5 Burning Questions: What to Watch as Seahawks Enter Critical 2022 NFL Draft

Holding four top-75 picks and a top-10 selection, the Seahawks have a prime opportunity to reload their roster with young talent and build for the future in a deep, talented draft class. Reporter Corbin Smith examines five key questions heading into draft weekend in Las Vegas.

After months of anticipation, the return of the scouting combine, a bevy of blockbuster trades, and hundreds of pre-draft visits, the 2022 NFL Draft will finally kick off on Thursday night in Las Vegas.

Thanks to their blockbuster deal sending Russell Wilson to the Broncos, the Seahawks will enter this week's annual draft with four picks in the top-75, the most general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have had since they first arrived back in 2010. Among their eight total picks, they will also have a top-10 selection - No. 9 overall - for only the second time in their 13 years running the show together.

Mere hours away from being on the clock, here are five storylines to keep an eye on as Seattle aims to replenish its roster with game-changing talent over the next three days:

1. Will the successor for Wilson be tabbed in this underwhelming quarterback class?

Ever since news broke about Wilson being jettisoned to the Mile High City, speculation has been rampant about Seattle's alternatives to replace him long-term. Unfortunately, this year's incoming quarterback class has not received glowing reviews and while Liberty's Malik Willis has the athleticism and arm talent to develop into a star in the league, there isn't a consensus top-10 caliber prospect in the group. For that reason, it seems unlikely, if not improbable, Schneider will pick a signal caller at No. 9 overall or even after a trade down.

However, depending on when Willis hears his name called, things could get interesting in the back half of the first round. Throughout the pre-draft process, the Seahawks have been linked to Cincinnati's Desmond Ridder, including bringing him to the VMAC for a top-30 visit this month. Reports surfaced earlier this week suggesting Schneider may be looking to move back into the first round to select him, but other teams such as the Saints and Steelers bear watching on that front. Pittsburgh's Kenny Pickett may also be in play for both of those teams in the middle of the round.

If Seattle doesn't move back into the top 20 picks to select Willis, Pickett, or Ridder, it's still possible Schneider could be eyeing the Buccaneers and Chiefs as potential trade targets to move back into the latter half of the first round. North Carolina's Sam Howell and Mississippi's Matt Corral both spent time with the team at some point in the past couple of months and while they may be available into the second round, moving up to 27 or 30 to get them would allow the Seahawks to benefit from five years of club control.

While it's not a given Seattle will draft a quarterback, especially considering this class lacks star power at the position, it would be a bit of a surprise if Schneider doesn't pick one in the first two rounds. Fans should be ready for anything from picking Willis or Ridder in the mid-first to waiting things out to select Howell or Corral with one of their two second round selections.

Read full scouting reports on Ridder here and Howell here.

2. If Seattle wants to go tackle in round one, will it be Charles Cross or Trevor Penning?

Without Wilson under center, quarterback remains Seattle's most significant long-term need. But in the immediate future, Drew Lock and Geno Smith at least provide experienced starters to compete against one another as bridge quarterbacks. The same can't be said for the two tackle spots, as the team only has three players rostered at the position currently and between Stone Forsythe, Jake Curhan, and Greg Eiland, they have started a combined five NFL regular season games.

Though Forsythe and Curhan could eventually develop into starter-caliber players, the Seahawks would be taking a massive risk banking on a former sixth-round pick and undrafted free agent signee to protect whoever the quarterback is in 2022. With a top-10 selection, there's a slim chance a blue chip prospect like Alabama's Evan Neal could drop to them. In that case, Schneider would likely be turning in his draft card before commissioner Roger Goodell announced they were on the clock.

But realistically, Neal and North Carolina State's Ickey Ekwonu will probably both be long gone by pick No. 9. This would leave Seattle would two other first-round tackles to consider in Mississippi State's Cross and Northern Iowa's Penning, two high-ceiling prospects who each have plenty of question marks coming into the league.

Coming from coach Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, Cross allowed only two sacks on more than 700 offensive snaps as a junior in 2021, but he hasn't played with his hand in the dirt out of a three-point stance and needs to clean up his technique both as a pass protector and run blocker. As for Penning, he's a rare athlete for the position,  boasts great size (6-foot-7, 325 pounds), and plays with a mean streak in the run game. But he has feasted on FCS competition and like Cross, he has a litany of technical flaws that must be cleaned up to succeed at the next level, including playing too upright in pass protection.

Based on past precedent, Penning's size, athletic traits, and nastiness suggest he would be the preferred prospect for Seattle. But Cross is two years younger and performed well as a run blocker on limited snaps in the rugged SEC last season, suggesting he would be more pro-ready and fit in a pro-style offense better than expected. This one looks like a toss up if Schneider wants to go this route in the first round.

Read full scouting reports on Cross here and Penning here.

3. Could the Seahawks buck past precedent and select a cornerback early?

It's no secret Seattle has hit the jackpot several times developing late-round cornerback prospects. With Carroll roaming the sidelines, the organization has been able to wait until later rounds and identify players with desirable size, length, and athletic traits such as Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell, and Tre Flowers to mold into starters with varying degrees of success. All of those players were drafted in the fifth round or later and over the past 12 years, the team has never picked a corner earlier than the third round.

