Getty Seahawks general manager John Schneider (left) and head coach Pete Carroll appear to have won the Russell Wilson trade.
The Seattle Seahawks season did not end with a historic upset against the San Francisco 49ers, but there is plenty of reason for optimism about the team’s future heading into 2023. Much has been made about what the Seahawks will do at quarterback, but the team has an opportunity to address additional holes on the roster.
As of Wild Card weekend, the Seahawks hold the No. 5 and No. 20 picks in the upcoming draft, and not everyone is convinced Seattle will hold onto the top-five selection. Following the Seahawks’ loss to the Niners, Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz predicted the team will ultimately trade down from No. 5 to acquire even more picks. Seattle already holds four selections inside the first two rounds of April’s draft.
“The Seahawks will get back to old habits and trade down in the first round,” Schatz wrote for ESPN on January 15, 2023. “Yes, their pick from Denver is potentially high enough to land them one of the top pass-rushers, but they have to build on both sides of the ball. And of course, they’ll take another running back later in the draft because they always do.”
Who Will the Seahawks Target With the No. 5 Draft Pick?
What the Seahawks could land in a potential trade-down scenario depends on just how far Seattle is willing to move in the draft. The ideal path for the Seahawks would be for a top quarterback like Alabama’s Bryce Young or Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud to still be available at No. 5. Seattle would be able to secure the most assets if an opposing teams makes a blockbuster trade to land one of the available signal-callers.
The Seahawks will still have plenty of enticing available options if Seattle opts to keep the No. 5 selection. ESPN’s Jordan Reid identifies Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter as two names to watch for Seattle. There is a good chance the Seahawks would need to trade up to be able to land one of these top-two defensive prospects.
“With two first-rounders, the Seahawks have to get better up the middle on defense,” Reid noted on January 15. “They will perhaps be in contention for Georgia’s Jalen Carter or Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. with the first of the two, and either could be a franchise-altering player.”
Clemson Pass Rusher Myles Murphy Has Been Linked to the Seahawks
Both Carter and Anderson are in contention to be selected by the Bears with the No. 1 pick. Another name to watch for the Seahawks is Clemson’s pass rusher Myles Murphy who The Athletic’s Dane Brugler compares to Travon Walker, a pass rusher the Jaguars selected with the top pick in 2022. Murphy notched 61 tackles, 36 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks during his three seasons at Clemson.
“For a lot of the same reasons why Travon Walker went No. 1 last year, Myles Murphy should come off the board early on draft weekend,” Brugler wrote on November 30. “At last year’s combine, Walker posted a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and a 35 1/2-inch vertical at 272 pounds. With his speed and explosiveness, the 275-pound Murphy should be close to those numbers. He is an ideal fit for the Seahawks and the profile they covet at pass rusher.”
Seattle Sports’ Michael Bumpus argues that Seahawks fans should not be disappointed that the Broncos pick fell from being a top-three pick. One of the major reasons for Bumpus’ optimism is Murphy’s upside as someone who is “fast… strong…powerful.”
“This dude is big, he’s fast, he’s strong, he’s powerful off the line of scrimmage,” Bumpus explained on a January 10 edition of “Bump and Stacy.” “Once he grabs you, you are going down, and I think that was a big issue a lot of the times for this defense. We’d have them wrapped up in the backfield and somehow they will get loose.”