Seattle Seahawks 2024 Draft: Could Safety Emerge as Early Round Priority?

Even after signing a pair of free agents to help replace Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams, the Seattle Seahawks have long-term question marks at safety, which could lead to drafting one in the first few rounds.

As part of an offseason of immense change in the Pacific Northwest, the Seattle Seahawks cleaned the cupboard at safety this offseason by releasing long-time starters Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams as cap casualties shortly before the start of free agency.

By orchestrating these moves as pre-June 1 cuts, the Seahawks immediately opened up more than $17 million in cap space, but in the process, they left their secondary with little experience aside from Pro Bowl safety Julian Love. Even though general manager John Schneider worked swiftly to sign veterans Rayshawn Jenkins and K'Von Wallace as replacements at a cheaper rate than their predecessors, neither likely will be a long-term answer succeeding Diggs and Adams,
making the position one of the team's biggest question marks heading into next week's NFL Draft.

With Love and Wallace both slated to be free agents next March and Jenkins on what amounts to a one-year audition with a second-year option, could Seattle be in the hunt for a safety as early as the 16th overall pick on April 25? Based on their pre-draft activity, that may very well be the case.

Dangerous any time he gets his hand on the football, Cooper DeJean scored four touchdowns on defense and special teams at Iowa.

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Headlining their list of players who flew to town for top-30 visits, the Seahawks wined and dined Iowa star Cooper DeJean on Monday, receiving the former All-American ball hawk as one of just four teams who met with him in that capacity. This visit came less than a week after the dynamic defender posted sizzling numbers at his pro day workout, including running a 4.42 40-yard dash, showing he has fully recovered from a fractured leg that ended his final season in Iowa City early.

Starring for the Hawkeyes, DeJean played outside cornerback and with his athletic traits, elite ball skills, and extraordinary instincts, some teams may want to keep him at that position at the next level. However, in the case of Seattle, which invested a top-five pick in cornerback Devon Witherspoon last year, his wide array of talents coupled with a high football IQ could make him a candidate to slide to safety in new coach Mike Macdonald's scheme, allowing the staff to unleash him as a fun do-it-all chess piece.

In two seasons as a starter at Iowa, DeJean intercepted seven passes and returned three of them for touchdowns, demonstrating remarkable playmaking ability rarely seen at the cornerback position. Opposing quarterbacks struggled mightily to complete passes against him, connecting on less than 50 percent of their targets thrown his direction in coverage and producing sub-50.0 passer ratings when attempting to challenge him.

But while DeJean's nose for the football and ability to turn into a running back with the ball in his hands undoubtedly will be viewed as his greatest attributes by prospective teams, his physicality and tackling prowess are what truly set him apart from the rest of this year's safety crop and add intrigue to his potential fit changing positions. Per Pro Football Focus, the 6-1, 207-pound defender missed a grand total of three tackle attempts in 2022, and his 3.9 percent missed tackle rate ranked fourth out of 200 qualified cornerbacks.

Adding in DeJean's effectiveness as a return weapon on special teams, including taking a punt back for six points last season, it's easy to see why Schneider and the Seahawks would be enamored by him as a possible first-round candidate with their native pick or after a trade down if available.

Of course, Seattle has plenty of other major needs to address in this year's draft, most notably looking for foundational pieces in the interior of the offensive line, and may opt to go with a more needs-based approach in the first round. After his scintillating pro day workout, DeJean may not even be on the board when Schneider and company are on the clock either.

But even if that is the case and DeJean isn't available or the Seahawks decide to pass on him, Schneider should have some intriguing safety options to consider when they select at pick 81 in the third round or on an additional day two pick acquired via trade down.

Among their reported top-30 visits, Seattle brought Miami standout Kamren Kinchens to town last week, and the All-American safety could be in the mix to hear his name called as early as the second round. Despite a subpar combine workout that hurt his stock a bit, the Miami native put up gaudy numbers in his three seasons with the Hurricanes, including picking off 11 passes in 2022 and 2023 and returning two of those interceptions for touchdowns.

Like DeJean, the 5-11, 205-pound Kinchens also offers the versatility desired by Macdonald at the position, as he logged over 300 snaps in the box and 400 snaps in the slot along with over 1,000 snaps at free safety against ACC competition. Even considering his disappointing athletic testing results, he could be near the top of the Seahawks big board on day two.

Aside from Kinchens, Seattle could have other intriguing alternatives in the second and third round, including Georgia's Javon Bullard, Washington State's Jaden Hicks, and Texas Tech's Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who all offer a bit of positional flexibility and well-rounded skill sets.

Named Second-Team All-SEC last season, Bullard didn't yield any touchdowns in coverage while picking off two passes and producing five breakups. Primarily playing free safety and the slot for the Bulldogs, opposing quarterbacks completed under 54 percent of their passes against him and posted a dreadful 34.0 passer rating, the sixth-best mark among qualified safeties.

One of the more unheralded star safeties in college football, Jaden Hicks boosted his draft stock with an impressive pro day workout.

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Well known in the Pacific Northwest for his impact in the Cougars secondary, Hicks enjoyed a fantastic final season in Pullman as well, intercepting two passes, scoring one defensive touchdown, and recording 2.5 sacks. Capable of playing either safety spot at 6-2, 215 pounds, he ran a 4.48 40-yard dash at his pro day and could be a sleeper to land with a team on day two despite being snubbed from the NFL combine.

No safety may have improved his draft standing this spring more than Taylor-Demerson, whose talents had been under the radar due to the Red Raiders not having a notable defense playing in the high-octane Big 12. But before leading all safeties with a 4.41 40-yard dash in Indianapolis, he picked off 10 combined passes and eclipsed 140 total tackles in his final two collegiate seasons while seeing extensive snaps at both safety spots as well as the slot.

Holding just two picks in the first 101 selections, the Seahawks have given themselves some wiggle room at safety by signing Jenkins and Wallace, ensuring Schneider won't be backed into a corner picking one early out of necessity. But at the same time, if he wants to land the best player available, DeJean may offer as much upside as any defensive player in this year's draft class in the first round and players such as Bullard and Taylor-Demerson could fit the same bill on day two.

With plenty of different alternatives to consider, Seattle could go any number of directions in the first few rounds. But with questions both in the present and beyond 2024 in the secondary, nobody should be surprised if the team invests one of its first picks in the safety position, including DeJean right out of the gate.