With the NFL Scouting Combine kicking off this week in Indianapolis, it’s time to take a look at the Seahawks’ roster and see where they might be looking to add talent. Like any good team, the Seahawks will tell you they don’t draft strictly by need, but the current roster does influence how general manager John Schneider and his scouting department put together a draft board. Not every need will be filled in the draft—free agency is coming up in March—but the draft remains the single most important piece of the puzzle when it comes to building a roster, which is why last month’s Senior Bowl, this week’s combine and all the other elements of draft preparation are so important for the Seahawks and every team in the league.
Throughout this week, we’ll look at where the Seahawks stand at each position prior to the draft and free agency.
Receiver
Level of need: Fairly high
Why: You can argue that a team coming off back-to-back Super Bowl seasons doesn’t have a ton of pressing needs, and to a degree you’d be right, but receiver ranks pretty high on the list of positions where the Seahawks could stand to improve.
Doug Baldwin had a very good 2014 season, and Jermaine Kearse only added to his big-game reputation this postseason, but when you consider that entering the 2013 season, the Seahawks saw those as their No. 4 and 5 receivers behind Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin and Golden Tate, it’s safe to say the Seahawks could stand to add some talent to the receiver room. The Harvin trade obviously turned out to be a bust, Tate left in free agency, and promising rookie Paul Richardson’s 2015 status is uncertain because of a torn ACL suffered against the Panthers last month. Chris Matthews showed promise in the Super Bowl, but it would be a leap to assume he’s a lock to produce in 2015.
Regardless of how high of an opinion you have of Baldwin and Kearse, the latter being a restricted free agent, or of Kevin Norwood, who didn’t get a ton of opportunities as a rookie, or of Ricardo Lockette, the Seahawks need to add depth and talent at this position. If that player can return kicks or punts, two jobs that were unsettled for much of the 2014 season, that would be a huge bonus.
Top players available*:
1. Kevin White, West Virginia
2. Amari Cooper, Alabama
3. DeVante Parker, Louisville
4. Dorial Green-Beckham, Missouri
5. Devin Funchess, Michigan
*—According to the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, who knows a lot more about this stuff than I do.
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