JAKE AND STACY
How much movement should we expect from the Seahawks during draft?
We’re less than a week away from Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft and the Seahawks enter the festivities armed with a number of high draft picks.
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Not only does Seattle have the No. 9 pick – the franchise’s highest since 2010 – but the Seahawks also have picks 40 and 41 in the second round and pick 72 in the third round.
General manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll held their pre-draft press conference Thursday afternoon to discuss, among many things, the upcoming draft.
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Former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps of Seattle Sports 710 AM’s Jake and Stacy said the biggest takeaway from the press conference, by far, is that the Seahawks will be very flexible in the draft when it comes to their picks and potential trades.
“If you don’t have a player that you love at nine, don’t select and try and reach at nine if there’s an opportunity to gain more capital,” Heaps said Friday morning of Seattle’s first-round selection.
Heaps doesn’t think the Seahawks should trade down from nine to late in the first round, but that Seattle could take steps back to add more “ammo” in order to be aggressive later. He thinks the Seahawks may be a prime trade target for a team looking to secure a quarterback in the first round.
“I think the Seahawks are very open to moving from nine if they do not have a guy that they just fall in love with at nine,” he said. “I don’t think they’re sitting there saying, ‘We have to pick at nine no matter what.'”
Overall, Heaps is expecting the Seahawks to have “quite a bit of movement” when it comes to draft day trades.
“When I look at the Seattle Seahawks and how they maneuver, John Schneider on draft day, what we know is that he likes more bites at the apple, more opportunities to not only bring guys in to compete, but also the ability to go after and hunt for guys that they really, really feel can be difference makers,” Heaps said.
What Heaps means by that is while the Seahawks are known for trading down in drafts, particularly in the first round, they have shown an aggressive nature in trading up for players, especially in the second and third rounds. That’s shown on the current roster with star receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett as well as edge rusher Darrell Taylor.
During Thursday’s press conference, Schneider discussed not only what it’s like to have the No. 9 selection, but to have back-to-back picks early in the second round.
“Being able to have that flexibility with a second draft pick, especially in this year’s draft with the way things look to us, it does give you flexibility in picking back to back or being able to move around if we deem necessary,” Schneider said.
Heaps thinks that those two picks could be very key in terms of the Seahawks making notable trades.
“So again, the hint ‘move around, move around if we deem necessary.’ Where would you move? Well, you wouldn’t move backwards, you would move forward,” Heaps said. “And if they think there is a guy (who is) a clear difference maker in striking range, it would not take them much to pair pick 40 or 41 to get back into the late first round. So I agree with John Schneider that they have this benefit of back-to-back picks that gives them incredible flexibility. That’s what I’m going to be looking for. I believe that they will be incredibly active in terms of potentially moving back in or finding opportunities to move back into the first round late.”
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