Seahawks add two players to fill major roles and plenty of depth in NFL draft

RENTON — For the final day of their first NFL draft together, Seahawks president of football operations John Schneider and new head coach Mike Macdonald wore matching gas station attendant shirts.

The reason, Schneider said, was to make a statement of how the Seahawks wanted to approach the final four rounds of the draft.

“This is the day we just get after it and [say], ‘Hey, we’re not going to outsmart you, we’re going to outwork you,’’’ Schneider said.

The Seahawks then capped a draft that in many ways fit a blue-collar image.

Seattle’s haul featured four linemen of the eight players drafted — including three on offense — as well as two cornerbacks, a tight end and an inside linebacker. 

That six of the eight — including first-round pick defensive tackle Byron Murphy II and third-round guard Christian Haynes — could see most of their time either on the line or playing in the middle of the field wasn’t necessarily by design, Macdonald said.

But it did seem to fit the overall tenor that he wants to set as he takes over for Pete Carroll.

“I don’t think we go into the process saying we have a quota of what we wanted to [add on the line],’’ Macdonald said. “But absolutely that’s where the game starts, up front. And it’s going to be really important for us to be really dominant in that phase.’’

The Seahawks seemed to send that message most loudly with the picks of Murphy — expected to add an immediate impact piece to a line that Seattle has spent heavily on to improve the last two years, including re-signing Leonard Williams in March — and Haynes, expected to compete to start at right guard. 

“We want to be physical, we want to be imposing, we want to create new lines of scrimmage,’’ Macdonald said. “And I think you are seeing the investment in that, and we are going to have awesome competition on both lines of scrimmage. It will be fun.’’

Here are three other thoughts on the draft’s final day and the weekend as a whole:

It just didn’t “fit’’ to add a quarterback

For all that the Seahawks acquired in the draft, what they didn’t get is a quarterback.

Schneider said that also wasn’t necessarily by design, and Seattle did add one almost immediately after the draft in signing rookie free-agent Chevan Cordeiro of San Jose State.

Schneider noted that the top six quarterbacks all went before Seattle picked at 16 and that after that nothing fell to them that made sense at the time.

“Once the six went in the first 12 picks, I think it was kind of like, ‘Wow, all right,’’’ he said. “And then there were spots all the way through, and it just didn’t fit.’’

One report from former NFL Network James Palmer emerged Thursday night that the Seahawks “tried to get into the top 10 for Michael Penix.’’

Sources, though, indicated it wasn’t that simple.

Yes, Seattle did call about moving up. And yes, Seattle did try to gauge the market for Penix and some of the other QBs at the top of the draft to see what might be realistic. 

But it’s not thought the Seattle made any specific offer for any specific player, including Penix.

Had Penix, or potentially a few other QBs taken early, fallen to them, then Seattle might have had a decision on its hands.

But as the team noted all along, the trade in March for Sam Howell of Washington made it so that the Seahawks didn’t have to force anything to acquire a quarterback.

Schneider on Saturday reiterated the importance of the Howell trade and how the team feels good about its current quarterback situation, with Geno Smith entrenched as the starter.

“We just traded for Sam Howell,’’ he said. “He’s got two years left on his contract, he’s two years younger than a lot of these guys [Howell is 23]. Geno is here. We have a really cool room right now. We are trying to add a couple [of undrafted rookie free agents] and we’ll continue to work it, so we’ll see where it goes. We’re always looking at that position.’’

Asked about a plan beyond 2025 Schneider said: “I can’t tell you what our long-term plan is because I honestly don’t know. But Sam is a huge part of it because we made a major trade to get Sam before we got [to the draft].’’

Day 3 added ‘heart and soul’ players 

Schneider said Day 3 — encompassing rounds four through seven — tends to be his favorite “because this is where the heart and soul of the [draft] class is.’’

Seattle began the day by trading pick 102 and 235 to Denver to acquire an extra pick (getting 121, 136 and 207 in return).

In order, here is who Seattle then drafted Saturday: Linebacker Tyrice Knight, UTEP (118), Michigan tight end AJ Barner (121), Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (136), Utah offensive lineman Sataoa Laumea (179), Auburn cornerback D.J. James (192) and offensive lineman Michael Jerrell (207) of Division II University of Findlay.

Macdonald said Knight will start out at weakside linebacker, where he would work behind free-agent signee Jerome Baker, who is expected to take over for the departed Jordyn Brooks. 

Knight impressed the team with his demeanor during a recent visit to the VMAC. 

But Macdonald also noted his 140 tackles last year. 

“Linebackers are paid to make tackles and he makes a lot of tackles, so that’s a good thing,’’ Macdonald said. 

Barner, who played for new Seattle special teams coach Jay Harbaugh at Michigan, will compete for a spot in the tight end rotation and on special teams; Laumea is expected to play guard and likely will start out on the right side, where he played at Utah; and Jerrell will start out at tackle.

Schneider said adding three OLs wasn’t necessarily the plan but that Laumea being available there was a classic case of the team not expecting a player to be there and leaping.

Jerrell, meanwhile, burst onto Seattle’s radar with a sterling workout at Ohio State’s Pro Day and Schneider called drafting the 6-foot-5, 309-pounder taking “taking a really fun shot at amazing upside.’’

Taking two corners from the same school was also not by design. 

But Schneider said the team was wowed by the speed of Pritchett, who ran a 4.36 40 at the scouting combine, fourth fastest of all cornerbacks, and couldn’t resist.

The Seahawks, meanwhile, liked the versatility of James. “He can play nickel, he can play outside, too,’’ Schneider said.

“It just literally fell that way,’’ Schneider said. “We had those guys right together so it was amazing that we ended up selecting both of them, both really cool young men and competitors and to add to that room, those two guys, it’s a big deal.’’

Macdonald wants team to make their own history 

Shortly before the draft opened Thursday, the Seahawks posted a video appearing to make light of some controversy that erupted after it was revealed that the team has taken down signs with slogans from the Carroll era, such as the ubiquitous “I’m In’’ sign players touched on their way out to the field, and a wallpaper mural of large pictures of great moments from the Carroll era that lined a hallway.

In his first statement on it Saturday, Macdonald said the intent is only to make the point that it’s time for the team to create its own identity.

“Obviously our coaching staff’s respect for this place is off the charts,’’ Macdonald said. “That’s why we wanted to be here, and the standard that’s been set here is extremely attractive. It’s obviously a great organization, the history of success that we’ve had here, that’s what we’re chasing, we’re trying to be back to Super Bowls and playing elite defense and smashing people up front. These are the things we’re chasing. We have a huge amount of respect for the coaches that have been here, the history. I think what we’re trying to do with the players in terms of messaging is we want to create our own message and our rallying cries and stuff that’s ours for this team. So that’s how it was. I think you can walk around the halls and see all the history and stuff, I think it speaks for itself. ‘’