Seahawks Land Two Elite Defenders, Trade Up For QB? - Mel Kiper Mock

After adding a pair of elite defenders, the Seahawks trade back into the first round to take a potential next franchise quarterback in Mel Kiper's latest mock.

With the 2023 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, the amount of mock drafts will only continue to increase in the coming weeks as analysts gain more knowledge on which players different teams like.

The Seattle Seahawks are one of the more intriguing teams in most mock drafts as they own two first-round picks, and are fresh off a playoff appearance. As such, there is several directions they can go when they're on the clock.

In Mel Kiper's latest two-round mock draft, he has the Seahawks going defense with the No. 5 overall pick and No. 20 overall pick, taking a pair of defensive linemen with Georgia's Jalen Carter at No. 5 and Clemson's Myles Murphy at No. 20.

Carter has been a rather common mock draft pick for the Seahawks, potential off-field issues and work ethic aside. In his final season at Georgia, he recorded 32 total tackles including seven tackles for loss and three sacks to go with two forced fumbles.

As for Murphy, he put up similar numbers in his final college season with 40 total tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Adding both to a Seahawks that allowed 23.6 points per game on 361.7 yards of total offense last season would be a definite boost.

Those two first-round picks alone would be a solid haul for the Seahawks, but in Kiper's mock they aren't done there. They trade with the Philadelphia Eagles into the first round, receiving the No. 30 pick which they use on Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker. 

The Seahawks have been linked to drafting a potential quarterback to sit behind Geno Smith, and in this scenario they get their guy. Hooker burst onto the scene in his final season at Tennessee, throwing 3,135 yards with 27 touchdowns and a pair of interceptions while completing 69.6 percent of his passes.

Of course, he is coming off an ACL tear which could see him fall this far down boards and allow the Seahawks to scoop him up in the back half of the first round. But as a rookie, he could sit the sidelines and learn from Smith all while recovering from the injury.

While the Seahawks are far from guaranteed to trade back into the first round, they are in a position where doing so will not do more harm than good. That, plus their two-first round picks, puts Seattle in prime position to be a big winner in the draft.

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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