Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Aftermath of Free Agency
Free agency has been an interesting time for the Seattle Seahawks in past years. Every year it feels like the team makes at least one splash addition and series of other solid pickups. Last year they were able to sign Jimmy Graham, Ahtyba Rubin and Cary Williams, among the bigger names in free agency. With an exception of injury to Jimmy Graham, both he and Rubin proved their worth. However, Williams turned in a dud performance for the entire season and was eventually released.
Facing the 2016 off season began with Jermaine Kearse. The Seahawks receiver felt strongly about his play the past few seasons and was even adamant about finding a new home in the off season.
Seahawks WR Jermaine Kearse reiterated Thursday that he does not plan to return to Seattle and is looking forward to finding a new home.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2016
It turns out that Kearse was retained and forced to swallow some of his previous words. He was signed to a 3 year deal worth 13.5 million, a great contract for a receiver who has never topped 700 yards in his career. Kearse wasn’t the only player resigned as Jeremy Lane accepted a 4 year, 23.4 million dollar deal. Bringing Lane back allows the Legion of Boom to keep a key member and have sustainability in a secondary that’s struggled to find a fourth member.
With the Seahawks meeting needs in both the secondary and the wide receiving corps, they can turn their attention to more glaring needs in the draft. Bruce Irvin, Brandon Mebane and Russell Okung signed contracts with new teams this off season and left the Seahawks with more holes than usual. The divisional playoff game against the Panthers exposed some other key needs for the 2013 Super Bowl Champions, many of which will be addressed in the upcoming draft. The Seahawks are more of a chemistry based team than they are raw talent, finding players to fit the mold can often times come later in the draft than early on.
Next: Round One