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NFL mock draft 2023: Seahawks focus on defense after Geno Smith agreement

The Seahawks own the Nos. 5 and 20 overall picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

SEATTLE — Now that the National Football League (NFL) combine has wrapped up, the Seattle Seahawks are moving on to the next phase of its evaluation process for draft prospects.

Seattle answered the biggest question of its offseason on Monday by coming to an agreement with Geno Smith on a new three-year contract reportedly worth over $100 million.

The likelihood of the Seahawks drafting a quarterback early in the 2023 draft decreases now that Smith is locked up for the next few years, but the organization said it still is doing its due diligence on all of this year's best QB prospects.

Here is who some of the latest mock drafts across the NFL have the Seahawks selecting with the team's pair of first-round draft picks.

The Athletic

No. 5: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

What they wrote: Given last week’s news that an arrest warrant had been issued for Carter back in Georgia, the potential No. 1 pick’s draft projection has become much more complicated. (Carter turned himself in, was released on bond and returned to the combine.)

Teams understandably love the player, but now they must exhaust every resource to ensure they can trust the person. Though Seattle has been burned in the past (see: Malik McDowell), every player is different and every situation is unique. Carter could end up looking like a steal here.

No. 20: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

What they wrote: DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett on the outside with Smith-Njigba in the slot? No defense would want to cover that trio of receivers. Smith-Njigba had a near-perfect positional workout at the combine, and he posted elite numbers in the three-cone (6.57 seconds) and short shuttle (3.93).

Pro Football Focus

No. 5: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

What they wrote: Carter is as good a DT prospect as we've seen since we started grading college in 2014. A complete prospect.

No. 20: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa

What they wrote: Van Ness has one of the weirder prospect profiles in the draft class, but it's one I'm willing to bet on. 

NFL Media

No. 5: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

What they wrote: GM John Schneider has acknowledged the Seahawks need to get better up front in order to stop the run. Following Carter's arrest last week, we'll obviously have to see how this situation plays out over the next couple months.

No. 20: Quentin Johnson, WR, TCU

What they wrote: After addressing the defensive line with their first pick of this exercise, the Seahawks add more size and speed to round out a talented receiver trio in Seattle.

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