The Seattle Seahawks made one of the bigger trades of the offseason giving up a first-round pick and Max Unger to the New Orleans for Jimmy Graham. The Seahawks have been turning late-round picks into stars in terms of the wide receiver position, but the need for a real safety blanket was evident in the Super Bowl. While Graham is certainly a huge upgrade for the offense, are the Seahawks looking at draft options to add to the rotation?
According to The News Tribune, the Seahawks are in the market for a wide receiver in the draft, but are not expected to select someone until at least the third round. Graham is a star, but Seattle is still thin on receivers who are true No. 1 guys. They have Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse along with unproven talent like Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood who are expected to be big role players, but are not yet true downfield threats.
According to Seattle general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks do not feel the need to trade into the first round to acquire someone because of the talent Graham brings to the field, but the team will eye other impact talent in a later round. Seattle makes their first selection at No. 63 and will address the offensive line first and then will shift their focus to a wide receiver or running back along with defensive help. Players like Jaelen Strong, Chris Conley and Devin Smith are realistic options for the Seahawks to acquire for passing help.
There is also talk that the Seahawks could be eyeing depth behind Marshawn Lynch for when the running back's contract expires. While Lynch has been a total workhorse for the Seahawks, he hinted that retirement was a possibility before inking a new two-year contract. Reports surfaced that Lynch was dealing with a significant back injury. Whether that is true or not has yet to be confirmed, but the Seahawks might not be willing to take the risk.
Sports Illustrated's Doug Farrar reports that the Seahawks are not totally uninterested in drafting a running back. The team has Robert Turbin and Christine Michael sitting behind Lynch, but this year's draft class is deep in talent. Players like YJ Yeldon, Duke Johnson or Tevin Coleman could be options. Depending on how early they make the move, someone like Ameer Abdullah could also be a potential target.
The Seahawks have more glaring needs to address first before making moves for wide receivers and running backs. However, the team will look to grab a few skill position players and add some needed talented depth behind their go-to stars.
