Dueling seven-round mock drafts have the Seahawks taking the same player at No. 20
I have reviewed / shared a number of mock drafts this year.
Today is the first time I’ve shared two.
At the same time.
Mock Draft #1 (MD1) comes to us from CBS Sports: Seven-round NFL Mock Draft 2023: Four QBs go inside top five; Cardinals decline trade offers, stay at No. 3 (4/21/2023)
Mock Draft #2 (MD2) comes to us from behind the ESPN+ paywall: 2023 NFL mock draft: Matt Miller’s seven-round predictions, picks (4/24/2023)
In my opinion, what’s interesting about these two mock drafts is the different approaches yet similar results.
Round 1, Pick 5
MD1: Florida QB Anthony Richardson
Seattle restarts the financial clock at quarterback with the selection of Anthony Richardson. He is afforded the time to grow and develop as a professional under the guidance of Geno Smith before being inserted into the starting role.
MD2: Georgia DT Jalen Carter
This is the best possible scenario for the Seahawks, with a player many scouts say is the best in this class falling to No. 5 overall. The Seahawks have done work on quarterbacks and have been connected to Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, but Carter being available changes everything. His first-step quickness and interior pass-rush ability would be a big boost for the Seahawks.
FTR’s Take: My preference would be for Anthony Richardson.
Round 1, Pick 20
MD1: Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy
After taking Anthony Richardson No. 5 overall, Seattle adds an important piece to its defensive front. The Seahawks have Boye Mafe, Dre’Mont Jones and now Myles Murphy.
MD2: Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy
A source with knowledge of the Seahawks’ draft plans told me this week that the floor for Murphy is No. 20 — if the team doesn’t select a defensive end at No. 5. Murphy, who blazed a 4.51-second 40-yard dash while weighing 270 pounds at his pro day, would give Seattle’s defense the juice it needs coming off the edge. In a base 3-4 scheme, Murphy’s ability in space would be a welcome addition, but it’s his long-arm pass-rush move and power in the run game that would be the most immediate boost to the team. With Dre’Mont Jones signed in free agency and Jalen Carter projected at No. 5 overall, Seattle can remake the defensive line as it did with the offensive line in 2022.
FTR’s Take: Tough call as to who I would pick between these two . . .
Note: Both mock drafts have the Chargers taking Texas RB Bijan Robinson at #21 (which means I would be watching the rest of the draft on my phone after having broken my TV).
Round 2, Pick 37
MD1: Wisconsin Center Joe Tippmann
MD2: North Carolina WR Josh Downs
Star wide receiver Tyler Lockett will turn 31 this season and DK Metcalf has an out in his contract after the 2024 season. So the Seahawks could invest at receiver early in this draft. Downs, who dominated from the slot at North Carolina, has a similar build to Lockett at 5-9 and 171 pounds and wins consistently with short-area burst and agility. He is an expert route runner on choice and option plays.
FTR’s Take: Both! But, if I have to choose, I’m taking the wideout - for 2 reasons: (1) I think #37 is too high for Tippmann, and (2) my gut says that we’re going to need the wideout more this year (and beyond).
Round 2, Pick 52
MD1: North Carolina WR Josh Downs
MD2: TCU Guard/Center Steve Avila
Avila, who can play guard or center, could join 2022 rookies Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas to give Seattle a young trio on the line to build around at an affordable cost. Most scouts I’ve spoken to believe Avila will ultimately be better at center, which is where he slots in for the Seahawks (replacing Evan Brown). He is ready to play in the NFL right away.
FTR’s Take: Hey, look at that, both mock drafts have us selecting Josh Downs. Yay, us! I’m giving the nod to MD2 here though because I don’t think Downs will still be on the board at #52 and Miller (MD2) had the foresight to grab him at #37. Plus, as much as I like Joe Tippman, I really, really like Steve Avila.
Round 3, Pick 83
MD1: South Carolina DT Zacch Pickens
MD2: Miami (FL) CB Tyrique Stevenson
The Seahawks struck gold with Tariq Woolen in Round 5 last year, and they nab another talented, traits-rich cornerback here. The 6-foot, 198-pound Stevenson had the best Senior Bowl week of any cornerback, and he is a physical and menacing press-coverage man.
FTR’s Take: Zacch Pickens, baby! I actually like both players, but I think DT is the bigger need so Pickens gets the nod over Stevenson.
