We haven’t even reached free agency yet, and the mock drafts are already coming in. With the Seattle Seahawks comfortably in the center of the first round, many pundits and fans believe the team may want to trade down from 16. This seems logical, given that the franchise now lacks a second-round pick due to the Leonard Williams rental. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why the “trade down” scenario will continue to be popular leading up to the draft. As a result, Dane Brugler of The Athletic has just released his first mock draft of the season, and you guessed it: the Seahawks are down.
Brugler describes a scenario in which the Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers could agree on a trade in which Pittsburgh receives selections 16 and 151 from Seattle in exchange for picks 20 and 84. So, what did the Hawks do with this pick? Naturally, they drafted a center. The story is behind a paywall, so here’s the Seahawks-specific section.
Since John Schneider became Seahawks general manager, 40 percent of his first-round picks have been offensive linemen. You could argue that center was never a position he targeted early in the draft, but Powers-Johnson possesses real center-guard versatility and the potential to soon become the team’s best offensive lineman.
Is it a fair trade? That depends, but according to the Rich Hill trade model, the Steelers would come out around ten points ahead in draft value, making it fairly comparable. The true question, in my opinion, is whether Jackson Powers-Johnson would be the pick. He has a comparable profile to Tyler Linderbaum, who the Baltimore Ravens selected with the 25th overall pick in 2022. Linderbaum came from the Iowa Hawkeyes’ balanced offense, but Powers-Johnson comes from Oregon’s pass-heavy spread. The Seahawks may have a whole different idea of what they want in lineman, so I’m not sure whether he’ll be on Mike Macdonald’s radar after this.
Anyone expecting for a non-Michael Penix Jr. quarterback will be disappointed to learn that Brugler has taken Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy with the first seven picks. Brock Bowers, another player on many people’s wish lists, is expected to leave in the first half of the round. A boost to the offensive line would undoubtedly be beneficial, but how do you feel about this one? Is this the Seahawks’ greatest choice for improving their roster?
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