Now we have the draft, rookie camp and undrafted free agent signings in the books. Seattle made some significant changes.

QB:

The most important change here is not the actual quarterback selected in the draft. Seattle nabbing OG Grey Zabel with their first pick without trading back was a surprise despite being exactly what everyone thought they would do. I was expecting the trade back and using second and third round picks on players who do not have the same upside. With Zabel, the starting line looks to be; LT Chris Cross, LG Grey Zabel, OC Olu Oluwatimi, RG Christian Haynes, RT Abe Lucas. Factoring in the new scheme and new coaches this line is a significant upgrade. Additionally the depth is pretty good though it is a scary drop off if Lucas were to go down again.

The pick of QB Jalen Milroe was exactly what I expected. Though I wanted both OG Tate Ratledge and OC Jared Wilson to be taken before him. Instead Seattle waited until round 6 and 7 to get more offensive linemen. I think Milroe is a value pick at 92, but I like him less since he could have been Jared Wilson instead. Milroe maybe will not become a starter, but he has tremendous upside and will start out as a better backup than QB Drew Lock. I am still hoping Seattle can get one of the better quarterbacks coming out next year.

RB:

Even though Seattle waited until round 7 they still ended up getting an interesting running back in RB Damien Martinez. With TE Robbie Ouzts projecting as the starting fullback, Martinez still has a shot to make the team but will have to outplay RB George Holani. Ouzts along with the scheme change and line improvement bump the value of RB Ken Walker for sure.

WR:

Seattle stole WR Tory Horton in the fifth round. I think he will eventually replace WR Cooper Kupp, but definitely will have some role next year. WR Ricky White was a flyer in the 7th and not likely to provide fantasy value.

TE:

In my favorite mock draft I also got TE Elijah Arroyo. Arroyo could easily challenge TE Noah Fant for snaps. He is going to be my rookie fantasy starter recommendation. TE Brady Russell I really like too, but Arroyo is a fantastic fit for the new scheme. I would definitely grab him early, but not crazy early, in keeper leagues.

Defense:

I really am frustrated that Seattle did not get a true nose tackle and now DT Byron Murphy is likely still having to cover the A gap. I do not think that is the best use of his talent. There are some interesting rookie free agents for the defense, but the only certain addition is SS Nick Emmanwori. Emmanwori may not even get many snaps. The best fit for him may end up being nickel corner, given the other guys on the roster. LB Rylie Mills was available in the fifth round due to his injury. Long term he may well be a steal, but he is not likely to have an impact this year. In essence, this means Seattle is essentially standing pat with their defense after free agency. In addition to the nose, I really wanted a young talent at end to learn under DE Demarcus Lawrence. But maybe that is why they brought in so many undrafted guys to see what they can grow?

This defense is going to keep getting better, but I think they were not yet good enough to go without significant draft help. But that is what we got, so we will see what camp ends up showing us.

Go Hawks!

End.