The 2023 NFL draft is now just three days away. The excitment going into the draft can only be matched by the relief of knowing mock draft season is finally coming to an end. To celebrate that fact, we put together one last seven-round mock draft for the Seahawks using the Pro Football Focus simulator.
As is often the case, a theme emerged after a few rounds – and we ended up picking several players who are relatively undersized but surprisingly productive nonetheless. Picks with an asterisk* by their name indicates the team held an official meeting at some point with that prospect. Here’s how our last mock of the year played out.
Pick No. 5: Florida QB Anthony Richardson
Fans who are wary of Richardson’s game should ignore the underwhelming stats and focus on positives and potential. At a bare minimum, Richardson would come into the league as a highly-productive rushing weapon. He’s also the most athletic quarterback prospect to come along since athletic testing became a thing. Richardson has pocket presence but needs time to develop the other finer points of QB play. Sitting behind Geno Smith for a season or two would give him all the time he needs to do so.
Pick No. 20: Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
One of the most-critical needs for the Seahawks going into this draft is finding a third capable pass-catching weapon to complement DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. An elusive and crafty route-running slot receiver would do the trick, as would a big and reliable pass-catching tight end. On the latter point, Dalton Kincaid (6-foot-4, 240 pounds) is the best option in this class. Kincaid caught 19 touchdowns during his first two years at San Diego and scored 16 more the last two seasons at Utah.
Pick No. 37: LSU EDGE BJ Ojulari*
Throughout the pre-draft process, Seattle held more meetings with edge prospects than any other position by a good margin. One of the most-recently reported meetings was with BJ Ojulari (6-foot-2, 248 pounds). Ojulari was uncommonly productive in college despite a lack of size and underwhelming athleticism for his position. In 31 games at LSU, he posted 16.5 sacks and 25.5 tackles for a loss.
Pick No. 52: Houston WR Nathaniel Dell
There are several wide receiver prospects who are ranked ahead of the relatively small Tank Dell (5-foot-8, 165 pounds). However, none of them put up better numbers last season. Dell led the nation in both receiving yards (1,398) and touchdown catches (17), and finished his college career with over 3,000 yards and 32 total touchdowns.
Pick No. 83: Florida State S Jammie Robinson*
Safety might not seem like a need heading into the draft. Then again, the Seahawks met with a bunch of highly-ranked safety prospects, so we should expect to see at least one picked – especialy now that Ryan Neal is out of the picture. Jammie Robinson (5-foot-11, 191 pounds) would offer depth at multiple spots. He played over 600 snaps each in the box, in the slot and deep. Robinson also comes equipped with ball skills, having totaled seven interceptions and 16 pass breakups in 47 games at Florida State.
Pick No. 151: ECU RB Keaton Mitchell*
With only two running backs currently on the roster, Seattle will definitely be hitting up this class for a rusher or two. Like Dell and Ojulari, Keaton Mitchell is a bit small for his position (5-foot-8, 179 pounds) but also produces a lot pound for pound. In 33 career games at ECU, he posted over 3,000 rushing yards and scored 25 touchdowns.
PIck No. 154: San Diego State DT Jonah Tavai
The interior defensive line has been priority No. 1 for the Seahawks this offseason, so it seems unlikely they will wait this long to pick one. There’s always a chance they can land a small conference gem on Day 3, though. At the very least, Jonah Tavai (6-foot-0, 295 pounds) was one of the most disruptive interior pass rushers in the nation. Over the last two years at San Diego State, he racked up 19 sacks and 28 tackles for a loss.
Pick No. 198: USC C Brett Neilon
Center is another spot we expect Seattle to target earlier in the draft. However, there will be viable options on Day 3. One of them is USC’s Brett Neilon (6-foot-2, 295 pounds). This past season he earned elite grades from PFF for both pass blocking (90.5) and run blocking (89.6).
Pick No. 237: Kentucky RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.
Every draft class has plenty of players who fall below their initial projections, for whatever reason. In our mock, Kentucky’s Chris Rodriguez Jr. (5-foot-11, 224 pounds) was the most notable name at the bottom of the pile. A consensus sixth-round pick, Rodriguez averaged 6.2 yards per carry and scored 33 touchdowns in college.
