High Five: Seahawks Trade Down in NFL Draft Projection

NFL.com proposes a trade in which the Seattle Seahawks move down from one of their first-round picks to acquire more selections.

The Seattle Seahawks will certainly field calls from NFL teams about their No. 5 overall pick in the upcoming draft. But, according to NFL.com, they are much more likely to move off the selection they own at No. 20.

On its list of "first-round trades that would make sense", the website projects Seattle orchestrating a deal with the Buffalo Bills. The trade would send the Seahawks' No. 20 pick to Buffalo, in exchange for Picks No. 27, 91 (third round) and 137 (fifth).

As for Buffalo's desire to move up, NFL.com cites the desperation to improve now in the wake of losing in the AFC's Divisional Round the last two seasons. Bills' general manager Brandon Beane surely regrets last April when the Kansas City Chiefs leap-frogged them in the 2022 draft to take burgeoning star cornerback Trent McDuffie.

What's the advantage of the trade for the Seahawks? Explains NFL.com:

Seattle GM John Schneider has a history of moving back in the first round. At No. 27, the Seahawks can still find an offensive lineman, cornerback or edge rusher who meets their needs. As for where the third- and fifth-rounders factor in, Schneider also has a history of trading mid-round selections to climb the ladder in Round 2, doing so to acquire players like defensive tackle Jarran Reed in 2016, receiver D.K. Metcalf in 2019 and edge rusher Darrell Taylor in 2020.

For the deal to work, of course, the Bills would have to identify a player they want to draft at No. 20 that they believe would not still be available at No. 27. Conversely, the Seahawks would have to be confident in not only gaining extra draft picks, but also maintaining the ability a player they covet still being on the board seven picks later at No. 27.

This is the residual beauty of the Russell Wilson trade. The Seahawks have ammunition, leverage and - in this scenario - potential trade suitors.

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