21. Seattle Seahawks: Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
There might not be another team in the NFL this season whose bottom line is struggling as badly because of the offensive line than the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks obviously have been playing pretty good football as of late, and they are compensating for their issues on the offensive line.
But if they go any direction besides offensive line with this first-round pick, color me shocked.
They have been down to the ghost of Jason Peters at times at the right tackle position, and their starting center retired in the middle of the year. This team is in desperate need of an influx here and you can’t help but wonder how much better they will be if they can even get four of those five spots fixed up by the time the 2025 season rolls around.
Aireontae Ersery has 1st-round traits at the tackle position but definitely needs some seasoning. Guys with his combination of size, length, and athletic traits are worth taking a shot on.
22. Washington Commanders: Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
The Washington Commanders should have always been expected to have at least a slight defensive resurgence under new head coach Dan Quinn. Quinn has brought an upgraded pass rush pretty much everywhere he’s been, and that has continued with the Commanders this year.
The Commanders’ top pass rushers this year have been Dante Fowler Jr., off-ball linebacker Frankie Luvu, and veteran Dorance Armstrong. After trading away both Montez Sweat and Chase Young last year, you just can’t fix every single area of your roster in one offseason.
Getting a pass rusher in this year’s draft class won’t be difficult for the Commanders to do, whether they bring in someone off the edge or on the interior. Nic Scourton has been wildly productive for both Purdue and Texas A&M and would give Washington an interesting potential cornerstone piece in the pass rush department.