The Seattle Seahawks are set to spend a lot of time waiting before they’re on the clock in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23.

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After winning the Super Bowl, the Seahawks have the final pick of the first round at No. 32 overall.

Seahawks Radio Network analyst Michael Bumpus has been paying attention to who draft experts are predicting Seattle will take in mock drafts. One trend he’s noticed is many of them have the team addressing its defense in the first round.

Is that the direction the Seahawks, who led the NFL in scoring defense last year, should go? Bumpus and producer Curtis Rogers weighed in during Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy on Thursday.

Bumpus and Rogers both agreed that an offensive lineman could be another good choice at No. 32 overall, but they like the thought of going with a defensive player in the first round. One reason is what Seattle could be losing from that side of the ball. Edge rusher Boye Mafe, cornerback Riq Woolen, cornerback Josh Jobe and safety Coby Bryant are all set to be free agents when the new league year begins March 11. There is also the possibility veteran edge rusher DeMarcus Lawerence decides to retire.

“I think defense is probably where the Seahawks go just because you’re going to be losing, I think, a lot from that side of the ball compared to the guys on the offense,” Rogers said. “And on the offensive side, outside of Ken Walker, you can pretty much envision everybody returning next year.”

Rogers also likes the idea of head coach Mike Macdonald having another talented defensive player to mold and highlighted the impact of 2025 second-round pick Nick Emmanwori as an example of why.

“I have a lot of confidence in whoever it is that they choose to pick at pick 32 or wherever else they go defense in the draft, that Macdonald will be able to coach that guy up and be able to get just a lot of production out of them,” he said. “I think we all thought Nick Emmanwori was going to contribute in some way as a rookie, but did we ever think that they had landed on a potential Kyle Hamilton-type safety, which I think is very much in play for what Emmanwori can become in the NFL. He had an incredible rookie season.”

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Bumpus doesn’t see any glaring needs on the offense. So he thinks continuing to add to the identity of team is a good path to take.

“That’s the foundation of the team,” Bumpus said. “I know Sam Darnold is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. I know that (Jaxon Smith-Njigba) is offensive player of the year. But when you think about this team, the first thing I think about is just the stifling defense. So Mike Macdonald has to make sure he gets his kind of guys to fit his scheme.”

Rogers added that trading back from No. 32 could be a very real possibility for the Seahawks as well.

“Do they trade down maybe a couple of spots to get one of the first picks of the second round?” Rogers said. “That way you’re probably paying (your first pick) at a cheaper cost than what you’d have to pay somebody at pick 32, you don’t have to be on the hook for a fifth-year option with that player, and then also maybe you pick up an extra third or an extra fourth (round pick) here and there. You only have four draft picks right now.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player in this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app. 

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