With just 10 days to go before the 2023 NFL draft, teams are desperately trying to throw the scent off what their intentions are. That makes any reporting difficult to take too seriously, but for what it’s worth, all signs are pointing toward the Seahawks picking a defensive lineman at No. 5 overall.
For one thing, last week ESPN reported that fans should expect to see a DL pick at that spot rather than a top quarterback prospect. Now we have a nugget from Peter King’s Football Morning in America column that says many around the league believe the Seahawks will take Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
An increasing number of people around the league think Jalen Carter has done enough in his visits to not sink like a stone on draft night. (More on Carter in my next section.) It’s become almost a cliché, how many team officials think the Seahawks will take Carter with the fifth overall pick.
Carter is the consensus best player in this draft class. However, a misdemeanor reckless driving charge and a poor showing at his pro day raised speculation of a potential drop on draft night. For his part, Carter doesn’t believe it’ll happen – as he’s refused to meet with any teams that aren’t picking in the top 10.
Again, we can’t take any reporting as gospel this close to the draft, but Carter does make sense for Seattle on several levels. He fits what has been their No. 1 priority so far this offseason: overhauling their interior defensive line rotation. They won’t get a better free agent at this point, and he’s far and away the top interior defensive lineman in this class.
Former first-round pick Malik McDowell has been brought up as a cautionary tale in regard to picking Carter, but that’s quite a reach. If Carter is there and Anthony Richardson isn’t, this will be a no-brainer.
