Despite Lack of Trade Down at No. 56, Seahawks Can Still Pick More Than Twice on Day 3 of 2021 NFL Draft
In a surprise turn of events, the Seahawks did not trade down from their first scheduled pick in the 2021 NFL Draft at No. 56. Despite heading into the night with just three selections, they instead stayed put and added Western Michigan wideout D'Wayne Eskridge to their incredibly talented receiving corps.
That now leaves them with just two remaining picks, slotted at No. 129 and 250, in rounds four and seven, respectively. Assuming their arsenal remains intact, their three total picks would fall five short of their previous draft-low under general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll.
However, while options are certainly far more limited now that they've used their best trade chip, there are still ways for them to accumulate at least one or two more picks before they shift their focus towards undrafted free agency.
Using Drafttek.com's Rich Hill trade value chart, the Seahawks' pick at No. 129 is worth 21 points (No. 250 is worth just one point). By the chart's estimates, a trade-down into the 135-139 range could land them a sixth-round pick somewhere between 195-223 (three or four points) or a pair of sevenths.
Additionally, they could opt to take from their more 'normal' slew of picks in 2022 to fund another pick this year. They have an extra 2022 fourth-round selection from the Jets as part of their deal for safety Jamal Adams, which could net them a late fourth/early fifth, and also carry all of their common late-round picks as well.
This is something they've been comfortable doing as of late, most recently dealing their 2021 sixth-rounder to get back into the seventh and take LSU tight end Stephen Sullivan in 2020. They also did something similar with the Patriots in 2016, swapping seventh-rounders while dealing a future fourth-round pick for a fifth that wound up turning into Maryland defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson.
Though it's unlikely they want to end up in a similar draft capital predicament to the one they're in now in a year's time, they're currently averaging a wait of a whopping 82.3 picks between selections. Even with the uncertainty surrounding the nature of this draft and its prospects, that should prove to be too tough of a pill to swallow for the Seahawks.
Given their remaining needs at several key positions along their roster, and very little cap space to address them on the veteran free agent market afterwards, it shouldn't come as a surprise if the Seahawks find a way to bring more than a pair of prospects aboard Saturday afternoon.
