SEATTLE — As far as entertainment goes, this was one of the more compelling Seahawks offseasons we've ever seen.

Quarterback Geno Smith demanded a trade, and Sam Darnold came in to replace him. Receiver DK Metcalf also wanted out, and then Seattle signed former Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp.

Gone is fellow receiver Tyler Lockett after 10 years with the Seahawks. Arriving is four-time Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.

Lots of headlines, no doubt ... but it's hard to say if this team actually got better.

As I've said before, Darnold, Kupp and Lawrence are three of the bigger mysteries in the league. The latter two are coming off injuries, and the QB has only had one good season in his seven years in the NFL. That's why this year's draft feels particularly significant for general manager John Schneider. This is his chance to show he can build a playoff caliber team as the man with the final say in the front office. That's one thing missing from his otherwise impressive résumé.

No doubt that Schneider has proven himself as a prime asset for the Seahawks. He was the GM when the team drafted Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright, among others, from 2010-2012. It was one of the greatest three-year selecting stretches in NFL history, and if you throw in the trade for Marshawn Lynch, it was a masterpiece in executive decision making.

But even though Schneider had the GM title, it was coach Pete Carroll who swung the final hammer. Not now. This is all John — whose Seahawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons.

So what do the Seahawks need?

That answer is clear. Offensive linemen.

Fans of "The Wire" probably remember the conversation between Prop Joe and Stringer Bell, when Joe told Stringer to "keep it boring" so as to avoid attention from the police. That same advice applies to the Seahawks' draft room at the end of the month.

Valuable as linemen are, they rarely attract much fanfare. But considering the Pro Football Network ranked Seattle's O-line as the second-worst in the NFL last year, this is the top concern.

The Seahawks line ranked 30th in the league in pressure rate, which led to Smith taking 50 sacks — the third most in the league. The run-blocking was equally atrocious, with the Seahawks ranking 30th in running back yards before contact.

Left tackle Charles Cross — the team's first-round draft pick in 2022 — is a plus, as is right tackle Abe Lucas when he's healthy. The interior, on the other hand, is a disaster. Can Schneider — whose team owns the 18th, 50th, 52nd and 82nd pick over the first three rounds — shore it up?

It's not as though Seattle hasn't thoroughly tried to improve the line through the draft before. In fact, they've drafted seven offensive linemen over the past three years.

The problem has been finding value in those picks. The draft is a guessing game to a large degree, and the Seahawks have regularly misfired on that front.

But they also need some help at receiver. Jaxon Smith-Njigba proved himself capable of being a No. 1 receiver when he collected a team-high 1,130 receiving yards last year for Seattle. You do, however, have to wonder how much having Metcalf alongside him opened things up for him. And while it wasn't long ago that Kupp was one of — if not the best — receivers in the league, he hasn't played more than 12 games in a season since 2021.

Of course, sometimes you just have to take the best player available. CBS Sports has the Seahawks picking cornerback Maxwell Hairston in the first round. It's true that Riq Woolen has dropped off from his rookie season in 2022, when he was tied for the NFL lead in interceptions with six. But the secondary isn't an area screaming for an upgrade like the O-line is.

What we know for sure is that a standard was set when Carroll and Schneider arrived 15 years ago. The Seahawks have been one of the more consistent franchises in the NFL over that span, posting just three losing seasons.

But it's a different time now — a time where the playoffs have eluded them twice in a row, a time where Schneider is alone in running the show.

The Seahawks have talent, but not enough for a deep postseason run right now. Later this month, they'll have a chance to change that.

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