The Seattle Seahawks are looking to reload ahead of their title defense campaign, but the team may not find their matches in the draft.
The Seattle Seahawks are gearing up for another run at a Super Bowl title. Before the season gets underway, the team has been attempting to tighten up any weak areas.
One of these easiest ways for Seattle, or any team in the NFL, to stock up on talent is through the NFL Draft. However, reports have indicated that the Seahawks are not feeling so optimistic about the incoming class.
After bringing home the Lombardi Trophy, the team gets the honor of choosing last in the draft's opening round. Outside of this final pick, Seattle only holds three other selections in the entirety of the draft at No. 64, 96, and 188.
Obviously this is a more than fair trade-off for capturing the franchise's second Super Bowl title. Many analysts had also floated the idea that Seattle could circumvent their low number of picks by trading down in the order in return for their higher picks.
With small but obvious holes to fill, the strategy makes sense on paper for a Seattle team with significantly less options than most other teams.
It also has been implemented before, as the team has traded down in the 2014, 2016 and 2019 NFL Drafts previously.
However, this new revelation could discredit the chances that general manager John Schneider attempts to stock up on selections this year.
While Seattle obviously has needs in this draft, their four selections could cover them tentatively.
Even if it doesn't, it doesn't seem to make much sense for the Seahawks to try and get a higher number of prospects just to fill out the roster, especially if they don't see some of these additions panning out long-term.
Regardless of how many picks or where they are picking, Seattle knows it needs help at running back, edge rusher and defensive back after key offseason departures.
Despite the reporting that Schneider and the Seahawks do not love the class as a whole, there are a few diamonds - or potentially emeralds - that the team has taken note of.
One of these is former Arkansas running back Mike Washington Jr., who has been linked to Seattle and has used one of the team's top 30 visits. He is currently listed as a third round pick, but with Seattle's limited spots and public interest, they could snag him off the board at No. 64 overall.
Other notable visitors include Texas A&M's edge rusher Cashius Howell and Tennessee's cornerback Colton Hood, who are both projected top-35 picks on draft night.
As the draft quickly approaches, the future for Seattle will become clearer. But it appears that they may already know who they are bringing home for their latest season.