Seahawks' Team Needs to Fill in 2021 NFL Draft

The Seattle Seahawks need to make the most of their 2021 NFL draft picks. 

Pete Carroll's team used the majority of its draft capital to acquire players. Jamal Adams, Carlos Dunlap and Gabe Jackson were brought in through trades that sent draft picks in the other direction.

Seattle will not be on the clock until the 56th overall pick on April 29. It also has a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round selection. 

Even though they have three picks to work with, Seattle can still find value at positions of need if its scouting department identifies the right fits. 

Seattle's primary focus should be cornerback since it lost Shaquill Griffin in free agency to the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

The Seahawks are set at safety thanks to the use of their draft assets to bring in Adams, but now they have to ace the picks they have remaining to provide some support for last season's top acquisition. 

Cornerback

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An argument can be made that the Seahawks got worse at corner in the offseason. 

Seattle lost Griffin to the Jaguars and brought in Ahkello Witherspoon from the San Francisco 49ers to take his place. 

The Seahawks can point to Griffin's third-round selection in 2017 as an example of how to find a defensive back in the early or middle rounds.

The second, fourth and seventh rounds have been good to the Seahawks lately with DK Metcalf, Chris Carson and Jarran Reed among the players chosen in those spots. 

With no first-round pick, the Seahawks will have to mine the corner depth for an addition since Caleb Farley Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II will be long gone before Roger Goodell announces they are on the clock. 

Seattle may not even land the top second-tier corner since Asante Samuel Jr. could be taken in the middle of the second round based off his NFL pedigree and play at Florida State. 

Georgia's Tyson Campbell and Ohio State's Shaun Wade are among the likely candidates who should be around at No. 56. 

If the Seahawks do their proper research, they could unearth another gem like Griffin to be a stalwart on the outside of the secondary for years.

Offensive Line

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Seattle improved its offensive line by shipping a fifth-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for Jackson. 

Even with Jackson in the fold, the Seahawks should look to target the offensive line in the draft to provide as much protection for Russell Wilson as possible. 

There could be some intriguing players available at No. 56 depending on how the offensive line selections shake out in the first two rounds. 

Ohio State's Wyatt Davis and Oklahoma's Creed Humphrey may be around in Day 2 because offensive tackles typically dominate the first-round offensive line selections. 

In 2020, only one center and one guard were taken in the first two rounds, while six offensive tackles were off the board in the first 29 picks. 

There should still be some quality offensive tackles around at No. 56, but based off recent draft history, the top-tier interior linemen could still be there. 

With the need at cornerback more glaring at the moment, the Seahawks may not be able to land an offensive lineman at No. 56, which could lead to it landing a player there in the fourth or seventh round instead. 

Defensive Line

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Seattle is not going to fill all of its needs with star draft picks. 

It will have to choose whether the secondary is good enough with the Witherspoon addition. If the Seahawks believe they can get by there, the team could look to the defensive interior. 

NC State's Alim McNeill and Florida State's Marvin Wilson are among the potential interior defensive linemen who could be around at No. 56. If Seattle opts to go in that direction, it could provide support for Poona Ford at defensive tackle. 

If the Seahawks want to add to their pass rush, they could look in their own backyard at Washington's Joe Tryon. Oklahoma's Ronnie Perkins and Wake Forest's Carlos Basham should be among the top edge-rushers left at No. 56. 

Seattle brought in Kerry Hyder to add to the pass-rushing depth, but it may not be enough to deal with the three explosive offenses in the NFC West. 

In order to chase down Matthew Stafford, Kyler Murray and either Jimmy Garoppolo or a new quarterback in San Francisco, Seattle needs to be able to apply pressure, and that may require additional depth.