The Seattle Seahawks traded away Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. What do they have coming back in return for their superstar QB?
The Seattle Seahawks have pulled the trigger on a Russell Wilson trade. The Wilson news, combined with Aaron Rodgers making his decision to return to the Packers, set the NFL world ablaze on this lovely Tuesday.
Although the disappointment for Seattle fans is probably still setting in, there are some new players on the roster to get to know after the blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos.
Let’s take a look at the entire trade haul and then break it all down.
Seattle Seahawks massive trade haul from Denver Broncos in Russell Wilson deal
Seattle Seahawks get:
- QB Drew Lock
- TE Noah Fant
- DL Shelby Harris
- 2022 1st-round pick (9th overall)
- 2022 2nd-round pick (40th overall)
- 2023 1st-round pick
- 2023 2nd-round pick
- 2022 5th-round pick
Denver Broncos get:
- QB Russell Wilson
- 2022 4th-round pick
First off, can we acknowledge how hilarious it is that George Paton asked for a fourth-round pick back from Jon Schneider in this trade? You’ve got to admire his courage in a deal like this.
The first thing we need to break down are the NFL Draft picks. When you compare this to the trade the Detroit Lions made last offseason with the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks made off pretty great in terms of draft pick compensation.
Picks 9 and 40 in the 2022 NFL Draft are very good selections and will net the Seahawks starting-caliber players, no question. Those picks are also better than any picks the Lions got for Matthew Stafford, which is probably something the Seahawks looked at and prioritized.
This year’s draft class is not exactly being hyped up as a great QB draft, so what will we see Seattle do with those picks? I don’t think we’ll see them go after a quarterback, but we’ll see.
They now own multiple first- and second-round picks in 2023 that they can use as ammunition to get a QB of their choosing, whether on the trade market or in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Heck, you never know if Deshaun Watson might even be an option for the Seahawks still depending on how that situation plays out.
Ultimately, just like the Denver Broncos hoped over the last year, collecting draft picks puts you in a position of flexibility. The Seahawks don’t have Russell Wilson anymore but at least they have capital in the Draft, something that simply didn’t exist for them before this deal.
Seattle Seahawks trade haul: QB Drew Lock
Drew Lock was a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Missouri.
During his rookie training camp, former Broncos head coach Vic Fangio compared Lock to a flame-throwing pitcher that didn’t know how to pitch yet.
Fangio tried to ride Joe Flacco for the 2019 season and a thumb injury suffered by Lock allowed him to do that, but when Flacco suffered an injury and Brandon Allen played below replacement level in his stead, Fangio finally caved and played Lock for the final five games of his rookie season.
And he looked good.
He looked good enough that the Broncos gave him the keys to the car for the entire 2020 season, but they fired offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello in favor of veteran coordinator Pat Shurmur.
Yikes.
For all of Drew Lock’s faults — primarily consistency with his accuracy and ball security — I maintain he had a horrible situation in Denver coaching-wise and that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.
The coaching staff in Denver did Lock no favors, and if the Seattle Seahawks keep their weapons — DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, 2021 second-round pick D’Wayne Eskridge, and new TE Noah Fant — I think there’s reason to believe Lock can succeed.
A change of scenery could be great for Lock, and given the fact that Seahawks OC Shane Waldron comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree, I think the right system will be in place for Drew to do what he does best, which is work off of play-action.
Seattle Seahawks trade haul: DL Shelby Harris
On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks are getting a player that Denver Broncos fans are legitimately sad to lose.
Shelby Harris signed on with the team as a reserve/futures player who was a cast-off of teams like the Raiders and Cowboys. He was a total longshot to even make the roster in the first place, and he turned out to be a big-money contract type of player.
Harris has been an outstanding player for the Denver Broncos on the defensive line, doing a little bit of everything.
From chasing down Tyreek Hill to making game-ending interceptions off of Ben Roethlisberger, there is very little that Shelby Harris has yet to cross off the defensive player BINGO card in the NFL.
Harris is a strong run defender as well as pass rusher. His play isn’t “streaky” by any means, but there are certain streaks of play from Harris that are more dominant than others.
He has the capability to kill drives in a variety of ways. He might make a big TFL in the running game, get after the quarterback for a sack or hit, but what Harris does better than any defensive lineman over the last couple of years is get his hands on the ball at the line of scrimmage.
The Broncos players and fans joke that Harris has the best hands in the league because of how many batted passes and blocked kicks he has in the last handful of years.
The Seahawks are getting a high-energy playmaker on the defensive line as part of this Russell Wilson deal.
Seattle Seahawks trade haul: TE Noah Fant
Perhaps the biggest piece of the trade for the Seattle Seahawks in terms of player compensation was the acquisition of tight end Noah Fant.
Fant was one of Drew Lock’s favorite targets with the Denver Broncos and the two share the bond of coming into the league together back in the 2019 NFL Draft.
This past season, Fant actually led the Denver Broncos in receptions but as a result, arguably his greatest attribute was stifled: The ability to create yardage after the catch.
Despite being bigger and faster than most any player that attempts to cover him, Fant is not a physically dominant type of playmaker at the tight end position. He’s not known for going out there and “Moss-ing” defenders but he can run by them.
Fant had a little bit of an issue with dropped passes early in his rookie season, but he turned things up in the second half of 2019 and proved to be an elite threat in space, which is where the Seahawks need to get him opportunities.
Fant is in the final year of his rookie contract in 2022, but has the fifth-year team option available and the franchise tag after that — if need be — is also very palatable at the tight end position (only $10.6 million in 2022).
I think the potential is there for Fant to be a double-digit touchdown type of player as well as a consistent league leader at the tight end position in terms of his YAC abilities.
Although Seahawks fans may be inconsolable over trading Russell Wilson, it’s important to know that there are some really solid assets coming back in the trade.