Four questions for Seahawks heading into NFL draft | Analysis

A unique draft is just about here for the Seattle Seahawks.

It’s one in which the Seahawks hold the 32nd and last pick of the first round, which goes annually to the team that just won the Super Bowl.

“It’s the pick that everybody wants,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said earlier this week.

Figuratively and maybe literally this year.

Because the Seahawks have just four picks entering the draft, Schneider has said they will heavily consider options to trade the selection and move down to acquire more picks.

The draft is also the 17th for Schneider since he arrived in 2010 as the team’s general manager – by far the longest tenure in team history – and expected to be the last for team chair Jody Allen, with the team officially going up for sale in February. Allen’s brother, Paul, bought the team in 1997.

Here are four questions we’re asking as the draft begins Thursday with rounds two and three Friday and rounds four through seven on Saturday.

Will the Seahawks really trade down?

As Schneider had a little fun noting on Monday, the Seahawks don’t always trade down – they traded up on draft day to get the likes of receivers Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf in 2015 and 2019, respectively, and safety Nick Emmanwori last year.

But with just the four picks this year, betting they acquire more seems like a sure thing.

Schneider acknowledged as such on Monday, saying, “It’s no secret with us, guys. We have four picks, so we’ll be looking to move back. People are usually understanding that I think we tend to trend backwards, trade back.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean moving back has to be only with the first-round pick. They could do deals with the other picks they hold – 64, 96 and 188 – and trade someone off the loaded roster for a pick.

A trade involving the first pick figures to be where there would be the greatest value.

The 32nd pick is not only the last one in the first round and the last time to make a pick on Thursday, but also the last one in which a team could secure a player with a fifth-year option, something granted only to first-round picks.

The last time the Seahawks had the 32nd pick, following the Super Bowl win over Denver, they made a draft-day deal with the Vikings, who moved up to take quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The Seahawks ended up with picks 40 and 108 and used the 40th pick in another deal and got the 45th selection and took receiver Paul Richardson.

Schneider said all options for trades would be on the table, including potentially dealing with NFC West teams despite what has typically been an aversion in the NFL to trade with opponents in the same division.

While the Seahawks have just four picks at the moment, Schneider said the team “attacked” the preparation for the draft same as any other year, while hinting at a few tweaks in the process.

“I don’t want to say exactly what we did, but we just did some extra meetings and feel like it’s going to help us in the future, because we kind of streamlined some things with the coaching staff and feel like we’re just kind of out ahead a little bit,” he said. “Better maybe than in the past. Moving towards the future I think it’s going to be an awesome part of our process. Just the time focused on free agency (signing undrafted free agents).”

What are the Seahawks’ top needs?

There’s no secret here, either. The Seahawks return their primary starter at every position but two – running back, as Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III signed as a free agent with Kansas City, and safety, as Coby Bryant signed with the Bears. They also lost key rotational players in cornerback Riq Woolen (Eagles) and rush end Boye Mafe (Bengals) in free agency.

Most mock drafts have tended to give the Seahawks a player at one of those four spots, with a few sprinkling in an interior defensive linemen or a guard/center, and fewer still going linebackers and receivers.

While there is always debate about whether a team will address needs in a draft or simply take the best player available, Schneider said this week that those two things often overlap. He said the Seahawks set their board based in part on how their roster looks at each spot.

“It’s adjusted for comparing a corner to ’Spoon (Devon Witherspoon) or Josh Jobe,” Schneider said. “How are they going to compete with those guys? What’s the fit? Then obviously, need. If you are doing it correctly, need just should pop in there naturally.”

What is Mike Macdonald’s influence?

This is the third draft for Macdonald since he arrived as Seahawks coach, but the second with him being with the team for an entire season before the draft.

Interestingly, Macdonald said this week he is less vocal in the process now than initially because of the greater alignment that everyone in the building – coaches, scouts, personnel execs, etc. – has because of the familiarity that’s grown over the past two-plus years.

“It’s a lot of information being harvested over the course of years of work, so kind of understanding how our process is now, probably my role in the whole process is probably clear,’’ he said. “… Now you can kind of see where my role kind of fits in. So it’s just clarity. …

“… My job is to work with people throughout the process. We’ve got really smart people that are really good evaluators, so why not hear them out? Then we can kind of work with what’s best for us as each situation starts to unfold.””

What will be the impact of new timing rules?

The NFL made a slight adjustment to the timing of the first round this year, cutting the time between picks from 10 minutes to eight.

There is still seven minutes between picks in round two, five for picks in rounds three through six and four in round seven.

It’s the first change since 2008 and designed to speed up proceedings a bit even if there doesn’t necessarily seem to be much reason.

The NFL reported that last year’s draft was the second-most watched ever with an average audience of 7.5 million viewers behind only 2020 (when the pandemic likely influenced a high rating).

The last pick of the first round last year – offensive lineman Josh Simmons by the Kansas City Chiefs – was made at about 8:42 p.m.

That pick – currently owned by the Seahawks – obviously could come earlier this year.

Schneider said he doesn’t think the decrease in time will change anything.

“I think you’re usually ahead anyway,” Schneider said. “You’re a couple of picks ahead. And so it’s just that time, that extra two minutes is not going to make a difference in terms of trading, moving around, that sort of thing. You try to line stuff up. Really you try to do it this week, but really people get serious, you know, like Thursday, Thursday morning, just throughout the day, talking on the phone.”