Monthly Archives: April 2025

NFL draft, The roster

With Darnold and Milroe, QB room is most exciting since 2001

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The Seahawks have put together the most interesting quarterback room since Matt Hasselbeck and Super Bowl-winning QB Trent Dilfer came along in 2001.

Back then, Mike Holmgren – then in his third year – added Hasselbeck and Dilfer to replace Jon Kitna and Brock Huard. Hasselbeck came in a trade with Green Bay and Dilfer came from Baltimore after stepping in as the starting QB there and winning the Super Bowl the previous year. It took a year or so for Hasselbeck to fully claim the job over Dilfer, but then the Hawks went on a five-year run of playoff seasons that included their own Super Bowl appearance (and controversial loss).

Pete Carroll and John Schneider also cleaned house at the position in 2012, when Russell Wilson and Matt Flynn replaced Tarvaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst. Wilson won the job as a rookie and went on to become the best QB in franchise history, overtaking Hasselbeck for that honor, while leading the Hawks to their only Super Bowl title and another Super Bowl that should have been a win.

Now the Seahawks have wiped the slate clean again, with the hope that it will lead to more Super Bowl wins under Mike Macdonald, now in his second season.

Continue reading With Darnold and Milroe, QB room is most exciting since 2001 →
NFL draft, Trades

Will this class be as good as the excitement around it portends?

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The Seahawks are stoked about their 2025 draft and are getting rave reviews from fans and media as well. That’s great, but is this really the transcendent group so many seem to think it is? Will these guys help this team become a Super Bowl contender?

The Seahawks obviously aimed for explosive athletes — they apparently put together the most athletic Day 1-2 draft since 2003. But there is a lot more to playing winning football in the NFL than just being a great athlete.

Continue reading Will this class be as good as the excitement around it portends? →
NFL draft

NFL draft Day 2: Schneider makes big move for Emmanwori

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John Schneider made the expected move up early in the second round, giving up 52 and 82 to Tennessee to get 35.

The Seahawks drafted South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, a first-round-graded guy who figures to fill the Kyle Hamilton role in Mike Macdonald’s defense.

At 50, the Seahawks selected Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo.

At 92, Schneider drafted a QB for just the third time, adding Alabama’s Jalen Milroe.

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NFL draft

Hawks put their guard up, fortify line with smart pick of Zabel

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On Day 1 of the draft, John Schneider made the smart move and upgraded an offensive line that was in desperate need of it.

There was a gaping hole at left guard, and Grey Zabel is expected to fill it – the first guard Seattle has drafted in the first round since Steve Hutchinson in 2001 (he turned out to be pretty awesome).

Mike Macdonald declined to declare which side Zabel would play – the lineman said he didn’t care – but the coach did confirm he would play guard.

“Hopefully we’re not moving him around much and he sticks at guard for a long time here, but he does have that versatility.”

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NFL draft

Schneider needs to make Day 1-2 picks count to finish contender

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Draft Weekend is here!

And John Schneider finds himself in a familiar position — stocked with five picks in the first two days (and 10 overall) as he tries to finish building a contender for a rising coach.

In 2010-13, he and Pete Carroll built a Super Bowl team using three historically awesome drafts and a couple of key free agents to put them over the top by Year 4 of their program.

Thanks to the Russell Wilson blockbuster trade in 2022, Schneider has been putting together another contending roster – and is looking to finish it off for second-year coach Mike Macdonald with a draft that should be very impactful.

Continue reading Schneider needs to make Day 1-2 picks count to finish contender →
NFL draft

Schneider wants to ‘maneuver’

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John Schneider used to make a habit of trading down (or out) of the first round, doing so in eight straight drafts at one point (2012-19). He made veteran trades involving first-round picks in the 2021-23 drafts, but he has not moved down since 2019. Might he try to do it again this week?

In his pre-draft presser, he said he told an inquiring team that he is willing to consider moving down from 18. No real surprise. He is always open to it.  

He told reporters, “We want to be able to maneuver” and having four Day 2 picks “provides us with more opportunities to stay and pick good players or maneuver around.”

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NFL draft

Draft IQ shows how it could play out

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We’re just days away from the NFL draft, and the Seahawks and the rest of the teams are finalizing their draft boards.

NFL.com has a new tool called Draft IQ that projects the top eight on the big board for each team, using a combination of pre-draft interest, team needs and draft philosophies.

If they stay at 18, who are the Hawks most likely to pick? Which guys in that top eight might still be there? We used the Draft IQ boards to walk through the first round and see how it might play out.

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NFL draft, Trades

Trade talk: Howell, Woolen — who else?

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When the Seahawks brought back Drew Lock last Friday, the first thought that came to mind was: Whither Sam Howell?

With Lock reportedly signed to a two-year deal, it sure seems to put Howell on the trade block.

The Hawks acquired Howell in a pick swap last year, getting a fourth and sixth while giving up a third and fifth. It was not a bad price to pay (equivalent of a fourth-rounder) for a look at a guy who had started a full season in the NFL and might be a possible long-term QB.

But Howell was no competition for Geno Smith and showed very poorly in clearly trying circumstances against the Packers late in the season.

John Schneider had said he looked forward to seeing Howell in Klint Kubiak’s offense because Ryan Grubb’s offense “wasn’t a good setup for him.” But now here comes Lock back, and he seems like as good a fit or better as the backup in Kubiak’s offense, which includes plenty of rollouts and bootlegs.

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NFL draft

Draft notes: WR at 18? No O-line until Round 3?

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For a month now, mock drafters have loved matching the Seahawks with a wide receiver at No. 18 — assuming the team naturally would use its top pick to replace the traded DK Metcalf.

And there is scuttlebutt that the Hawks might indeed be leaning that way. The guy who keeps coming up now is Emeka Egbuka, former Ohio State teammate of Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

But do the Hawks really need to force a receiver pick high in this draft?

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Coaches, Contracts, Trades

Carroll’s return was Geno’s out as he felt ‘disconnect’ in Seattle

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Without saying it out loud, Geno Smith basically confirmed what we always thought: Pete Carroll’s return to the NFL precipitated Smith’s departure from Seattle.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again (along with ESPN’s Brady Henderson): We think Smith very likely would still be in Seattle (under a new deal) if Carroll had not been hired by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Continue reading Carroll’s return was Geno’s out as he felt ‘disconnect’ in Seattle →