Seahawks Draft Takeaways: Breaking down 3 moves on Day 2

Apr 28, 2023, 9:06 PM | Updated: Apr 29, 2023, 3:55 pm

Seattle Seahawks draft Zach Charbonnet...

UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet fends off USC's Max Williams on Nov. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks have made it through the first two days of the 2023 NFL Draft, and if you’re feeling something familiar, you’re not alone. The Seahawks always find a way to leave you scratching your head during the draft.

Seattle Seahawks Draft Breakdown: A look at every 2023 NFL Draft pick

That’s saying something considered they followed the blueprint of their very celebrated draft from a year ago, at least when it came to the second round. Just like in 2022, Seattle used the first of their two second-rounders on a pass rusher, then the second on a running back.

Where Seattle deviated from last year, though, was that they traded out of the third round. Even that was familiar, as the deal was with the Denver Broncos, a common trade partner of general manager John Schneider both in and out of the draft (in the words of Billy Gibbons, you know what I’m talking about).

Where do things stand after wrapping up Day 2? Let’s look at what Seattle Sports’ draft team of Michael Bumpus, Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton had to say as they broke down each move live on the air.

Takeaway 1: The mystery

Out of the four picks the Seahawks made through the first three rounds, the one that led to the most head scratching was Auburn pass rusher Derick Hall at No. 37 (a pick that, of course, came from Denver).

“The biggest mystery is the Auburn linebacker. I mean, nobody had him in their mock draft,” said Wyman, a former NFL linebacker who now serves as the Seahawks radio color commentator and co-hosts Seattle Sports’ Wyman and Bob.

Bumpus, a former NFL wide receiver who now is a Pac-12 Network analyst and co-host of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, had an interesting read on Hall.

“If there’s a pick out of these four guys who has the most pressure, it’s automatically Derick Hall,” Bumpus said, “because no one really had him on their radar. So that’s the pick where people can say ‘What’s going on?’ … because no one expected this. But you look at him and (know the Seahawks) saw something special in him. They saw something that fits what they want to do.”

Got ourselves a playmaker. 😤

We can't wait, @derick_hall9! pic.twitter.com/3CrcQnVcPk

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 29, 2023

Takeaway 2: A Seattle Seahawks type of RB

The Seahawks’ selection of UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet at No. 52 overall was received with enthusiasm by Bumpus, and Wyman wasn’t surprised to see it.

“I remember you talking about him during the season,” Wyman exclaimed to Bumpus.

So what is it about Charbonnet that Bumpus likes?

“He will make you miss, he will run through you,” he said. “He’s not going to blow by you, doesn’t have 4.3 speed, (but) he can run in between the tackles, get outside. … If you do not wrap this young man up, you are going to have problems.”

Zach Charbonnet 🚀😱

📺 ESPN
📱 https://t.co/WgMgckbE8c #Pac12FB x @UCLAFootball pic.twitter.com/VfTY3yE788

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 30, 2022

Charbonnet joins 2022 second-round pick Kenneth Walker Jr. in Seattle’s backfield.

“They need running backs, man. You gotta have a stable,” Wyman said. “You can’t just have just one guy that you’re rolling out there, and right now it’s (just) Ken Walker.”

Added Bumpus: “Now you’ve got a great 1-2 combo in the backfield. I’m really excited about this.”

Takeaway 3: Confidence in trading down

By sending the No. 83 overall pick in the third round to the Broncos, the Seahawks got back No. 108 in Saturday’s fourth round plus a 2024 third-round pick.

While the future third-rounder is the more valuable part of the return, Wyman knows based on Seattle’s history that Schneider could find a gem at 108.

“Just to kind of recap some of the numbers of where guys were selected, Tariq Woolen was No. 153, that was the fifth round,” Wyman said. “And then if you go back and look in time, guys like K.J. Wright were in the fourth round. Alton Robinson. Phil Haynes actually was a fourth-rounder, he’s a guy that they just signed (to an extension). … Richard Sherman, David Moore and Chris Carson, all really good players for the Seahawks. So yeah, there’s lots to come here, and with the trade back, I feel very confident that they are gonna come after the right players and be able to get them.”