The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2015 NFL Draft with a couple of key positions already sewn up. Star running back Marshawn Lynch has re-upped his contract, meaning the team doesn’t have to take a back in the early rounds, as had been feared when Lynch was hinting at retirement. And the Seahawks pedestrian receiving corps has been bolstered by the arrival of tight end Jimmy Graham. And that’s good news for their hopes of NFC title defense, even as they prepare to work around an odd in-house draft board.

The arrival of Jimmy Graham means that the Seattle Seahawks no longer have a first round draft pick. But a series of other moves mean that the team does have eleven total draft picks in 2015 from late in the second round onward. Even with the tight end position now squared away, the team could still benefit from the addition of one or more wideouts. And that’s before getting to the dropoff at the defensive back position which was exposed after Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas were injured during last season’s playoff run. There’s also the quarterback conundrum.

The Seattle Seahawks want to sign Russell Wilson to a long term contract, but have acknowledged the salary cap crunch which that could place the team under. That means the team has to at least consider drafting a quarterback in the middle rounds to act as a backup now and a developmental potential starter down the road in case the contract negotiations with Wilson somehow don’t work out. But with the arrival of Jimmy Graham and the return of Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks have to be feeling confident entering the draft one way or the other.

The Seattle Seahawks were one play away from winning a second consecutive Super Bowl, and are now left trying to figure out how to boost their roster in order to ensure a repeat visit to the big game. The catch: their offense is as reliant as ever on running back Marshawn Lynch, who has let whispers slip about potential retiring. But the team has made a move which may win him over: the acquisition of tight end Jimmy Graham.

A running back’s best friend is a dynamic passing game, which forces defenders to stay back and opens up easier running routes. One of the few relative weaknesses of the Seattle Seahawks roster last season was its pedestrian group of receivers, made worse by the midseason dumping of Percy Harvin due to personality conflicts. But the addition of Jimmy Graham means that the life of the Seahawks running backs just got easier, and gives Marshawn Lynch one more reason to come back for another season. But will it be enough?

The trick with a player as unpredictable as Marshawn Lynch is that it’s never entirely clear what he’ll do next. Most players considering retirement would make a point of informing their teams of their decision before the draft, but Lynch has made too many strange moves for that to be counted on. Still, if he returns for 2015, the Seattle Seahawks may be in their strongest position to contend yet.

The Seattle Seahawks have been to the Super Bowl the past two years and are aiming for a third. To that end they’ve traded for tight end Jimmy Graham and appear to have coaxed Marshawn Lynch away from his retirement talk. But is it enough to put the team over the NFC hump again?

Jimmy Graham is one of the top tight ends in the league, and observers are still scratching their heads as to why the Saints let him go. He’ll instantly become Russell Wilson’s too receiving threat, and should open things up for the Seahawks’ comparatively pedestrian wide receiver corps.

But convincing Marshawn Lynch to return in 2015 may be even more vital for the Seattle Seahawks. He’s the most dynamic player they have on offense, and he’s the rare running back who can change the course of a game in this era of backs aw commodities. For all the minor sideshow distractions Lynch brings to the table such as his interview hijinks, he’s the singular reason they’ve been to the past two Super Bowls, and their single best chance of getting back to a third. Even the uber talented Jimmy Graham would have little choice but to agree.