How much of a hit to Seahawks is top pick dropping to No. 5?

The Seahawks had good reason to celebrate on Sunday as they clinched a return to the playoffs thanks to their victory over the Rams and the Lions’ win over the Packers, but it wasn’t all good news for them this weekend.

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With Denver knocking off the Los Angeles Chargers 31-28, the Broncos finished the year with a 5-12 record, moving up a few spots in the full NFL standings. That means the first-round pick that the Broncos are sending to Seattle for April’s NFL Draft dropped from No. 3 to No. 5.

While Hawks fans probably can’t complain too much considering how well the trade of Russell Wilson to Denver worked out this season, the fact remains that Seattle’s top draft pick landed in the lowest spot that was possible entering the final week of the NFL season.

How much of a hit is dropping those two spots?

“It is a big deal, there’s no question,” former NFL quarterback and current FOX football analyst Brock Huard said Monday during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. ” … There’s significant value there, and especially for (Seahawks general manager) John Schneider… once the season does end, he loves nothing more than manipulating that draft board and creating as much value as he possibly can.”

Not only does falling to No. 5 likely take the Seahawks out of the running for the biggest names in this draft class – Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud – but Huard said Seattle loses a lot in trade value with its top selection.

“To me, that’s where some of the biggest disappointment (lies),” Huard said, referring to how it’s less likely for a team to make a big trade for the No. 5 pick compared to the No. 3 selection. “… For me, it becomes more of just, ooh, man, if you’re the third team and someone falls in love with C.J. Stroud, or someone falls in love (with another player) and just will so grossly overpay, which does happen.”

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Mike Salk, Huard’s co-host on Brock and Salk, pointed out another way to look at it.

“There are four great names in this draft, and you have the fifth pick.”

Responded Huard: “Yeah, (but) that’s right now. I mean, between now and April there will inevitably be other names that rise, other names that fall to a degree.”

There’s one more reason the fall of the pick hurts Seattle, which is that the No. 3 pick ended up going to an NFC West rival. The Arizona Cardinals, who lost their last seven games and parted ways Monday with both head coach Kliff Kingsbury and general manager Steve Keim, finished the season with a 4-13 record.

“What else stinks is that the Arizona Cardinals snuck in there,” Huard said. “That dumpster fire and everything that happened with them – they’ve got Kyler (Murray), their franchise QB, and they were not in any way expected to pick in the top four. The fact that someone in your division fell so far, fell so swiftly here over the month of December and January into that spot, that also throws just a little bit of salt in that wound.”

You can hear Huard’s full response to that and two more Seahawks questions in the Blue 88 segment from Monday’s Brock and Salk in the podcast below. Blue 88 airs live at 7:45 a.m. each weekday on Seattle Sports 710 AM.

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