Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: 7-Round Predictions, Post Combine

The 2015 NFL Scouting Combine is still ongoing—it's set to run through Feb. 23rd—as the largest gathering of the upcoming NFL draft's prospects. The top prospects either set themselves apart or did what was expected of them, with the usual spattering of athletic freaks at certain positions.

Overall, things have not changed drastically in regards to where players are expected to be drafted in the upcoming NFL draft set to commence on April 30th. The Seattle Seahawks are a talent-laden team with little to worry about in regards to its core talent, but the team has holes to fill in key rotational positions.

What the team does in free agency will eventually help create a clearer picture of what to expect from Seattle's draft, but as things stand now the team could use more dynamic talent at the offensive skill positions and will be looking for depth for several defensive units.

Let's take a very early look at who the Seahawks could be targeting through all seven rounds of the draft.

First Round, Pick 31: WR Devin Funchess, MIchigan

The 2014 draft class of first-round wide receivers was impressive, giving rise to the notion that the Seattle Seahawks can draft a prospect with the 31st overall pick to help the team's receiving corps immediately. 

As I noted a few weeks ago, Seattle has been looking to add more dynamic receiving options to its offense for several seasons now. They signed WR Sidney Rice and TE Zach Miller and traded first-, third- and seventh-round draft picks to acquire Percy Harvin. 

Seattle has since bid adieu to Rice and Harvin but has seen a quality young receiver leave and blossom elsewhere in Golden Tate. General manager John Schneider ended up settling for the measly haul of one mid-round draft choice for Harvin.

The series of roster transactions and attempted transactions is clear evidence of management's desire to provide Russell Wilson with better receiving weapons. 

The 2015 class of receiver prospects showed well during the scouting combine this past weekend. Schneider spoke highly of current Seattle receivers Chris Matthews and Kevin Norwood in a recent interview with ESPNs Terry Blount.

University of Michigan receiver Devin Funchess would provide the team with another big target that possesses deep speed. Funchess was measured to be 6'4", 232 pounds at the combine. Here's what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had to say:

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Has mismatch-caliber size, but lack of vertical talent and below-average hands might negate the size to an extent. Funchess was used outside and inside at Michigan and had success from the slot. He has the feel of a hybrid player who can be a big guy at wide receiver or a mismatch nightmare as a move tight end with more weight on his rangy frame. 

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Second Round, Pick 63: DE Nate Orchard, Utah

The Seahawks have several defensive linemen set to become free agents when the market opens up on March 10, including Kevin Williams, Demarcus Dobbs, D'Anthony Smith, O'Brien Schofield and Greg Scruggs. Though the loss of Williams and Smith would likely call for a replacement to be brought in, the defensive end position could use an influx of talent to add to the rotation.

Utah's Nate Orchard had an 18.5-sack campaign in 2014 after racking up just 3.5 sacks in 2013, standing at 6'4" and 255 pounds. The sudden outburst in production will leave questions about whether he's capable of maintaining his pass-rush ability, but he would have time to develop as a third end in Seattle.

The Seahawks relied too heavily on the pass-rush production of Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril in 2014 and need to be able to rely on help from the unit's depth. Here's what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein has on Orchard:

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Teams will either be wary of Orchard's single season of sack dominance or they will view it as an indicator of growth and potential stardom. Orchard will be below average against the run, but his draft grade and paycheck will be tied to his athleticism and pass-rush talent. If he can develop counter moves, he has big potential. If not, he might be nothing more than a middling, situational pass rusher.

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Third Round, Pick 95: CB Alex Carter, Stanford

The Seahawks watched Brandon Browner depart to the New England Patriots a season ago and are likely to see Byron Maxwell take a bigger contract from another team than what can be offered to him in Seattle. The vacancy in the starting lineup would be a tough one to fill.

Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon would be next in line to take over the team's No. 2 cornerback role. However, Lane will be spending the offseason recovering from a gruesome broken wrist injury and a torn ACL, while Simon has struggled consistently when given the opportunity to play anywhere other than the slot.

