2020 NFL Mock Draft: Sifting through the pre-draft noise

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I have no idea what Seattle will do here. They always trade their first-round picks. They’ll take prospects out of left field. They’ll go against the grain and do anything to get players that Pete Carroll and John Schneider believe fit their systems.

But one thing is certain. The Seahawks need help on the edge. They haven’t re-signed Jadeveon Clowney, who remains available on the free-agent market, but even if they do bring him back, adding a better compliment and backup to the talented pass rusher makes sense.

Going with Josh Uche over Yetur Gross-Matos may seem strange, but this is a pick that I’m stealing from Walter Cherepinsky of WalterFootball.com. Here’s why he mocked Uche to the Seahawks.

"I would be shocked if the Seahawks remain at No. 27. They always trade down, so here’s another instance in which they’ll do so. They can then obtain someone like Josh Uche in the 35-45 range. Rob Staton of SeahawksDraftBlog.com did a great job of breaking down what the Seahawks look for in the draft. The Seahawks tend to select players who thrive at the Senior Bowl. Uche was certainly one of the winners at Mobile, and he compares to Bruce Irvin, whom the Seahawks selected in the first round long ago."

That certainly makes a lot of sense. And if the Seahawks do move down, Uche would be a good fit for them. Uche logged 7.0 sacks in 2018 and 7.5 sacks in 2019. He’s a consistent contributor with a high motor and solid frame. Carroll will be able to get the most out of him and he could end up being a similar pro to Bruce Irvin, an athletic LEO player in the Seahawks defense.

As mentioned, Gross-Matos could make sense here. So could a tackle like Austin Jackson. But for the time being, I think that Uche is the most sensible option, especially if we’re expecting the Seahawks to trade down.