Biggest Additions: Kerry Hyder DE, Ahkello Witherspoon CB, Gabe Jackson G, Gerald Everett TE, Al Woods DT, retaining Carlos Dunlap DE
Biggest Losses: Shaquill Griffin CB, David Moore WR, Quinton Dunbar CB, Jarran Reed DT
Top Draft Needs: DE, DT, Corner, Left Guard
The hated Seahawks. Our biggest rival and my favorite team for us to beat. It seems no matter who is on the roster as long as Russel Wilson is at QB this team will always give us fits. By no means do I fear this team but if we can avoid them in the playoffs let’s just say I wouldn’t hate it.
Now similar to the Rams they don’t have a first-round pick because of the Jamal Adams trade. I thought giving up 2 first-round picks and a 3rd round pick for a safety was absolute BLASPHEMY, as a 49er fan I am happy they did it. That is the same amount of draft capital we gave up to get a franchise QB yet, everyone seems to be saying the 49ers gave up the world. But I digress, in this blog we are here to talk Seattle.
Let’s start with the additions made. I thought trading for a solid guard in Gabe Jackson and getting a savvy veteran Everett at TE were both sneaky good moves. The offense, even though it did struggle at the end of the year, was not their biggest issue. When you have Wilson, Carson, Metcalf, and Lockett you have the potential to put up 30 in any game. Defensively, their biggest additions were ex-49ers. Kerry Hyder played great last year for the Niners, but he seems like a prime candidate for regression, or should I say back to reality for him. Witherspoon however, I thought was a nice signing especially after losing Shaquill Griffin to Jacksonville. I always thought Witherspoon would develop into an All-Pro for the 49ers, but he simply wasn’t consistent enough for us to bring back. The best move they made was bringing back Carlos Dunlap, who before the trade deadline last year I forgot was even still in the league. He seemed to be the spark for that defense because after the trade they were one of the better units in the entire NFL.
Speaking of that defense they took some major blows to key players this offseason. Shaquill Griffin who has been their top corner the past few years gets a nice pay day in Jacksonville. While Witherspoon is good for depth not sure he is ready to be any team's true number one corner. The loss of David Moore won’t make any headlines but every time I watched this team play, he just seemed like a nice player who makes plays. Won’t blow you away with athleticism but good hands and comes up in big moments. With an NFL low of only 3 draft picks this year I don’t see any great options to replace him either. The biggest loss came from losing Jarran Reed to the Chiefs. A dynamic playmaker on the inside who just three years ago had a 10-sack season and produced 6.5 sacks in 2020 while never missing a game in his 5-year career. Great pick-up for the Chiefs and now a big hole on already a very weak defensive line for Seattle.
As far as the draft goes it won’t take much analysis as they have a league-low 3 picks and only one of value, second-round pick #56. My guess is they go defensive line, but Seattle has a history of making bizarre picks such as Rashard Penny 27th overall in 2018 and last year selecting an off-ball linebacker Jordyn Brooks also 27th overall. Not the best decision-making on draft day from this organization, so I’d expect more of the same in just 6 days.
Unfortunately, this team still has Russel Wilson, DK Metcalf, Lockett, Bobby Wagner, and Jamal Adams so I predict them to once again be a playoff team and provide some great games versus the 49ers (hopefully like the 2019 games!). I don’t see the Rams or Cardinals able to pass Russel quite yet and have Seattle as a Wild Card team.
Verdict: 2nd place in the NFC West