Jamal Adams is an exceptional football player and one of the most unique defenders in the NFL today. That doesn’t make the trade the Seahawks made with the Jets to get him any more palatable, though. In the wake of the news that Adams will require season-ending surgery on his shoulder, Seattle’s deal to land No. 33 is looking much worse now than when it originally happened, which is about as bad as it gets.
Head coach Pete Carroll is still defending the deal, calling it a “terrific trade” for his team. Carroll can say whatever he wants but the hard truth is that the move cost Seattle a massive amount of draft capital, which will make keeping this team competitive that much more difficult.
Our latest example of just how costly the deal could be comes via a 2022 mock from our friends at Draft Wire. If the season were to end today, the Jets would be in line for two picks in the top five. In this particular mock, at No. 4 overall they selected standout LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., followed by North Carolina State offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu at No. 5 with the pick they got from the 4-8 Seahawks.
Ekwonu (6-foot-4, 320 pounds) was recently named a First Team All-American and is being mocked as high as No. 2 overall in some places.
The NFL draft is a crapshoot and there’s always a chance that Ekwonu will end up a bust at the next level. That’s what makes capital so important, though. The more picks a losing team has, the more likely they are to acquire an athlete who can change their fortunes.
Seattle’s No. 1 personnel priority this coming offseason should be reinforcing the left side of the offensive line. Starting left tackle Duane Brown is set to become a free agent and will be 37 years old by the time next season begins. Meanwhile, left guard Damien Lewis has struggled since switching over from the right side and both Kyle Fuller and Ethan Pocic have misfired, suggesting there probably isn’t a long-term starter at center currently on the roster.
Fixing these issues up front may take more than one draft class, especially given the Seahawks’ poor track record of drafting OL in recent years. Being in position to draft a player like Ekwonu might have accelerated that process. Now, Seattle has to wait and watch on Day 1 of the draft, hoping that one of the top OL prospects falls into round two.
The trade for Adams was meant to be an all-in, win-now type move. It may turn out to be regime-changing blunder no matter how well Adams plays when he returns.
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