3 Players the Seahawks Need to Avoid With Their First-Round Draft Pick

With the 2022 NFL Draft being two weeks away, a lot of eyes will be on the Seattle Seahawks. After all, the organization holds Pick No. 9 in the first round after acquiring it from the Denver Broncos in exchange for Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson.

The Seahawks are poised to enter a rebuild in the near future and the ninth overall selection can certainly help them take a step forward. Having said that, there are some draft decisions that they must avoid making with such a valuable pick.

Here's a look at three players that the Seahawks need to avoid with their first-round pick.

Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft

1. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU

With a top-10 pick, there's a good chance that the Seahawks could consider drafting a cornerback after giving up the second-most passing yards in 2021. However, LSU's Derek Stingley Jr. is one player that Seattle must avoid. While Stingley is quite talented, he's also fairly injury-prone, proven by his playing only 10 games over the past two seasons. That's just too much of a risk to take at No. 9. Another concerning aspect is that Stingley hasn't recorded a single interception since December 2019. Add that to his health problems and the Seahawks should either pass on Stingley for another CB or wait until later in the draft to find one.

2. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pitt

Drew Lock certainly isn't the Seahawks' solution under center for the future, which is why they could look at Pitt QB Kenny Pickett. The 23-year-old signal-caller is one of the best at his position in a relatively weak class, but that doesn't mean Seattle should draft him. Yes, Pickett had an amazing 2021 campaign that saw him rack up over 4,300 passing yards and 42 touchdowns. But at the same time, that campaign could've just been an anomaly since his prior performances didn't indicate that he had that potential. Pickett's hand size has also come into question, which could ultimately affect his NFL career. With next year's group of QBs looking a lot more promising, the Seahawks should just look for a new gunslinger next year — especially since they'll likely have a high draft pick again regardless of who they select in 2022.

3. Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

The offensive line has been one of the Seahawks' biggest holes in recent years. Only the Houston Texans (205) have given up more sacks than Seattle (193) since the start of the 2018 NFL season. Keeping that in mind, Mississippi's Charles Cross isn't the answer to the situation. Although he's shown a lot of promise, scouts have pointed out that Cross' power isn't the best and that he can sometimes get pushed around by pass-rushers. He also isn't the best run blocker, which could be an issue since the run game is important to Seattle's offense. While Cross could become a solid NFL player one day, the Seahawks could use someone with more upside at No. 9.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.