Super Bowl weekend four-round 2025 NFL mock draft

I wanted to do a new mock draft after reassessing a handful of players and adjusting my grades or opinion on fit. This is likely to be the last projection I do before the combine and I’ve added a fourth round. If you want to see my horizontal board — which shows how I’ve graded players — click here. I’ve got further thoughts on the Seahawks picks at the end of the mock.

Round one

#1 Tennessee — Abdul Carter (EDGE, Penn State)
Surely the Titans can’t just keep adding young quarterbacks without building any team structure? Malik Willis, Will Levis and now another, over-drafted QB with the top pick? I think it’s more likely they take the best player in the draft. Carter recorded 66 pressures in his final season at Penn State, the same number Nick Bosa had in his last full season at Ohio State.

#2 Cleveland — Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Colorado)
They are consigned to another year of paying Deshaun Watson and this isn’t a good quarterback class at the top end. The Browns made the playoffs with Joe Flacco in 2023 and might feel they can quickly bounce back with a veteran presence under center. Kirk Cousins would only cost the veteran minimum and had a successful two years with Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota.

#3 NY Giants — Cam Ward (QB, Miami)
Unlike the teams before them, it almost feels like the Giants have to draft a quarterback here. The GM and Head Coach won’t be able to survive another year of Tommy DeVito and Drew Lock. There’s been a growing feeling for a while that the Giants are enamoured with Ward and even if it’s a reach based on pure need, they invest in a young QB with playmaking qualities.

#4 New England — Tyler Warren (TE, Penn State)
The Patriots could be big spenders in free agency to try and fix their offensive line. Mason Graham, if he tests well, would be a strong consideration here. However, Tyler Warren is one of the best players in the draft. He was Drew Allar’s #1 target — a playmaker and a safety valve. Giving Drake Maye a fantastic, reliable weapon like this could be the making of him — provided they add O-liners in free agency.

#5 Jacksonville — Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)
Graham is a top-five lock in terms of grade. However, I saw someone raise his body type as an issue recently. They might have a point. He’s built like a bowling ball and he doesn’t have a prototypical frame. If he tests well, it’s not an issue. If he doesn’t, it could just keep him on the board a bit longer than originally thought.

#6 Las Vegas — Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado)
The appointment of Chip Kelly on a $6m-a-year contract to be the offensive coordinator, instead of the heavily rumoured Darrell Bevell, shows who’s running the show in Vegas. It’s not Pete Carroll, it’s Tom Brady. I think Brady will want a young, big-name quarterback under center. There’s a connection with Coach Prime and his son, so this feels extremely possible.

#7 NY Jets — Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State)
Jets fans will freak out about this but let’s remember where the Head Coach is from. Aaron Glenn watched the Lions draft a running back very early — and be criticised for it — before creating the most dynamic 1-2 punch in football at the position. Pairing Jeanty, the best pound-for-pound player in the draft, with Breece Hall, could re-create the formula.

#8 Carolina — Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan)
Teams will have Loveland graded way higher than the internet. He will be seen as one of the few genuine first round talents in the class. He is going to go earlier than people realise. He can become Bryce Young’s go-to target.

#9 New Orleans — Will Johnson (CB, Michigan)
Johnson’s injury-hit 2024 season could keep him on the board. However, there’s absolutely no doubting his talent. Last summer he was viewed as one of the best players eligible for the draft. If the Saints get him here it could be a steal.

#10 Chicago — Tyler Booker (G, Alabama)
Booker was the first player I wrote-up last summer because he jumped off the screen. He’s a five-star recruit with tremendous size, aggression, he finishes blocks and everyone at Alabama raves about his leadership. Daniel Jeremiah saying people see him as Will Anderson on offense sums it up. In a draft like this — and given the massive salaries being commanded by interior offensive linemen these days — I don’t think it’s unlikely at all that he’s the first O-liner off the board. He has the best guard tape since Quenton Nelson.

#11 San Francisco — Armand Membou (T/G, Missouri)
A run on offensive linemen begins. Membou can reportedly run a 1.63 10-yard split. If he does that at the combine, he has every chance to go as early as this. He lacks ideal height to stick at tackle but the 49ers could have a look at him there, knowing he can easily kick inside to guard. I wasn’t a big fan of him bailing on the Senior Bowl with “stomach flu” once his agent saw Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft.

#12 Dallas — Luther Burden (WR, Missouri)
People are sleeping on Colston Loveland because his offense collapsed in 2024 and Burden’s getting the same treatment. He didn’t really fit the Mizzou system. The league will see a top-level talent and he could be absolutely electric when paired with Ceedee Lamb. The Cowboys often find value in this range.

#13 Miami — Kelvin Banks (T/G, Texas)
He’s not a tackle for me but you can at least try him there first, unlike some of the shorter-armed members of this O-line class. He’s a good zone blocker so would fit the system in Miami. Banks’ range feels quite fluid — it won’t be a shock if he lasts to the Seahawks at #18.

#14 Indianapolis — Will Campbell (T/G, LSU)
The Colts haven’t been afraid to draft short-armed tackles in the past (Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith). They could put Campbell at guard initially, with the idea he could kick outside in the future. I thought Campbell played poorly in 2024 and was a disappointment. I don’t think he’ll go as early as some think.

#15 Atlanta — Jalon Walker (LB, Georgia)
At times he looked like a top-10 pick but things tailed off towards the end. He’s a player who can wear a number of different hats at linebacker, while being able to rush the passer on third downs. Some see him as a lesser version of Abdul Carter.

#16 Arizona — Mike Green (EDGE, Marshall)
I thought his Senior Bowl appearance was massively overrated. He kept going to the same ineffective spin-move, then he had one good rep against Josh Conerly Jr (playing on the opposite side of the line to the one he’s used to) and suddenly he’s in a cab back to the airport calling it a job done. Give me a break. Vic Beasley size but 17 sacks last season and good testing can get him into this range.

#17 Cincinnati — Mykel Williams (DE, Georgia)
Some thought Williams could turn into a top-five pick with a strong 2024 season but it never happened. Even so, if the Bengals are facing a future without Trey Hendrickson after 2025, they could draft Williams with the idea he can take over — allowing them to prioritise extending Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

#18 Seattle — Shemar Stewart (DE, Texas A&M)
The Seahawks need to prepare for this scenario. It’s possible the top O-liners will leave the board before #18. Therefore, they need to make sure they add linemen in free agency so that they aren’t caught short. In this mock I look at that scenario (see my notes at the end). Stewart had a decent impact at the Senior Bowl, has the kind of frame that the Seahawks like and he could be a replacement for Dre’Mont Jones, who will surely be cut. He needs to finish more plays at the next level but he’d have the right Head Coach to help make that happen.

#19 Tampa Bay — James Pearce (EDGE, Tennessee)
His 22.7% pass-rush win-percentage is really impressive. However, he’ll likely last longer than some others because he hasn’t shown he can set an edge. At the moment, he plays like a pass-rush specialist. There’s a definite fear he could end up like another former Volunteer in Darrell Taylor — a player who flashes but can’t be trusted to stay on the field in any situation.

#20 Denver — Tetairoa McMillan (WR, Arizona)
He’s a natural receiver and could go earlier than this. However, I don’t think he’ll be a great tester. His best asset is ball-location and the way he makes difficult catches look easy. He can be a big-play specialist with some safety-valve value. Other positional priorities could force him down the board.

#21 Pittsburgh — Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss)
The Senior Bowl hype could just be down to an over-active agent doing the rounds. However, there are a ton of people talking up this possibility. The Steelers previously took Kenny Pickett in this range, a player I thought deserved a third round grade (the same grade I have on Dart). Meanwhile, Jay Glazer — who is close to Mike Tomlin — doesn’t think Russell Wilson will be back in Pittsburgh and he’s not convinced Justin Fields will be either. So maybe this will happen.

#22 LA Chargers — Matthew Golden (WR, Texas)
He stood out for Texas and was their clear top receiver and playmaker. It’s hard to give Jim Harbaugh a receiver in round given his love for the trenches. However, the 49ers did take a receiver in the first round in 2012 so maybe they’ll add a weapon for Justin Herbert here?

#23 Green Bay — Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas)
Barron can play in the slot or outside, he plays with physicality and has great character. The most impressive thing in 2024 was seeing how much he attacked defending the run.

#24 Minnesota — Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss)
He’s a really dynamic interior pass-rusher. He flashed quickness and the ability to penetrate at the Senior Bowl. Kudos to him for sticking it out for the week instead of buggering off home on Wednesday like some others.

#25 Houston — Donovan Jackson (G, Ohio State)
He did such a good job filling in at left tackle but when he started at guard, he showed a lot more promise than he did in 2023. He will be a first round pick and could be an alternative option for the Seahawks. He’s from Texas so this would be a homecoming.

#26 LA Rams — Nick Emmanwori (S, South Carolina)
Size and athleticism off the charts but he also showed a playmaking quality too. He could end up being an absolute steal in this range.

#27 Baltimore — Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
As the year went on his play fell off a cliff. There’s talent here but it was difficult to watch his second half of the season and feel like he was still a high first round pick.

