Mini Mock #2 - Fits and Hits

 

As we find ourselves closing in on the 2023 NFL Draft, there really isn't much better use of our collective free time than mindlessly filling out mock drafts. I'm going to run these whenever I get bored and share them here.

Every time I do one of these mocks and I see Jalen Carter available with that pick at number five-- I take 'em. 

I have to imagine the Seahawks will do the same. There are a lot of dudes in the top 20 of this year's draft class that are super interesting, but Carter looks the surest of all of them, even to the untrained eye.

With that second selection in the first round, I'm starting to see names available that haven't been there before. I was torn with this selection.  I've been 'studying' so many pass rushers because of the Seahawks particular needs this year that I thought long and hard about taking Nolan Smith out of Georgia with this pick. I instead went with Penn State cornerback, Joey Porter Jr.

My thinking here was that I like how Boye Mafe and Darrell Taylor are developing and I'd be inclined to believe that they will be significantly more disruptive and productive with Dre Jones, Jarran Reed, and Jalen Carter in the middle of that defensive line. As pleased as I was with what we saw from Mike Jackson last year, I'd feel a lot better counting on him as defensive back depth than contributing in a starting role.

Porter Jr. was being taken in the top 8-15 range in a lot of the previous drafts I ran.  A cursory glance at his YouTube reel shows that he, along with last year's rookie sensation Tariq Woolen, could grow to become the best cornerback tandem in the game. 

I suspect I will catch some shit for using our top pick in the second round on a position we seemingly crushed in last years draft, but Dawand Jones is a bad dude.  I'm not 100% comfortable with Seattle's starting line under ideal conditions, let alone when the inevitable attrition of the season sets in.  What happens, God forbid, when we lose Damien Lewis to a season ending injury in the midst of a playoff push?  What if Abe Lucas goes down with a high ankle sprain that sidelines him for a crucial set of games?  

The Seahawks are thin and inexperienced behind their starting offensive line. I used both picks to shore up that unit, selecting the Wisconsin Center Joe Tippmann 52nd overall. With these two in tow, I predict Seattle's opening day offensive line from left to right: Cross, Lewis, Tippmann, Brown, Lucas.  Eventually, Lucas could move to guard with Dawand Jones taking over at right tackle.

I'm only running the first two rounds of the draft in these series.  With this latest installment, I would expect the Seahawks to target a pair of receivers, a running back, and a pair of linebackers with their remaining selections.  Everybody feels pretty confident about the core of this Seahawks team.  With some prime draft choices upcoming, the Seahawks could take this team to the next level with a few fits and hits.