THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: My two-year plan to rebuild the Seahawks
Let’s get one admission out of the way.
Unlike Mel Kiper and dozens of other folks who study potential NFL draftees for a living, I’m just a guy working with one critical tool.
Common sense.
Here’s another admission …
If you go public with predictions about how the draft will roll out – say, for the Seahawks – you’re almost begging to get something hilariously wrong, and have to fight through a gazillion emails from readers who can’t stop giggling.
Oh, but if you get it right …
Just one time.
Well, I assume ESPN, Disney and another handful of content providers surely must start bidding for your services, yes?
And here’s the thing …
If there ever was a year to call your shot, this is it.
This 2022 draft has the professionals — scouts and experts who spend thousands of hours looking at tape — stumbling around with only vague ideas on how it’s all going to shake out.
SO, WHY shouldn’t I try to hit football’s version of the lottery?
All I have to lose is my dignity.
But, boys and girls, it feels like the Seahawks almost HAVE to take a certain path here, so I’m going to pop off, share that plan with you, and then …
Either take some bows after next weekend, or go spend a month in Bangladesh — smoking tree trunks and chanting in anonymity with whatever group of locals will take me off the street.
C’mon …
Let’s do this.
Ready to go out on a limb with me?
Great.
OK, I’m starting with two major assumptions …
First, that this Seahawks rebuilding plan requires a two-year effort.
Forget a playoff run this fall, everyone.
The second assumption is that they need to find their next franchise quarterback.
We’ll get to that in a minute.
Now, here’s something to consider at each step …
Pete Carroll and John Schneider aren’t guys who will fool themselves into hoping for a miracle.
They need several key pieces added to the roster, and even with eight draft choices this year — including Nos. 9, 40, and 41 overall — that won’t get it all done.
I BELIEVE Pete was telling the truth when he assessed the future this way …
"This is an extraordinary opportunity for us to help our franchise, which is what we're here to do," Carroll said of the 2022 and 2023 draft capital acquired in the Russell Wilson trade.
"We're doing everything we can to make it as good as we can possibly make it.
"We've got to make this the most competitive roster in the NFL, that's what we're out to do, and that means all the way through the ranks.
“That means you're going to get young, but we're going to mix it with a group of experienced players as well. “That's the chemistry we have to create."
Beyond the commitment to youth, note that Pete was referring to draft opportunities over the next two cycles.
Remember, Seattle has the Broncos’ first- and second-round picks in 2023.
If you’re thinking that those selections probably won’t be too rich, what with Wilson added to Denver’s already salty talent pool, um …
The Broncos play in the brutal AFC West (which guarantees some losses), and this year they draw the NFC West in the crossover schedule.
That’s the Rams, 49ers and Cardinals (yep, and Seattle) in addition to their rugged divisional gauntlet.
In other words, Denver’s picks in ’23 might be more attractive that you suspect.
NOW, WHO might be the quarterback to lead the Seahawks out of the wilderness and back into the regular playoff contention — you know, that routine fans have enjoyed for a full decade?
Again, bear in mind that this must be a two-year development process.
Unless Carroll covets Baker Mayfield and the Hawks are waiting for him to be released, Seattle’s next QB1 — by simple elimination — has to be Drew Lock (yes, it’s possible) or someone they pluck out of this year’s draft.
When you consider that the Seahawks do not necessarily need a quarterback to step in and play immediately — draftniks think Pitt’s Kenny Pickett and Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati are probably closest to that description — the field opens up considerably.
Specifically, it brings the exciting (but VERY raw) Malik Willis into the equation.
There is almost universal agreement that Liberty’s Willis, who has a cannon arm and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45, owns the highest ceiling in this draft, but any team selecting him would have to be patient, and …
Also …
Not loaded enough at other positions that the QB has to be a guy you could picture in THIS season’s Super Bowl.
Now, then, back to Seattle’s two-year view of things.
The Seahawks MIGHT be able to snag Willis with the No. 9 pick on Thursday night …
But the key word there was “might.”
YOU CAN find naysayers who think Willis might drop all the way to the second round, but IF Seattle really does want him, Schneider needs to be bold.
Several draft experts have speculated that the Seahawks might be willing to work out something with Carolina at No. 6, trading up to make fairly certain they can get Willis — the classic two-season project type of player who eventually can lead you to the Promised Land.
Think of Patrick Mahomes, chosen at No. 10 and then sitting out basically an entire season before being turned loose on the NFL.
Carolina, by the way, also needs a QB and has been linked with Pickett — so, fine, he would be available at No. 9 after an exchange of picks.
Look, I can’t swear that Carroll wants Willis.
I DO know, however, that Seattle has to find a generational quarterback to jump-start its next glory era.
In years when there is no real consensus about talent at that critical position, that’s when a savvy organization can strike — and get “The Guy” who will be special.
So, there you have it, my look at how the Seahawks will approach an absolutely critical draft.
Grab Malik Willis, let him play a year behind Lock while you build out the rest of the roster — and don’t forget that Seattle got two more terrific players from the Broncos, TE Noah Fant and DL Shelby Harris.
The Seahawks are close.
Two years and a quarterback away.
No problem.
Email: [email protected]
Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published monthly during the offseason.
Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”