#28 Detroit — Jack Sawyer (DE, Ohio State)
Everything about Sawyer feels like a Lions pick and they’re never shy about taking ‘their guys’ early. He’ll have to handle moving to Michigan but it’s very easy to imagine him landing in Detroit. Not a great athlete but his character and playing style screams Dan Campbell.

#29 Washington — TreVeyon Henderson (RB, Ohio State)
There’s some buzz he could go in the first round. When you watch him accelerate in space you can work out why. He could run in the 4.3’s at around 5-10 and 215lbs. If you put him on the field with Jayden Daniels this could be an offense capable of challenging Detroit to be the most electric in the league.

#30 Buffalo — Jihaad Campbell (LB, Alabama)
He’s built like a tank and moves effortlessly. He was one of the few bright spots for Alabama in 2024. Testing will determine how high he goes but positional value could keep him on the board.

#31 Philadelphia — Darius Alexander (DE, Toledo)
The Eagles have the luxury of picking for value and being able to take shots. Darius Alexander reminded me of Chris Jones at the Senior Bowl. He’s 304lbs with +34 inch arms and beat Josh Conerly Jr off the edge while also ripping up the interior. He’s expected to test well. Don’t sleep on Alexander. The Eagles took his Toledo team-mate in round one a year ago and could come back for more.

#32 Kansas City — Josh Simmons (T, Ohio State)
Without the injury he’d likely be a top-15 pick as the best pure left tackle in the draft. The knee issue creates a question mark. However, if he stays on the board this far and gets to go and play for the Chiefs, I’m sure he’ll be delighted.

Round two

#33 Cleveland — Josh Conerly Jr (T, Oregon)
With Jedrick Wills a free agent and seemingly set to move on, the Browns take a chance on Conerly Jr. He didn’t have an amazing Senior Bowl but his physical profile and attitude will appeal.

#34 NY Giants — Kenneth Grant (DT, Michigan)
Grant has incredible athleticism for his size and when he gets moving, he can really shift. However, there are too many games where he looks like he needs a rocket up his arse. He’s too talented to be as quiet as he was in 2024.

#35 Tennessee — Mason Taylor (TE, LSU)
After a good Senior Bowl, coupled with a strong 2024 season, Taylor is destined to go in this range.

#36 Jacksonville — Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State)
He’s not a #1 receiver but he’s an intelligent, savvy player who can be a wonderful compliment to Brian Thomas Jr.

#37 Las Vegas — Tre Harris (WR, Ole Miss)
Pete Carroll loves a big receiver, Tom Brady knows the value of a big body to throw to and the Raiders need a #1 target.

#38 New England — Landon Jackson (DE, Arkansas)
He might be a bit stiff but then you just look at the frame and focus on the wins and you realise — some teams are going to value this guy way higher than the Mike Green types who are short and lack length. Jackson is built like a terminator. He’s a ‘win getting off the bus’ type of player.

#39 Chicago (v/CAR) — Elijah Arroyo (TE, Miami)
After a brilliant week in Mobile, Arroyo could be Chicago’s answer to Sam LaPorta for Ben Johnson.

#40 New Orleans — Nic Scourton (DE, Texas A&M)
The Saints start to consider life after Cam Jordan. Some like Scourton more than I do — I see another Boogie Basham or AJ Epeneza type.

#41 Chicago — Grey Zabel (G/C, North Dakota State)
The reaction to his Senior Bowl display was a little over the top. However, he’s a good player and would further help the Bears fix their offensive line.

#42 NY Jets — Tyleik Williams (DT, Ohio State)
Williams would make a terrific, stout partner for Quinnen Williams. He does such a good job against the run.

#43 San Francisco — Azareye’h Thomas (CB, Florida State)
What a week in Mobile. The more you watch of Thomas the more you wonder if he might go higher than this. If he runs well at the combine he could go in the first round.

#44 Dallas — Alfred Collins (DT, Texas)
He might have the weight of a nose tackle but he’s far from that — he’s way more penetrative and athletic. He’s only scratched the surface of his potential so far.

#45 Indianapolis — Carson Schwesinger (LB, UCLA)
Just a wonderful player, albeit a one-season-wonder. The Colts need to rebuild at the linebacker position.

#46 Atlanta — Donovan Ezeiruaku (EDGE, Boston College)
Showed in flashes at the Senior Bowl. Testing will determine if he goes this early but his pass-rush win-percentage was a healthy 18.1% in 2024.

#47 Arizona — Josaiah Stewart (EDGE, Michigan)
The only think keeping him from going earlier is a lack of ideal size and length. His motor and ability to bend and attack the quarterback is highly impressive. Led college football with a pass-rush win-percentage of 27.1%.

#48 Miami — Andrew Mukuba (S, Texas)
Packs a punch on tape and as the season went on, kept jumping off the screen for the Longhorns.

#49 Cincinnati — Derrick Harmon (DT, Oregon)
He had a highly productive season for the Ducks but I never quite felt like I was watching a first round talent. The Bengals tend to draft D-liners I’m not crazy about.

#50 Seattle — Will Howard (QB, Ohio State)
Whether it’s Howard, Quinn Ewers or Riley Leonard — I think the Seahawks will take a quarterback on day two of the draft. Howard has a lot of the characteristics John Schneider likes, he turned it on in the playoffs for Ohio State and the most impressive thing about his tape against Indiana, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame? Big-time third down conversions.

#51 Denver — Harold Fanin Jr (TE, Bowling Green)
The Broncos need a tight end. Sean Payton has found ways to max-out receiver-first TE’s in the past and Fanin Jr might appeal to him.

#52 Pittsburgh — Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
The Steelers need help at receiver but the value isn’t great here so they might address that with a veteran addition during the off-season (Cooper Kupp?). They also have a need at corner and Hairston looked smooth in Mobile.

#53 Tampa Bay — TJ Sanders (DT, South Carolina)
This is quite a fall and maybe an over-correction on my behalf but I just wanted to see more at the Senior Bowl.

#54 Green Bay — Oluwafemi Oladejo (EDGE, UCLA)
Simply put, this guy is a dude. Amazing frame, plays with his hair on fire, gets everyone going. One of the Senior Bowl’s big winners.

#55 LA Chargers — Princely Umanmielen (DE, Ole Miss)
If they lose Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, they’ll need some reinforcements to rush the edge.

#56 Buffalo (v/MIN) — Kevin Winston Jr (S, Penn State)
Injury prevented him from maxing out his stock at Penn State but he’s a quality player who could provide real value here.

#57 Carolina (v/LAR) — Jordan Burch (DE, Oregon)
If he tests at the combine he’ll give himself a major boost. Very few humans can run as well as he does at around 285lbs.

#58 Houston — Ty Robinson (DT, Nebraska)
A tremendous player who will really appeal to DeMeco Ryans thanks to his intensity, power, athleticism and character. He had seven sacks in 2024. If you missed my recent interview with him, check it out here. He could be an option for the Seahawks.

#59 Baltimore — Aireontae Ersery (T, Minnesota)
His expected athletic testing at the combine could convince some teams to take him in this range with the idea of keeping him at left tackle. The Ravens could use him at either tackle spot.

#60 Detroit — Isaiah Bond (WR, Texas)
I don’t think Bond played well in 2024 but in fairness, he had some injury issues. The Lions seem to like this type of receiver and can afford to take a shot.

#61 Washington — Xavier Watts (S, Notre Dame)
He’s always around the football. His speed and testing will be critical because he doesn’t look like a blazing runner. Yet his production is highly impressive.

#62 Buffalo — Jonah Savaiinaea (T/G, Arizona)
On tape he rarely finished his blocks. He came to the Senior Bowl and did nothing to rectify that concern. He just seems too passive.

#63 Philadelphia — Marcus Mbow (T/G, Purdue)
An active blocker who is scrappy and clearly has some athleticism but will need time to develop. The Eagles are experts at developing offensive linemen and planning ahead.

#64 Kansas City — Kaleb Johnson (RB, Iowa)
I really like Johnson and think he has star potential but where’s the buzz? Nobody talks about him. It’ll be criminal if he ends up here playing for the Chiefs.

