On Tuesday, the Seahawks made seven coaching hires official, ushering in the 2024 offseason and a new regime in Seattle. With the 2024 NFL Combine approaching in two weeks, here are what the experts believe the Seahawks will do with pick No. 16 in April's draft.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Jer'Zhan Newton, defensive tackle, Illinois
Mike Macdonald will be able to cover up a lot with his knowledge and play-calling, but the Seahawks could still use a boost of talent on the interior of their defense. Newton is one of the few premier interior defensive line talents in this class and would fit well.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Troy Fautanu, offensive tackle, Washington
Addressing the interior of the offensive line should be a primary focus for Seattle under new head coach Mike Macdonald, and it shouldn't have to look far for the perfect solution. Fautanu was a stud at left tackle for the nearby Huskies, but he could be even more dominant at the next level if he slides inside to guard.
22. Seattle Seahawks: Jer'Zhan Newton, defensive tackle, Illinois
PROJECTED TRADE WITH PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
The Seahawks gave up second- and fifth-round picks for Leonard Williams but have not yet signed him for 2024 and beyond. If that never comes to pass, Newton slides into new head coach Mike Macdonald's scheme.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Jackson Powers-Johnson, offensive guard, Oregon
One of the darlings of the Senior Bowl, Powers-Johnson is perhaps the best interior blocker in the entire draft. At 6-3, 320, he could play guard or center for a Seahawks team that is filled with youth up front. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, formerly at Washington, is certainly familiar with Powers-Johnson's handiwork.
16. Seattle Seahawks: Dallas Turner, linebacker, Alabama
Once Uchenna Nwosu went down midseason, Seattle's lack of edge-rusher depth was sorely exposed. Now, with Mike Macdonald in place as the new head coach and defensive mind, Seattle doesn't need elite play off the edge, but versatility would sure be welcome. Turner, who is 6-foot-4 and around 245 pounds, will need to have some value as a dropper in the league to stick. I think Macdonald would welcome his quick first step and surprising toughness against the run.
16. J.J. McCarthy, quarterback, Michigan
This is so interesting because of their new coaching staff. Mike Macdonald coached under John Harbaugh, then Jim Harbaugh, then John Harbaugh again. What do you think he's going to be trying to build? The Raven-Michigan way. That's going to be a great defense, hard edges, run stuffer in the middle and good hybrid players in the secondary.
Offensively, you want to be able to ground and pound and then have a quarterback who can create in order to play at the top end with this philosophy. You have to have a quarterback that can create. That's why Baltimore is having great success with Lamar Jackson. That's why Michigan won the national championship. The Wolverines had a quarterback who could complete a pass on fourth down against Alabama or go get a first down in several other big games.
Nobody in this draft, outside of Jim Harbaugh, is going to know McCarthy as well as Mike Macdonald, who was the coordinator at Michigan when McCarthy was a freshman. McCarthy wasn't the starter yet, but when I called many of their games that season, everyone knew he was the future of the program. Now, you look at McCarthy's record at Michigan and the way he's played over the last two years, his play will jump off the tape even though he didn't throw the ball the way the other top quarterback prospects did. He played a great complementary style to the philosophy that Michigan wanted to run. I think that's going to be really attractive to Macdonald. What's interesting about this is that former Washington offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is now the offensive coordinator in Seattle. Many will think that the Seahawks will take Michael Penix Jr. due to his natural connection, but it's going to be Macdonald's call. He's not, necessarily, going to want to play the way Washington did and throw the ball all over the lot. Macdonald's going to be trying to put the philosophy and the organizational structure in place, just like Michigan and Baltimore. What quarterback would be better to do that than the guy who just led Michigan to a 15-0 record and a national championship? He's more NFL-ready than you think.
The Seahawks hired Ryan Grubb to the be the team's next offensive coordinator on February 13, 2024. Grubb served as the offensive coordinator for the University of Washington from 2022-2024 where he led one of the top offenses in the nation to a National Championship game appearance.
Photo by: Mike Fiechtner/University of Washington
Photo by: Mike Fiechtner/University of Washington
The University of Washington football team defeats Oregon 34-31 in the Pac-12 Football Championship at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. on December 1, 2023.(Photography by Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures)