But if there's a draft where that trend could be broken, Schneider and Carroll have a top-10 pick at their disposal with two elite cornerbacks potentially available to them at No. 9 overall in Cincinnati's Sauce Gardner and LSU's Derek Stingley Jr.

Built with a similar frame to Sherman at 6-foot-3, Gardner has enticing athletic traits to go with his size and length, including sub-4.45 40-yard dash speed. A physical corner who presses opposing receivers into submission and boasts plus-ball skills, he picked off nine passes for the Bearcats and returned two of them for picks despite rarely being tested by quarterbacks. Amazingly, he didn't allow a single touchdown in coverage his entire college career, including in the playoffs against Alabama in January.

Possessing a bit of a different skill set, Stingley has been nipped by injuries over the past two seasons and his production took a hit as a result. But when healthy, he's a dynamic playmaker at the corner position who thrives in man coverage and can pick off passes in bunches. Starring as a freshman for LSU's national title team, he intercepted six passes and produced nine additional pass breakups, using his 4.37 40-yard dash speed to lock down receivers in coverage and make plays on the ball.

Over the years, Carroll and Schneider haven't felt the need to draft a cornerback early with the belief they could develop a later round pick into a quality starter and for the most part, that method has paid dividends. But they also have never had a chance to pick a potential All-Pro talent like Gardner or Stingley and if one of them slides to the Seahawks on Thursday night, they may not be able to pass up on the opportunity, especially if a top tackle or an edge rusher such as Florida State's Jermaine Johnson or Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux are off the board.

Read full scouting reports on Gardner here and Stingley here.

4. How aggressive will Schneider be navigating the draft via trade?

When it comes to trying to predict what the Seahawks may or may not do in the draft, it's an ineffectual exercise. But if there's a common thread between most of his drafts at the helm, it's that he will be actively working the phones looking to swing trades moving up and down the board.

Since 2011, Schneider has made 30 total draft weekend trades, the second-most in the NFL behind only Bill Belichick. In 2019 alone, he orchestrated six different trades, including sliding back up to No. 64 overall to draft receiver DK Metcalf. Even last year while holding just three total picks, he managed to make a pair of trades.

Looking at this year's draft, it's a near-guarantee he will make at least a couple of trades before the end of the festivities on Saturday. He likely will be most active on day two, as he told reporters on April 21 that holding back-to-back picks in the second round provides Seattle with great flexibility "to move around if we deem necessary." In the past, he's traded up for Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jarran Reed, and Darrell Taylor, so one of those picks could be used to possibly go back into the first round.

The real question is - will Schneider stick with status quo and trade down in the first round? Or could he sit pat at No. 9 overall? Or may he do the unthinkable and trade up from that spot? If one of the top tackles, edge rushers, or cornerbacks manages to slip outside of the top five picks, he may be on the phone with Carolina and New York trying to hash out a deal to slide up a couple spots to the sixth or seventh selection. Such a scenario playing out shouldn't be ruled out at all.

Of course, there's always the possibility that all of the top pass rushers, cornerbacks, and tackles are selected with the first eight picks. In that case, the Seahawks may be scrambling to slide down a few spots hoping a receiver-needy team may be willing to jump up in exchange for an extra day two pick. The Commanders, Texans, and Eagles, who hold picks 11, 13, and 15 respectively, are three teams to watch as possible trade partners.

5. Will Schneider throw any curveballs and if so, which unexpected prospect or position will he draft earlier than anticipated?

While betting on the Seahawks to make a few trades over the next three days looks like a safe bet, trying to figure out who Schneider will pick first is a far trickier proposition. Over the years, he has stunned draft analysts picking players such as defensive end Bruce Irvin, defensive end L.J. Collier, running back Rashaad Penny, and linebacker Jordyn Brooks in the first round.

Keeping that history in mind, conventional wisdom should go out the window when considering who Schneider may target with their first pick, regardless of whether they trade up, sit pat at No. 9 overall, or slide back a few spots. While cornerback, tackle, and edge rusher remain huge areas of concern for Seattle, if the best player available approach is taken, nobody should be surprised at all if athletic 350-pound Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis or disruptive do-it-all Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd are on the team's radar.

After a trade down, other wild cards could be in consideration as well, especially if Cross and/or Penning gets picked before the Seahawks are back on the clock. In that case, a second-tier cornerback like Florida's Kaiir Elam or pass rusher like Minnesota's Boye Mafe could be a surprise mid-first round pick. Jumping outside the box entirely, Boston College guard Zion Johnson or Alabama receiver Jameson Williams don't play positions of need but could be viewed as too good of values to pass up.

Even on day two, Schneider might be ready to uncoil a nasty 12-6 curveball. With Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson both scheduled to be free agents next year and the latter recovering from neck surgery, picking a running back like Iowa State's Breece Hall as early as the second round shouldn't be discounted. The team has been in the market for receiver help in free agency and could easily draft one in the second or third round.

Noting his prior history heading into Thursday, with so many intriguing names available and a roster full of holes on both sides of the football, the only thing fans should expect from Schneider is the unexpected. It's going to be a wild ride.