Round three

#65 NY Giants — Cameron Williams (T, Texas)
#66 Kansas City (v/TEN) — Rylie Mills (DT, Notre Dame)
#67 Cleveland — Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas)
#68 Las Vegas — JT Tuimoloau (EDGE, Ohio State)
#69 New England — Jack Nelson (T, Wisconsin)
#70 Jacksonville — Tate Ratledge (G, Georgia)
#71 New Orleans — Wyatt Milum (G, West Virginia)
#72 Chicago — Omarion Hampton (RB, North Carolina)
#73 Las Vegas (v/NYJ) — Joshua Farmer (DT, Florida State)
#74 Carolina — Tez Johnson (WR, Oregon)
#75 San Francisco — Jake Majors (C, Texas)
#76 Dallas – Quinshon Judkins (RB, Ohio State)
#77 New England (v/ATL) — Deone Walker (DT, Kentucky)
#78 Arizona — Omarr Norman-Lott (DT, Tennessee)
#79 Washington (v/MIA) — Emery Jones (T, LSU)
#80 Indianapolis — Denzel Burke (CB, Ohio State)
#81 Cincinnati — Jacob Parrish (CB, Kansas State)
#82 Seattle — Dylan Fairchild (G, Georgia)
#83 Pittsburgh — Jayden Higgins (WR, Iowa State)
#84 Tampa Bay — Shavon Revel (CB, East Carolina)
#85 Denver — Danny Stutsman (LB, Oklahoma)
#86 LA Chargers — Miles Frazier (G, LSU)
#87 Green Bay — Xavier Scott (CB, Illinois)
#88 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Trey Amos (CB, Ole Miss)
#89 Houston — Kyle Kennard (EDGE, South Carolina)
#90 LA Rams — Jake Bech (WR, TCU)
#91 Baltimore — Bradyn Swinson (EDGE, LSU)
#92 NY Jets (v/DET) — Riley Leonard (QB, Notre Dame)
#93 New Orleans (v/WAS) — Kyle Williams (WR, Washington State)
#94 Cleveland (v/BUF) — Jordan Phillips (DT, Maryland)
#95 Philadelphia — Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
#96 Kansas City — Josh Kelly (WR, Texas Tech)
#97 Minnesota — Jared Ivey (DE, Ole Miss)
#98 Miami — Anthony Belton (T, NC State)
#99 San Francisco — Lathan Ransom (S, Ohio State)
#100 LA Rams — Devin Neal (RB, Kansas)

Round four

#102 Tennessee — Xavier Restrepo (WR, Miami)
#103 Cleveland — Elic Ayomanor (WR, Stanford)
#104 NY Giants — DJ Giddens (RB, Kansas State)
#105 New England — Jamaree Caldwell (DT, Florida)
#106 Jacksonville — Charles Grant (T, William & Mary)
#107 Las Vegas — Kyle Monangai (RB, Rutgers)
#108 Buffalo (v/CHI) — Jalen Royals (WR, Utah State)
#109 NY Jets — Mitchell Evans (TE, Notre Dame)
#110 Carolina — Benjamin Morrison (CB, Notre Dame)
#111 New Orleans — Jalen Milroe (QB, Alabama)
#112 San Francisco — Jordan James (RB, Oregon)
#113 Carolina (v/DAL) — Ricky White III (WR, UNLV)
#114 Arizona — Yahya Black (DT, Iowa)
#115 Miami — Savion Williams (WR, TCU)
#116 Indianapolis — Bilhal Kone (CB, Western Michigan)
#117 Atlanta — Shemar Turner (DT, Texas A&M)
#118 Cincinnati — Jaylen Reed (S, Penn State)
#119 Tennessee (v/SEA) — Kyle McCord (QB, Syracuse)
#120 Tampa Bay — Tai Felton (WR, Maryland)
#121 Denver — David Walker (EDGE, Central Arkansas)
#122 Pittsburgh — Sai’vion Jones (DE, LSU)
#123 Green Bay — Jared Wilson (C, Georgia)
#124 LA Chargers — Luke Lachey (TE, Iowa)
#125 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Trevor Etienne (RB, Georgia)
#126 LA Rams — Dillon Gabriel (QB, Oregon)
#127 Houston — Keondre Jackson (S, Illinois State)
#128 Baltimore — Barryn Sorrell (EDGE, Texas)
#129 Philadelphia (v/DET) — Dylan Sampson (RB, Tennessee)
#130 New Orleans (v/WAS) — Gunnar Helm (TE, Texas)
#131 Buffalo — Jabbar Muhammad (CB, Oregon)
#132 Detroit (v/PHI) — Jeffrey Bassa (LB, Oregon)
#133 Kansas City — Quincy Riley (CB, Louisville)
#134 NY Giants — Jackson Slater (G, Sacramento State)
#135 Miami — LeQuint Allen (RB, Syracuse)
#136 Baltimore — Jay Tafuna (DT, Utah)
#137 Seattle — Jackson Hawes (TE, Georgia Tech)
#138 San Francisco — Ja’Corey Brooks (WR, Louisville)
#139 San Francisco — Cody Lindenberg (LB, Minnesota)

Thoughts on the Seahawks picks

They have to be prepared for the board not falling their way when it comes to offensive linemen. In an ideal world, Tyler Booker lasts to #18. You can justify the pick, it fills a big need and you can feel good about the situation. There’s a decent chance he and others will be gone by the time Seattle picks.

The key will be making improvements to the offensive line before the draft, preferably with one significant addition and one ‘hedge’. Therefore you’re not relying on the draft to solve your biggest need, plus you can retain a ‘best player available’ approach in the first round.

In the last two years the Seahawks have made a splash early in free agency. They signed Dre’Mont Jones in 2023 to big money then pushed the boat out for Leonard Williams a year ago. I would expect they will try and do something similar this year for an offensive lineman.

I discussed the options in this article earlier in the week. Given the importance of the center position in Klint Kubiak’s system (making line calls and adjustments) they might set out to sign Drew Dalman. He has played in a zone-blocking system in Atlanta and excelled. This isn’t a good draft at center. It might be easier to lure Dalman to Seattle than a Trey Smith or Mekhi Becton.

For the sake of this mock draft let’s say they sign Dalman to a $14m-a-year deal, making him the second highest paid center in the league behind Creed Humphreys. That’s the big splash in free agency. From this point they can go after value at a variety of positions.

There will still be a hole at left guard. It might be better to look at the trade market here, rather than the open market — although there are some second-tier options. If they aren’t able to sign an immediate sure-fire upgrade, they’ll need a draft hedge at the very least. This is why I think they might try to sign Lucas Patrick, who produced a solid level of performance under Kubiak for the Saints in 2024.

These moves might feel underwhelming if you’re pinning your hopes on a big splash for someone like Smith, who might not even reach the market. It feels realistic though — a big addition, a hedge and then attention turning to the draft.

In this mock scenario, there’s a first round run on offensive linemen. Thus, the Seahawks pivot to Shemar Stewart. He could go in the top-10 if he tests well at the combine, given his brilliant size, length and upside. The thing that lets him down is production. He has a pass-rush win percentage of only 12.4% and 39 pressures in 2024. It’s decent production but not great. You’d expect more given his physical quality. He was also spelled a little too much for comfort at Texas A&M. Thus, teams might prefer the production of a Mike Green ahead of him in round one.

Stewart would be an ideal replacement for Dre’Mont Jones, who is likely to be cut. In Mike Macdonald he’d have a perfect Head Coach to tap into his potential. The Seahawks are still looking for a difference maker off the edge and while Stewart’s tape shows a lot of ‘nearly’ moments — Macdonald has elevated players in Baltimore and Seattle to be better finishers.

Alternatively the Seahawks could trade down here, although there might not be a host of teams clamouring to move up this year. Players like Darius Alexander could be intriguing alternatives if they move down. I think people are underestimating what he showed at the Senior Bowl.

I’ve been discussing recently the possibility of the Seahawks drafting a quarterback on day two. The more I think about it, the more I can convince myself it’s a possibility.

I have the Seahawks taking Will Howard in this mock. I also strongly considered Quinn Ewers at #50. I think Riley Leonard could be a third round option. None of these players are perfect but they have some characteristics and traits that I can imagine John Schneider liking enough to invest in.

None of these players would come in as the anointed future of the franchise. When you take a quarterback on day two, really it’s no different than taking a chance on Sam Howell — the price is just a bit more expensive. The problem the Seahawks have had since trading Russell Wilson is there’s been a lack of a ‘middle class’ at the quarterback position. Last year for example, six quarterbacks were selected in the top-12. The next was taken in round five. In the 2025 draft, I do think we’ll see quarterbacks taken in rounds 2-4.

Howard did what CJ Stroud and Kyle McCord couldn’t do and led Ohio State to a National Championship. I’ve re-watched his four playoff games three times. He really elevated his play, delivering big-time throws in critical moments and excelling on third down. His QBR average in the four playoff games was a remarkable 96.4, not to mention a quarterback rating of 126.8. Howard also won the Big-12 with Kansas State in 2022. He has the kind of character I think will appeal to Schneider. He’s big and athletic, has a reasonable arm and while he’s far from perfect, I think you can prepare him to start and enable him to function within an overall system.

Again, taking Will Howard at #50 doesn’t mean he automatically becomes the future of the franchise. It’s simply a projection based on a hunch that the Seahawks will like some of these quarterbacks enough to take one on day two, invest in them and take a look to see if they can be a long-term answer. I don’t think Howard will be available to the Seahawks with their third round pick.

We’ve spent a lot of time discussing Schneider’s potential interest in Quinn Ewers. People will scoff at that but Ewers does have natural talent, has been monitored by NFL teams ever since he entered college football and it’s plausible someone will take him earlier than the internet thinks is right, simply to take a shot on his arm. I also think guiding Texas to back-to-back semi-finals after years of nothingness is more of an achievement than people realise and he could be a good fit for Kubiak in Seattle, given Ewers’ best bet is to land in a system with a degree of structure.

Then there’s Riley Leonard. Clearly there are things to work on in terms of his passing from the pocket and ball-placement. However, he is a dynamite athlete who can be a legitimate threat with his legs. On top of that, while his precision needs development — he can still get the ball downfield. It might take time but he has the tools needed to start at the next level — even if he needs a fair bit of work. As with Howard, I thought he did a very good job on third downs during the playoffs. Do not underestimate how teams view this, with the season on the line.

