Mel Kiper 2023 NFL mock draft: Seahawks give up both 2nds, get Hendon Hooker at 30

I don’t know if we could function as a site if the Seahawks actually did this.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper has a new mock draft out, and he has a bombshell trade that would see the Seattle Seahawks get a third pick in Round 1.

When I write these mock draft posts up I tend to ignore anything that’s been done before, so let’s get out of the way that Kiper has the Seahawks taking Georgia star defensive tackle Jalen Carter at No. 5 overall (over Will Anderson, and with Anthony Richardson gone to the Tennessee Titans in a trade-up to No. 3), followed by Clemson EDGE Myles Murphy at No. 20. All Kiper did was swap Richardson out for Carter from his last mock draft.

Okay I’ve stalled enough. In Kiper’s mock, the Seahawks get back into the first-round one last time in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. They sacrifice both second-round choices (No. 37 and 52) to get to the 30th overall pick, where they find their possible quarterback of the future… Hendon Hooker.

From behind the paywall:

Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee

There’s some buzz about Hooker rising into the first round and this could be the perfect landing spot. I have a second-round grade on him, but I can see why he might be appealing. He led the FBS in Total QBR (89.5) and yards per attempt (9.5) last season, and he threw just five picks over two seasons at Tennessee. His accuracy on deep throws is really good. The downside? He played in a quarterback-friendly offense, didn’t have to go through progressions and is coming off a torn left ACL suffered in November. There’s going to be a learning curve in the NFL. Plus, he’s already 25 years old, so there are questions about his ceiling.

For Seattle, as I mentioned in my previous mock draft, the details of Geno Smith’s contract extension show it’s only a one-year commitment. The team could easily move on after one year and turn to Hooker.

Kiper pretty much described exactly why I have no interest in taking Hooker in Round 1, and yet the Seahawks are going to give up both second-rounders for a 25-year-old coming off a torn ACL, whom otherwise played in a very QB-friendly offense that doesn’t translate well at an NFL level. I swear Hooker was looked upon as a Day 2 prospect like a month ago and all of a sudden he’s speculated as a Round 1 option. Seattle has never traded back into the first under Pete Carroll and John Schneider, so this would be unprecedented.

In summary: Jalen Carter, Myles Murphy, Hendon Hooker all in Round 1. Nada in Round 2 because Seattle gave up both second-rounders to the Philadelphia Eagles, who used those picks on running back Jahmyr Gibbs and outside linebacker Derick Hall.