The Seahawks have a potent offense going into 2023, presumably led by established starting QB Geno Smith. However, if they’re going to get back to the Super Bowl anytime soon they’ll need to radically improve on defense, because the numbers aren’t pretty. This past season Seattle placed poorly in both traditional and modern metrics, ranking No. 25 in scoring defense, No. 21 in defensive DVOA and No. 26 in EPA allowed per play.
While we have seen worse in recent years, it’s still a far cry from the team’s absolute peak exactly eight years ago and they haven’t fielded anything close to a top-five defense since 2016. That has to be driving Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll absolutely bananas and nuts. (Carroll admitted it’s “killing him” to reporters in his end-of-season press conference.)
Schematic tweaks will have to be made as part of the improvement. However, recapturing that special Legion of Boom feeling will require some major personnel upgrades.
With that in mind, our latest seven-round 2023 mock draft is made up exclusively of defensive picks. Here’s how it played out.
Pick No. 5: Georgia DT Jalen Carter
Pick No. 20: Clemson LB Trenton Simpson
Pick No. 37: Texas A&M S Antonio Johnson
Pick No. 52: Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith
Pick No. 83: Alabama DT Byron Young
Pick No. 123: Missouri EDGE Isaiah McGuire
Pick No. 153: Texas A&M CB Jaylon Jones
Pick No. 156: Maryland CB Jakorian Bennett
Pick No. 198: Duke LB Shaka Heyward
