Seahawks Trade Down with Panthers, Bolster Defensive Line in Mock Draft

The Seattle Seahawks trade down with the Carolina Panthers to acquire a pair of prospects from the Clemson Tigers in a recent mock draft.

The Seattle Seahawks have the luxury of flexibility for the 2023 NFL Draft in April.

With the No. 5 overall pick, Seattle general manager John Schneider has many options to choose from in a talented draft class. But after the Seahawks' surprising season and run to the playoffs, the team might not find it necessary to hold steady at the current draft position when there are teams that could be willing to move up. 

This is exactly the approach the Seahawks take in the mock draft CBS Sports released Wednesday, as the site predicts Seattle will trade down with the Carolina Panthers to select Clemson Tigers defensive lineman Myles Murphy at No. 9.

With the newly-acquired No. 5 pick, the Panthers took Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud.

The Seahawks stood firm later in the first round with the selection of Bryan Bresee - another Clemson defensive lineman - at No. 20 overall.

Murphy helped spear-head a Clemson defense that was one of the better units statistically in college football this past season. The 6-5, 275-pound defensive end had 40 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two passes defended.

Right alongside him was Bresee. Despite only playing in eight games, he finished with 3.5 sacks and 15 total tackles. Had Bresee played the full season in 2022, he'd have been on a clear track to topping his sack total from the previous two seasons combined.

The Seahawks had the eighth-most sacks this season (45) and aren't necessarily in desperate need of elite pass-rushing threats. But the combined talent of both Clemson prospects might be too good to pass up on, especially for a Seattle defense that definitely needs to find its consistency in order to take the team to new heights.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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