Pete Carroll possessed a special magic in the early 2010s. When Carroll and general manager John Schneider arrived in Seattle in 2010 to lead the Seahawks, the franchise was on the decline. Carroll and Schneider changed the roster hundreds of times in the early stages of their career, attempting to reshape Seattle’s future.
They were successful, of course, and Carroll had ultimate say on all personnel movements. This continued until the day Carroll was relieved of his duties following the 2023 season.
In other words, if Carroll desired a player or to target a specific position group, Schneider may provide feedback, but Carroll had the final say. Would Schneider have wanted to choose running backs in the second round in consecutive NFL drafts, for example? He may not have, but Carroll did, because Seattle chose Kenneth Walker III in 2022 and Zach Charbonnet in 2023.
Pete Carroll is likely the reason the Seahawks
did not draft this dream pick in 2023
The defensive line did not appear to be Carroll’s top priority. The issue was that, heading into the 2023 selection, Seattle had a clear need to select an inside defensive lineman who could help stop the run while also providing interior pass rush. Seattle signed Jarran Reed and Dre’Mont Jones in 2023 free agency, but Reed was almost 30 and likely a short-term solution.
While Seattle was taking another running back early in the 2023 draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected defensive tackle Kobie Turner in the third round with choice 89 overall. Seattle originally had selection 83, but moved back with the Denver Broncos to the fourth round and picked 108. Sure, Schneider was the one who finalized the trade with Denver, but no move would have been completed without Carroll’s agreement.
Turner had a rookie season in 2023, finishing third in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, with 9 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, and 8 tackles for loss. With selection 108, Seattle selected right guard Anthony Bradford, who struggled in his rookie season and might likely be surpassed by 2024 pick Christian Haynes for the starting right guard position this season.
Seattle might have chosen Byron Young over Charbonnet in the second round, but the Rams selected the linebacker in the third round, and Young recorded 8 sacks while playing largely in depth at edge rusher. Seattle might have passed on Derick Hall in the second round and instead took Young.
Because Seattle did not address the defensive line early in the 2023 draft, and the line was struggling at the start of the season, the team traded for Leonard Williams and gave up a second-round pick in 2024. Williams was terrific for Seattle, but the need to add him may not have existed if Carroll and the Seahawks had taken a different route in the selection. An approach that could have landed Seattle, rather than the Rams, Kobie Turner.
