With the 2016 Senior Bowl behind us, mock drafts from around the web look a little bit different than they did two weeks ago.
The Seahawks own the No. 26 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and Seattle's John Schneider was on site evaluating talent at college football's annual all-star game for senior players this past weekend, when the Seahawks Executive VP/General Manager shed some light on how he and his personnel staff will approach this season's selection process.
"We approach it the same way every year," Schneider said in an interview with NFL Network. "So we're not position-specific. We just build [our draft board] based on how these players compare with our current roster."
Seattle's current roster could shift before April's draft, as the Seahawks have 17 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, meaning those players would be open to signing with another team. Schneider called that fact a "challenge" for the Seahawks this offseason.
"Our challenge is that we have 17 unrestricted free agents coming up, so we have a lot of work ahead of us in terms of trying to keep our core players together when we're talking about keeping this really cool puzzle that we have together," he said. "It's very hard. The way parity is in the National Football League, it's set up a specific way to battle you on that and challenge you.
"So that's our challenge, trying to keep as many of the core players together as we possibly can, especially the unrestricted free agents, and then add as many young guys as we possibly can through the draft, or through waivers or trades."
Seattle's first pick this year is the highest its had since trading the No. 25 overall pick to the Minnesota Vikings in 2013 as part of the deal for wideout Percy Harvin. The Seahawks haven't made a pick in the first round since selecting Bruce Irvin at No. 15 overall in 2012, having traded out of the first round in 2014 and having sent the No. 31 overall pick in last year's draft to the New Orleans Saints as part of the package to acquire tight end Jimmy Graham.
Whether or not Schneider and Seattle head coach Pete Carroll will hold onto 2016's first-round pick remains to be seen, but plenty of draft experts have opinions on which player the Seahawks will scoop up when the initial round of the draft gets underway on April 28.
Below, check out several new names that draft analysts think the Seahawks will select with the No. 26 pick in this year's first round. At CBSSports.com, Rob Rang and Dane Brugler's post-Senior Bowl picks for Seattle are the same as what they were last month.
Expert: ESPN.com's Todd McShay (Insider)
Pick: DT Andrew Billings, Baylor
Analysis: "Billings has freakish weight-room strength that he puts to good use as a run defender. A great athlete for the position, he displays an impressive combination of quickness and power. Billings improved his consistency as a third-year starter, and that led to him playing the best football of his career in 2015 (14.0 TFLs and 5.5 sacks)."
Pick: DT Sheldon Day, Notre Dame
Analysis: "Seattle adds in interior penetrator in Day who ranked fourth among interior defensive linemen as a pass rusher and sixth in the run game in 2015. He also showed the ability to line up and beat offensive tackles off the edge during Senior Bowl week, only adding to his value as a disruptor."
Expert: SBNation.com's Dan Kadar
Pick: DE Shaq Lawson, Clemson
Analysis: "At this point, Lawson is too good of a talent to overlook. It just so happens he would be a good fit in Seattle where he can line up in multiple spots on the defensive line. Getting Lawson at No. 26 overall would be a coup."
Pick: DE Noah Spence, Eastern Kentucky
Analysis: "Four years ago, the Seahawks took a chance on an ultra-talented pass-rusher who had some glaring character issues. Bruce Irvin didn't exactly set the world on fire as a pro, but he did play well for Seattle overall. Irvin's now a free agent, so could history repeat itself? Noah Spence would be a top-10 prospect if he had no character concerns. Spence didn't help himself by bombing the Senior Bowl interviews, but some team may ultimately decide to pull the trigger on him late in the first round."
Pick: DE Robert Nkemdiche, Ole Miss
Analysis: "There is no doubt that Nkemdiche (6-4, 296) has a tremendous skill set with the speed and agility of a linebacker. For the NFL, he has the ability to be a disruptive presence at the point of attack if nothing else. In 2015, Nkemdiche totaled 29 tackles, seven for a loss and three sacks, plus he caught a 31-yard touchdown pass. Nkemdiche recorded 35 tackles with two sacks in 2014. He flashed, but lacked consistency. As a freshman, Nkemdiche totaled 34 tackles with two sacks and eight tackles for a loss. He totaled seven sacks in his collegiate career."
Expert: NFL.com's Lance Zierlein
Pick: OT Le'Raven Clark, Texas Tech
Analysis: "Clark still has some holes he's working on, but he's athletic and has freakishly long arms at a position which the Seahawks need to lock down for the future."
Expert: NFL.com's Chad Reuter
Pick: DT Sheldon Rankins, Louisville
Analysis: "Rankins' get-off and motor bolsters an interior defensive line in need of bodies right away, as free agents Ahtyba Rubin and Brandon Mebane may or may not return in 2016."
Expert: BleacherReport.com's Matt Miller
Pick: DT Jonathan Bullard, Florida
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