After a successful first phase of the NFL offseason, the Seattle Seahawks now turn their attention to the NFL Draft. 

It has been rumored the Seahawks could select a quarterback early in round one. But a recent NFL mock draft on NFL.com has Seattle heading in a different direction. 

The selection? Jalen Carter, the contentious defensive tackle out of Georgia with pick No. 5. 

Take a look at what Daniel Jeremiah had to say about his best guess at the Seahawks' selection: 

"The off-field concerns with Carter have been documented. On the field, he is the most talented player in this draft class and would provide Pete Carroll’s defense with a dynamic interior disruptor." 

Bucky Brooks, also a member of this mock draft, agreed with the Seahawks' selection of Carter at pick No. 5. 

Here is what he had to say about the pick: 

"Pete Carroll and John Schneider take the best player available to upgrade a defense that needs a makeover after last season's disappointing performance. Carter's off-field issues must be examined carefully, but there's no question about his on-field talent."

Meanwhile, in the same mock draft, Cynthia Frelund had Seattle selecting an edge rusher, Tyree Wilson, out of Texas Tech with its first-round selection. Here is what she had to say as the reason behind the pick: 

"Wilson's value at this spot assumes he's healthy (foot) and contributing from the start of training camp as expected. Wilson netted 50 pressures last season, per PFF, and has improved in every computer vision forecasting method possible over the past three seasons. For people around his size (he's 6-foot-6, so I used 6-4 to 6-8 as the range in my 10-season sample) he ranks in the top 20 percent in speed after recovering from a block. That’s a metric similar to the one I described earlier with Bryce Young, just from the defensive perspective."

Chad Reuter, in a four-round mock draft, had the Seahawks heading in a completely different direction than Carter or Wilson. He pegged Seattle to take Chrisitan Gonzalez, a cornerback out of Oregon, with the fifth pick. 

Here is Reuter's reasoning: 

"The Seahawks pair second-year corner Tariq Woolen with another exceptional athlete in Gonzalez, giving the team its best outside duo since the "Legion of Boom" days. Gonzalez's ball skills are tremendous, and he sticks with any outside receiver lined up on his side."

Though Seattle could head in a number of different directions, the selection of Carter is the most surprising. Carter's off-the-field issues stem from the no-contest plea he entered to the charges on March 16.

According to attorney Kim T. Stephens, Carter was sentenced to serve 12 months of probation, pay a $1,000 fine, perform 80 hours of community service, and complete a state-approved defensive driving course.

Additionally, It has been speculated that some of his recent problems are "psychological'' in nature due to the fatal crash.

Heading into the draft, Carter was a consensus top-five. He was a key part of Georgia’s stout defense that allowed the fewest rushing yards per game (77) in 2022. In the Bulldogs’ back-to-back championship run, Carter finished with 69 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, and two forced fumbles.

If Seattle selects Carter, it could indicate that they believe he is through the worst of his off-field issues. And if that is the case, the question become: Is he worth the risk? 

Only time will tell.