At the NFL meetings this week, John Schneider and Mike Macdonald offered a few draft nuggets – some of which confirm conventional wisdom and others which create questions.

Macdonald said they would take the best player available – offense or defense – with their top pick (18). He also said they would be looking at drafting some cornerbacks, and he gave a lukewarm endorsement of Riq Woolen – a guy we think might be traded at some point this year.

Schneider, meanwhile, said (1) he was laying groundwork for trades with other NFL execs in Florida, (2) he might consider moving up in the draft and (3) the Hawks likely won’t be able to upgrade at center.

Here’s a look at the key draft-related comments from Seattle’s two chiefs and our take on them.

Trade talk

Schneider said, “Having those five picks in the first 92, it allows you to maneuver a little bit depending on how other people see it. That’s one of the things that I’m trying to do down here.”

To get a handle on what trades might be possible, he has to get a grasp on where teams think the ledges are. For example, some teams have said the players ranked 15-40 are all very similar in draft grade, so it really comes down to positional preference. Schneider needs to figure that out to know where and when to try to trade.

He added, “Initially, you’re like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to take five really good players.’ But then you get in a situation where it’s like, ‘All right, that guy’s a starter, we should probably move to go get him,’ if you can. It depends on how other people see these guys. But yeah, it allows us the ability to just be more free throughout our draft process.”

Our take: We think Schneider might look to move up in the second round – either for a guard like Donovan Jackson if Seattle takes a different position at 18 or for another starting-caliber guy if they already have the guard. Schneider probably will want to get back into the top 40 no matter what he does with 18.

Best player available at 18

“We’re in a great spot where there’s a balance and we can attack the best player available,” Macdonald said. “If that person is on defense, (if) I’m really excited about him, and (if) we have a great vision for him, let’s rock and roll. Let’s go get him and see how he fits in, let him go compete and let’s go. But that’s the case on offense as well.

“You don’t have to take a guy at a certain position. You get in trouble when you do that sometimes. There’s a lot of great players in this draft across positions and over the first couple rounds, so we’re sitting at a great spot to make our team significantly better.”

Our take: If Grey Zabel is gone at 18 (and maybe even if he is not), we would not be surprised if Macdonald and Schneider took a defensive player (a DB, in particular). If they do that, they absolutely will need to move up in Round 2 to get Jackson (if he is still there).

On the corners

“A wise man once said you can never have too many corners,” Macdonald said, “It might be Ozzie Newsome that said that, and he’s right. So we need to create more competition in the back room, especially at corner.”

Josh Jobe, back on a one-year deal, and Riq Woolen, in the final year of his rookie contract, are both playing for new money in 2026. The Hawks clearly need to add a talented corner (i.e., first two days) who can step up opposite Devon Witherspoon.

Macdonald spoke highly of Jobe, but less so of Woolen.

“I’m really excited about Josh just taking his career to the next level and how he competes,” Macdonald said. “I think one thing that Josh does such a great job of is just the day-in, day-out process, how he approached his job, his responsibilities, how he studies. Him and Spoon work really well together. So that’s the type of energy we talked about that we need this offseason in the room so we can sharpen each other and be able to put a heck of a group out there.”

Macdonald does not sound sold on Woolen at all: “If he sat right here, he’d tell you play-to-play focus (is) on the checklist of what you need to do play in and play out. … When he’s at his best, he really unlocks our defense because he takes away a side of the field, and we push coverage away from him.

“We have to work together, him and us as a coaching staff, and make it come to life every day. That’s when the best version of him comes alive.”

Our take: If the Hawks get a corner in the first five picks, they might look to move Woolen either during the draft or later this summer. If they add a starting-caliber corner, getting a Day 2 pick in 2026 off a Woolen trade would be solid work.

Center misdirection?

On the surface, Schneider said Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell are probably the centers for 2025. But there might be more to that.

“Center is going to be difficult because the center group in this year’s draft is not very strong — that’s just how we see it,’’ Schneider said. “Those two guys (Oluwatimi, Sundell), that’s going to be pretty interesting there, but center’s going to be hard (to upgrade through the draft).’’

Our take: That sounds pretty straightforward, but Schneider could be throwing other teams off the scent, if he and Klint Kubiak see Zabel as a center. There is a scenario where the Hawks could get both Zabel and Jackson – a daily double that could set the Hawks up with a very good line for the next few years.

TE choice: Loveland or Goedert?

Macdonald mentioned the Hawks would go best player at 18. Well, if Zabel is gone, some think that player might be Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

Daniel Jeremiah has Loveland as his No. 7 player in the draft, which means he would be a great value if he slid to 18 as teams ahead of Seattle addressed other needs.

What Jeremiah says (in part) about Loveland: “Loveland is a long, lean tight end with outstanding awareness, quickness and big-play ability. … Overall, Loveland is equipped to make a lot of catches as a starting tight end in his rookie campaign.”

Another option could be Dallas Goedert, who is expected to be a cap cut by the Eagles in June. Schneider recently talked about looking into “cap casualties” after the draft, and the Hawks have over $35 million in cap space still. At the right price, Goedert would be a nice veteran addition.

If the Hawks do not draft a tight end, he might be a target for Schneider and Kubiak.