Seahawks 2023 mock draft: John Schneider edition

[Chevy]

In this mock I have John Schnieder doing what he likes to do, and that is trade. He has the draft capital to move up/down or to acquire players from other teams. I have him trading down once, trading one of our players for a draft pick, and trading one of our draft picks for another team's players. Forewarn, I have John signing a veteran ILB before the draft.


1st round #9 (from Panthers) - (DE/DT) Calijah Kancey 6'0" 280 lbs. Pittsburgh: Kancey is the best pass rushing DT in the draft. For us he would be DE on our 3-4 defense. He is undersized as a 3-4 DE, length wise, but so is Aaron Donald who is a stud regardless of where you line him up. Kancey is not an easy guy for offensive linemen to get their hands on.





1st round #20 - (RB) Bijan Robinson 6'0" 220 lbs. Texas: Schnieder drafts a once in a generation RB talent in Robinson. Robinson's powerful running is what John & Pete prefer at RB. He has good balance, power, vision, agilty, and speed.





TRADE: Seahawks trade (RB) Ken Walker to Eagles for 1st round #30. Walker, with his tendency to dance in the backfield, is not a perfect fit for Coach Carroll. So now with Bijan on the roster, Carroll has his ideal RB for his offense.

1st round #30 (from Eagles) - (TE) Michael Mayer 6'4" 265 lbs. Notre Dame: Schnieder again goes for BPA even though it's not a big need. Mayer is not an elite athlete, and high 1st round TEs lately have a bad track record of not being worth selected as a high 1st or mid-1st round pick. I think Mayer's comp is our own former TE Zach Miller. Miller was highly productive in college, but he didn't have great NFL combine numbers. Which caused him to fall to the 2nd round. Mayer is a nice route runner, has soft hands, and is built like a tank.





2nd round #37 (from Broncos) - (OLB/DE) Thomas Incom 6'4" 265 lbs. Central Michigan: At this point Schnider takes a shot at a small school pass rusher. Incom has good size and explosiveness to be disruptive. He is a project, but size, explosiveness, bend, and balance can't be taught. He will have a chance to compete as a starter or at worst provide legit depth as a pass rusher.





TRADE: Seahawks trade 2nd round #42 to Washington Commanders for (DT/DE) Daron Payne 6'3" 320 lbs.: Payne is only 25 years old and is an established beast on the defensive line. For us I would play him at DE on our 3-4 defense. Payne had a very good 10-yard split (for a DT) 1.66. He is a monster vs the run and can be disruptive vs the pass. He would be the Alpha dog on our defense.





2nd round #51 - (DT/NT/DE) Gervon Dexter 6'6" 312 lbs. Florida: Dexter is a monster vs the run and can also provide some push as a pass rusher. With Dexter and Payne we would have two elite run defenders with nice pass rush... and Kancey would be the constant disruptive d-lineman on every play. Young hungry dogs lead by an Alpha in D.Payne. In this highlight you can see him go up against Georgia OC Van Pran, who I think will be a 1st round prospect, and rag doll him vs the run.

Gervon Dexter Sr 2022 Highlights | Florida DL | 2023 NFL Draft Prospect

Ferocious lineman for the Gators2021 Stats: 55 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT

youtu.be

3rd round #83 - (QB) Hendon Hooker 6'4" 218 lbs. Tennessee: Hooker is a good athlete and has arm talent. There are questions about his accuracy, and he was in a QB friendly offense. He is also coming off an injury. But, at this point of the draft he is worth selecting. With the supporting cast around him on the offensive side of the ball will be amzaing for any QB especially a rookie.

Hendon Hooker 🔥 Ultimate Highlights ᴴᴰ

Hendon Hooker HighlightsTennessee qb heisman

youtu.be

4th round #122 - (OG) McClendon Curtis 6'6" 328 lbs. Chattanooga: Big man that will start day-1 at OG.

​

5th round #153 - (ILB) Ben VanSumeren 6'3" 240 lbs. Michigan State: Ben is a good sized athletic ILB. May be a ILB to keep an eye on during the draft process.

MSU linebacker Ben VanSumeren wants to be the next Great Gatsby after football

10-13

youtu.be

5th round #156 - (CB) Carrington Valentine 6'0" 194 lbs. Kentucky: CV has good length and athleticism. He could be another CB steal in the 5th round for the Seahawks.

