Who are the top LBs in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Seahawks probably will draft a linebacker, but will they do it with their first pick? Seaside Joe 1864
In 2020, no mock drafts had the Seahawks selecting Jordyn Brooks in the first round.
NFL’s Daniel Jeremiah had Seattle picking cornerback Trevon Diggs and noted that they will probably trade down. Lance Zierlein predicted Yetur Gross-Matos and noted that they will probably trade down. Bucky Brooks also went with Gross-Matos. Chad Reuter went with Houston tackle Josh Jones, an eventual third round pick. Another NFL.com writer, Charley Casserly, chose running back Jonathan Taylor for the Seahawks. Wrapping up that website, Peter Schrager had Seattle trading down with Green Bay and selecting Darrell Taylor, so he was actually the closest to being correct; the Seahawks chose Taylor one round later.
SI’s Kevin Hanson said Gross-Matos, who ended up being the 38th pick. Albert Breer had nothing different to say, mocking Gross-Matos to Seattle.
My old friend Danny Kelly, a Seahawks fan with the perspective of knowing the organization’s tendencies under Pete Carroll and John Schneider, went with tackle Isaiah Wilson for The Ringer. That was a much bigger disaster avoided than picking an above-average linebacker. Danny didn’t go with Jordyn Brooks because he had the Texas Tech linebacker going 53rd to the Eagles, which was the most common area of mock drafts you would find him four years ago.
Matt Miller had the Seahawks picking edge A.J. Epenesa but said “you can never rule out an offensive tackle for Seattle”. So PFF’s Mike Renner had the Seahawks picking Ezra Cleveland in the first round, a tackle turned guard who the team opted to not pursue in free agency last month. Renner had Brooks going 52nd to the Rams. Mel Kiper’s final mock draft for ESPN that year had the Seahawks picking Tee Higgins. Previously he had the them selecting Gross-Matos and Justin Madubuike in versions 2 and 3, respectively. Todd McShay had the Seahawks picking K’Lavon Chaisson. Peter King had the Seahawks picking Gross-Matos.
My favorite thing about mock drafts is how predictive and useful they are.
Nobody was connecting the Seattle Seahawks to linebackers in 2020, not Brooks or Patrick Queen (who was maybe the only prospect outside the top-6 who most analysts seemed to get right) or Kenneth Murray or Zack Baun. Why not?
As I said recently because this is how 99% of mock drafts are made: “Me look at depth chart, me make pick for team.”