The current Seahawks most affected by the 2024 NFL Draft

There are fewer days until the draft than Phillip Rivers has children, and It’s setup to be another thriller.

While perhaps not as exciting as last year in terms of high-end capital, it’s still the first draft under Mike Macdonald and an unusual first-round projection leaves the Seattle Seahawks with a fascinating position at No. 16.

That being said, that first pick will have ripple effects throughout the roster - but the rest of the draft might impact players even more.

With a new regime and so many one-year contracts, which current players stand to lose (or gain) the most from the draft?

Geno Smith & Sam Howell

This will be the most clear. Either something big happens and the future face of the franchise falls in their lap; or he doesn’t. Smith will start 2024 regardless of what happens here. Probably every game. But who they take - or don’t - affects Smith’s chances at another contract extension, and may determine Howell’s future altogether.

I think if we’re all wrong about the top five quarterbacks and they find a way to get one, the team won’t bother with keeping three QBs on the roster. If it’s Spencer Rattler or Joe Milton, somebody in Round 4 or later, that’s more complicated. And more redundant, anyway.

The third choice is no quarterbacks taken. That leaves the door open for Geno Smith, or the takeover of Howell. Hmm.

Dre’Mont Jones & Cam Young

A good number of mock drafts have the Schneider moving back eight or so spots and taking someone like Byron Murphy II, possibly Jer’Zhan Newton.

I do wonder about the future of either of these interior line guys that Macdonald had no say in. Young saw so little playtime last year on a bad line behind older vets, and Jones is far overpriced - for how he played last season. This being said, I’m personally a believer that the disasterclass of defensive assignments last year did not help Dre Jones and he is one of the bigger candidates for a bounce-back season under Macdonald.

But if the top pick ends up being on the defensive line, and not an edge rusher, I have a hard time seeing Young ever finding the field much. Or, it could indicate I’m wrong about Jones and they’re looking forward to shedding another big contract next offseason.

Either linebacker

It’s weird to have two mainstay linebackers, then zero, and then two starters from different teams on one-year deals.

Best-case scenario is both Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson are monsters and get extensions next year. Far more likely scenario is that one of them earns that, and somewhere in between those is the likelihood that they both flame out.

Regardless, this is one of two positions where the team simply cannot leave the draft without an addition at LB.

Who that is, where they play, how quickly they catch up, all affects the stability of the room. Especially for Dodson, who notably didn’t play on third down in his previous role.

All the cornerbacks

Probably the piece of Macdonald’s reign I’m most excited to see unfold is positional creativity, especially in the secondary.

Devon Witherspoon is ideal for this. Woolen not as much, but hopefully he can figure out how to again be a lockdown corner on the outside.

That leaves significant room for a safety or corner (or two) to help fill out the flexibility that Macdonald has implemented both at Michigan and Baltimore.

Seattle currently has Mike Jackson, Tre Brown, Artie Burns, and Coby Bryant in the secondary. Only one of those guys has a contract beyond this season - Bryant. I’m sure there’s some anticipation to see whether Macdonald gets a versatile player he can work with for a few years.

Anthony Bradford, Olu Oluwatimi, Tremayne Anchrum Jr, Nick Harris, others

The unfortunate reality here is the team will be improved if somebody here loses a job. My preference is still for an offensive lineman early. I have no inclination whatsoever as to what John Schneider will actually do.

Here we go!