Carrington Valentine 2022 Kentucky Highlights

2022 Stats:46 TKL, 1 SACK, 1 FR, 1 INT, 9 PDTurn on 1080p!Like, Comment & Subscribe!Follow me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielHagerKSRhttps://www.on3....

youtu.be

6th round #197 - (WR) Puka Nacua 6'2" 205 lbs. BYU: Puka has good size and is a sneaky athlete. Young cheap WRs gives us the opportunity to sign the more difficult positions to evaluate or find.

Puka Nacua BYU Highlights

Thumbnail retrieved from: https://www.deseret.com/2022/11/6/23435437/byu-cougars-football-puka-nacua-boise-state-broncos

youtu.be

 

[getnasty]

I might be wrong but I think Payne is a free agent but maybe you have the Commanders franchising him. Nice work overall, honestly wouldn't mind Robinson even if they didn't trade Walker but would perfer that pick going OL.

 

[Chevy]

I might be wrong but I think Payne is a free agent but maybe you have the Commanders franchising him. Nice work overall, honestly wouldn't mind Robinson even if they didn't trade Walker but would perfer that pick going OL.

I've read and argument that the Commanders may franchise Payne and trade him. It makes sense considering the money they will have to pay their other D-lineman. I don't think there is an interior lineman worth a 1st round pick this year. If you have some interior players, you think are worth a #30 pick I'd be willing to debate it. I initially had an interior lineman at #30, then I watched more of him from his previous year. He is a guy I like but can't legit consider him as a 1st round prospect.

 

[toffee]

In this mock I have John Schnieder doing what he likes to do, and that is trade. He has the draft capital to move up/down or to acquire players from other teams. I have him trading down once, trading one of our players for a draft pick, and trading one of our draft picks for another team's players. Forewarn, I have John signing a veteran ILB before the draft.


1st round #9 (from Panthers) - (DE/DT) Calijah Kancey 6'0" 280 lbs. Pittsburgh: Kancey is the best pass rushing DT in the draft. For us he would be DE on our 3-4 defense. He is undersized as a 3-4 DE, length wise, but so is Aaron Donald who is a stud regardless of where you line him up. Kancey is not an easy guy for offensive linemen to get their hands on.





1st round #20 - (RB) Bijan Robinson 6'0" 220 lbs. Texas: Schnieder drafts a once in a generation RB talent in Robinson. Robinson's powerful running is what John & Pete prefer at RB. He has good balance, power, vision, agilty, and speed.





TRADE: Seahawks trade (RB) Ken Walker to Eagles for 1st round #30. Walker, with his tendency to dance in the backfield, is not a perfect fit for Coach Carroll. So now with Bijan on the roster, Carroll has his ideal RB for his offense.

1st round #30 (from Eagles) - (TE) Michael Mayer 6'4" 265 lbs. Notre Dame: Schnieder again goes for BPA even though it's not a big need. Mayer is not an elite athlete, and high 1st round TEs lately have a bad track record of being worth being selected that high. I think Mayer's comp is our own former TE Zach Miller. Miller was highly productive in college, but he didn't have great NFL combine numbers. Which caused him to fall to the 2nd round. Mayer is a nice route runner, has soft hands, and is built like a tank.





2nd round #37 (from Broncos) - (OLB/DE) Thomas Incom 6'4" 265 lbs. Central Michigan: At this point Schnider takes a shot at a small school pass rusher. Incom has good size and explosiveness to be disruptive. He is a project, but size, explosiveness, bend, and balance can't be taught. He will have a chance to compete as a starter or at worst provide legit depth as a pass rusher.





TRADE: Seahawks trade 2nd round #42 to Washington Commanders for (DT/DE) Daron Payne 6'3" 320 lbs.: Payne is only 25 years old and is an established beast on the defensive line. For us I would play him at DE on our 3-4 defense. Payne had a very good 10-yard split (for a DT) 1.66. He is a monster vs the run and can be disruptive vs the pass. He would be the Alpha dog on our defense.





2nd round #51 - (DT/NT/DE) Gervon Dexter 6'6" 312 lbs. Florida: Dexter is a monster vs the run and can also provide some push as a pass rusher. With Dexter and Payne we would have two elite run defenders with nice pass rush... and Kancey would be the constant disruptive d-lineman on every play. Young hungry dogs lead by an Alpha in D.Payne. In this highlight you can see him go up against Georgia OC Van Pran, who I think will be a 1st round prospect, and rag doll him vs the run.

Gervon Dexter Sr 2022 Highlights | Florida DL | 2023 NFL Draft Prospect

Ferocious lineman for the Gators2021 Stats: 55 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 INT

youtu.be

3rd round #83 - (QB) Hendon Hooker 6'4" 218 lbs. Tennessee: Hooker is a good athlete and has arm talent. There are questions about his accuracy, and he was in a QB friendly offense. He is also coming off an injury. But, at this point of the draft he is worth selecting. With the supporting cast around him on the offensive side of the ball will be amzaing for any QB especially a rookie.

