Seahawks expected to continue tradition of making surprise wild card picks in Round 1

CBS Sports analyst Ryan Wilson reviews Seattle's history of shocking picks in the first round of the draft.

Aug 26, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; A Seattle Seahawks helmet sits on the sidelines during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The only thing you can count on from the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL draft is to expect the unexpected. Right now the heavy favorite to get taken by Seattle in the first round (if they can't trade down from the No. 18 overall spot) is NDSU left tackle Grey Zabel. If the Seahawks pass on Zabel it would hardly be the first time that they upset expectations in the first round.

In fact, Seattle has a long history of taking guys nobody heard of or nobody expected them to take. That's why Ryan Wilson at CBS Sports is expecting the Seahawks to be the team to make the biggest surprise pick in.

"The Seahawks. And I say this for no other reason than when we think Seattle will zig, GM John Schneider typically zags. Bruce Irvin, Rashaad Penny, LJ Collier, and even Devon Witherspoon were all atypical picks, at least by the standards of media mock drafts."

This is true, and there are other examples of the Seahawks making wild card picks early in the draft. To name a few more, Dee Eskridge, Jordyn Brooks, Germain Ifedi and Christine Michael all came as surprise selections and none of them were on anybody's radar going into the draft.

The only really reliable scenario over the years has been a trade their first-round pick or move down out of the first round, which they have done multiple times.

Heading into the draft it sounds like that's once again the direction the Seahawks are leaning. Adam Schefter at ESPN reported earlier this week that Seattle is one of several teams looking to move down in the first round. However, that might not be easy to do this year, as there's reportedly a notable lack of teams looking to move up.

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