How the 49ers Stack Up with the Seahawks Heading into the NFL Draft

Their record was 9-8 each of the past two seasons. Their quarterback, Geno Smith, is pretty good but scares no one. And they're soft.

Nov 23, 2023; Seattle, Washington, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (98) / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers have been the class of the NFC West for the past couple seasons. Let's see where they stack up with their division rivals one week ahead of the NFL Draft.

The Seahawks have become the essence of mediocrity the past few years.

Their record was 9-8 each of the past two seasons. Their quarterback, Geno Smith, is pretty good but scares no one. And they're soft. They can't even stop the run. Which means they posed absolutely zero threat to the 49ers recently.

Now they have a new head coach, Mike Macdonald. who was the defensive coordinator for John Harbaugh on the Ravens and Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. Which means the Seahawks shouldn't be soft anymore. I expect Macdonald to fix their run defense right away. And if the Seahawks can stop the run, they might be dangerous, because they have an excellent secondary that can match up man to man with the 49ers receivers.

The Seahawks have talent all over their roster. Their wide receivers are outstanding. But they were one of the worst-coached teams on both sides of the ball the past few seasons. They had asbolutely no creativity. They were stuck in the past.

Now they will have a cutting edge defensive scheme, so they shouldn't underperform anymore. They could win 10 games.

But their quarterback is still Geno Smith. And until they replace him, they're going nowhere. Perhaps they'll draft a quarterback such as Washington's Michael Penix next week, but a rookie quarterback isn't a big threat, either.