Mel Kiper predicts QB, OLB to Seahawks in first mock draft

Jan 25, 2023 - 6:00 PM

It’s no secret that the Seattle Seahawks hold a pair of first round picks in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft, and the big questions for fans are how those teams will use those picks in order to improve the roster. On the tails of a successful 2022 draft, the Hawks front office will be looking to again bolster the roster, and fans have been looking forward to how the team will deploy both of its first round selections since they were acquired from the Denver Broncos last spring.

With draft season having nearly arrived, mock draft season has begun, and Mel Kiper of ESPN has released the first draft of his 2022 mock draft, and has the Seahawks adding a pair of players from the SEC.

Kiper’s full mock draft is behind a paywall, but the sneak peak of the first ten picks gives an idea of where many of the bigger names will go. Obviously, the Seahawks could no longer be in the quarterback market if they come to terms on a long-term contract extension with Geno Smith between now and late April, but for now the Hawks have zero quarterbacks under contract for the 2023 season so Will Levis could make sense. John Schneider has a type at quarterback and Levis fits that mold, so it would not be completely out of left field.

As for how the Seahawks use the second of their first round selections in this draft, Kiper projects they will use it on outside linebacker Byron Young from Tennessee, who is a 25 year old who will be playing in the Senior Bowl and is currently a projected Day 2 pick by most. That would seem to put him right up the alley of the historic draft trends for the Seahawks in recent years, though it would seem unlikely given the shift in draft strategy in 2022.

In any case, it’s just another data point for fans to dissect and discuss in the coming months as there is plenty of time before the first round of the draft gets started in Kansas City on April 27.