Mock Draft Medley: Seahawks, Eagles, and Lions Land Major Hauls in Kiper’s Two-Rounder

April 14, 2023, by Patrick K. Flowers NFL

I found Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft to be pretty interesting. The ESPN draft guru released his latest mock draft on Tuesday, and if you’re a Seahawks fan, you’ll love this one!

Kiper has a pair of first-round trades, and Seattle lands Jalen Carter, Myles Murphy, and a QB (yep!) in the first round. Kiper has the Seahawks trading both of its second-round picks — Nos. 37 and 52 — to the Eagles for the 29th pick, which they use to take a quarterback!

A bold night for the Seahawks!

Hooker racked up 2,945 passing yards with 31 touchdowns and just three interceptions in 2021 after transferring to Tennessee. He emerged as an early Heisman candidate in 2022, throwing for 3,135 yards with 27 touchdowns, two interceptions, 430 yards, and five scores on the ground before tearing his ACL.

Not only does Seattle draft Hooker, who is coming off of an ACL injury, to sit behind Geno Smith until he’s ready, but Seattle gains the fifth-year option by trading back into the first round to select Hooker instead of waiting to see if he falls into the second round.

In Kiper’s mock, the Seahawks go to bed at the end of night one with Jalen Carter, Bryan Breese, and Gino Smith’s eventual successor on the roster. That’s a haul!

What about the big four?

Kiper doesn’t have much in the way of surprises at the top. C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young go No. 1 and 2, with Anthony Richardson going to the Tennessee Titans at No. 3.

Kiper has the Titans sending “picks Nos. 11 and 41 in this draft, plus a 2024 first-round selection and likely either 2025 first- or second-rounder as well” to the Cardinals for the third selection, in turn, Anthony Richardson. Kiper has Will Levis going to the Colts at No. 4.

But CBS’ Chris Trapasso has Richardson going to another team that traded up in the first round to nab the former Gators QB. Trapasso has the Washington Commanders moving up to No. 8 in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons (no return listed) to land Richardson.

Sorry, but that seems like something that’s not very likely to happen.

The Eagles made out alright too …

Kiper’s latest mock is a two-round variety, so Kiper has the selections for the Eagles with the two second-rounders they received from the Seahawks for the 29th pick (which turned into Hendon Hooeker).

Kiper has the Eagles replacing Miles Sanders with Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 37th pick and Auburn outside linebacker Derick Hall.

Gibbs won the Doak Walker Award in 2022 and was a consensus All-American after rushing for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns. He broke the 100-yard mark in nine of his final 10 games and led the country with 104 missed tackles forced, per Pro Football Focus.

Kiper also has the Eagles drafting Fighting Illini safety Jartavius Martin with their second-round pick (No. 62).

Here’s the Eagles’ complete haul from the first two rounds in Kiper’s mock draft:

OT Peter Skoronski, Northwestern (No. 10)
RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama (No. 37)
OLB Derick Hall, Auburn (No. 52)
DB Jartavius Martin (No. 62)

That’s a pretty good first two rounds for the Eagles and the Seahawks, who help each other out and come away with a total of seven combined players.

Other interesting picks …

Kiper has the Bears addressing the offensive line, selecting Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright at No. 9. He has the Bears attacking their defensive line needs in round two with a pair of players: DE B.J. Ojulari out of LSU (No. 53) and DT Jaquelin Roy out of LSU (No. 61).