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Tyler Lockett has high praise for Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba

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The draft is always a crapshoot. The Seahawks had a pair of first-round picks in the most recent edition of it.

Receiver Tyler Lockett believes the team ended up with a pair of good players for their first-round selections.

“I love him,” Lockett told reporters on Tuesday regarding cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick. “I love the way that he plays. Obviously I haven’t been able to go out there and actually go with the team, but just being able to see how he plays when we’re out there doing a little faster walk-through, when I’m watching him out there as he’s kind of like doing his little movements, you could tell he knows the game. You can tell he knows when to sit, when not to sit, when to jump, when to play it safe. And the more and more he understands the plays and he understands the freedom that he has to be able to know when to do certain things and when not to, I think he’s going to be a really, really great player.”

Lockett had similar praise for receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, taken 20th overall.

“I think he’s going to be phenomenal, man, Lockett said. “It’s always hard just being able to get adjusted when you first come in. But the way he runs routes, the way he’s understanding the way that receivers coach Sanjay [Lal] coaches, the sky’s going to be the limit. I think he’s going to be really good at all the things that the Seahawks -- that we want him to be able to do. I’m excited to be able to go out there and work with him. Even though you’re a vet, you can still learn from the young guys too. So it’s always being able to teach each other stuff and iron sharpening iron and just helping each other be better to win.”

The Seahawks had the high pick thanks to the Russell Wilson trade. They landed at No. 20 after having a better than expected season of their own.

If both of their first-rounders can produce quickly, next year’s pick could end up being lower than that. And they’re currently slated to not have a second first-rounder in 2024.