Though expecting an immediate impact from a corner drafted in any round has proven to be hazardous of late, it would be wise for Seattle to begin to restock the cabinets this offseason. Alex Carter fits a lot of the seeming prerequisites to be a Seattle corner.

He measured in at 6'0", 202 pounds with 32 1/8" arms and 9 1/8" hands. Here's NFL.com's Lance Zierlein's take:

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Physical cornerback who's at his best when he's able to see the play develop in front of him rather than having to lock down a target as a man-to-man cover corner. Carter's ability to tackle and play the ball in space should interest zone defenses, but a transition to safety might make sense if he can carry a bit more weight.

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Fourth Round: OG Jamil Douglas, Arizona State

Julio Cortez/Associated Press

Seattle's offensive line has been a major weakness on the team for several seasons, with 2014 being no exception. James Carpenter was selected in the first round in 2011 and is set to become a free agent. He has been solid in his time with the Seahawks, but he left much to be desired for where he was selected.

General manager John Schneider will need to evaluate whether bringing Carpenter back is a worthwhile endeavor, but either way there's a need to bring in some competition at the position. Jamil Douglas is an athletic prospect the team can bring on as a development prospect.

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Douglas gets by with adequate length and plus athleticism, but his play demeanor will have to ramp up in order to make it as an NFL guard. Douglas flashes enough potential to excite teams looking for athletic traits, but his lack of functional power will be hard to overlook for others. Douglas could benefit from a glass-chewing mentor in the NFL. - Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

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Fifth Round: OLB Kwon Alexander, Louisiana State

The Seahawks dealt with quite a few injuries this season, including at linebacker, making depth of the utmost importance. While it's become clear that there's no way the team could replace Bobby Wagner when he's injured, the fall-off between the starters and reserves needs to be kept slim.

Super Bowl 48 MVP Malcolm Smith is a free agent and isn't likely to return and remain a reserve. Heath Farwell and Michael Morgan are set to hit free agency as well, with weaker franchises ready to poach the talent of Seattle's elite defense. 

Kwon Alexander presents a quality talent with great speed for the position. He posted the second-fastest 40-yard dash time for linebackers at the combine, running it in 4.55 seconds. Alexander was a top performer across the board in every workout category.

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Productive two-year starter who registered 90 tackles during 2014 season thanks to above-average speed and a desire to stick his nose into as many plays as possible. Alexander's lack of instincts were ill-suited in the box, as he was too easily confused by the misdirection of offenses he faced. He's an outside 'backer with a chance to become a starter in a 4-3 defense. He can come in and play on special teams right away. - Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

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Sixth Round: SS Ibraheim Campbell, Northwestern

Eric Francis/Getty Images

Ibraheim Campbell is a prospect who has seen his draft stock rise over the past few weeks and months, and performing well at the Senior Bowl played a major part in that. He suffered through an injury-riddled senior year, but still earned a second-team All-Big Ten selection.

Per NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, Campbell is a bit of a one-dimensional talent as a safety, fitting in mostly as a guy that plays close to the line of scrimmage:

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Box safety with some coverage traits that should help him stick with some of the athletic, matchup-based tight ends. He has shown improved consistency as a tackler and has a knack for creating turnovers. He could come in and earn a spot with special-teams play while he tries to develop his instincts over time.

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His less-than-stellar coverage ability would be masked by playing with the likes of Earl Thomas, but at this stage of the draft the chances of a prospect making Seattle's stacked roster are slim.

Seventh Round: WR Mario Alford, West Virginia

The Seahawks' return game had been a strength of the team before 2014. Bryan Walters was anything but scary as a returner on punts while Paul Richardson performed well on kick returns after Percy Harvin was traded.

Seattle can afford to take a flier late in the draft by going after Mario Alford to bring some life to the team's return game. Alford ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds at the combine, but his agility and ability to accelerate should give special teams units fits at the NFL level.