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.
We’re as high as everyone on the first two guys: Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori both look like immediate impact players who will help make the team better in 2025. We also like the additions of Damien Martinez and Tory Horton – good value picks who fit what the Seahawks want and could become big contributors at some point.
After that, though, it is a lot of projection and finger crossing over health and development. That especially includes second-round hybrid tight end Elijah Arroyo.
The Hawks certainly seem to have a plan for every guy, which is a good start. As John Schneider said, “Excited for this growth-minded staff to get their hands on these guys and get ripping.”
Let’s break down the Seahawks’ 2025 draft haul by day.
Day 1: The next Hutch
Round 1 went as scripted, and the Hawks made Zabel the first guard they have picked since Steve Hutchinson in 2001. It is apropos that Hutch works with the Seahawks and was a big part of the pre-draft work done on Zabel.
Zabel figures to step in at left guard and play next to Charles Cross for the next 4-5 years (we expect an extension for Cross). That should become the best left side since Hutch and Walter Jones dominated the NFL in the early to mid-2000s.
As Mike Macdonald said, “Hopefully we’re not moving him around much and he sticks at guard for a long time here …”
Day 2: Super athletes
As expected, the Hawks moved up in the second round and Macdonald got his multi-faceted chess piece in Emmanwori — the most athletic strong safety to come into the NFL since 1987 and probably since former Seahawk Kenny Easley (1981).
Emmanwori (6-3, 220) has drawn comparisons to Kam Chancellor (for physical stature) and Kyle Hamilton (for role in Macdonald’s defense). Emmanwori said, “Kam Chancellor was one of my favorite safeties ever, so it means a lot going to Seattle.”
The Hawks gave up a third-rounder to make that move from 52 to 35, and it turned out to be well worth it as the third round was pretty picked over – corners, receivers, edge rushers – by the end. If the Hawks had stayed at 52 and 82, they could have instead maybe gotten receiver Tre Harris or corner Trey Amos at 52 and defensive tackle Jamaree Caldwell or edge Josaiah Stewart at 82.
But Emmanwori should impact coverage, run defense and pass rush. Giving up 52 and 82 for a player rated in the mid-teens is a great deal.
At 50, the Hawks took another extremely athletic guy in Arroyo – a fast, surehanded hybrid tight end who would have been graded in the top 15 if not for durability questions, Schneider said.
Dane Brugler’s scouting report: “An awesome athlete at 250 pounds, Arroyo gets in and out of his breaks with efficiency and speed to consistently create separation, which makes him a threat to score any time he touches the ball (71.4 percent of his catches in 2024 resulted in a first down or touchdown). He will need to prove himself through contact in the passing game at the next level, where he won’t be given as much space to operate. Overall, Arroyo needs further development as a route runner and blocker to reach his ceiling, but he can bring an immediate vertical element to an offense with his speed, fluidity and focused ball skills. He is easy to project as an NFL starter and a weapon for which defenses must account.”
Arroyo will need to learn how to win against more physical, complex NFL defenses after looking to have it pretty easy at Miami with lots of free releases.
On the draft call, Klint Kubiak confirmed that by telling Arroyo, “We’re going to put a lot on your shoulders. … We’re going to coach the heck out of you, and we expect you to come in here and be a big spark for us, all right?”
To become that spark, he also will need to stay healthy, which has been a concern since 2022.
In the late third round, with the Hawks’ board wiped out by the other NFL teams, uber-athletic Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe was the only option outside of a trade. Schneider and company decided to take the QB – just the third one Schneider has taken in his 16 Seahawks drafts.
Macdonald said Milroe will learn how to play NFL quarterback as quickly as he can. But Sam Darnold is the starter and will get 90% of the practice snaps and Drew Lock is the backup after Sam Howell was traded during Day 3 of the draft.
“Jalen is a quarterback through and through,” Macdonald said. “He’s going to be trained to play quarterback for us. When he’s in there, he’s going to be playing quarterback. But the athleticism is going to come to life when he’s on the field. That’s how he’s going to help us.”
Day 3: Good value
On Day 3, the Hawks made a flurry of deals – including sending Howell to Minnesota in a trade we projected after Lock was signed. They then picked seven guys, the final six on offense.
The best value picks – and the ones who seem most likely to be contributors — were Colorado State’s Horton and Miami’s Martinez.
Horton (6-2, 196, 4.41) was considered a Round 3 or 4 guy, but the Hawks got him in the late fifth (166) because he is coming off knee surgery. He should be the favorite to return punts – he returned three for touchdowns at Colorado State – while also working his way into the top three receivers by 2026.
Martinez was a good value RB – rated a fourth-rounder and picked in the seventh. At 6-0, 217, he is a power back who gets yards after contact (71% of 2024 yards were after contact). His 4.4 YAC reportedly were second only to the ace back of this draft, Ashton Jeanty.
Martinez, who referred to himself as Beast Mode 2.0, joined Seattle’s backfield after the Hawks took 275-pound Alabama fullback Robbie Ouzts in the fifth round.
“I’m really excited to see them out there doing their thing,” Macdonald said of the physical backs. “I’m really excited to see our run game come to life. These guys fit what we’re trying to do, how we want to do it. You’ve gotta move people, man. You’ve gotta get downhill and play north and south. That’s what they’re going to help us do.”
Seattle’s other picks were Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills (Round 5), Kansas guard Bryce Cabeldue (6), Iowa tackle Mason Richman (7) and UNLV WR Ricky White (7).
Aden Durde, the defensive coordinator, really wanted Mills, who is rehabilitating an ACL injury suffered in the College Football Playoff in January and will not be available until possibly late in the 2025 season, according to Schneider.
Dane Brugler’s bottom line on the 6-5, 296-pound Notre Dame lineman: “Mills is an energetic player with quickness, play strength and a feel for getting off blocks. … His talent belongs in an NFL defensive line rotation.”
Cabeldue was a guy the Hawks liked for Day 3 all along. He played left tackle for the Jayhawks and now will join a whole bunch of recent Round 3-6 guards competing for roster spots and the starting right guard position: Christian Haynes (3), Anthony Bradford (4), Sataoa Laumea (6).
Brugler’s report: “Cabeldue is quick out of his stance as a pass blocker and gets his hands on rushers early, although his average range and length can leave him compromised on an island. His movement skills are an asset for him in the run game, along with his heavy latch hands to turn and bury his target. Overall, Cabeldue is a college tackle who projects best inside at guard, where his competitive edge, foot quickness and hand strength should translate well. He didn’t have any guard reps in college, but he looked comfortable there during East-West Shrine Bowl practices.”
Now what?
Pre-draft speculation had the Seahawks possibly dangling Kenneth Walker III in trade. The addition of Martinez could make that a reality. Walker is very talented, but he also is not exactly a “get downhill and play north and south” runner. He dances and jukes and zigs and zags and cuts back.
The Hawks now have a logjam in the backfield, similar to what they had at quarterback before trading Howell. They might be content to let Martinez join Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh, who both showed well in their 2024 chances when Walker was out.
Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Kansas City, Chicago or New Orleans all could be teams with interest – based on their RB situations after the draft. If the Hawks could get a 2026 third or fourth for Walker, that would be acceptable.
Noah Fant’s future also is up for debate after the acquisition of Arroyo. Because the Miami tight end is so raw, it makes sense to keep Fant for the final year of his contract and have a (hopefully) strong trio, including A.J. Barner.
The Hawks did not add a corner or an edge rusher, so it is unlikely at this point that they will look to trade Riq Woolen or Boye Mafe. We would have drafted a corner instead of Arroyo and then traded Woolen for a second- or third-round pick. But that’s just our style of team management: Get value for a guy who is not going to be here in a year and get younger and cheaper at that position without losing talent.
The Hawks did sign LSU CB Zy Alexander after the draft. He was rated a fifth-round prospect. Brugler: “With his length, Alexander smothers routes early and stays attached in his turn and run to shrink the passing windows for the quarterback. He pattern matches well and trusts his athletic instincts, although shifty receivers can uncover quickly, and he lacks ideal recovery speed. Overall, Alexander won’t be an ideal fit for every scheme, but he has the athleticism, body length and ball skills to compete for a starting role in Cover 3. Because of his run-support skills, several NFL teams view him as a better fit at safety.”
The Hawks did not draft a nose tackle, which is a very undermentioned need. Alfred Collins of Texas went higher than expected (43rd to San Francisco) and maybe would have been an option for Seattle at 50. Oregon’s Jamaree Caldwell might have been an option at 92 if he had not gone at 86 to the Chargers.
So what do the Hawks do now? The Hawks could just bring back Johnathan Hankins on a cheap deal. The 33-year-old started eight games for the Hawks in 2024.
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