Hendon Hooker 🔥 Ultimate Highlights ᴴᴰ

Hendon Hooker HighlightsTennessee qb heisman

youtu.be

4th round #122 - (OG) McClendon Curtis 6'6" 328 lbs. Chattanooga: Big man that will start day-1 at OG.

View attachment 57591​

5th round #153 - (ILB) Ben VanSumeren 6'3" 240 lbs. Michigan State: Ben is a good sized athletic ILB. May be a ILB to keep an eye on during the draft process.

MSU linebacker Ben VanSumeren wants to be the next Great Gatsby after football

10-13

youtu.be

5th round #156 - (CB) Carrington Valentine 6'0" 194 lbs. Kentucky: CV has good length and athleticism. He could be another CB steal in the 5th round for the Seahawks.

Carrington Valentine 2022 Kentucky Highlights

2022 Stats:46 TKL, 1 SACK, 1 FR, 1 INT, 9 PDTurn on 1080p!Like, Comment & Subscribe!Follow me on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DanielHagerKSRhttps://www.on3....

youtu.be

6th round #197 - (WR) Puka Nacua 6'2" 205 lbs. BYU: Puka has good size and is a sneaky athlete. Young cheap WRs gives us the opportunity to sign the more difficult positions to evaluate or find.

Puka Nacua BYU Highlights

Thumbnail retrieved from: https://www.deseret.com/2022/11/6/23435437/byu-cougars-football-puka-nacua-boise-state-broncos

youtu.be

Good job, with all the trade downs, you should net a 1st and a 2nd for 2024.

 

[Chuckwow]

The Mayer to Miller comparison couldn't be more spot on and as much as I loved Zach, I really hope we add to the defense in that 30 spot. But if we got Meyer I sure wouldn't brood about it, either. Nacua with better coaching (like the coaching he could have had @ UW this past year) could be more than solid and well worth a 6th rd pick. I'd be stoked to get him there and adding him to the others (like Herndon, Robinson etc etc) I'd feel we hit another home run. Throw Payne into the mix....absolute grand slam. Great mock...Can't wait for April.

 

[Chevy]

The Mayer to Miller comparison couldn't be more spot on and as much as I loved Zach, I really hope we add to the defense in that 30 spot. But if we got Meyer I sure wouldn't brood about it, either. Nacua with better coaching (like the coaching he could have had @ UW this past year) could be more than solid and well worth a 6th rd pick. I'd be stoked to get him there and adding him to the others (like Herndon, Robinson etc etc) I'd feel we hit another home run. Throw Payne into the mix....absolute grand slam. Great mock...Can't wait for April.

Just curious about a few defensive players you would like at #30? I also would prefer a defensive player at #30, but this mock was focused on BPA.

 

[hawkfan68]

I agree with most of the original post. I don't agree with the Ken Walker trade. I think Walker has a huge upside and running for 1000+ yards as a rookie is evidence enough for me that he fits the offense.

Thomas Incoom at #37 pick (2nd round) in the draft is too high. It seems a huge reach.

 

[Chuckwow]

Just curious about a few defensive players you would like at #30? I also would prefer a defensive player at #30, but this mock was focused on BPA.

I wasn't aware this thread was BPA. But looking at it again, I should have seen that. There's speculation that Trenton Simpson could go between 25-30. I have him higher but I'm currently vacationing and not getting as much sports news as I would in the states. Is there a reason he's dropping? If I couldn't land Simpson I'd probably go after more pass rush. Both Drew Sanders and Keion White can get after the QB and if all 3 of the above are gone I might lean secondary with Cam Smith or Antonio Johnson.

 

[hawkfan68]

I wasn't aware this thread was BPA. But looking at it again, I should have seen that. There's speculation that Trenton Simpson could go between 25-30. I have him higher but I'm currently vacationing and not getting as much sports news as I would in the states. Is there a reason he's dropping? If I couldn't land Simpson I'd probably go after more pass rush. Both Drew Sanders and Keion White can get after the QB and if all 3 of the above are gone I might lean secondary with Cam Smith or Antonio Johnson.

I don't believe this is based on BPA. For example, Thomas Incoom in the second round? Most draft sites don't rate him that high. NFL Draft Buzz rates him as the #35 player at his position - https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/Thomas-Incoom-DL-CentralMichigan. It seems to be he's a huge reach picking him in the 2nd round with the #37 pick in the draft.

