With the 5th overall pick in the 2023 Bleeding Green Nation community mock draft, Seattle Seahawks GM The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop selects ...

Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

The Short Version:

Carter could be the most talented player in the 2023 NFL Draft class and is an immediate fit for a Seahawks team in need of production out of their defensive front.

The Longer Version:

As a playoff team with a top 5 pick, the Seahawks are in an enviable position with this pick. They extended Comeback Player of the Year Geno Smith after he had a career season at age 32. While I’ve got my doubts on Smith continuing his success, for this year he’s their guy. The Seahawks aren’t picking a QB, so who should they be looking for?

If no one trades up, there should be two or three QBs off the board from Carolina, Houston, and possibly Indianapolis (as is the case in this mock). The top players remaining are likely defensive linemen, which fits well with Seattle’s weaknesses. One of Will Anderson Jr, Jalen Carter, or Tyree Wilson should be available for Seattle. With Anderson off the board, Carter is almost certainly the most talented player left. Seattle is currently weak up front defensively, so Carter will slot right in.

There are certainly character concerns surrounding Carter even before his recent sentencing. Doing this draft, I can only go off of publicly available information, but I’m sure if the Seahawks are considering Carter here, they’ll do far more due diligence than I have. We’ve seen quality players drop further for character issues (for example, Laremy Tunsil in 2016), so we’ll see if the Seahawks are comfortable with what they know about Carter.

I’ll also acknowledge some of the other best talents available, RB Bijan Robinson and OT Peter Skoronski. While both will likely become excellent players, neither would be a wise use of the #5 overall pick. Both could probably be had with a trade down, so I wouldn’t pick them at this spot.

Thanks for reading!

2023 BGN Mock Draft Order

1) Panthers (pheebthegoose): QB Bryce Young
2) Texans (Phoenix X Minimus): QB C.J. Stroud
3) Cardinals (alwaysaphillyfan): EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts (eaglenomics): QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop): DT Jalen Carter
6) Lions (Sam2TheMaximum)
7) Raiders (joey2arms)
8) Falcons (Kephas)
9) Bears (chewy wellington)
10) Eagles (Philly21)
11) Titans (RachAttack)
12) Texans (Domonate)
13) Jets (JawnJam)
14) Patriots (Amish Eagle Lion)
15) Packers (bdawk4ever)
16) Commanders (the dog did it)
17) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen)
18) Lions (DreadPirateRocco)
19) Buccaneers (Neil Dutton)
20) Seahawks (wardbell92)
21) Chargers (Brendanekstrom)
22) Ravens (Rollinpin)
23) Vikings (FierceDisc65)
24) Jaguars (dkays)
25) Giants (roberticus01)
26) Cowboys (EHyungNim)
27) Bills (EHyungNim)
28) Bengals (mainmanham)
29) Saints (RiverCityEagle)
30) Eagles (ablesser88)
31) Chiefs (Hoosinole)

Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2023 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.

1) Panthers: QB C.J. Stroud
2) Texans: QB Bryce Young
3) Cardinals: EDGE Will Anderson
4) Colts: QB Anthony Richardson
5) Seahawks: