Seattle Seahawks Trade-Up Targets 2020 NFL Draft

Cornerback

Since moving on from the “Legion of Boom” defense and (more specifically cornerback Richard Sherman), the Seahawks have needed help in the secondary. While letting Sherman hit free agency made sense at the time (considering his injury history), the team has not properly addressed the secondary unit with a high draft pick, preferring to build through free-agency and late-round picks.

The Seattle Seahawks have not drafted a cornerback in the first round since 2007 and haven’t used a draft pick higher than a third-rounder since then.

Last season, the Seahawks defense ranked twenty-seventh in yards allowed, giving up an average of 263.9 passing yards per game, according to NFL.com. If the Seahawks want to stay competitive in NFC West, they will have to make sure their secondary can deter such vertical passing quarterbacks as Kyler Murray and Jared Goff from passing deep on the defense.

Cornerback Shaquill Griffin has been decent enough at starting cornerback, with his 36 passes defended since 2017. But according to Pro Football Reference, Griffin has allowed a completion percentage of 57 percent. Opposite Griffin will be Quinton Dunbar, a recent cornerback acquisition from Washington. Dunbar has missed 14 games in the last two seasons (NFL.com), which should make Schneider wonder if Dunbar can stay on the field for an entire 16-game season.

Still, despite the missed games, Dunbar has been a model cornerback. His coverage skills are excellent and will at least help bring down their opponents passing yards in 2020.

The 2020 NFL Draft has several top-notch cornerbacks in the first round and drafting one would allow the Seahawks secondary to improve virtually overnight. If Schneider decides he wants to move up and get one of these high-level cornerbacks, he would have several good ones to target.

While Jeffrey Okudah is likely out of the picture for the Seahawks, other notable 2020 cornerbacks could fall past the top-ten, making them good targets for the Seahawks front office. Drafting a cornerback like Kristian Fulton would be a smart move for Schneider and would bring a lot of help to this secondary unit.

Fulton shut down SEC talent, with two seasons of dominating coverage at LSU. His change of direction speed is top-notch and has the sticky coverage skills defensive backs coaches salivate over. He was so effective at scaring opposing offenses that college quarterbacks rarely tested him, showing just how effective he was against wide receivers.

Next up would be C.J. Henderson, who had a phenomenal 2018 season for the Florida Gators. While his 2019 season was lackluster due to an injury early into the season, Henderson still showed incredible skills as a do-it-all cornerback, who can play all levels of the field. He hit the SEC scene in 2017, ranking number one in interception return touchdowns. And last season he ranked fourth in the SEC in pass deflections with 11 (Sports Reference).

Drafting either one of these players at 27 is unlikely. The Seahawks would need to move up into the mid-teens to have a chance at drafting either of these two cornerbacks. And with teams like the Atlanta Falcons openly declaring their intention to move up in the 2020 NFL Draft (ostensibly to draft a cornerback), Schneider would need to move up ahead of them.

A divisional rival could aid the Seahawks in their attempt, as the San Francisco 49ers have two first-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, the first one at number 13. The 49’ers don’t have a single pick after the first round until the fifth round, which should make them desperate to trade back for mid-round picks. Something the Seahawks have plenty of.

The one wrinkle in all this is many other teams will be vying for the 49’ers thirteenth overall pick, so swapping first-rounders and throwing one of their second-rounders on top likely won’t cut it. They would have to add at least one more Day Three pick, possibly even needing to add a second-rounder in 2021 to seal the deal.

But with either Henderson or Fulton on the roster, the Seahawks could make some of their draft capital back. Drafting either cornerback would open Griffin or Dunbar to be traded. Both are on favorable deals and have shown enough potential that other teams should be willing to trade for them if the price was right.

At the end of the day, the 2020 NFL Draft will play a big role in how this season plays out for the Seahawks. Schneider has found ways over the years to increase his draft stock by trading back, maximizing each early-round pick’s value to make more draft picks down the road. But without drafting top talent in the draft, the Seahawks roster suffers as fewer and fewer game-changing players are added to the roster via the draft.

And while free agency can be used to bring in proven game-changers, it is not a long-term strategy for building a successful team. If the Seahawks want to make the most of their draft picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, they will need to consider moving up this year and taking a top-rated player instead of trading down.