I’m not suggesting any of this trio are destined to reach the dizzying heights of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen or Joe Burrow. I do think, however, all have intriguing characteristics, strong character and they’ve enjoyed success in college. Schneider has taken shots on Charlie Whitehurst, Russell Wilson, Drew Lock and Sam Howell. Clearly, he isn’t merely seeking clear perfection at the position. I suspect he might chance his arm on one of the three players named here and in this mock I went for Howard.

They still needed to add to the offensive line by the time they selected in round three. Dylan Fairchild has a strong wrestling background which is appealing and he’s a perfect zone-blocking lineman. If he’s still on the board at #82 he could present excellent value, allowing the Seahawks to potentially land a starter in round three. I don’t think anyone needs to live in eternal fear just because Christian Haynes didn’t work out last year — and I suspect the new coaching staff might be able to get him back on track in 2025.

The final pick in round four is Georgia Tech tight end Jackson Hawes — a vicious and dynamic blocking tight end. If you want to run the ball as a focal point, you need a tight end like this. He’s limited in terms of pass-catching ability but he’ll give you everything as a blocker. He’d be a fine replacement for Pharaoh Brown.

Seahawks picks:

#18 Shemar Stewart (DE, Texas A&M)
#50 Will Howard (QB, Ohio State)
#82 Dylan Fairchild (G, Georgia)
#137 Jackson Hawes (TE, Georgia Tech)

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An interview with Nebraska defensive lineman Ty Robinson

It was a pleasure to interview one of my favourite players from the 2024 college season today. Ty Robinson had a career-best seven sacks for Nebraska, lined up all across the defensive line and played lights-out all year. He opted to play in his Bowl game, then completed a full and productive week at the Senior Bowl. A classic AFC North style defender, when you watch this interview you’ll want him in the PNW.

Check it out and please like the video on YouTube and leave a comment if you can:

What the Leonard Williams restructure might mean for the Seahawks & some free agency thoughts

The Seahawks made an interesting move today, restructuring Leonard Williams’ contract to free up $14m. They’re still $16.7m in the red in terms of effective cap space but there are simple ways to get into the black in the coming weeks.

If you haven’t seen it, I’d highly recommend checking out Curtis Allen’s thoughts on what this all means on X. I wanted to add some additional thoughts, having been influenced by Curtis’.

Initially I thought this move meant one of two things — either the Seahawks were preparing for an exciting free agency, with money to burn to improve areas such as the offensive line, or they were setting the table for potentially living with Geno Smith’s $44.5m cap hit.

On reflection, I don’t think it’s either of these things. Curtis lays out the situation perfectly.

Whenever we looked at Seattle’s cap situation, it was always with a relaxed mindset because they had several levers to pull. One of those was a DK Metcalf extension.

Brandon Aiyuk’s cap-hit this year, the first as part of his new deal in San Francisco, is only $10.7m. That’s despite signing a $30m a year extension. I’d suggest Metcalf might get a similar contract. Therefore it’s entirely possible to reduce his cap-hit from $31m into the $15m range — if not more.

However, that would mean getting a deal done in the coming weeks to benefit from the saving during free agency. That seems unlikely. Metcalf’s current contract was signed at the end of July in 2022. They could be working to a similar timescale. Therefore, the Seahawks still need to create some cap space for the here and now.

The restructuring of Williams’ deal more or less makes up for the fact a Metcalf extension won’t happen by the time free agency begins. They’re just moving money around. The Williams restructure creates $14m and they can spend all of it in March. Then in the summer, when they extend Metcalf, they’ll get that money back — creating cap-space to use from August onwards on things like a practise squad, injured reserve and anything else they want to do (last year, this included signing Connor Williams).

As noted, currently the Seahawks are $16.7m over the cap in terms of effective cap space (how much you have to spend). Cutting Tyler Lockett ($17m), George Fant ($3.8m) and Roy Robertson-Harris ($6.6m) will put them in the black and give them $10.7m in spending money going into free agency.

The next big lever would be Geno Smith’s contract. I agree with Curtis that the Seahawks, as part of a compromise agreement, will likely want a financial arrangement similar to 2024. His cap-hit was $26.4m and he had a bunch of escalators in the deal to earn more money.

This is my guess — the Seahawks will be prepared to pay that amount again as a 2025 cap-hit, with the escalators earned last season added on. So basically, a cap-hit of about $32m for 2025 (down from $44.5m). They’ll be able to present the deal to the media that portrays it positively from a player perspective — a two or three-year extension with more guaranteed money, including more guarantees this year, worth about $40m a season. The Seahawks would want the flexibility to get out of the contract in 2026 if they wish.

This would create another $12.5m to spend. In total, with these handful of moves, they’d have $23.2m in effective cap space available to use in free agency.

Would Smith be willing to compromise on a deal like this? That’s the big unknown. The way connected people are talking, such as Brady Henderson, I’d guess it’s not clear at the moment. Smith’s representatives have no incentive to cave to any compromise at this point. The Seahawks have probably already told Smith’s people what they want to do, which could be a scenario like the one presented above, and Smith will likely be asking for a bigger commitment. Time and intel, potentially gathered at the combine, will dictate whether a compromise is reached.

The thing we have to remember is Smith had a lukewarm free agent market two years ago after the best season of his career. Now he’s two years older and statistically at least he hasn’t returned to his 2022 numbers. Is there really a team out there willing to pay him a fortune and make a firm commitment to a 35-year-old for multiple seasons?

I thought the Las Vegas Raiders might be willing to do that purely because of Pete Carroll. The appointment of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, rather than the rumoured Darrell Bevell, suggests it’s Tom Brady and Johy Spytek — not Carroll — pulling the strings in Vegas. I’m not convinced they’ll want to trade for and pay Smith, even if Carroll wants to.

If there are no obvious alternative suitors out there, there’s little point Smith going to battle with the Seahawks. It makes a compromise more likely. That is my prediction as to what happens here.

There is one other possible scenario which would be aggressive. Smith could tell the Seahawks he isn’t willing to compromise and that they should just release him, making him a free agent. That would be quite the gamble because the offer Seattle makes might be better than one he’ll get anywhere else. It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out.

If they compromise and are left with about $23m to spend in free agency, that would set up the next set of decisions.

Here are some other potential cuts:

Uchenna Nwosu — $8.1m saving ($13m dead money)
Dre’Mont Jones — $11.6m saving ($14m dead money)
Noah Fant — $8.9m saving ($4.5m dead money)

A lot of people expect the Seahawks to part with at least Dre’Mont Jones and possibly all three players.

Curtis discussed the possibility of a restructure for Uchenna Nwosu, creating two void years and freeing up $9.5m. That seems plausible. He also suggested they might re-work his deal to lower his cap-hit — giving him the chance to earn back the money via incentives. That likely would be his best bet financially — given a player with two years of injury issues is unlikely to be a hot commodity on the market. They’ll have to make a decision on Nwosu by next Friday due to the structure of his contract.

On Fant, I think they will keep him until at least after the draft. There’s no difference in the money saved before and after June 1st. Therefore they can see how the draft goes and make a decision down the line. Fant has been a disappointment in his career so far, particularly in Seattle, yet it might be difficult to replace him sufficiently.

With Jones, there’s absolutely no doubt he’s been a big waste of money. His cap-hit of $25.6m is untenable. They’ll cut him to save $11.5m.

These moves could create another $21m — meaning $44m total spending money.

Some of this would be used to keep Ernest Jones and possibly Jarran Reed. If Jones agreed a deal similar to Patrick Queen’s, he might have a cap-hit of around $6.5m in 2025. Reed has an APY of $4.5m on his most recent deal and a two-year extension on similar terms could see a cap-hit of around $3m.

This would leave the Seahawks with about $35m to use in free agency. That would be more than enough to be active on day one for a coveted offensive lineman.

I do believe the Seahawks are willing to spend. Recent history tells us they are. It’s not just that they splurged on Dre’Mont Jones two years ago on day one of free agency. Last year they also made a big splash to keep Leonard Williams. I fully expect them to land an offensive lineman in the first rush of free agency this year.

Trey Smith might be too expensive, with too much competition for his services. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he ends up earning receiver-level money frankly, completely re-setting the market for interior linemen. Drew Dalman and Mekhi Becton might be more realistic targets.

It’s also possible that all three of those players are re-signed by their teams before they even reach the market. In that instance, they might need to pivot to short-term options — Ryan Kelly or Brandon Scherff for example. Or they could look at the second-tier of players at a good age — Josh Myers, Ben Bredeson, Will Fries, James Daniels, Aaron Banks or Jedrick Wills for example.

It’s also possible they look at the trade market. If the Chiefs do re-sign Trey Smith to a mega-deal they might be inclined to consider offers for Joe Thuney.

The point is, they will have money to do something. They’ll also have the ability to go and sign another veteran at a cost-effective price. Lucas Patrick gave the Saints a very solid 2024 season at guard. He’s 32 in July, his zone-blocking grade (68.7) was far better than his gap-scheme grade (51.9) and he’s familiar with Klint Kubiak’s offense. It won’t be a surprise if he’s brought in for depth and experience — or perhaps as a draft hedge for the left guard position.

