The Seahawks have gotten better in the trenches since they lost three games to the 49es last season. Problem is, the Niners have been even more active upgrading their personnel in the trenches. While Seattle added Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones up front, San Francisco signed Javon Hargrave and traded for Randy Gregory and Chase Young. Add it all up and you still have a notoriously imbalanced matchup in the trenches, especially when the Seahawks have the ball.
And so we’re once again back to where we were heading into last offseason. In order to catch up with the NFC West leaders, Seattle’s front office has to pursue more upgrades in the trenches, especially for the offensive line.
With an eye on that, we’ve decided to run our first 2024 mock draft for the Seahawks. The team currently holds six picks in next year’s draft, beginning at No. 22 overall. Our focus going into the mock was to add help on both sides of the line of scrimmage and roll the dice on a quarterback. Here’s how we made out…
Pick No. 22: Alabama OT JC Latham
Seattle was most vulnerable at right tackle, where Abe Lucas is suffering from chronic knee pain. In his place, both Jason Peters and Stone Forsythe bombed against Nick Bosa and the Niners’ pass rush. As difficult as it may be to swallow, the Seahawks have to consider drafting a potential replacement for Lucas in case his knee becomes something that keeps him out of the lineup on a regular basis. Enter Latham, who fits the bill of the small g giants the Seahawks were considering last offseason at right tackle – namely Trent Brown in free agency and Dawand Jones in the draft. Latham checks in at 6-foot-6, 359 pounds and was the No. 1 tackle prospect in the country coming out of IMG Academy. Latham has started a total of 23 games at right tackle for Alabama, allowing just one sack and three QB hits during that time. Latham has also earned accolades for his run blocking.
Pick No. 83: UConn G Christian Haynes
After adding more firepower at tackle, the Seahawks have to shift their focus inside, where they’ll need to reload, as well. Starting guards Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes are both playing in the last year of their respective contracts. Given their relative value, it makes more sense to draft new guards rather than give them second contracts. That means the Seahawks may need to draft a couple. In this instance, we chose Christian Haynes, who plays right guard for Connecticut. Checking in at 6-foot-3, 313 pounds, Haynes led all guards in PFF’s pass blocking grades (91.0) last season and his run blocking grade (84.6) ranked sixth at his position.
Pick No. 86: Texas A&M DL McKinnley Jackson
Leonard Williams bought a house in the Seattle area, thanks in part to the Seahawks’ own superstar realtor Tyler Lockett. While that’s a good sign that he intends to stay and sign an extension, that doesn’t mean the Seahawks won’t have to add more talent, here. Dre’Mont Jones is still in his prime. However, Williams is 29 years old and Jarran Reed is 30, so adding some youth to the interior rotation should be on the menu in this draft. Texas A&M’s McKinnley Jackson (6-foot-2, 325 pounds) could help. In 11 games this season he’s totaled three sacks, 5.5 tackles for a loss. That brings his college totals to 7.5 sacks and 15.5 TFL. If he’s still on the board here he could be a great late Day 2 sleeper pick.
Pick No. 122: South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler
While boosting their offensive and defensive lines has to be the top priority once again, the Seahawks also have to gamble a bit at quarterback. Geno Smith just turned 33 years old and there’s a decent chance that his 2022 production is going to be the peak of his career. Seattle most likely won’t have a top-10 draft pick like they had in the last two drafts, so they’ll have to hope that one of the QB prospects in a deep class falls to them in the middle rounds. Spencer Rattler (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) could qualify as an upgrade over Drew Lock, if nothing else. If he develops the right way he might even be a challenge to surpass Geno Smith. Since transferring from Oklahoma, Rattler has started 24 games for South Carolina. He’s totaled 37 touchdown passes, 19 interceptions, 6,100 yards and a 146.1 passer rating.
Pick No. 159: Colorado State TE Dallin Holker
Tight end probably isn’t too high on most fans’ radar as far as draft needs go. Noah Fant, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson have all played relatively well over these last two seasons. However, Fant will become a free agent in March, Dissly will be entering the last year of his contract and Parkinson will also soon become a free agent. Drafting a tight end makes more sense than trying to keep the trio together. Here on Day 3 the Seahawks roll the dice on Colorado State’s Dallin Holker (6-foot-5, 225 pounds). After playing at BYU the previous three seasons, Holker transferred to CSU for 2023 and it’s paid off. He has posted 59 catches, 739 yards and six touchdowns so far this season.
Pick No. 200: Missouri EDGE Darius Robinson
Last but certainly not least, the Seahawks will want to find a replacement for Darrell Taylor, who’s about to become a free agent. Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe should be locked in as starters, but they’ll need a lot more depth behind them if their edge rush is ever going to sniff the Niners. One prospect who could help in that department is Missouri’s Darius Robinson (6-foot-5, 290 pounds). Over the last two seasons Robinson has played in 23 games, totaling 11 sacks and 17 tackles for a loss.
PFF draft grades
For what it’s worth, PFF seems to have liked our draft class. We got high grades for every pick except for McKinnley Jackson. Will this be enough to close the gap with the 49ers? No, but it’s a step in the right direction.
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