Category Archives: NFL draft

NFL draft

Who might the Hawks take after these mock first rounds?

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We’re 57 weeks out from the NFL draft the Seahawks really care about, but the one before that is just five weeks away – and the mock drafts for it are heating up.

Over the past week, the Hawks have been focused on playing the comp game for a strong 2027 draft. After losing four key players, they are projected to get four comp picks in 2027 and receive 12 picks overall. That is three times as many picks as they are bringing to the draft next month.  

But hey, three of those four picks this year are the big ones – Rounds 1, 2, 3.

The two biggest draft analyst titans – Daniel Jeremiah and Mel Kiper Jr. — just released new mocks, so this is a good time to look at how the Seahawks’ draft might go if they started with the players listed in these mocks. We’ll add some other mocks to riff off as well.

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NFL draft, Trades

Edge and tailback are top needs: What about these trades?

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A week into the league year, the Seahawks have not changed much – all but four guys are back, which is mostly as expected. Frankly, they do not need much more in order to make a run at a Super Bowl repeat.

As Ernest Jones IV told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport: “Let’s just go play ball.”

The Seahawks have backfilled at running back, safety and cornerback – where they lost Kenneth Walker III, Coby Bryant and Riq Woolen. The biggest addition is Emanuel Wilson, but John Schneider said the team is still on the lookout for running backs.

Seattle’s other big need – for 2026 and beyond – is an impact pass rusher. Not just a rotation guy to replace Boye Mafe, but a guy who can help them beat the Rams’ line and get to Matthew Stafford.

The question is: Where are they going to get such a player?

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Free agency, NFL draft

Hawks won’t get four 3s; here’s how comp game likely plays out

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With the Seahawks expected to lose as many as five top free agents, we said earlier this week that it looked like John Schneider seemed prepared to play the comp game.

Fans have started dreaming about having a basket of third-round picks in 2027, while others (us included) point out that Schneider has never done well with comp picks.

Let’s take a look at what the comp options might be and then how Schneider has used them in the past and how he might be able to use them this year (despite not getting them until next year).

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Coaches, NFL draft

What are the odds Milroe becomes a star in Seattle?

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The biggest question in the wake of the Seahawks’ highly praised draft is not whether Grey Zabel will become a standout guard or whether Nick Emmanwori will help the defense become elite.

Zabel and Emmanwori were stellar picks who almost everyone expects to become big contributors as rookies.

There certainly are other questions (from us, at least) about this class: Will Elijah Arroyo be able to unlock his physical skills in the NFL? Will Tory Horton also stay healthy and not become a later-round Paul Richardson? Will Rylie Mills (ACL) become what Aden Durde thinks he will?

All valid questions. But the very biggest is this: Will Jalen Milroe develop into Mike Macdonald’s version of Lamar Jackson? If so, how long might it take for that to happen?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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