I do think it’s worth saving some money for other areas of the team. You never know when a market will come to you. Jamien Sherwood, Osa Odighizuwa, Jevon Holland, Tre’von Moehrig, Milton Williams, Talanoa Hufanga, Asante Samuel Jr, Juwan Johnson, Dayo Odeyingbo, Andre Cisco, DJ Jones, Tommy Tremble — there are a lot of players at a good age set to reach free agency. If the Seahawks can solve their O-line need with a key signing early on, knowing they can add a second cheaper veteran (eg Lucas), they can then go hunting for opportunities.

They can also replace other players cheaply. Marquez Valdes-Scantling had an unexpected re-emergence under Kubiak in New Orleans. He wouldn’t cost too much to fill the void left by Tyler Lockett. Teair Tart might be a cost-effective replacement for Robertson-Harris after a solid year playing for Jim Harbaugh in LA, with Levi Onwuzurike a possible alternative. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka could be a bit of a project or draft hedge replacement for Jones. There are appealing options at a few positions.

Edit — I just wanted to add an extra thought, having just seen this video where Jay Glazer is asked whether the Seahawks will listen to trade offers for DK Metcalf. Glazer, who is very well connected when it comes to Seattle, said he thinks they’ll listen. So today’s move, to create cap-space with Williams, could also theoretically be to free up additional money in anticipation of a possible trade.

Dealing Metcalf would cost the Seahawks $21m in dead money with only a $10.9m cap saving. Therefore, any trade offer would need to be very attractive to entertain it. However, if someone was willing to make a big push for Metcalf, the savings made by the Williams restructure, on top of the savings made by parting with the receiver, would equate to $24m combined.

It’s something else to consider. The Seahawks want to run the ball and might theoretically want to shift resources from receiver to the trenches. They’re going to have to pay Jaxson Smith-Njigba within the next two years. John Schneider has done a good job over the years identifying receivers in the draft. I think they’d probably prefer to extend and keep Metcalf but if they receive a very attractive trade offer, perhaps of a similar value to the one that saw Frank Clark depart for Kansas City, they might be prepared to consider it.

What I think happens next with Geno Smith & the three quarterbacks the Seahawks might target in the draft

With the Senior Bowl in the books there’s really only one topic in town as we build up to the combine. What is going to happen with Geno Smith? This is the next domino to fall, before attentions turn to other matters such as fixing the offensive line in free agency and/or the draft.

The situation feels pretty straight forward. Here’s a quick summary. The Seahawks will want to lower his $44.5m cap hit. The best way to do this is via an extension. However, they won’t want to commit significant guarantees over multiple years and they’ll likely want to retain an annual ‘out’ in the deal.

From Smith’s side, he’ll likely see this as his last serious opportunity to get a big pay day. He turns 35 in October. It’s been reported by Albert Breer that he’s seeking a commitment from the team. The two positions contradict each other, so the question is whether a compromise exists.

ESPN’s Brady Henderson noted last week that Smith, “is seeking an extension” and “it’s not a given that the two sides will be able to agree to one.”

I suspect by now both parties have shared thoughts on what they want to happen. My reading of the situation, based on those words by Brady (and others), is that at the moment there might be distance between the two sides.

Pete Carroll’s appointment in Las Vegas adds a layer of intrigue. The Raiders need a plan at quarterback, beyond simply hoping one of Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders is available for them at #6 (a reach, all considered). Carroll has not been appointed to lead a 10-year rebuild. He’s 74 in September. There will be a keenness to compete quickly and that will require the addition of a veteran quarterback of a certain standard. Success in Vegas isn’t winning the Super Bowl, it’s returning to respectability. Over the next couple of seasons the kind of nine-win season Carroll and Smith produced together in Seattle would be welcome as the Raiders try to climb back to a competitive standard.

Trading for Smith or trying to sign Sam Darnold are the two main options, you would imagine, for Vegas. There will likely be a lot of competition for Darnold, who might prefer to go somewhere where the scheme is similar to what he’s just experienced in Minnesota. I still wonder, for example, whether the Rams might trade Matt Stafford and attempt to bring Darnold back to LA.

With $85.7m in effective cap space available, the Raiders can easily afford to add Smith if they wanted to and pay him more than the Seahawks are probably willing. Carroll really bonded with Geno in Seattle. If Smith feels there is an alternative option out there, it could impact negotiations with the Seahawks.

However, I also think Carroll’s situation in Vegas is very different to the one he had in Seattle. The appointment today of Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator does not feel like one inspired or led by Carroll. Darrell Bevell had been heavily linked to the job. Instead, the Raiders have appointed someone who is well known to be very close to Bill Belichick and therefore, presumably, Tom Brady. Along with Patrick Graham staying as defensive coordinator, it feels like Carroll is having a staff built for him, rather than pulling the strings himself. That might mean any decision about who quarterbacks the Raiders is ultimately out of his hands. He might want Geno. Do Tom Brady and John Spytek want Geno, though?

There may be a broader market for Smith than the last two off-seasons (where he was a free agent in 2023 and appeared to at least be dangled via trade a year ago). It’s not just the Raiders. So many teams need a quarterback and there are so few options. The Browns, Giants, Jets and Titans are realistically in the market. The Saints could be too, with increasing chatter they might try and come to an agreement with Derek Carr to part.

This could impact things in two different ways:

1. How badly do the Seahawks want to add their name to this list? The minute you trade Smith away, you’re suddenly in a big competition with several others for the scraps remaining. Do you want to enter a bidding war for Darnold or Carr?

2. How willing is Smith to compromise if he thinks there’s more money and commitment to be had elsewhere? If he can get a three-year deal with $50m in guarantees like Baker Mayfield, compared to a year-to-year situation in Seattle, he might push for that option. Especially if it’s with a familiar face in Vegas.

I’m fascinated to see how this plays out. The Seahawks essentially find themselves in a tricky spot — not necessarily wanting to waltz into the quarterback market but also wanting to retain their veteran bridge on a deal that provides flexibility. They have ways to create cap space but their most effective way will be to reduce the cap hits of Smith and DK Metcalf via extensions. Without pulling those levers, they won’t be able to have the kind of off-season they’d ideally like to have. That doesn’t mean landing Trey Smith either which, I have to say, appears to be a bit of a pipe dream if he even reaches the market. Yet there are other talented players set to reach free agency who can really bolster the roster, not just on the offensive line either. They need to create some flexibility.

Equally, I imagine Smith would rather crack on and stay in Seattle — but if there are better financial offers and greater security to be had elsewhere, he has to consider those options.

My best guess, which I reserve the right to change, is that a compromise will be agreed upon. Both sides will have to give a little ground to get there but ultimately, they will find a way to get it done. I think other teams like the Raiders will be interested but probably only in a similar arrangement to the one the Seahawks seek. I don’t think any team will be rushing to commit to three years of Smith given his age. Thus, a year-to-year arrangement with some financial benefit, while lowering his cap-hit and retaining an annual out, will be achieved.

I do think the Seahawks will be very prepared to move on if they need to. They’ve done it with Matt Hasselbeck and Russell Wilson. They’ll do it with Geno Smith if their hand is forced.

If they do retain Smith on a new deal, the attention then turns to two subsequent topics. Firstly, their ability to improve the offensive line. They have a realistic opportunity to do this as outlined in my recent three-round mock draft (click here to read it). Secondly, who might the Seahawks target in the draft to add a young quarterback to develop behind Smith?

Despite what some people might say, I think it’s obviously true that the Seahawks and John Schneider have been desperate to draft a quarterback since trading Russell Wilson in 2022. There’s a difference, though, between intention and opportunity. The intention has been there, the opportunity hasn’t.

They haven’t passed on anyone in the last three drafts worth having. The people who moan about Seattle’s lack of drafting a quarterback are as tiresome as the people who go over the top about Geno Smith’s qualities.

If it was as simple as ‘just drafting a quarterback’ and everything being fine, the Chicago Bears wouldn’t have gone decades without a franchise signal caller. It’s why Sean McVay, for all his qualities, had to trade for Stafford and hasn’t drafted a young replacement. Kyle Shanahan traded away an absolute haul chasing the dream with Trey Lance. This isn’t easy. Just drafting players for the sake of it isn’t the answer.

Schneider has also actively tried to find solutions, just in other ways. Drew Lock and Sam Howell haven’t been very good additions. Those two players, though, were arguably superior to any of the rookies available to Seattle. It’s wrong to suggest they’ve been inactive because they’ve had a young alternative to Smith on the roster every season since trading Wilson, they just haven’t been rookies taken in the draft.

The complaints over Schneider’s time in Seattle should be reserved for Seattle’s inability to draft and develop a quality offensive line — and even then a decent chunk of the responsibility there lies with the coaches. The quarterback position is a different kettle of fish. Schneider is responsible for discovering the greatest quarterback in franchise history, the one that helped the Seahawks win a Super Bowl. Yes, he’ll be judged on whether he found another great quarterback whenever the next era of Seahawks football (the one immediately following Carroll’s departure) concludes. Yet patience, judgement, opportunism and luck will determine his ability to succeed and none of these things are just going to fall into place because fans want them to.

