The Seahawks nailed the 2023 draft with Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, but would the franchise make the same selections if it was armed with information it knows now?
The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the better teams at drafting over the past couple of years, with general manager John Schneider making several superb picks.
We know the unpredictability of the draft, and how it can impact a team and how they select their player, and the Seahawks have generally been one team that has hit home run after home run, especially in the first round.
But if the Seahawks had their time again, would they still make those same selections?
We are at the point in the NFL offseason where slow news days are common, and CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson has compiled a redraft of the 2023 draft class just in the first round.
Granted, Seattle managed to secure Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Devon Witherspoon, so you could make the case that Schneider would make those two selections again.
But Wilson thinks otherwise, and at No. 5, where Seattle took Witherspoon, it now takes running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
"Man, the Seahawks had such a good 2023 draft, and it'll be hard to match the real-life picks of Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba," Wilson wrote.
"But Jahmyr Gibbs isn't a bad start, even with the team drafting Jadarian Price in Round 1 last month. Remember: Zach Charbonnet was injured last season, and more importantly for our purposes, he's a member of the 2023 draft class, so he's technically a free agent."
Could you imagine Gibbs in this Seattle offense?
A three-time Pro Bowler in his three NFL seasons, Gibbs, you could make the case is one of the best backs in football.
He's posted 3,580 rushing yards and 39 TDs, but as we know, Gibbs' value isn't limited to running the football, where he's averaged 5.3 yards per carry across his career.
He's also a good receiver.
Over 50 receptions in each year, coupled with over 500 yards and at least 4 TDs in his last two seasons, there isn't much Gibbs can do. And having that sort of production in the Seahawks' offense would give Sam Darnold a terrorizing weapon.
Remember, Seattle had two first-round picks, so after taking Gibbs, the franchise took safety Brian Branch, a Pro Bowl corner with the Detroit Lions.
So, Seahawks fans, I'll ask you this.
Would you keep Smith-Njigba and Witherspoon from the 2023 draft?
Or swap them out for Gibbs and Branch?
That is a genuine conversation starter.
