Thursday, April 27, 2023

Mini-Mock #5 - Defense Wins Championships

It's here!  

It's FINALLY here!!

Today is the day of the of 2023 NFL Draft and, if you're a Seahawks fan, you should be tremendously stoked.  Seattle currently have six picks in the top 125. 

They're coming off of a playoff appearance and should legitimately challenge the 49ers for NFC West supremacy-- especially if this draft goes well. 

To this very moment, there remains so much uncertainty throughout the first round we really have no idea how things will play out once Carolina is officially on the clock.

It's hard to tell what the Seahawks will do, but it's hard to imagine them not leaning hard into the defense.  In my final mock draft before tonight's real deal, I leaned heavy into the defense.  I threw in a bonus 3rd round pick, where I selected Mississippi  wide out, Jonathan Mingo.

Since February, I've ran hundreds of mock drafts, in a desperate attempt to look into the future of the Seahawks.  The way last season ended, it was evident that we have a good core, but clearly need to take the next step. 

In this draft, like so many others before it, I once again selected Jalen Carter with the Seahawks pick at five.  Unless Will Anderson is available, Carter seems the only satisfying selection here.  Sometimes Stroud is available here in the mocks I've run.  Stroud is my favorite of the 2023 QB prospects, but I still tend to favor defense with this pick. 

Unlike many of my other drafts, I went defense with all four picks in the first two rounds.  I absolutely could not pass on Nolan Smith at #20, even though I'm confident he'll be long gone by that pick.  If the Seahawks are able to go to sleep tonight having secured a generational interior defensive lineman as well as a legit edge rusher with tremendous off-field characteristics, we'll have done very well.

Round two wasn't any different in my simulation of Friday's portion of the draft.  I came away with a speedy linebacker in Jack Campbell (Captain Jack, if you're a disciple of Brock Huard) and another edge rusher out of USC to fortify our defensive front.  

With all of that being said, there are a number of guys I'd be totally happy with becoming Seahawks tonight.  

There is one 'nightmare' scenario I really hope doesn't pan out, whereby all of my favorite top prospects go in picks 1-4.  If, when the Seahawks are called to make their first pick, the draft board looks like it does in the photo to the right, I really hope the Seahawks trade back.

Tonight all of our questions will be answered and a whole new world of speculation opens.  If we've learned anything over the past decade, its that even though the draft can be a real crap shoot, we have every reason to trust in the partnership of Pete & John. 

Enjoy the draft and be on the lookout Sunday for a full draft recap!




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