Will the 2025 quarterback draft class provide a solution? In all honesty, you can make a case for passing on the group again this year. However, there are three players who could at least carry some intrigue.

I don’t think Jaxson Dart is one of those three players.

I was surprised by all of the buzz and hype coming out of the Senior Bowl for Dart. I’ve been able to piece together footage from the NFL Network and YouTube to see most of Dart’s work in Mobile. I thought he looked unspectacular. That includes in the game itself where he failed to shine.

I ended up re-watching two game tapes to see if I’d missed something in evaluating Dart, given all of the first round chatter in Mobile. I came away more convinced it’s just the work of a particularly active agency, or a collection of league sources trying to misdirect. Dart has some intriguing qualities — including a pretty deep throw delivered with touch and surprising athleticism. Even so, his eyes drop too early under pressure. He’s not a dynamic enough runner to set off as often as he does. When the pressure is on you do see some mental errors and mistakes. He also didn’t deliver in key moments — failing to put Ole Miss in position to escape against Kentucky with the ball in his hands (the end of that game is fairly brutal, including a wretched sack conceded) and throwing two critical fourth quarter interceptions against Florida, in a second half where he produced nothing, to end any hopes of reaching the college football playoff.

To me he reminds me of a Jarrett Stidham type player. There are things that make you relatively intrigued to a point, it’s just hard to imagine him becoming a top-end starter. I’ll be very surprised if the Seahawks view him as someone they see as the long-term answer. After waiting so long to draft a replacement for Wilson, I can’t imagine they’ll use a first or second round pick on Dart.

In the Senior Bowl game itself the best quarterback on display was Seth Henigan. He struggled on the first day of practise but in game action, he played a lot better than the rest in my personal opinion. I think he’s a worthy late round flier for someone but he, again, isn’t one of the three quarterbacks I’m going to talk about for the Seahawks.

Firstly, let’s look at Schneider’s history. We know he is attracted to big, physical quarterbacks with a gunslinger mentality. A degree of mobility/escapability is also crucial. Charlie Whitehurst, Russell Wilson and Drew Lock all had these characteristics. Even though Wilson was smaller, he played to this style and had huge hands, a big arm and he could move around. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, two other players Schneider had his eye on, also fit the bill. Sam Howell isn’t a big, physical quarterback but he is a scrambler with an arm.

I think he’s looking for someone who can be his answer to Brett Favre — but that doesn’t mean he’s going to wait forever for the next Favre or Mahomes to arrive. The Whitehurst trade was aggressive and expensive and yet he was clearly not very good. Schneider talked up Lock a lot. We also know, by now, that he too isn’t of sufficient starting quality. Neither is Howell. The Seahawks are clearly willing to take shots on players with a base level of upside, in the hope they can be developed into more. They don’t need to see a 10/10 player to take a chance.

Firstly, the two quarterbacks from the National Championship — Will Howard and Riley Leonard.

Howard is listed at 6-4 and 235lbs. He is big, strong, mobile enough to be a benefit in short-yardage running situations and he can break off opportunistic runs. He has a decent arm. Purely based on physical qualities, he looks like a Schneider type of quarterback.

Leonard is a lot leaner at 6-3 and 210lbs. He doesn’t have the biggest hands — measuring at 9 1/4 inches at the Senior Bowl. He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm but there are some examples of touch passes beyond 45-yards downfield. As a runner, he is a net positive. He is very capable of breaking off big runs when he sees a crease and he’s an excellent athlete.

There are other qualities to consider. They are both very experienced. Howard has 50 college starts, Leonard has 43. That counts for something. They’ve both achieved a degree of success. Howard worked with a loaded roster at Ohio State and had a fairly disappointing regular season. Nevertheless, he played brilliantly during the playoffs and led his team to the National Championship. Very little was expected of Notre Dame in the playoffs given their injury situation, however Leonard helped inspire an improbable run to the final.

Character is a big deal for the Seahawks and has been a major focus of their last three drafts. Both quarterbacks excel in this area. Leonard is a self-confessed introvert so it’ll be interesting to see how teams view that — but he’s shown at Duke and Notre Dame that he can lead an offense without a loaded supporting cast. Howard almost has a Philip Rivers-esque fire to him on the sidelines and he appears to be a good team-mate who is well respected. You are not going to have to worry about either of these players from a character perspective.

Howard also has a similar arc to Russell Wilson. Both players were effectively shuffled out the door for younger replacements (Mike Glennon at NC State, Avery Johnson at Kansas State). Both went to the BIG-10 and enjoyed success with their new teams, elevating their stock. Wilson had far more upside and special qualities to his game but their journeys are similar.

Can I envisage Schneider investing in either to sit behind Geno Smith? Yes. It’s very hard to work out what range they could go in. You could probably project anywhere between pick #50 and #100. The Seahawks pick twice in that range.

I’m not convinced that either will turn into legit starters in the NFL, just like most of us were never convinced by Lock or Howell. Howard had some great moments in the playoffs but at both Ohio State and Kansas State he’s had his fair share of ‘what the hell were you thinking?’ moments. He had 20 interceptions in 28 games in 2023 and 2024. He fumbled the ball eight times in 2024 alone. The best you can probably hope for is that he’ll develop into an effective point guard, complementing a strong running game with his arm and legs. Even then, he’ll likely have a tendency to do something slightly ridiculous. That’s part of his game.

With Leonard, he has 14 interceptions in his last two full seasons of college football combined. His upside as a runner is a big positive and he’s really opportunistic with it. Opponents will have to caution against that aspect of his game. Yet as a passer, there are just too many moments where his accuracy was ‘off’ or he made big mistakes. He can make receivers work for the ball. The flashes make for a good highlights video but it’s hard to watch him and feel confident he’ll amount to a plus pocket passer, capable of delivering on key 3rd and 7+ plays with the game on the line — unless he can use his legs to create.

I think both players are more likely to be Drew Lock than a top-15 NFL starter. Yet the Seahawks saw something in Lock and they might see something in Howard and Leonard. Again, I don’t think it’s lip-service when Schneider says he wants to draft a quarterback every year. I do think that will be their intention until they find the next guy. If they bring back Geno Smith on a new contract, there will be increasing pressure to add a young passer. They know that kicking the can down the road continuously, without any remote hope that a younger, better option can emerge, does as much as anything to limit excitement and buzz around a franchise. Plus, with every passing year that goes by, the clock ticks on Smith’s effectiveness to be an acceptable bridge due to his age.

Howard and Leonard are both the types of player Schneider has added in the past, so they are both names to watch here. More so, I think, than Dart.

The other name I’m going to mention is predictable and someone I talk about a lot. Quinn Ewers. I continue to think he is someone Schneider has had his eye on for a while. The big question is whether he thinks Ewers is someone with the upside and potential to warrant following through with whatever initial interest he might’ve had when he started his college career.

Watching the Senior Bowl practises was helpful to try and explain why Ewers carries a level of intrigue — especially because most of the internet has already decided he sucks and has no appeal at all. When the quarterbacks in Mobile wanted to put a bit extra on a throw, either on an intermediate or deep level, it was noticeable how their technique adjusted. There was more effort on display, the footwork or body shape was different.

Ewers has easy arm strength. The ball just pops out of his hand. None of the quarterbacks in Mobile have this quality and truth be told, few do. It is a natural gift. I appreciate with Ewers it hasn’t always been effective over the last two seasons but it is part of assessing his draft profile.

This is the throw I keep coming back to. The three best throws I’ve seen in college football since starting this blog in 2008 are by Lamar Jackson at Louisville, Kyler Murray at Oklahoma and Ewers here against Alabama:

First of all, look at the technique. He doesn’t even step into this throw. He can deliver this kind of velocity, loft and distance from a standing position at midfield, and hit Xavier Worthy — who ran a 4.21 at the combine — in perfect stride for a touchdown. It is an absolutely majestic throw of a world class standard.

I guarantee that for all the complaints about Ewers — and I’ll discuss them again in a moment — some GM’s will look at that throw and think, ‘this guy has something’.

We’re talking about a player who the league has been buzzing about since High School. From his exceptional recruiting grades, out-ranking Caleb Williams, to his arrival at Texas via Ohio State. He is someone the league has been monitoring for a long time because of his natural talent.

People view his career as a failure at Texas. I wouldn’t be so sure about that. We’ll see how Arch Manning gets on next season but I wouldn’t assume he’ll do better. The Longhorns hadn’t been good for a long time, to the point that ‘Texas’ back’ became a meme whenever they won a couple of games to start a season. Getting to back-to-back semi-finals — and playing close games against Washington and Ohio State — shouldn’t be dismissed.

I thought he started the 2024 season brilliantly, in particular at Michigan. The abdominal strain and ankle injuries suffered cratered his form. It was clear how much his velocity, mobility and accuracy left him. He also began having to play without both starting tackles and his second best receiver. To be fair, Texas still only lost three games — two to Georgia and one to Ohio State.

