The Seattle Seahawks and John Schneider could not hide their excitement after selecting Byron Murphy, DL Texas in the first round. He was clearly the best interior defensive lineman in the entire draft and somehow fell to them at pick 16. However, the team still has some significant remaining needs heading into day two. Where will the team go next in the 2024 NFL Draft?
The Seahawks are on the clock just once on Friday with zero picks in round two and just one in round three as day two kicks off at 7 p.m. ET.
- No. 81 overall (via the Broncos through Saints)
Let's dive into the biggest remaining needs for the Seahawks to see where general manager John Schneider may lean with his next selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
1. Guard
The Seattle Seahawks bring back very little starting experience from last year's squad on the interior offensive line as a whole. Anthony Bradford is one of the worst projected starting guards in the league too, so he hardly counts. They did bring in the experienced Laken Tomlinson from the Jets, but he's 32 years old and not a long-term option. If there are any injuries whatsoever at guard the Seahawks are going to be trotting out practice squad level talents. If Seattle wants to have any hope in keeping Geno Smith upright this year they have to invest in the interior offensive line.
Potential Targets: Christian Haynes (UConn), Mason McCormick (South Dakota State), Zak Zinter (Michigan)
2. Center
Olu Oluwatimi has started just one game and is likely not be the long-term option at center for the Seahawks. He performed pretty well in limited work for pass protection, but looks completely lost getting off the ball in run blocking. There are a handful of strong natural centers with power and pass pro ability available on day two of the 2024 NFL Draft, so if guard isn't the selection center makes a ton of sense.
Potential Targets: Zach Frazier (West Virginia), Sedrick Van Pran (Georgia), Beaux Limmer (Arkansas)
3. Linebacker
If there is a run on interior offensive lineman and the Seahawks miss out they could pivot their attention towards linebacker. The team did just sign Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker to short-term deals, but they certainly need to find a strong leader of the defense who could be their foundation moving forward. The depth of this linebacker class isn't great, but the top four or so options would be incredible every down players immediately.
Potential options: Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M), Junior Colson (Michigan), Payton Wilson (NC State), Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (Clemson), Cedric Gray (North Carolina)
Be looking for more Seattle Seahawks coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to watch some Byron Murphy highlights to get pumped for his NFL future with the Seattle Seahawks just check out the video below!
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