4 questions for Seahawks as 2023 NFL draft arrives

By Bob Condotta / The Seattle Times

The film has been watched, re-watched and watched yet again. The Big Board is set. The scenarios poured over time after time after time.

Now it’s finally here for the SeattleSeahawks and the rest of the NFL with the first round of the draft beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, followed by rounds two and three on Friday and rounds four through seven on Saturday.

Will the Seahawks use their pick at five or trade it? Who will they take if they do?

Let’s take a last look at those and a few other questions before we finally get some real answers Thursday:

Could the Seahawks trade down? Or up?

Seattle has 10 picks, including five and 20 in the first round, 37 and 52 in the second (both five and 37 thanks to the Russel Wilson trade) and 83 in the third, which gives the Seahawks a lot of flexibility.

The number of picks would also seem to mean Seattle doesn’t have to try to trade down just to add more players, as was the case in 2019, when the Seahawks entered draft week with just four picks.

And depending on how many players Seattle has first-round grades on — which probably isn’t even 20, given how this draft is generally perceived — the Seahawks may want to assure getting one of those players with a first-round grade, especially since they are hoping not to draft near five again anytime soon.

But, there has also been conjecture in recent weeks that Seattle’s cap situation could factor into a decision to trade down, as well. The Seahawks have just $6.2 million in cap room, according to OvertheCap.com, but are $3.4 million over the cap in effective cap space, which considers the $9.6 million needed to squeeze in 10 draft picks.

The heftiest number there is the four-year deal worth more than $34 million that goes to the fifth pick, which includes a $21.7 million signing bonus and a cap number in 2023 of $6.1 million (the values of all rookie contracts are predetermined via the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, and slotted by pick).

And recall that Seahawks general manager John Schneider said at the NFL league meetings in March that “cash and cap, we’re pretty tapped out.”

That might rule out moving up, and might also factor into decisions to move down. Consider that even just a pick five spots lower at 10 comes with a cap hit of $2 million less, at just over $4 million, and a signing bonus of about $8 million less.

Schneider said last week that cap considerations played into why Seattle has just 52 players under contract entering the draft, the second fewest in the NFL ahead of only the rebuilding Rams. That leaves Seattle with 38 roster spots to fill before camp begins — teams can have a max of 90.

So maybe that could also factor into wanting to trade down and get more players. What we know for sure is that the Seahawks will be pretty darn busy adding to their roster during the draft and after.

Could Seattle really take Jalen Carter?

The Georgia defensive lineman has been the most polarizing player in the lead-up to the draft due both to some off-field red flags and an uninspiring Pro Day workout that did nothing but raise more questions.

But he also is regarded as maybe the most talented player in the draft and at a position of huge need for Seattle.

Not only do the Seahawks need upgrades on the defensive line they also simply need players, with just four interior defensive linemen under contract, one of whom, Bryan Mone, may not be ready for the start of the season due to a December ACL injury.

But as often happens with the NFL draft, there are all kinds of conflicting signals on what Seattle will do if Carter is available at five.

Longtime NFL writer Peter King of NBC Sports wrote last week that “it’s become almost a cliché, how many team officials think the Seahawks will take Carter with the fifth overall pick.”

But ESPN’s Todd McShay countered this week that “multiple sources have told me Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter isn’t expected to be the pick” for Seattle at five.

It’ll take everyone off the hook if Carter goes before five.

If he doesn’t, then the Seahawks will have an interesting decision to make. During his pre-draft press conference last week, Schneider said the team considers all players on an individual basis in terms of what can be generally categorized as “red flags,” while Carroll said such debates can go down to the last minute.

“It’s not over ‘til it’s over,” Carroll said. “We’re going to go all the way until the very end of it.”

What all that means we’ll soon find out.

Could Seattle really take a quarterback?

The Seahawks had a lot of fun with their QB “selfie” tour of Pro Days of what at projected as the top four QBs in the draft — Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J, Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.

Of course, none of that means the Seahawks are seriously thinking of a QB at five.

Or does it?

That uncertainty is what the Seahawks certainly wanted to install in the minds of other teams. But, Geno Smith’s contract situation also leaves open the idea it could be a consideration — while his contract is technically for three years and up to $105 million, Seattle could get out of it after one year and just over $27 million.

Seattle could also simply look at the rare opportunity to draft fifth overall as a chance to get one of generally regarded as the most valuable asset an NFL team can have — a good QB on a rookie deal — though obviously the tricky part is making sure you get a good one.

Some also think that one of the QBs — Levis or Richardson in particular — could last into the middle of the first round. That could allow Seattle to take a DL at five and the make a move up if it wanted to get a QB — or gamble on one of them slipping to 20. Or, taking someone like Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker at 20, or maybe even 37.

It’s worth noting Seattle has just two QBs on its roster in Smith and Drew Lock, the latter on just a one-year deal with only $1.75 million guaranteed.

Somehow and someway, Seattle is adding at least one QB to the roster soon.

What are other positions of need?

As has been noted often in the run-up to the draft, defensive line seems to be Seattle’s most urgent need.

But a few others that stand out include running back — Seattle has just two on the roster in Kenneth Walker III and DeeJay Dallas; guard/center, where Seattle doesn’t have any under contract beyond next year; receiver, where Seattle could use another option to supplement Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf; and linebacker, where none of what are the top three on the depth chart (Bobby Wagner, Devin Bush, Jordyn Brooks) are under contract beyond 2023.

Let the picks begin.