JAKE AND STACY
Heaps: The ‘golden scenario’ for Seahawks in 1st round of draft
The Seahawks hold their highest pick in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2010, but what are they going to do with the No. 9 overall selection?
Could “unique” DT Jordan Davis be an option for Hawks in first round?
Will Seattle address a key position of need on defense by adding a top edge rusher, cornerback or linebacker? What about selecting an offensive tackle to replace Duane Brown? Or could the Seahawks do something the franchise hasn’t done since 1993 and draft a quarterback in the first round?
More than anything, though, what’s the best-case scenario for the Seahawks in the first round? Former NFL quarterback Jake Heaps broke it down during Tuesday’s Jake and Stacy on Seattle Sports 710 AM.
“The golden scenario would be for the Seattle Seahawks to be able to trade down a couple spots with a very quarterback-needy team, a team that’s going to panic, and a team that’s going to want to trade up and snag pick No. 9,” Heaps said.
Yes, the Seahawks have needs across the board – including at quarterback – but Heaps thinks Seattle should be looking to acquire more high-end draft capital this year.
If the Seahawks are to trade down from pick No. 9, Heaps said they must acquire at least a mid-first-round draft pick as well as a second- or third-round pick.
The additional Day 2 pick is key, Heaps said, for Seattle potentially being aggressive in trading up.
“They can use (that pick) either to trade up more on Day 2 or to trade back into the first round,” he said. “I think that that is ultimately the thing that would be the best-case scenario for the Seattle Seahawks where they could still land their guy.”
Heaps said the Seahawks may be able to still acquire a top player at a position of need by trading down in the first round, especially if teams start drafting quarterbacks early.
“Let’s say (Florida State edge rusher) Jermaine Johnson, for whatever reason, slides out of nowhere and they feel like they can get him a couple spots later. You get him a couple spots later, you identify one of your needs with a bonafide pass rusher, and you’re able to acquire another second-round pick, another Day 2 pick to your arsenal,” he said. “That would be a major golden opportunity and major win for the Seattle Seahawks.”
A run of quarterbacks in the draft could start as early as the second pick as the Detroit Lions have been a common landing spot for Malik Willis in mock drafts. Heaps said that could greatly benefit the Seahawks.
“The domino effect it could end up having is that you look at the quarterbacks becoming more of the priority because teams start to panic,” he said. “(Teams may start thinking) ‘Oh, a quarterback got taken? Well, now, I don’t know if Kenny Pickett is going to be there. I don’t know if Desmond Ridder is going to be there.’ So now there’s more of an urgency by someone like the New Orleans Saints, for example, who start to feel like they have to pull the trigger and get themselves up into higher in the first round … and if one of those guys gets selected early, that’s going to trigger a chain reaction which could benefit the Seattle Seahawks.”
Listen to the second hour of Tuesday’s Jake and Stacy at this link or in the player below.
Seahawks Draft Primer: Everything you need to know about Seattle, top prospects
