Seattle Seahawks use the fourth round to address critical team needs
By selecting an interior offensive lineman and defensive tackle, the Seattle Seahawks are finally addressing their biggest need.
Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks needed to bolster their front defensive line and upgrade the interior of the offensive line.
It only took until Day 3, round four, for head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider to address the key needs most could see on the Seahawks roster. With pick No. 108 overall, Seattle selected offensive guard Anthony Bradford out of LSU. That pick was followed by the selection of defensive tackle Cameron Young out of Mississippi State with pick No. 123 overall a little later in the round.
By addressing the team's most glaring needs, Seattle's draft is starting to take serious shape. The full list of picks is found here. The question remains: What do Bradford and Young bring to an already competitive Seattle roster? Let's take a look.
Bradford is a hulking interior body. He stands 6-foot-4, 332 pounds, but he really explodes out of his stance and looks like a mauler in the rushing attack. Given the Seahawks' emphasis on the running game, it's possible the 22-year-old could push Evan Brown for a starting spot at right guard. But let's not get ahead of current events.
Seattle used a top-30 visit on Bradford, and they must have liked their time with him as they went out to get him, trading for pick 108 on Friday night.
Young will be a run-stopper on the defensive line. He possesses an average frame, and at Mississippi State, he didn't necessarily make plays behind the line of scrimmage, but he knows how to sit on the run and join in gang tackles. His position projection comes down to his athleticism as a player. Young's poor athletic testing indicates he's unlikely to emerge as an IDP factor in the NFL. But his run-stopping skill set could make Young valuable to the Seahawks' linebackers. Overall, with Young, the assessment boils down to we will see.
Seattle used the fourth round to pick a player the organization was familiar with. And then the Seahawks reached for Young, and that isn't a bad thing.
