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.

The tool projects the Seahawks’ top eight prospects as:

• Arizona WR Tet McMillan
• North Dakota State OL Grey Zabel
• South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori
• Alabama guard Tyler Booker
• Michigan TE Colston Loveland
• Ohio State WR Emeka Egbuka
• Texas WR Matthew Golden
• Georgia safety Malaki Starks

All of those guys have been linked to the Hawks throughout the process – with McMillan and Emmanwori reportedly having come to VMAC for Top 30 visits (likely to see whether they would be personality fits in Mike Macdonald’s world).

Zabel has been linked heavily to the Hawks because he is a flexible lineman who starred at the Senior Bowl (which the Hawks count heavily) and could step in anywhere in the middle of the line as a rookie.

Even if the Hawks really are considering McMillan, Carolina (8) or Dallas (12) sure seems likely to pounce on him.

Zabel is on the top-8 boards of the Colts (14), Cardinals (16) and Bengals (17). The Colts might actually be the team to determine the Hawks’ direction in the draft. Indy needs a tight end, too, so Loveland is on their Draft IQ board. But Zabel could replace Ryan Kelly at center.

If Loveland, the 11^th player on the Athletic’s consensus board, slides to Seattle, the Hawks could perhaps dangle him to the Chargers (22) – he’s third on their board in the Draft IQ projection. Add a fourth from L.A. to move down four spots?

We think the Hawks might prefer Mason Taylor at tight end. They had him in for a visit, and the thought is they were just confirming their priors on him – that they love him.  

“Mason Taylor, to me, he’s an emerging player in that everybody is comfortable with him,” draft expert Daniel Jeremiah said. “He’s a safe player. He’s rock solid. He had a nice week at the Senior Bowl.”

DJ said teams have told him, “If we got wiped out (of preferred players at our pick), we would just take Mason Taylor. He’s going to start for us for the next 8-10 years. Just a steady, solid player.’”

Would the Hawks consider taking Taylor after a move down to 22? Or would they go with Booker, Emmanwori, Starks or perhaps Michigan DT Kenneth Grant? All good options.

More trade talk

As expected, the Seahawks are taking calls on Sam Howell. Our guess is he will net a pick swap that moves the Hawks up in the fourth or fifth round.

Denver could be popular at 20, per DJ, as teams might try to get ahead of Pittsburgh (21) to take Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart. We do not see the Seahawks taking a QB, whether it is Dart or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. On his radio show Thursday, Schneider tried to keep the Hawks in the QB trade action by saying Drew Lock’s return “does not preclude” them from drafting a QB. But he also said it is “difficult to find that right fit” – which we take to mean he does not value these quarterbacks as highly as some other teams will.

Jeremiah thinks Michigan corner Will Johnson could slide because he never ran a 40 at the Combine or at his Pro Day due to a toe injury that cost him the final six games of the 2024 season. But it still seems a stretch for him to last to 18. Draft IQ has him on almost every board from the Raiders at 6 to the Cardinals at 16. A lot of teams need corners.

That’s why we think the Hawks could surprise a lot of people by trading Riq Woolen. If the Hawks get lucky with Johnson or take Texas CB Jahdae Barron in the first round or East Carolina’s Shavon Revel Jr. (or another top corner) in the second, Schneider and Mike Macdonald could be comfortable in moving Woolen during or after this draft. If they could get a third-rounder in 2025 or 2026, it would be a worthy trade.