Man, what a gut punch that 17-14 overtime loss to the Broncos was for our Seahawks. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, right? It makes you look around the NFC West, at teams like the 49ers, and wonder what they’re doing so differently. Because while we’re reeling from an OT defeat, their GM, John Lynch, is out there spilling the beans on why they’re hitting it big with late-round draft picks, and honestly, it just adds insult to injury right now.
Their “Secret Sauce” Is All About Alignment
Lynch was chatting on the Unbuttoned podcast, diving into everything from injuries to late-game calls, but what really stuck out was his take on their draft strategy. He admits the draft is an “inexact science.” You hear that from every GM, but Lynch also believes you “better have a good process.” And with him and Kyle Shanahan having a decade together, there’s a crazy amount of “continuity” in their system. They know exactly what they like in players for their schemes, and they go “to great lengths to define each and every position and the characteristics at that position.” But here’s the kicker: Lynch says the real reason they “hit on late-round picks exceptionally well” is because of “great synergy with our coaching staff. Scouting, coaching.” He calls it “alignment.” When their R&D, scouting, and coaching are all “in on a player,” they hit “at a real high rate.” You gotta wonder if that kind of unified front is what separates the contenders from, well, an overtime loss to Denver.
From “Chihuahuas” to Length: Changing Up the D-Line
It gets even more specific on the defensive side. Lynch mentioned their strategy “changed a little bit this year with Raheem [Morris]” as their new defensive coordinator, pushing for “more 5-down fronts.” What did that mean for their draft? They needed “some length.” Lynch even joked they “had a bunch of little Chihuahuas that would chase you and swarm you,” but they just needed some big bodies to play those fronts. He highlighted guys like Jaden Dugger, a linebacker, and Gracen Halton, a defensive lineman. Halton, an “attack-defensive lineman” from Oklahoma, completely baffled Lynch by falling to Day 3. The guy’s a hair under 6’3″, sub-300 pounds, but he tested as a “superb athlete” in lower-body explosiveness, started on one of the “best defense[s] in the country,” had a good Senior Bowl, and is only 22! Getting guys like that in the late rounds is a luxury we could certainly use when we’re trying to win those grind-it-out games like the one we just lost.
It just makes you think: if they can find these talents so consistently late, why isn’t that synergy working as well for early-round picks? Lynch even brought up getting “lucky, like with Brock Purdy.” Lucky or not, the results are there, and that kind of consistent draft success has huge implications for the NFC West.
What’s Next for Our Hawks?
Look, while other teams are perfecting their draft processes, our Seahawks just need to rebound from that brutal overtime defeat. That 14-17 loss to the Broncos stings, and it’s a tough pill to swallow when you know every game counts in the division race. We’ve got to regroup, focus up, and come out swinging next week. The NFC West doesn’t wait for anyone, and if we’re going to make a push this season, we can’t afford to let these close ones slip away. We need to see that fire, that grit, that Emerald City resolve. Let’s get it done.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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