2019 NFL Draft Mock 3.0: What if the Redskins traded back?
By Ian Cummings
The Seahawks could go offensive line here, but they’ve shown in recent years that they prefer to trust their inconsistent development there, while letting Russell Wilson go on with little help from his blockers. Seattle has long emphasized building defense, and after a lapse in last year’s first round, they’ll attempt to return to their Legion of Boom roots.
The Seahawks already have two starting cornerbacks in place, but neither is fairly established. Shaquill Griffin was often overwhelmed in 2018, and with his speed, he could be a better match in the slot, if he even maintains a starting role in 2019. Rookie Tre Flowers, meanwhile, impressed to the point where he should have a starting boundary job in 2019. But that leaves a void opposite him, a void Deandre Baker could end up filling.
Georgia’s Deandre Baker rounds out the top three cornerbacks in the 2019 NFL Draft. He doesn’t offer the same mobility that Murphy provides, or the same athleticism that Williams promises, but Baker compliments the Seahawks’ current pieces well, in the sense that he’s a long, physical boundary cornerback who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty in close quarters.
Questions will pervade about Baker’s speed, but he’s a smart prospect with a polished game, and his seven interceptions and 23 pass deflections over three years are proof of that. Baker would complete the Seahawks’ secondary, in an age where the secondary might be one of the most important units on the field.