The Seattle Seahawks have the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft because of their Russell Wilson trade. What should they do with the selection? What an absolute great problem to have. I’m not sure anyone expected the Denver Broncos to finish worse than the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, but it happened.
Seattle went 9-8 during the regular season and clinched a playoff berth where they then quickly fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round.
No matter what happened in that game, Seattle greatly defied expectations, largely because of Geno Smith all of a sudden becoming a legitimate quarterback. He may just win the Comeback Player of the Year award and has made life a bit difficult for his team.
Since Seattle has the fifth overall pick, they may be in line to take one of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Geno Smith is 32 years old, so he isn’t a 10+ year option for them. Also, the Seahawks may have to be careful with Smith.
There have been numerous examples of quarterbacks in similar tiers as Geno Smith playing very well one year and reverting back to their old self the following years. Perhaps that happens to Smith, or perhaps it does not.
What are three options the team can take with their fifth overall selection?
Seattle Seahawks: 3 options with their top pick in ’23
Use the fifth pick to trade up and take a QB
If the Seattle Seahawks want to play the long game, they could re-sign Geno Smith on a short term deal, maybe two or three years, and try to snag a quarterback in the draft. If Smith keeps this type of play up, they won’t be picking fifth overall, so now might be the perfect time for the team to find a true long-term answer.
They might view Geno Smith as a quality stopgap in the meantime. The fifth overall pick is plenty high enough for them to package it and another pick to move up. They also have their own first round pick, which is 20th.
Trade down for more capital
The biggest issue for the Seahawks this year was their 25th ranked scoring defense. It simply needs to get better, and one player likely won’t make a mountain of a difference. In this scenario, maybe there’s a team who wants to acquire that fifth overall pick.
If the Seattle Seahawks are willing to move down a few slots and acquire even more draft capital, then why not do it?
More throws at a dart board equals more chances for a bullseye, after all.
Take a premier defensive player.
The Seahawks had some young studs on that defense in 2022, so John Schneider and Pete Carroll are on a hot streak. They could continue that by using their fifth overall pick on one of the top defensive players in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Myles Murphy? Will Anderson? Jalen Carter? They may have one fall into their lap if the first few picks end up being quarterbacks. Getting a high-end difference maker like that could have huge impacts on their defense, which doesn’t need to be elite, just less bad.
I think this is the most likely option. Filling the defense with young talent is only a good thing, as you can take advantage of their rookie deals and, as a result of than, spend money on other aspects of the roster.