 

[Chevy]

I wasn't aware this thread was BPA. But looking at it again, I should have seen that. There's speculation that Trenton Simpson could go between 25-30. I have him higher but I'm currently vacationing and not getting as much sports news as I would in the states. Is there a reason he's dropping? If I couldn't land Simpson I'd probably go after more pass rush. Both Drew Sanders and Keion White can get after the QB and if all 3 of the above are gone I might lean secondary with Cam Smith or Antonio Johnson.

I think Simpson is dropping is because he isn't great against the run, and he just isn't an instinctive ILB. If we had a 4-3 defense and played him a weak side LB, then he would be a late 1st round prospect for me. So, I think he is strictly a 4-3 weak side LB.

Drew Sanders and Keion White are good options at #20, more so Sanders than White.

 

[12forlife]

I wasn't aware this thread was BPA. But looking at it again, I should have seen that. There's speculation that Trenton Simpson could go between 25-30. I have him higher but I'm currently vacationing and not getting as much sports news as I would in the states. Is there a reason he's dropping? If I couldn't land Simpson I'd probably go after more pass rush. Both Drew Sanders and Keion White can get after the QB and if all 3 of the above are gone I might lean secondary with Cam Smith or Antonio Johnson.

I think Mazi Smith or Keanu Benton would be solid picks @ #30

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Trade Walker? What?

 

[Hawknballs]

So the Seahawks drafted Ken Walker last year, he has a 1000+ yard season and a higher YPC than a lot of the best RB in the league, and then they trade him. . ? Otherwise It does look like a very shneider-esque draft. I just don't think they can afford to trade a good running back when depth there has been a problem already. I could see Bijan Robinson being added, however. Walker doesn't have to go to make that happen.

 

[onanygivensunday]

You don't trade away "leverage" players, which are players that are contributing on the field in excess of their salary cap number. Walker is a leverage player as are Cross, Lucas, Uchenna and Woolen (very high leverage).

Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs are not.

Geno at $3.5M with incentives, was. Geno close to $30M/year is not.

 

[WarHawks]

Robinson and Walker together would be the best 1-2 RB combo in the NFL, and amazing insurance when one goes down due to injury. I don't see Hooker lasting to #83 either. Too many qb hungry teams out there.

 

[Chevy]

You don't trade away "leverage" players, which are players that are contributing on the field in excess of their salary cap number. Walker is a leverage player as are Cross, Lucas, Uchenna and Woolen (very high leverage).

Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs are not.

Geno at $3.5M with incentives, was. Geno close to $30M/year is not.

Spending basically a 1st round pick on a RBs in back-to-back drafts is a waste of resources. I did it more as thought provoking and again to change up my mock. To want to keep both is crazy to me considering how many holes we have at other positions.

 

[nanomoz]

Mayer and Bijan are two of the best football players in this draft. I'd be shocked if either is on the board in the middle of the first round. Robinson is the best/most versatile running back since Saquon, and maybe the best combo of power and speed since Adrian Peterson.

 

[Hawkinaz]

Mayer and Bijan are two of the best football players in this draft. I'd be shocked if either is on the board in the middle of the first round. Robinson is the best/most versatile running back since Saquon, and maybe the best combo of power and speed since Adrian Peterson.

Both are good players but play positions that are not highly valued by most NFL teams. I expect Robinson to be drafted in the the last third of the 1st rd and Mayer end of 1 to 2nd rd

 

[Chevy]

Mayer and Bijan are two of the best football players in this draft. I'd be shocked if either is on the board in the middle of the first round. Robinson is the best/most versatile running back since Saquon, and maybe the best combo of power and speed since Adrian Peterson.

I agree with your take on Bijan, but great/elite RBs nowadays rarely get drafted in the top-15. RBs have a short shelf life and tend to miss a good number of games. Bijan talent wise is a top-5 player, but probably won't get drafted in the top-15, unless a talent loaded team like the Eagles take him. IMO 1st round rookie RBs should be the last piece of a puzzle to a team that has been rebuilding for a few years.

 

[Hawkinaz]

Spending basically a 1st round pick on a RBs in back-to-back drafts is a waste of resources. I did it more as thought provoking and again to change up my mock. To want to keep both is crazy to me considering how many holes we have at other positions.

I took the trade of Walker as you just putting a mock draft together and not really giving it much thought. In reality I could see a RB being drafted in rd 3-4. In Seattles offense I do like a solid 2 man rotation/good back up last year Hawks had a serious injury bug at RB

When you look at some recent teams that went far in the playoffs very few had stud RBs on their roster