Seattle Seahawks 2018 NFL Draft profile

The 2018 NFL Draft is just a few weeks away, which means that Draftmas is back. Draftmas will take a look at each NFL team heading into this year’s draft, what their needs are and who they could be targeting. Draftmas continues today with the Seattle Seahawks 2018 NFL Draft profile.

Summary

Seattle was able to get to nine wins last season but were not able to secure a wild-card spot. It will be a lot tougher for the Seahawks in the coming year, as a lot of new faces will have to come together in order for them to achieve their goals.

The offensive line needs a lot of work every year and rarely gets addressed, but it was a little better last season. The line, and subpar running backs don’t leave much room for a running game. The Seahawks ranked 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards last season, which made it hard to get consistently good offensive production.

This has put a lot of pressure on Russell Wilson to produce. He has done well, but even he can’t carry an offense all by himself. He does have Doug Baldwin, his longtime favorite target, and Tyler Lockett returning, but will be without Jimmy Graham and Paul Richardson who left via free agency. Wilson will have to do even more next season to keep Seattle in contention.

They rank in the bottom half of the league at stopping the run and have to get some better interior defensive linemen. Their linebackers will also need some help as former top pick Barkevious Mingo was signed. He is the starter as of now but will look out of place next to K.J. Wright and Bobby Wagner. More depth at the position needs to be added.

The pass defense ranked sixth in the NFL but will have a completely new look without Michael Bennett rushing the passer and Richard Sherman locking down his side of the field. Having Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor back definitely helps, but they need to find replacements for Bennett and Sherman.

Picks and Needs

The Seahawks have eight picks in this draft to fill some of their needs, but only have one pick in the first three rounds.

First round (1 pick): 18

Second round (0):

Third round (0):

Fourth round (1): 120

Fifth round (3): 141, 146, 168

Sixth round (0): 

Seventh round (3): 226, 248, 250

Offensive needs:

Offensive tackle- Duane Brown was a huge improvement for the line last season but is 32 years old. Germain Ifedi hasn’t played well, even though he was a first-round pick. If the Seahawks want Wilson to play much longer, they have to start doing a better job of protecting him.

Guard- The Seahawks signed D.J. Fluker, but that may not work out. They may also elect to move Ifedi to the inside. Neither of these are definitely going to work, so another guard will be needed.

Running back- Thomas Rawls is now a Jet, which leaves the Seahawks with Mike Davis, Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise and J.D. McKissic. Rawls likely wasn’t the answer for the Seahawks either, but they need someone who can give them some sense of a running game.

Defensive needs:

Defensive tackle- Sheldon Richardson signed with the Vikings and Michael Bennett won’t be there to move inside on passing downs. Currently, Nazair Jones and Jarran Reed are starting at the position. They signed Shamar Stephen and Tom Johnson for depth, but need better starters.

Edge rusher- Cliff Avril went on IR last season and had neck surgery. He contemplated retirement and Frank Clark is the other starting defensive end. The defense will be a shell of its former self if it can’t get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks.

Cornerback- Shaquill Griffin played well last year, but outside of him Seattle doesn’t have too many good corners. They have to find players who fit their zone scheme but can sometimes find players like this later in the draft.

Targets

First round:

Pick No. 18: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame

This pick will be tough with how many needs that Seattle needs to fill and only having the one pick in the first three rounds. The Seahawks have to protect Wilson and therefore should take some sort of lineman with this pick. McGlinchey is the best tackle in the class and can play both right and left tackle. For the time being, McGlinchey can start at right tackle, but could eventually take over for Duane Brown at left tackle. He isn’t the most athletic but is solid and the lowest risk tackle to take. With him and Brown being the two tackles and the rest of the line featuring the best of what’s left of their linemen, the unit should be improved for next season.

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