Round 4, Pick 123
MD1: UAB RB DeWayne McBride
MD2: UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
FTR’s Take: I like DRT, but I like McBride a whole lot more. He had the 15th-most carries last year (233) but finished with the 3rd-most rushing touchdowns (19), the 3rd-most yards per carry (7.4), and his 1,713 rushing yards were a mere 17 yards behind the nation’s top rusher. There’s one other stat to share though: McBride had 5 fumbles in 2022 (4 lost). If he can clean that up, he would make a good addition to our running back room; if not . . . then not.
Round 5, Pick 151
MD1: Oregon State CB Rejzohn Wright
MD2: Coastal Carolina DT Jerrod Clark
FTR’s Take: Even having selected the DT over the CB in Round 4, I’m going with Jarrod Clark here. Why? Because we have zero Nose Tackles on our roster right now and at 6-4, 334, Clark is a large, gap-filling dude.
Round 5, Pick 154
MD1: Minnesota S Jordan Howden
MD2: Stanford CB Kyu Blu Kelly
FTR’s Take: I took the DT over the CB twice previously so I’m giving the nod to MD2 and Kyu Blu Kelly here. Besides, how fun would it be to hear Kyu Blu’s name called out every time he makes a play?
Note: I would never, ever refer to him by his last name; it’s Kyu Blu all the time!
Round 6, Pick 198
MD1: TCU LB Dee Winters
MD2: Georgia OT Warren McClendon
FTR’s Take: I feel like we need a Day 3 linebacker more than we need a Day 3 offensive tackle, especially since Nick Bellore is the only LB on the team who’s currently signed past this season. As a bonus, Winters was the CFP Semifinal Defensive MVP in 2022, and finished his TCU career with 12-1/2 sacks, 10 PBUs, and 3 INTs.
Round 7, Pick 237
MD1: UCLA IOL Atonio Mafi
MD2: USC RB Travis Dye
FTR’s Take: Hating that MD2 waited until Round 7 to select a running back. K9 and DeeJay are not impressed. More to the point though, I suspect that Atonio Mafi would have a bigger impact than Travis Dye (not that I would expect much impact from either of the seventh-round picks).
Summary & Comparison
Here is each of the draft classes, listed by position:
MD1’s Draft Class
CB Rejzohn Wright (R5.151)
DT Zacch Pickens (R3.83)
EDGE Myles Murphy (R1.20)
IOL Atonio Mafi (R7.237)
LB Dee Winters (R6.198)
OC Joe Tippman (R2.37)
QB Anthony Richardson (R1.05)
RB DeWayne McBride (R4.123)
S Jordan Howden (R5.154)
WR Josh Downs (R2.52)
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MD2’s Draft Class
CB Kyu Blu Kelly (R5.154)
CB Tyrique Stevenson (R3.83)
DT Jalen Carter (R1.05)
DT Jerrod Clark (R5.151)
EDGE Myles Murphy (R1.20)
OC/OG Steve Avila (R2.52)
OT Warren McClendon (R6.198)
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson (R4.123)
RB Travis Dye (R7.237)
WR Josh Downs (R2.37)
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As we can see, both mock drafts resulted in the Seahawks selecting
At least 1 cornerback
At least 1 defensive tackle
The same EDGE (Myles Murphy)
Two offensive linemen
A quarterback
A running back
The same wide receiver (Josh Downs)
The differences were:
MD1 took one CB and one DT whereas MD2 took two of each
MD1 took a linebacker and a safety with his “extra” picks
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For giggles, here’s my pick-and-choose-between-them draft class:
QB Anthony Richardson (R1.05)
EDGE Myles Murphy (R1.20)
WR Josh Downs (R2.37)
OC/OG Steve Avila (R2.52)
DT Zacch Pickens (R3.83)
RB DeWayne McBride (R4.123)
DT Jerrod Clark (R5.151)
CB Kyu Blu Kelly (R5.154)
LB Dee Winters (R6.198)
IOL Atonio Mati (R7.237)
Net result: one CB, two DTs, one EDGE, one LB, two OLs, one QB, one RB, and one WR.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I’d be “fine” with either draft.
If I were to pick one over the other, I’d give the nod to MD1 - for three reasons:
I would choose Anthony Richardson over Jalen Carter. Every. Single. Time. DeWayne McBride in Round 4 is vastly superior to Travis Dye in Round 7 - especially when considering that we only have two RBs on the roster right now. MD1 seems like it gives Seattle a higher ceiling overall.
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Go Hawks!
Source: Field Gulls
