Seahawks Draft Picks: Rounds 4-5

Updates on all of Seattle's picks in Rounds 4-5: Seaside Joe 1519

The “high-character” draft of the Seattle Seahawks continued in the fourth and fifth rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft, but that doesn’t mean that John Schneider has forgotten that sometimes prospects can also have insane athleticism:

After picking CB Devon Witherspoon, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, DE Derick Hall, and RB Zach Charbonnet in rounds one and two, then trading back in round three, here’s what the Seahawks have done in the first half of day three. I’ve included The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s summaries on all four of these prospects, including two offensive linemen and two defensive linemen in rounds four and five.

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4.108 - G Anthony Bradford, LSU

In short: Rotation/competition for Phil Haynes, friends with Damien Lewis

Bradford is an elite athlete at the guard position and that’s likely where he will stick. Though he played some at left tackle, he is probably going to stick at guard at the NFL and lacks positional versatility, part of the reason he was still available in round four. However, Seattle needs guards so that’s fine for Pete Carroll.

Doug Farrar says Bradford “loves to pancake dudes” and “is evil on pulls” so he should be an ideal man to play next to Abe Lucas. If so, it would be the second time he’s teamed up on the same offensive line with Damien Lewis, another former Tigers guard.

The Seahawks cut Gabe Jackson this offseason and re-signed Phil Haynes to a one-year, $4 million contract, so I could see Bradford immediately filling the role that Jackson had in 2022: Split time at right guard with Haynes. Rather than merely sitting behind Haynes, Seattle may like the idea of a rotation and one that allows Bradford to get the experience that he desperately needs.

But he may yet have a future as Lewis’s replacement, as he will also be a 2024 free agent. It’s a clear need given that Lewis and Haynes will be free agents next year, but Bradford could have also been one of the top-5 best available players at 108.

Dane Brugler’s The Beast report:

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at LSU, Bradford played primarily at right guard in offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock’s zone-based scheme. The first recruit out of Michigan to sign with the Tigers in over 10 years, he played sparingly his first two seasons and became a starter as a sophomore and junior, moving around as LSU played musical chairs on its offensive line because of injuries. Bradford is a heavy player, but he isn’t a slug and explodes off the snap with the core strength and girth to control defenders in the run game. However, he is fundamentally a work in progress and needs to play with better balance and lower-body bend to adjust to moving targets in his pass sets (spends too much time on the ground). Overall, Bradford offers tackle experience, but he is at his best in confined quarters, where he can trust his wide frame and move bodies with sheer force. Although he might not be ready from the get-go, he offers intriguing NFL potential that can be cultivated.

4.123 - DT Cameron Young, Mississippi State

In short: Run defense, long arms

The concerns that Seattle wasn’t doing anything to help fill their “thinnest” (but not thinnest) position group was answered with the Seahawks other fourth round pick, selecting defensive tackle Cameron Young out of Mississipppi State—same school as Charles Cross. There has been a “same school” theme in the last couple of drafts actually. Which you’ll see again in round five.

Twitter user “Bobby Football” described Young as a “run-stuffing nose tackle and 1-tech” which gives some credence to the idea that Seattle wants to stick to a 3-4, if so. Young is in the 88th-percentile for arm length at the position. Young starred at the Senior Bowl—another theme for Seahawks picks—and he could have easily gone on day two without anyone flinching.

Dane Brugler’s The Beast report, Young was his 13th-ranked DT:

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Mississippi State, Young lined up as the nose guard in former defensive coordinator (now head coach) Zach Arnett’s 3-3-5 base scheme. After an ACL injury disrupted his development as an underclassman, he showed promising growth the past two years as a starter, averaging 41.4 defensive snaps per game. With his long arms and body strength, Young forces the issue at the snap while also displaying the instincts to feel blocking pressures and find the football. However, his tall pads are a detriment and will make it easier for NFL blockers to control him. Young is a heavy, upright mover, which will limit his ability to make plays on the football, but his forceful punch and balance through contact are NFL traits. He has two-gapping traits to provide immediate depth as a nose or play head up over the tackle.

5.151 - DE Mike Morris, Michigan

In short: Run defense, following Aidan Hutchinson/David Ojabo

Big Ten schools include: Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State, and Minnesota. The Seahawks have picked seven players in the last two years out of these schools and the draft isn’t over yet. If we include Charbonnet, who transferred from Michigan, that’s eight.

Morris’s favorite team growing up was The Legion of Boom.

Morris says he expects to play 3-tech/4i for the Seahawks, putting him in a position group somewhere around Dre’Mont Jones and Jarran Reed. Seattle’s defensive line has now added Hall, Young, and Morris in the last two days. Before that, the Seahawks signed Jones and Reed. It’s not out of the question that they will bring back Al Woods and/or Poona Ford. It’s a new group.

Morris is Brugler’s 25th-ranked DE prospect:

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Michigan, Morris lined up as an edge defender in defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s scheme and was flexed inside and on his feet. With Aidan Hutchinson and David Ojabo off to the NFL, he stepped up as the Wolverines’ top pass rusher in 2022 and led the team in pressures, sacks and tackles for loss, which earned him the Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year Award. As a pass rusher, Morris accelerates quickly with his first two steps and jars blockers off balance with his hands, although his high pads tend to work against him. In the run game, he has the frame, length and active hands to hold the point and anchor, but his run production was underwhelming (averaged just 1.5 tackles per game over the last two seasons). Overall, Morris doesn’t currently rush with savvy and needs to broaden his assortment of moves, but he is a nimble-footed power rusher with the scheme-diverse traits to be a sound run defender. He has the talent to be a rookie rotational end with NFL starting upside.

5.154 - C Olu Oluwatimi, Michigan

In short: Won awards as nation’s top center, position of need, high character

The Seahawks have never started a rookie center and signing Evan Brown in the offseason means that Pete won’t have to put Oluwatimi out there this season. But knowing Pete, he will give him every opportunity to beat Brown for the job.

Another Senior Bowl player, Oluwatimi is going to compete and it might come down to him or Joey Hunt to make the final 53-man roster. This is a good area of the draft to fill depth at center and clearly the Seahawks didn’t feel pressured—as they never do—to draft Joe Tippmann, John Michael Schmitz, or literally any center in the top-50 picks. Pete went off-grid to pick a cornerback in the top-5, but didn’t feel enamored enough to pick a center earlier than this. Oluwatimi is maybe as best as you can get this late in the draft.

Onto Brugler:

SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Michigan, Oluwatimi was an ideal fit at center in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s power-spread offense. After an All-American junior season at Virginia, he took his talents to Ann Arbor for the 2022 season and stocked his shelves with the Rimington Award (nation’s top center), Outland Trophy (nation’s top interior lineman) and the Joe Moore Award (nation’s top offensive line). Oluwatimi shows a natural understanding of blocking angles and works hard to stay in between ball and defender. However, he doesn’t create consistent spacing in the run game and lacks ideal range and sustain skills as a pass blocker. Overall, Oluwatimi doesn’t have the position versatility, explosiveness or point of attack power that most NFL teams desire, but he is a cerebral, assignment-sound blocker with A-plus character. He is a potential rotational center in the NFL.

I’ll post part two later on Saturday. Share Seaside Joe with other Seahawks fans and thank you to all those who have been able to support by upgrading to premium! Consider getting someone in need a gift subscription too!