THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Beef is the need, but Seahawks could pull a stunner and take Penix

You know that the NFL draft kicks off on Thursday night.

Amazingly, though, there are TWO separate drafts available to the Seahawks.

In the routine, no-surprise version, they decide that the guard or defensive tackle they covet likely will be available sometime after the Hawks’ first-round slot at No. 16.

GM John Schneider has a long history of trading down to add picks — unless a player he’s wanted all along will be sitting there when Seattle goes on the clock.

Yes, that could happen this time around.

Or, maybe that giant human being Schneider and new coach Mike Macdonald want to slug things out in the trenches will be waiting for them at the 16th pick.

You never quite know what’s on Schneider’s mind, but scouts and draft analysts suggest that Seattle probably would grab UW left tackle Troy Fautanu — with the idea of moving him to guard — if he falls to the Hawks in what could be a crazy first round.

On the other side of the ball, Macdonald is considered something of a genius building defenses, and he starts with what he calls the “run wall.”

If opponents can’t move on the ground, Macdonald has schemes to make them struggle — so big (very big), tough and skilled linemen are always somewhere in his field of vision.

The Seahawks, of course, have suffered recently with tissue-paper defenses against the run, so perhaps someone like Texas DT Byron Murphy would have appeal at No. 16.

DID YOU remember, though, that I mentioned an alternate universe containing a completely different draft?

In that other world of shock and awe, everyone sits up straight and makes a startled sound when commissioner Roger Goodell reads off the Seahawks selection.

“With the 16th pick in the 2024 NFL draft,” Goodell intones, “the Seattle Seahawks select Michael Penix Jr., quarterback, University of Washington.”

“Ooooooh!”

Oh, yes, oooooh, indeed.

There are pro football professionals who will tell you that Penix is not a first-round choice, that he is the fifth- or sixth-best quarterback in this draft.

But there are also people who believe Penix is a generational passer, and if you can feel certain about health (he’s had two shoulder procedures and two more on his knees) after two sturdy years at Washington, then what naysayers consider his flaws might not impact him in the NFL.

Understand this: John Schneider knows quarterbacks, and he is ALWAYS hunting for that special guy, a leader he can build around, and who can get the Hawks to a Super Bowl.

Even neutral analysts agree that Penix is the best pure passer in this draft, and some have suggested that he would be among the most gifted in the NFL the moment he steps on the field.

We don’t know exactly what Schneider thinks.

John is the guy who was dying to grab Patrick Mahomes, even though he had Russell Wilson in his prime.

He spotted Josh Allen at a pro day in Wyoming.

We DO know that Schneider’s mentor was longtime Green Bay personnel guru Ron Wolf, the exec who convinced Atlanta to trade him Brett Favre.

Schneider will have his own opinion, and not be swayed by the fact that the Athletic’s deep scouting work ended with Penix landing at No. 52 on their Big Board.

MAYBE Penix is not a long-term answer as the guy who can haul the Seahawks back to playoff prominence.

Maybe not.

But if there’s a chance that this is the magic QB that he needs, Schneider will know it — and he won’t be afraid to pull the trigger.

You can’t win big in the NFL without a star quarterback.

You simply can’t.

And Penix is prepared for the job.

“It is so rare in (college football) to come across a quarterback who is asked to do exactly what he would be asked to do in the NFL,” said FOX draft specialist Joel Klatt. 

“Normally, what we see are teams that have a far superior margin of talent, and those quarterbacks aren’t asked to sit there in the pocket and read full-field reads and attack down the field with leverage and accuracy and timing 15, 20, 25 times a game. 

“We don’t see that. We don’t see it.

“I get it. Penix has had some injuries in his past,” Klatt said. “But (it’s) the ability to attack a defense from the pocket — not just take what the defense gives, not just operate the offense. 

“This dude attacks the defense down the field with leverage. He’s constantly passing the ball — not throwing it, but passing the ball — to give his wide receiver better odds than the defender.”

Klatt’s verdict?

“If he goes to the right spot,” Klatt said, “I do believe Michael Penix can be a quarterback that leads a franchise to a potential Super Bowl.”

Amen.

I guarantee that if John Schneider feels the same way about Penix, there will be a shock on Thursday night.

That would be some fun.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through

Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”