One thing that both teams playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday have in common is a superstar at tight end. While there are other more important positions for winning in the modern NFL, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have one who’s a badass blocker that can also tack on a ton of YAC.
The Seahawks have never really had one of those. It’s arguable that the greatest tight end in franchise history is Jimmy Graham, who had about one strong season. Aside from that one atrocious trade the position never really seemed to interest Pete Carroll as he built his teams.
That may be one of many things that are about to change now that John Schneider is calling the shots and Mike Macdonald is the new head coach. In our latest seven-round mock draft we decided to forget needs and take the best player on the board at No. 16 overall. Here’s how it went down.
Pick No. 16: Georgia TE Brock Bowers
The Seahawks haven’t made much use of the star factory that Georgia has become over the last few years. We may see more Bulldogs coming in soon though, as Mike Macdonald got his start as a coach in Athens. Originally we went into this mock intending to trade down from No. 16, but we didn’t expect to see the top tight end in this draft class still on the board. That made this pick an easy call and we went with Brock Bowers (6-foot-4, 240 pounds). While his college numbers were not all that exciting (2,538 yards, five touchdowns in 40 games) he has all the physical tools he needs to be dominant pass-catcher at the next level.
Pick No. 76: Michigan DT Kris Jenkins
The other school that Macdonald has ties to is Michigan, where he served as defensive coordinator under Jim Harbaugh in 2021. Kris Jenkins (6-foot-3, 275 pounds) didn’t see much playing time that year but he has since blossomed into a highly-disruptive nose tackle. Over the last two seasons he’s posted 4.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for a loss and 54 solo tackles.
Pick No. 78: Trade down with Cardinals
We couldn’t bring ourselves to pass on Bowers or Jenkins, but this time around it was time to trade down and add more picks. That’s why we took this offer from the Cardinals, sending them the No. 78 overall pick and getting back Nos. 90 and 136 in return.
Pick No. 90: NC State LB Payton Wilson
The Seahawks have a strong linebacker corps on paper. However, the top three members of that unit are all about to become free agents. It may be difficult to keep all of them, so drafting a linebacker may be on the menu. The best we’ve seen is Payton Wilson (6-foot-4, 235 pounds) who lit up every part of the box score during his time at NC State.
Pick No. 118: Washington OT Roger Rosengarten
Aside from cornerbacks, the Seahawks mostly ignored Washington prospects during the Pete Carroll era. That’s another thing that may change this year, especially because the Huskies had the best offense in the nation. One of the main reasons was a stellar offensive line, which may have multiple starters picked in the first round. This season right tackle Roger Rosengarten (6-foot-6, 300 pounds) allowed zero sacks and just two quarterback hits in over 600 pass blocking snaps. If Abe Lucas’ knee doesn’t get any better, Rosengarten would be a fine replacement.
Pick No. 136: Trade down with Jaguars
At this spot we decided to trade down again, this time with the Jaguars. We sent pick No. 136 over to Jacksonville in exchange for pick Nos. 151, 194 and 233 overall.
Pick No. 150: Illinois G Isaiah Adams
Guard should be one of the team’s top priorities this offseason, as their two starters are about to hit free agency – neither of which are really worth bringing back. To start they could draft Illinois’ Isaiah Adams (6-foot-5, 315 pounds), who has experience playing left guard as well as both tackle spots.
Pick No. 151: Michigan G Zak Zinter
Another guard worth considering is Michigan’s Zak Zinter (6-foot-6, 322 pounds), who posted strong run blocking (75.8) and pass blocking (73.8) grades this season. With the exception of one game at left tackle, Zinter spent his entire college career at right guard, putting in nearly 2,300 snaps at that spot.
Pick No. 193: Ohio State S Josh Proctor
Safety may need to be on the list as well, assuming that Jamal Adams becomes a “cap casualty” at some point in the coming weeks. One potential replacement is Ohio State’s Josh Proctor (6-foot-2, 195 pounds). In his sixth season of eligibility he had a breakout year in 2023, posting a career-high 47 tackles (four for a loss), an interception and eight pass breakups.
Pick No. 194: Washington EDGE Zion Tupuola-Fetui
Seattle’s edge rotation will also need an infusion of fresh blood to help boost the depth behind starters Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. Washington’s Zion Tupuola-Fetui (6-foot-4, 260 pounds) could help. Like Proctor, he’s also coming off his sixth season at the college level. All together, he totaled 16 sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles in 40 games.
Pick No. 232: Washington S Dominique Hampton
Another Huskies defender who’s worth a look on Day 3 of the draft is safety Dominique Hampton (6-foot-2, 220 pounds). Hampton also had a breakout season in 2023, racking up 109 total tackles, two interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Pick No. 233: Marshall CB Micah Abraham
The last pick in the draft should be all about trying to find gems from smaller programs. There’s a ton of untapped outside the Power 5 conferences at schools like Marshall, where they have a very-promising cornerback in Micah Abraham (6-foot-2, 175 pounds). Abraham accrued a ton of experience there, putting in snaps in 58 games. He was productive too, totaling 12 interceptions, 42 pass breakups and 150 tackles.
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