3 predictions for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft

While the NFL season is not yet over, draft season is starting to heat up for teams like the Seattle Seahawks with the Hula Bowl being played two weeks ago, and the Senior Bowl and Shrine Bowl coming up this weekend.

Over the next few months, anything is subject to change in regard to the draft and nothing is for sure until Roger Goodell steps up to that podium. Despite that, I will be making three BOLD predictions for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

3 early predictions for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2023 NFL Draft

1. The Seahawks will draft a cornerback with the fifth overall pick

Now I know I’m coming in hot here, as just about everyone expects the Seahawks to go D-line here with the fifth pick. However, beyond Jalen Carter and Will Anderson, who in all likelihood will be gone by the time the Seahawks are on the clock at pick number five. I don’t believe the other top edge prospects like Myles Murphy or Tyree Wilson are worthy of a top-five pick.

Murphy and Wilson are both supreme athletic prospects, but despite that, they have never been able to produce high sack numbers at the collegiate level. Last season Murphy finished with 6.5 sacks while Wilson totaled 7. Additionally, they are both not refined pass rushers at this point in their career and have a limited number of pass rush moves in their arsenal.

Therefore, I think the Seahawks would be much wiser to go to one of the strengths in this year’s class and potentially get the top player at that position. That position in my mind is cornerback, where the Seahawks desperately need someone reliable to line up opposite of Tariq Woolen.

If the Seahawks elected to go corner here they would have their choice between Devon Witherspoon from Illinois and Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon, who I believe are the top two corners in the draft.

Witherspoon is someone who just straight up STANDS OUT on tape, in a massive way. Last season at Illinois he was PFF’s highest-graded corner with an overall grade of 92.0. Furthermore, he was targeted 63 times last season but allowed just 22 catches for a ridiculous 206 yards and three interceptions. Oh ya, he also had 14 pass breakups, didn’t allow a touchdown all season, and only allowed a passer rating of 25.0 when targeted.

While Gonzalez is a premier athlete for the corner position. Last season at Oregon, Gonzalez was clocked at 23.3 MPH on a GPS tracker, confirmed to have a vertical jump of 42″, and a power clean of 325 pounds. Keep in mind, Gonzalez does all this while being 6″2 200 pounds. Gonzalez is also a very scheme-versatile player and could be a star in both a man or zone-dominant scheme.