2016 NFL Draft Preview: What is Pete Carroll Plotting?

The 2016 NFL Draft is tomorrow night in Chicago. Up to this point, Pete Carroll and company have been tight-lipped about their draft inclinations. What could he be planning?

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Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider are, like most head coaches and general managers, not leaking the secrets of their 2016 NFL Draft war room discussions ahead of the draft. Both of them seem excited for this year’s draft class and have praised the talent available this year. We can all speculate on who the Seahawks will pick, but up until they announce their first (or second) round pick, we won’t know what they’re planning.

An obvious position of need for the Seahawks in the 2016 NFL Draft this year is the offensive line. ESPN Insiders has already run a story on the Seahawks and their needs ahead of the draft. (If you’re not an Insider, you can read the main points in an article on Seahawks.com here). It basically says what Seahawks fans have known all along, that offensive line is their biggest need in the draft, and that the don’t really need any more wide receivers.

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But needing a few more talented offensive linemen from the 2016 NFL Draft doesn’t mean that Carroll, Schneider, and the Seahawks will draft one in the first round, or any round for that matter. The Seahawks like to build their strength on the defensive side of the ball, drafting corners and defensive linemen to add quality, cheap depth. They usually follow a “best guy on the board” mentality and love to trade down to acquire more picks, a strategy that works for many teams.

Last year the Seahawks traded their 31st pick in the first round and ended up trading up in the third to nab wide receiver Tyler Lockett. Sometimes acquiring more draft capital is what you need to grab a guy you fell in love with. This is beginning to sound like a love advice column.

Since taking over as head coach in 2010, Carroll has dropped hints on Twitter about the 2016 NFL Draft using the hashtag #SeahawksDraftClues. In the past he has used song lyrics and other cryptic messages to let fans get at least a small glimpse into the minds behind the draft picks. So far, all we’ve gotten about the 2016 NFL Draft from Carroll is this:

Follow Carroll on Twitter to catch his clues and read this article from Field Gulls to get help deciphering them. Carroll is promising a “big year” for #SeahawksDraftClues this year. I will also be retweeting Carroll’s clues as I find them, so you’ll see them if you follow ECS. (Follow us now!)

Next: 2016 Seahawks Mock Draft

Stay tuned to ECS as we cover the draft beginning tomorrow at 5 PT.