ESPN Insider Todd McShay released his third mock draft on Thursday and it had the Seattle Seahawks selecting the same player from his previous two mocks. With Marshawn Lynch possibly mulling retirement, might the Seahawks remain unsure of who they are going to select in the first round?
McShay has Seattle taking Georgia running back Todd Gurley with the 31st pick in the first round of this year's draft. However, that would certainly not be their selection if Lynch was definitely going to be back with the team. He's under contract for the 2015 season, but reports have suggested he was considering retirement, shortly after reports surfaced that he and the team were working on a long-term extension.
"We're always preparing for the future with him," head coach Pete Carroll told reporters at the NFL scouting combine last week. "We've never thought of the future without him. Hopefully, it will work out."
Seattle's offense heavily relies on a successful run game, so if Lynch were to retire they would need another long-term solution in the backfield. Backups Robert Turbin and Christine Michael are solid runners, but they don't have much experience, especially in recent years, carrying the bulk of the load. Turbin last had over 80 rushing attempts back in 2011 when he was at Utah State, and Michael's last significant role in the running game was in 2012 when he was at Texas A&M, but he still only logged 88 carries.
Here's what McShay wrote about the potential Gurley selection:
"If the Seahawks sign Marshawn Lynch to a long-term contract, then you can cross this pick off the list. But I have a hard time believing that's going to happen, and Gurley would make a lot of sense as a long-term replacement for Lynch in Seattle. The best NFL comp I can come up with for Gurley is Lynch, and he's a premier talent in this class with his combination of speed and power."
Gil Brandt of NFL.com notes the Seahawks' top needs are tight end, offensive lineman and defensive lineman. They've lacked a game-changing tight end for quite a while now and they need to build depth on both sides of the line if they want to continue succeeding with their current game plan. If Lynch opts to retire, they could go after a running back on the free agent market, but it wouldn't be prudent if they picked up a player with a lot of NFL carries under his belt (for longevity reasons).
Although Gurley is recovering from a torn ACL, he would probably be the smarter pick up since the Seahawks can address the other needs in free agency and later rounds of the draft. But for now they'll have to wait for Lynch to make a decision before they draw out a more concrete plan.
