2023 Seattle Seahawks Draft

2023 Seattle Seahawks Draft

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The Seattle Seahawks entered the 2023 draft with 10 available picks, including four in the first two rounds.

As a follow-up to the analysis episode of the podcast, where together with the now-indispensable Fabio Moraes we analyzed the new players available to Pete Carroll, choice after choice, let’s summarize how John Schneider has gone, clearly a masterpiece. Expecting an encore after the masterpiece of last year.

Devon Witherspoon – R1 #5 – Cornerback – Illinois

Very smooth cornerback, who played mostly man-to-man in college but when he played in zone coverage he showed he could do it very well. Physical attributes, 5′ 11” for 180 pounds, are not what we are used to in Seattle, but although slightly undersized, Witherspoon compensates adequately with his aggression, which makes him an excellent tackler. Is.
It is perhaps the ability to defend against the rush as well that favors the choice by Seattle, which ranked third in rushing yards last year.
The most obvious flaw, and perhaps the only substantial one, is that at times his aggression nets him in opponents’ plans, an aspect that must be resolved if he wants to keep hopes of picking up fifth overall with him. .

Jackson Smith-Njigba – R1 #20 – Wide Receiver – Ohio State

With the 20th overall pick, the Seattle Seahawks go straight to the best WR in the class.
JSN comes from a year spent in the pits due to physical problems, but the talent expressed in the 2021 season is still clearly visible in everyone’s eyes.
Primarily a slot receiver, with an incredible ability to run tracks, body control and elite hands, with a 40-yard rush that is not outstanding but exceptional in the three-cone drill.
CJ Stroud, his college mate, always trusted him in the most difficult situations, never betraying him.
Jackson Smith-Nijiba therefore comes into the Seattle WR room with many expecting, at least initially, that he will be the third receiver and he will need to demonstrate that his incredible season was no exception.

Derrick Hall – R2 #37 – Edge – Auburn

An explosive first step, long arms and a great ability to convert speed into power are the strengths of this Auburn boy.
Hall is a tireless player and was the all-time leader in the Tigers locker room; He will definitely enter the rotation starting in Week 1 but if he wants to see an increase in the number of snaps he will need to improve his passerrusher skills, which are currently pretty poor.
Scouts underline that he is not a well-rounded player, so there is plenty of room for improvement, even if one flaw that is difficult to rectify is his agility, especially when turning a corner.

Zach Charbonnet – R2 #52 – Running Back – UCLA

Pete and John never disappoint, and this year they also took the lead in the early laps at running back. This time it was the turn of Zach Charbonnet, the complementary player to Kenneth Walker: great physical strength, excellent receiving ability and exceptional blocking, attributes that enable him to be on the field on all three downs.
Flexibility and agility are undoubtedly its weak points, but it is able to compensate for them with a good temperament in changing direction and with the patience to wait for the right path.

Anthony Bradford – R4 #108 – Guard – LSU

The fourth round was characterized by strengthening lines, adding depth to departments with the greatest needs, where it was necessary to intervene.
At the time he was selected, Bradford was the best guard left, as he is a ready-made player: exceptional physique, great athlete and the right size for the role he will cover. As already mentioned, there is an immediate need after negative seasons for both Gabe Jackson and Damian Lewis. If the fault is to be removed, then his high height makes him somewhat weak in the lower part of the body.

Cameron Young – R4 #123 – Defensive Tackle – Mississippi State

After a year in which Seattle suffered runs in every game it played, the choice fell on a behemoth from Mississippi State. With the Brian Mooney injury the roster was without a nose tackle, so Young is exactly the profile we needed. He is also a great athlete, with plenty of room for development, nose tackle physique; A perfect fit in short from a pure run stopper. One dimensional player but very successful at what he does.

Mike Morris – R5 #151 – Defensive End / Defensive Tackle – Michigan

The second DE was chosen after Derrick Hall, but with different characteristics. Honoring Pete Carroll’s philosophy, great athletes continue to be selected, with skills yet to be defined. He mostly played inside line in college and could be developed against the run because of his attributes. Combined he weighed 275 pounds and, during talks with him, John Schneider specifically told him to get down to at least 295 before the draft; Morris called Schneider during the three days in Kansas City while he was on the scale, confirming that he had reached the required weight. For this reason it is easily conceivable that it was chosen internally in order to move to the 3rd technology.

Olusegun Oluwatimi – R5 #154 – Downtown – Michigan

The trenches continue to consolidate with the winner of the Remington Trophy as the best center but above the Outland Trophy as the best player on both lines (recall that this last award was won by players like Aaron Donald and Joe Thomas). After three years in Virginia, “Olu Olu” moved to Michigan, immediately demonstrating his great intelligence and innate leadership. Arguably the “steal” of the Seahawks draft, Olowatimi (whose name means “God is victorious”) does not have an exceptional physique, but is in line with the current concept of center. With the arrival of Evan Brown in free agency, he probably won’t be the starter from day one, but he’s certainly Seattle’s starting center of the future.

Jeric Reed II – R6 #198 – Security – New Mexico

With the last option, Emerald Bay comes an undersized safety but with the traits of an explosive athlete. A deep safety with excellent vision qualities, combined with speed that makes it deadly in close. An important position will definitely be created in the special team.

Kenny McIntosh – R7 #237 – Running Back – Georgia

Finally, here comes another running back with a solid and powerful physique similar to Charbonnet’s. A runner who lacks change of pace and wide vision, but prefers physical contact to break down blocks. One of his strengths is his excellent reception skills, so much so that he is an exceptional receiver (remember his excellent average of zero drops on ninety targets).

undrafted free agent

The full list is constantly updated, given the unusual roster space available, with 25 UDFAs signed and movements coming and going every day, though there are a few names to keep an eye on:

Chris Stoll – Long Snapper – Penn StateWill fill a roster hole in the role, as the Seattle Seahawks did not renew Tyler Ott. Among other things, in 2022 he won the Patrick Manley Award, given to the best long snapper in the country.

Arkon Bush – Cornerback – CincinnatiTook over from Kobe Bryant and had a good season with 9 pass break ups, 2 forced fumbles and an interception.

Jake Bobo – Wide Receiver – UCLAA staple of UCLA’s offense, he could be employed as a TE in the future due to his height, excellent athleticism and reliable hands.

Jonah Tawai – Nose tackle – San Diego StateNamed a first-team All-American by PFF in 2022, has collected 147 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 24 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 48 games played in his career.

With this article we end the draft season for this year as well; We are now entering the longest period of the off-season, where the days pass slowly by waiting for training camps and the last barrel of summer free agency.
In about two months we’ll get our first taste of NFL football again with pre-season, during which we’ll surely be able to see the newcomers at least partially at work.

The season begins with higher expectations than last year; The impact of the 2023 draft class will certainly be one of the deciding factors in whether to retain him as a spring and summer dreamer, but in the end it will always be the area that makes the final decision.

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