The concerns are well advertised. He hasn’t been able to complete a full season in college without being injured. His consistency has suffered as a consequence. He’s thrown 18 interceptions in 26 games in the last two seasons. He also looks small and it’ll be interesting to discover his true measurements at the combine.

Even accounting for the injuries, it has been hard to watch him in the second half of his final season at Texas and picture a NFL starting quarterback. Yet this is the world the Seahawks live in now. The next Jayden Daniels isn’t likely to fall into their lap. They need to go and find the next Wilson, the next Jalen Hurts. Someone who lasts in the draft for a reason yet has a characteristic or two that can be harnessed, within a well structured overall team, to produce results over an extended period of time without being the perfect prospect.

I also think the system matters. I’ve long thought the Shanahan offense would be best for Ewers. It can scheme around limitations while highlighting positives, emphasising reading your keys and executing within structure. That is how Ewers can thrive, I think. You don’t want to have him trying to move around, improvising, playing off platform. He needs rigidity and rhythm. The Shanahan scheme delivers that and if Klint Kubiak can bring it to Seattle, it could be a good fit for Ewers. Particularly if the intention is to build a good offensive line and be able to run the ball effectively as they do in San Francisco.

For that reason, I wouldn’t rule out the Texas quarterback. Many have. I wouldn’t. Schneider travelled to watch him in person this season for a reason.

All three of these quarterbacks will have a range. I’m not suggesting the Seahawks will reach for any of them. There could be scenarios where all three come off the board before Seattle is comfortable selecting them. Yet I do think there’s a chance one of this trio could be brought in to play behind Smith, learning the system, with an opportunity to be the answer in the future.

It’s also important to remember if you select a quarterback on day two you are not explicitly committing to that player to start in the future. When Schneider was in Green Bay they drafted Brian Brohm with the #56 pick in 2008. This was three years removed from drafting Aaron Rodgers in round one, with Brett Favre still on the roster. Brohm lasted one season and was cut.

The point is, the Packers were taking shots to prepare for life after Favre. They found their solution with Rodgers. Now, the Seahawks are effectively planning for life after Wilson and Smith. So far, they’ve gone through Lock and Howell. This year, they may draft someone else. It doesn’t mean that person will be the answer. It wouldn’t prevent them from taking a quarterback early in 2026. It’d simply mean adding someone, as they did with Howell, to take a shot.

I admire Dillon Gabriel for all he achieved in college football but I don’t think he is likely to end up in Seattle. He lacks the arm talent or the size. In Mobile he was far too hesitant to throw, was late on too many passes and he struggled throwing to his right on the move (he’s left handed). Jalen Milroe had a terrible week and I’m afraid to say looked positively undraftable. Tyler Shough has a reasonable arm and decent size but I think he’s very much a day three player with backup potential.

Max Brosmer and Brady Cook, who both attended the Shrine Bowl, struggled based on what I watched of the game and both have limitations (although I do think Brosmer has something about him). Kurtis Rourke is recovering from an ACL injury and likewise has some limitations. Kyle McCord gets a good press online but I don’t see a future NFL starter.

It won’t shock me if we see Geno Smith re-signed to a compromise contract, followed by the Seahawks drafting one of Will Howard, Riley Leonard or Quinn Ewers on day two of the draft. We’ll see how the process unfolds. It’s going to get interesting over the next few weeks.

Post Senior Bowl 2025 NFL Mock Draft (three rounds)

This is a projection based on what I think might happen with the information we have today. If you want to see my post-Senior Bowl horizontal board — which measures how I grade players — click here. I’ve got further thoughts on the Seahawks picks at the end of the mock.

Round one

#1 Tennessee — Abdul Carter (EDGE, Penn State)
He recorded 66 pressures in his final season at Penn State, the same number Nick Bosa had in his last full season at Ohio State. This is starting to feel inevitable, with the Titans embracing the need to build not just cycle through quarterbacks.

#2 Cleveland — Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Colorado)
There isn’t a quarterback worthy of a top-five pick, even if a player will go in that range. I think the top two picks will likely go on talent over need. Expect the Browns to add a veteran quarterback. Kirk Cousins, for example, had two years with Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota. His minimal cost will off-set how much they’re wasting on DeShaun Watson.

#3 NY Giants — Cam Ward (QB, Miami)
There’s been a growing feeling for a while that the Giants are enamoured with Ward and even if it’s a reach based on pure need, they invest in a young QB with playmaking qualities.

#4 New England — Tyler Warren (TE, Penn State)
In my last mock I had the top two tight ends in the top-10. Get ready for that to become the norm. Warren is probably going to end up with top-five grades on most boards. He’ll be Drake Maye’s best friend.

#5 Jacksonville — Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State)
The fact is that Jeanty, in terms of pure grade, will probably be at the top of every board with perhaps the possible exception of Abdul Carter. Someone is going to take him early, it’s just a question of how early.

#6 Las Vegas — Will Johnson (CB, Michigan)
The Raiders will likely begin a process of building. Johnson is well regarded for character and talent, even if he had an off year as Michigan regressed from the glory days under Jim Harbaugh. He still has exceptional talent.

#7 NY Jets — Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan)
Teams will have Loveland graded way higher than the internet. He will be seen as one of the few genuine first round talents in the class. He is going to go earlier than people realise.

#8 Carolina — Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)
I personally have Graham graded very highly. However, I saw someone raise his body type as an issue recently. They might have a point. He’s built like a bowling ball. It’s not a prototypical frame. If he tests well, it’s not an issue. If he doesn’t, it could just keep him on the board a bit longer than originally thought.

#9 New Orleans — Luther Burden (WR, Missouri)
People are sleeping on Colston Loveland because his offense collapsed in 2024 and Burden’s getting the same treatment. He didn’t really fit the Mizzou system. The league will see a top-level talent though.

#10 Chicago — Armand Membou (T/G, Missouri)
This seems to be trending in a way that doesn’t feel like a red herring. Reportedly he can run a 1.63 10-yard split. If he does that at the combine, this becomes realistic. He also grades brilliantly in both zone and gap schemes — something other lineman haven’t managed. Membou also sets the tone with a physical playing style.

#11 San Francisco — Mykel Williams (DE, Georgia)
The injuries and inconsistent play makes you pause. But it’s also worth remembering that at the start of the college football season, people thought his upside made him a #1 overall pick contender. The 49ers may want to start adding talent to their defensive line again.

#12 Dallas — Shemar Stewart (DE, Texas A&M)
He looks the part with a remarkable frame. If he tests well at the combine, teams might be prepared to overlook the fact he struggled to finish at Texas A&M. He was a classic ‘nearly man’ on tape.

#13 Miami — Kelvin Banks (T/G, Texas)
He’s not a tackle for me but you can at least try him there first, unlike some of the shorter-armed members of this O-line class. He’s a good zone blocker so would fit the system in Miami.

#14 Indianapolis — Jalon Walker (LB, Georgia)
At times last season he looked like a top-10 pick but things tailed off towards the end. He’s a player who can wear a number of different hats at linebacker, while being able to rush the passer on third downs.

#15 Atlanta — Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss)
He flashed quickness and the ability to penetrate at the Senior Bowl. Kudos to him for sticking it out for the week instead of buggering off home on Wednesday like some others.

#16 Arizona — Will Campbell (T/G, LSU)
One of the more overrated players in the draft. The testing numbers will help him but he had a poor season for LSU and he has short arms. For me he didn’t play with enough aggression either. He’ll need to kick inside.

#17 Cincinnati — Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas)
The Bengals need to add talent to their defense. Barron can play in the slot or outside, he plays with physicality and has great character.

#18 Seattle — Tyler Booker (G, Alabama)
As I was watching the Senior Bowl practises I just thought, no. Don’t fudge this into day two, hoping one of these tackle converts can solve a problem. Just go and draft a plug-and-play left guard, who is ready-made to be a plus starter. Not to mention, he ticks all the character boxes Seattle likes. Booker is an excellent guard who will solve a huge problem in the interior immediately. He can be Seattle’s modern-day Steve Hutchinson.

#19 Tampa Bay — James Pearce (EDGE, Tennessee)
His 22.7% pass-rush win-percentage is really impressive. However, he’ll likely last longer than expected because he hasn’t shown he can set an edge. At the moment, he plays like a pass-rush specialist.

#20 Denver — Tetairoa McMillan (WR, Arizona)
He’s a natural receiver and could go earlier than this. However, I don’t think he’ll be a great tester. Other positional priorities could force him down the board.

#21 Pittsburgh — Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado)
He lacks great physical traits. He hasn’t done anything at the Shrine or Senior Bowl. He’s going to come with a bit of a media circus and an opinionated dad. It’s entirely possible he lasts longer than people realise. This might work out well for him — I doubt Coach Prime will test Mike Tomlin at his weekly press conference.

#22 LA Chargers — Mike Green (EDGE, Marshall)
His pass-rush win-percentage is good (20.1%) but he looks small, he only has 32-inch arms and he didn’t flash unbelievable athleticism in Mobile. His production will tempt a team to select him in this range. He didn’t handle his departure from the Senior Bowl well at all, with a member of ESPN’s draft crew tweeting he was going home before anyone told Jim Nagy.

