CBS Sports says Seahawks among teams that ‘must ace their picks’ in 2023 NFL Draft

The pressure is on the Seahawks now. Last year, they showed the world what a top draft class looks like; this year they have to repeat that feat.

At least according to CBS Sports.

In an article that was published on Monday, CBS Sports identified five NFC teams that must ace their picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Seattle was on the list.

At No. 5.

Before we get to what CBS Sports said about the Seahawks, let’s look at the top four teams . . .

#1: The Carolina Panthers

The logic here is simple: To move up eight spots, from #9 to #1, the Panthers gave up their best wide receiver (DJ Moore) and next year’s R1, plus the 61st overall pick in this year’s draft and an R2 selection in 2025. Obviously they’re going to use the top pick on a quarterback, but which one?

Carolina’s other picks are R2.39, R3.93, R4.114, R4.132 (compensatory), and R5.145. Presumably, they’ll need to use at least one of those on a wideout who can offset some of what they lost by including DJ Moore in their trade for #1.

Sounds like a tall order to me.

#2: The Green Bay Packers

Another one with simple logic: Buh-bye Aaron Rodgers, it’s Jordan Love’s chance to shine.

The good news is that the Packers have plenty of picks: R1.15, R2.45, R3-78, R4.116, R51.49, R5-170 (compensatory), R7.232, R7.235, R7.242, and R7.256.

The bad news is that the have numerous holes across their roster and four of their ten picks are in the 7th round.

#3: The Washington Commanders

CBS Sports downplays it, but the Commanders are almost certainly going to have a new owner come Week 1. Unfortunately, the regime change won’t be before the draft, which means that Daniel Snyder could still do some damage on his way out of town.

It doesn’t help that Washington plays in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL and hasn’t exactly been “keeping up” of late.

Washington has eight picks in this year’s draft: R1.16, R2.47, R3.97 (compensatory), R4.118, R5.150, R6.193, R6.215 (compensatory), and R7.233.

Good luck!

#4: The Detroit Lions

Heading into the draft, the Lions are - believe it or not - the favorites to win the NFC North in 2023. They have four picks in the first two rounds (R1.06, R1.18, R2.48, and R2.55), plus four other picks (R3.81, R5.152, R6.183, and R6.194).

CBS Sports points out that the 2022 Lions paired the #4 offense with the #32 defense and suggests that adding a star pass-rusher at #6 and an offensive weapon at #18 would be a good strategy. They also suggest trading back from some of Detroit’s early picks.

Alright, it’s our turn!

#5: The Seattle Seahawks

Here’s the first part of their write-up about the pressure they think we’re under:

The Seahawks aren’t a team that has pressure on them to win the draft in order to save the head coach’s job or save them from a rebuild, but much like the Lions, this is a great opportunity to build upon the success they had last year. When you possess the kind of draft capital Seattle does, you can’t let it go to waste.

In paragraph two, they say:

The Jets had the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year last season, but the Seahawks may have had the best draft class from top to bottom. They found a Pro Bowl cornerback, two starting offensive tackles and what appears to be a star running back as well. Can you imagine if John Schneider puts together another class like that?

Their write-up on Seattle is four paragraphs long; check out the rest of it here.

And, Go Hawks!