Way-too-early Seattle Seahawks 2024 NFL Draft preview

The 2024 NFL Draft is April 25-27 in Detroit. Here is the first-round order, per Tankathon.

The Seattle Seahawks have been very the definition of mediocrity the past two years, posting back-to-back 9-8 records with only one playoff appearance to show for them. That resulted in the end of the Pete Carroll era and began the Mike Macdonald era. He has some work to do in improving the team's defense and could look to do that early in the 2024 NFL Draft.

2023 record: 9-8 | First-round pick: No. 16 | Team needs: EDGE, DL, ILB, QB

Potential first-round picks | J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan; Michael Penix, QB, Washington; Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State; Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State; Byron Murphy, DL, Texas; Johnny Newton, DL, Illinois

There are a couple of different directions the Seahawks could go with their first-round pick.

The easiest and most obvious direction is to address a defense that has ranked 25th in the NFL in each of the past two seasons and has major needs in its front seven. The Seahawks need to improve their pass rush, they need to improve their run defense and they desperately need some help at middle linebacker.

It might be best to address the middle linebacker spot in free agency or later in the draft, as there are not many great first-round options in the No. 16 range. 

They could, however, make some big additions to the defensive line and the pass rush. That is where edge rushers like Jared Verse (Florida State) and Chop Robinson (Penn State) could be in play, while interior linemen like Byron Murphy (Texas) and Johnny Newton could also be available. 

Seattle has the makings of a really good young secondary, especially after drafting Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 overall pick a year ago, but its run defense was in shambles in 2023, allowing 138 yards per game (31st in the NFL).

The other -- and significantly bolder -- path that Seattle could take with its first-round pick is trying to find a long-term quarterback. Geno Smith is a fine placeholder, but he is not a long-term option nor does he seem to be the player to get them to a Super Bowl. With the No. 16 pick Seattle could be in a spot to land one of the second-tier quarterbacks in the first-round, or perhaps even make an aggressive move up into the top-five. Smith could play out this season, give a rookie a year to learn, and Seattle could meaningfully address the position in a strong quarterback year. The 2025 quarterback class does not figure to be as strong.