NFL Draft Seahawks Needs and Priorities

Finally, the NFL Draft is almost here. Tomorrow, the speculation and Mock Drafts end with teams picking players in the first round. Let’s take a look at what the Seahawks need and who could be available with their current picks.

The Seahawks have never chosen fewer than eight players in the NFL Draft under the leadership of General Manager John Schneider. Schneider, who reportedly has his draft board set and ready to go, has averaged nine and a half picks in his seven NFL Draft opportunities as GM.

It’s unlikely with Schneider’s clutch of the standard seven picks in the NFL Draft that he would not be willing to trade down (or up, especially if Richard Sherman is involved) to get more picks. But as it stands, five of their seven picks are in the first three rounds, and they’re missing their fourth round (trade) and fifth round (OTA violations–eye roll).

For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to assume that the Seahawks won’t trade any of their picks and stay close to the pool of players available to them at each of their assigned picks throughout the NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at who they need to fill out their roster and who could be available at different points in the NFL Draft:

Offensive Line

It doesn’t take a genius to write offensive line as one of the Seahawks’ biggest needs. By far the worst part of the team could use some new blood. The pieces are already moving this offseason with 2016 first round pick Germain Ifedi moving from guard to tackle and Garry Gilliam signing with the San Francisco 49ers.

It’s too early to tell exactly when the Seahawks will choose an offensive lineman, especially with the weakness of the tackle position in this year’s NFL Draft, but here are some names that could end up in Seahawks green:

Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

We’ve heard this name over and over again for the Seahawks pick at 26 because he’s supposedly the best offensive tackle in the NFL Draft. He’s projected to be available to Seattle or to be drafted just ahead of the 26th pick. Read our profile of Robinson here. Check out his NFL.com draft profile here.

Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana

I profiled Feeney as a possible Seahawks NFL Draft pick here. Feeney has a wide possibility of where he could be drafted, with some GMs (possibly Schneider) thinking of him as more than a zone-blocking specialist and some preferring to wait until the third round or later to take him. Feeney is a natural run blocker who could transition well to offensive line coach Tom Cable’s system well if the price is right.

Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh

Johnson could be a target on the Seahawks draft board if they trade down and acquire a second or third round pick. He’s not flashy, but he seems ready to take over a starting spot on an NFL team’s offensive line. He could be a valuable starter for Seattle available as late as the third round. Johnson is a good run blocker, could bulk up well, and has no glaring faults in his game.