This was a bad draft, no two ways about it.
The Seattle Seahawks are unsurprisingly done with the 2021 NFL Draft.
With a league-low three picks taken in “the Covid draft” given the lack of a traditional NFL Scouting Combine and other things disrupted by the pandemic, Seattle uniquely punted on this draft. Two picks from the 2021 stockpile were sent to the New York Jets for Jamal Adams, one pick was used on Gabe Jackson (who was promptly given a contract extension), and another was traded for a move up in the draft to select Stone Forsythe.
Yeah, that’s it.
Here’s your recap.
Seahawks 2021 NFL Draft pick results
1st round: Traded for Jamal Adams (currently out of the league)
2nd round: Dee Eskridge (currently an unsigned free agent)
3rd round: Traded for Jamal Adams
4th round: Tre Brown (signed with San Francisco 49ers)
5th round: Gabe Jackson (cut in 2023, out of the league)
6th round: Stone Forsythe (signed with New York Giants)
7th round: Traded for move up to get Stone Forsythe
Maybe it was a calculated risk due to a lack of traditional scouting knowledge; the college football season was extremely fractured in addition to no Senior Bowl, NFL Combine, etc. This would hold water if other teams struggled to find good players in the draft, too.
The reality? I count at least 23 teams who drafted at least one player in 2021 who’s since received a contract extension, while teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons saw Will Fries and Drew Dalman respectively leave for big contracts they were unlikely to pay out. Only a handful of teams essentially had a value-less draft in terms of finding a quality player.
The Seahawks not only got very little out of their three picks—it’s fine if Stone Forsythe was just a swing tackle as a sixth-rounder and Tre Brown was an off-and-on starter—but they won’t get anything in terms of draft compensation. Forsythe signing for the veteran’s minimum means he’s non-CFA eligible to begin with, while Tre Brown’s contract is unknown but will likely not be a major contract. Even if it was, Seattle has already gained more CFAs than its lost.
Seattle will enter the 2025 season as the only NFL team with zero players remaining from its 2019-2021 draft classes.