Heaps: Seahawks can add ‘Day 1 starters’ to D-line, O-line with 1st 2 picks
Mar 7, 2022, 12:01 PM
Rams DT Aaron Donald is held back as Seahawks QB Russell Wilson looks to pass in a 2021 game. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
We’re less than two months away from the 2022 NFL Draft and the Seahawks and the rest of the football world were focused on the upcoming draft class as the NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up over the weekend.
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While it’s unclear what roster moves the Seahawks will make in free agency and in trades prior to the start of the draft, former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps believes Seattle is in good shape to land immediate contributors to the roster at key areas of need despite not having a first-round pick.
“I am really excited about the defensive line and offensive tackle market for the Seattle Seahawks with that pick,” Heaps said during Seattle Sports’ Jake and Stacy on Monday.
As has been the case for a few offseasons now, the offensive and defensive lines are positions the Seahawks will be looking to upgrade.
On the defensive line, the Seahawks had just three players record more than two sacks as the team finished 22nd in the NFL in sacks. On offense, the line struggled at times in 2021 and three of the five starters from last season are hitting free agency, including both offensive tackles.
When looking at defensive line prospects for the upcoming draft, Heaps is curious how the combine impacted when players at that position will be selected.
“What you witnessed with the combine this weekend is it didn’t change my perspective of the defensive line and defensive tackle market, but I wonder how it’s going to change in terms of the first round,” Heaps said. “Initially coming into the combine it was stated that there was going to be a ton of ‘freak shows’ that were going to test extremely well and just blow this thing up and you were going to have a massive run of defensive lineman taken in the first round. Well, it still could happen, but they didn’t necessarily blow it out of the water.”
Heaps believes the draft has “incredible depth” on the defensive line and at offensive tackle, which bodes well for the Seahawks, who pick 41st overall (second round) and 72nd overall (third round) on Day 2 of the 2022 NFL Draft.
“There are some guys there that I believe that ultimately can help propel this team forward,” Heaps said. “When you talk about roster construction, it’s not just about filling all of these positional needs via free agency. It is highlighting and pinpointing two guys that you believe can have a massive impact on your roster – two at the minimum – and then from there, can you fill it out with good acquisitions via free agency and can you find impact in the draft? And I believe in this draft, you can find some Day 1 starters in the second and third round, particularly at offensive tackle and defensive line. And that to me is really exciting because those are two massive needs for the Seattle Seahawks.”
