
How much were they willing to give up for Michael Penix Jr.?
The biggest story of the draft was the Falcons’ pick at No. 8 overall. Going in Atlanta was universally expected to make a defensive pick there, but instead they threw one of the biggest curveballs in the history of the draft. By taking Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. they gave Kirk Cousins some indigestion and had every draft analyst on the planet scratching their heads. Apparently the Seahawks were one of three teams that tried to trade up into the top 10 for Penix.
That’s relevant because of the bizarre situation the Falcons backfield is now in. Given the structure of Cousins’ contract, he’s practically guaranteed to start in 2024 and likely 2025, as well. If he recovers from his ACL tear and gets back to form it will be difficult for Penix to supplant him. If that’s the case Penix could find himself on the trade block in the coming years – and you can bet the Seahawks will still be interested, regardless of how they feel about Sam Howell. To be continued…
8
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