#23 Green Bay — Matthew Golden (WR, Texas)
He stood out for Texas and was their clear top receiver and playmaker at receiver. The Packers need a talent like this.

#24 Minnesota — Kenneth Grant (DT, Michigan)
I thought Grant’s tape was massively underwhelming in 2024 and he constantly left you wanting more but he’s expected to be a combine star and if so, at his size, he could easily go in round one.

#25 Houston — Donovan Jackson (G, Ohio State)
He did such a good job filling in at left tackle but when he started at guard, he showed a lot more promise than he did in 2023. He will be a first round pick and could be an alternative option for the Seahawks. He’s from Texas so this would be a homecoming.

#26 LA Rams — Nick Emmanwori (S, South Carolina)
Size and athleticism off the charts but he also showed a playmaking quality too. He could end up being an absolute steal in this range.

#27 Baltimore — Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
As the year went on his play fell off a cliff. There’s talent here but it was difficult to watch his second half of the season and feel like he was still a high first round pick.

#28 Detroit — Jack Sawyer (DE, Ohio State)
Everything about Sawyer feels like a Lions pick and they’re never shy about taking ‘their guys’ early. He’ll have to handle moving to Michigan but it’s very easy to imagine him landing in Detroit. Not a great athlete but his character and playing style screams Dan Campbell.

#29 Washington — Josh Simmons (T, Ohio State)
If he didn’t have the knee injury he’d be a top-15 pick. Now we have to see how teams view the medical situation. The best left tackle in the draft and it’s not close.

#30 Buffalo — Jihaad Campbell (LB, Alabama)
He’s built like a tank and moves effortlessly. He was one of the few bright spots for Alabama in 2024.

#31 Philadelphia — Grey Zabel (G, North Dakota State)
The Eagles are never shy in taking offensive linemen. He could replace Mekhi Becton immediately at right guard if he leaves in free agency.

#32 Kansas City — Josh Conerly (T, Oregon)
The left tackle spot has been a problem all year for the Chiefs. Conerly’s best position is going to be sticking on the blindside.

Round two

#33 Cleveland — Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss)
There’s an increasing buzz that Dart will find a first round home. He reminds me of a plus version of Jarrett Stidham. There’s something here but not quite enough to make you think ‘I have to have this guy’. He carries a Joe Burrow personality vibe though which teams will like.

#34 NY Giants — TreVeyon Henderson (RB, Ohio State)
All the buzz is that the league loves Henderson. There’s a feeling he might have a remarkable combine performance and that his best play will come in the NFL.

#35 Tennessee — Mason Taylor (TE, LSU)
After an excellent Senior Bowl, coupled with a strong 2024 season, Taylor is destined to go in this range.

#36 Jacksonville — TJ Sanders (DT, South Carolina)
I thought he had a disappointing Senior Bowl. I’m not sure if he was carrying an injury but he didn’t flash and then went home early.

#37 Las Vegas — Tre Harris (WR, Ole Miss)
Pete Carroll loves a big receiver and the Raiders need a #1 target. I suspect they will add a veteran quarterback — either Sam Darnold or Geno Smith.

#38 New England — Jonah Savaiinaea (T/G, Arizona)
The O-line will be a big priority for the Patriots. Savaiinaea only had a so-so Senior Bowl week so he’ll be hoping for a good combine.

#39 Chicago (v/CAR) — Princely Umanmielen (DE, Ole Miss)
They need an edge rusher to work across from Montez Sweat. His pass-rush win-percentage of 22.8% was second only to Josaiah Stewart.

#40 New Orleans — Jordan Burch (DE, Oregon)
He didn’t go to the Senior Bowl in the end which is a shame but how many players who are 290lbs can run like this guy? He can be the heir apparent to Cam Jordan.

#41 Chicago — Elijah Arroyo (TE, Miami)
After a brilliant week in Mobile, Arroyo could be seen by Ben Johnson as Chicago’s answer to Sam LaPorta.

#42 NY Jets — Tyleik Williams (DT, Ohio State)
Williams would make a terrific, stout partner for Quinnen Williams. He does such a good job against the run.

#43 San Francisco — Azareye’h Thomas (CB, Florida State)
What a week in Mobile. The more you watch of Thomas the more you wonder if he might go higher than this. Testing will be key for that to happen.

#44 Dallas — Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State)
He’s exactly the kind of #2 they need to pair with Ceedee Lamb — consistent and gets the job done. A chains-mover.

#45 Indianapolis — Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
He looked so smooth in Mobile and the Colts need to add talent at cornerback.

#46 Atlanta — Donovan Ezeiruaku (EDGE, Boston College)
Showed in flashes at the Senior Bowl. Testing will determine if he goes this early but he has the size and length. Pass-rush win-percentage was 18.1% in 2024.

#47 Arizona — Josaiah Stewart (EDGE, Michigan)
The only think keeping him from going earlier is a lack of ideal size and length. His motor and ability to bend and attack the quarterback is highly impressive. Led college football with a pass-rush win-percentage of 27.1%.

#48 Miami — Andrew Mukuba (S, Texas)
Packs a punch on tape and as the season went on, kept jumping off the screen for the Longhorns.

#49 Cincinnati — Derrick Harmon (DT, Oregon)
He had a highly productive season for the Ducks but I never quite felt like I was watching a first round talent. The Bengals tend to draft D-liners I’m not crazy about.

#50 Seattle — Darius Alexander (DE/DT, Toledo)
Outstanding size, length, athleticism and he played with real aggression at the Senior Bowl. One of the top performers in Mobile and that often catches Seattle’s eye. Capable of lining up inside or off the edge on early downs. A dude. After the combine people might be talking about him in round one.

#51 Denver — Harold Fanin Jr (TE, Bowling Green)
The Broncos need a tight end. Sean Payton has found ways to max-out receiver-first TE’s in the past and Fanin Jr might appeal to him.

#52 Pittsburgh — Deone Walker (DT, Kentucky)
His frame is so sloppy with a flabby gut hanging over his pants and skinny legs. However, his playing style at least reminds you of a Steelers D-liner.

#53 Tampa Bay — Carson Schwesinger (LB, UCLA)
He reminds me a ton of former blog favourite Logan Wilson. Schwesinger could easily go in the top-40.

#54 Green Bay — Trey Amos (CB, Ole Miss)
It’s a need for the Packers. Amos has talent but it was disappointing that he bailed on the Senior Bowl as early as he did.

#55 LA Chargers — Ty Robinson (DT, Nebraska)
A physical machine who gives everything on every snap. He’s a Jim Harbaugh type of player and will be a favourite among scouts.

#56 Buffalo (v/MIN) — Kevin Winston Jr (S, Penn State)
Injury prevented him from maxing out his stock at Penn State but he’s a quality player who could provide real value here.

#57 Carolina (v/LAR) — Bradyn Swinson (EDGE, LSU)
One of the most underrated edge rushers in the class. He had a 22.1% pass-rush win-percentage in 2024.

#58 Houston — Alfred Collins (DT, Texas)
He has the size of a nose tackle but he carries plenty of athleticism. Had a much better season this year.

#59 Baltimore — Shavon Revel (CB, East Carolina)
A knee injury keeps him on the board. Without it, he could’ve worked his way into round one.

#60 Detroit — Joshua Farmer (DT, Florida State)
What a Senior Bowl. Farmer has also promised to shock people with his testing at the combine. If he does, he could go in the Keeanu Benton range (#49 overall) and be an option for Seattle.

#61 Washington — Quinshon Judkins (RB, Ohio State)
The other running back from Ohio State is reportedly also creating a buzz and could go in the second round.

#62 Buffalo — Benjamin Morrison (CB, Notre Dame)
He’s a very good player who could’ve been a first round pick. However, the injury issues might push him into this range. Medical checks will be key.

#63 Philadelphia — Nic Scourton (DE, Texas A&M)
The Eagles always draft for the trenches.

#64 Kansas City — Kaleb Johnson (RB, Iowa)
I really like Johnson and think he has star potential but where’s the buzz?

Third round

#65 NY Giants — Cameron Williams (T, Texas)
#66 Kansas City (v/TEN) — Rylie Mills (DT, Notre Dame)
#67 Cleveland — Jack Nelson (T, Wisconsin)
#68 Las Vegas — Omarion Hampton (RB, North Carolina)
#69 New England — Emery Jones (T, LSU)
#70 Jacksonville — Dylan Fairchild (G, Georgia)
#71 New Orleans — Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas)
#72 Chicago — DJ Giddens (RB, Kansas State)
#73 Las Vegas (v/NYJ) — Jordan Phillips (DT, Maryland)
#74 Carolina — Xavier Scott (CB, Illinois)
#75 San Francisco — Omarr Norman-Lott (DT, Tennessee)
#76 Dallas — Devin Neal (RB, Kansas)
#77 New England (v/ATL) — Landon Jackson (DE, Arkansas)
#78 Arizona — Oluwafemi Oladejo (EDGE, UCLA)
#79 Washington (v/MIA) — Kyle Kennard (EDGE, South Carolina)
#80 Indianapolis — Mitchell Evans (TE, Notre Dame)
#81 Cincinnati — Xavier Watts (S, