The Seahawks definitely seemed to distance themselves from their top NFC West foes last weekend.

While the Hawks were busy building an even deeper roster and adding some potential starters for their next Super Bowl run, the Rams wasted the 13^th overall pick on a raw quarterback who will sit until Matthew Stafford retires and the 49ers reached for most of their top picks.

Brock Huard’s reaction to the Rams’ pick of Ty Simpson probably spoke for most Seattle fans, who also are pretty happy that John Lynch is taking a ton of heat for what looks like another bad draft (he ranks 24th in the league since 2020, per Hawk Blogger’s draft rank tool).

In early April, we took a look at the teams that we thought could beat the Seahawks right now. The Rams were the only team we thought could definitely do it. We thought two others — Kansas City and Philadelphia — had a shot, five were doubtful and six definitely could not.

Let’s see whether the chance increased for any of them after the draft.

Arizona

• Top draft picks: RB Jeremiyah Love, OG Chase Bisontis, QB Carson Beck.
• Other additions: RB Tyler Allgeier, WR Kendrick Bourne, OG Isaac Seumalo, OT Elijah Wilkinson, QB Gardner Minshew.
• Key losses: QB Kyler Murray, S Jalen Thompson, DT Dalvin Tomlinson.

Did the Cardinals increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? No. The Cardinals look like they are trying to build up a running game, which is smart. But they have no idea who their QB will be. Jacoby Brissett wants a new contract, but the Cards might be OK with Minshew and Beck battling for the starting spot. It really does not matter who is playing QB for them in 2026.

Carolina

• Top draft picks: OT Monroe Freeling, DT Lee Hunter, WR Chris Brazzell II, CB Will Lee III, C Sam Hecht.
• Other additions: ER Jaelan Phillips, LB Devin Lloyd, C Luke Fortner, OT Rasheed Walker, QB Kenny Pickett.
• Key losses: RB Rico Dowdle, OL Cade Mays, QB Andy Dalton.

Did the Panthers increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? Maybe. The Panthers threw for just 40 yards and were 1-for-11 on third downs while giving up 163 rushing yards in a 27-10 loss to Seattle last season. They tried to beef up their trenches and passing game, so maybe they will be a little more competitive in 2026.

Chicago

• Top draft picks: S Dillon Thieneman, C Logan Jones, TE Sam Roush, WR Zavion Thomas.
• Other additions: FS Coby Bryant, LB Devin Bush, C Garrett Bradbury, SS Cam Lewis.
• Key losses: WR D.J. Moore, C Drew Dalman, CB Nahshon Wright, S Kevin Byard, LB Tremaine Edmunds, S Jaquan Brisker.

Did the Bears increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? No. They have added two safeties, including former Hawk Bryant, and two new centers to replace Dalman. But they did nothing to help their defensive front, which means they might not get much better than 23rd in scoring and 29th in yards (their 2025 ranks).

Dallas

• Top draft picks: S Caleb Downs, ER Malachi Lawrence, ER Jaishawn Barham.
• Other additions: DL Rashan Gary, S Jalen Thompson, CB Cobie Durant.
• Key losses: DT Osa Odighizuwa, DL Solomon Thomas, WR Jalen Tolbert.

Did the Cowboys increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? Maybe. They have tried to help the league’s worst scoring defense at every step. But they have several steps more to take to compete with the Seahawks.

Denver

• Top draft picks: DT Tyler Onyedim, RB Jonah Coleman.
• Other additions: WR Jaylen Waddle.
• Key losses: DT John Franklin-Myers, LB Dre Greenlaw.

Did the Broncos increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? No. The Broncos have barely gotten any better than the team that lost to the team that lost to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Kansas City

• Top draft picks: CB Mansoor Delane, DT Peter Woods, ER R Mason Thomas, CB Jadon Canady.
• Other additions: RB Kenneth Walker III, QB Justin Fields, DT Khyiris Tonga.
• Key losses: CB Trent McDuffie, CB Jaylen Watson, DT Derrick Nnadi, ER Charles Omenihu, LB Leo Chenal, S Bryan Cook, QB Gardner Minshew, WR Marquise Brown, RB Isiah Pacheco.

Did the Chiefs increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? Yes. They focused on their defense with their first four picks, getting corners to replace McDuffie and Watson and also replacing Nnadi and Omenihu. It kind of depends on when these teams play, as Fields might be the QB if Patrick Mahomes is still not back from an ACL injury.

Las Vegas

• Top draft picks: QB Fernando Mendoza, CB Treydan Stukes, ER Keyron Crawford, C Trey Zuhn III, CB Jermod McCoy, RB Mike Washington Jr.
• Other additions: QB Kirk Cousins, C Tyler Linderbaum, WR Jalen Nailor, OG Spencer Burford, ER Kwity Paye, LB Quay Walker, LB Nakobe Dean.
• Key losses: QB Geno Smith, OG Dylan Parham.

Did the Raiders increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? No. The Raiders had a great draft – picking three players we liked for Seattle and also landing McCoy, who could be the steal of the draft. They have about eight new starters, but they have a long way to go to be competitive with the Super Bowl champs. The QB – whether Cousins or Mendoza — will be overmatched by Seattle’s No. 1 defense, which got even better through the draft.

L.A. Chargers

• Top draft picks: ER Akheem Mesidor, C Jake Slaughter.
• Other additions: C Tyler Biadasz, OG Strange Cole, NT Dalvin Tomlinson.
• Key losses: ER Odafe Oweh, OG Zion Johnson, C Bradley Bozeman, OG Mekhi Becton.

Did the Chargers increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? No. They have focused on their lines, but they still need to put their O-line pieces together and keep them healthy in front of Justin Herbert. If the Chargers can do that, Jim Harbaugh might make the game against his former college defensive coordinator (Macdonald) competitive.

L.A. Rams

• Top draft picks: QB Ty Simpson, TE Max Klare, OG Keagen Trost.
• Other additions: CB Trent McDuffie, CB Jaylen Watson.
• Key losses: CB Cobie Durant, WR Tutu Atwell.

Did the Rams increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? No. They had a shot at USC WR Makai Lemon or Miami ER Rueben Bain Jr. and they passed, which made Seattle fans very happy and appeared to irk Sean McVay (who knew the pick was coming but still looked perturbed after the fact). The Rams’ best moves to try to beat the Hawks were bringing in Kansas City corners McDuffie and Watson. The Seahawks responded in kind, adding versatile DB Bud Clark and physical CB Julian Neal. The chess match continues, but if Simpson ends up playing because Stafford is injured, it will be checkmate.

New England

• Top draft picks: OT Caleb Lomu, ER Gabe Jacas, TE Eli Raridon.
• Other additions: WR Romeo Doubs, S Kevin Byard, OG Alijah Vera-Tucker, DL Dre Jones.
• Key losses: ER K’Lavon Chaisson, DL Khyiris Tonga, WR Stefon Diggs.

Did the Patriots increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? Maybe. They have added to their O-line and their D-line, and they also are expected to trade for A.J. Brown in June. So they should be a better match for the Seahawks in 2026. Of course, the Hawks will be a tougher beat for everyone as well.

N.Y. Giants

• Top draft picks: ER Arvell Reese, OT Francis Mauigoa, CB Colton Hood, WR Malachi Fields.
• Key additions: TE Isaiah Likely, WR Darnell Mooney, LB Tremaine Edmunds, CB Greg Newsome, K Jason Sanders.
• Key losses: WR Wan’Dale Robinson, CB Cor’Dale Flott, TE Daniel Bellinger.

Did the Giants increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? Yes. It’s hard not to when you have two top-10 picks. Reese and Colton were great adds to their bottom-third defense, and they are trying to bolster their offense, which ranked 17th in scoring in 2025. John Harbaugh probably won’t be able to beat his protégé, Macdonald, but it looks like he might have the Giants moving in the right direction.

Philadelphia

• Top draft picks: WR Makai Lemon, TE Eli Stowers, OT Markel Bell.
• Other additions: ER Jonathan Greenard, CB Riq Woolen, ER Arnold Ebiketie, WR Marquise Brown, WR Dontayvion Wicks, WR Elijah Moore.
• Key losses: ER Jaelan Phillips, LB Nakobe Dean, S Reed Blankenship.

Did the Eagles increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? Yes. They traded for Greenard during the draft to replace Phillips. They also got Lemon after the Rams passed on him, meaning they have now added four receivers as they prepare to trade A.J. Brown in June. New OC Sean Mannion has to get Saquon Barkley back in the game and get more out of Jalen Hurts if they are going to compete with the Hawks. The Eagles are always dangerous.

San Francisco

• Top draft picks: WR De’Zhaun Stribling, ER Romello Height, RB Kaelon Black, DT Gracen Halton.
• Other additions: WR Mike Evans, WR Christian Kirk, LB Dre Greenlaw, DL Osa Odighizuwa.
• Key losses: WR Kendrick Bourne, WR Jauan Jennings, LB Dee Winters.

Did the 49ers increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? Doubtful. The 49ers are an aging team that has been drafting poorly for several years. Evans is 33, George Kittle is 32, Christian McCaffrey will be 30. Their top three picks were big reaches, by most accounts. Will they be able to step in when the aging vets get hurt again? Brock Purdy will have almost all new receivers, so they have some work to do to do better than the 8.7 points they averaged in three games against Seattle’s defense in 2025.  

Washington

• Top draft picks: LB Sonny Styles, WR Antonio Williams.
• Other additions: ER Odafe Oweh, ER K’Lavon Chaisson, TE Chigoziem Okonkwo, CB Amik Robertson, LB Leo Chenal, DL Tim Settle, RB Rachaad White.
• Key losses: DL Jonathan Allen, C Tyler Biadasz, LB Bobby Wagner, CB Marshon Lattimore, ER Jacob Martin.

Did the Commanders increase their chances of beating the Seahawks? No. Styles will replace Bobby Wagner in a makeover to the defense, which includes five other key additions to a unit that allowed the sixth-most points in 2025. Maybe that unit gets better. Williams was added to help a weak receiving corps behind Terry McLaurin. But the Commanders still have very average skill players, which is of little help to QB Jayden Daniels.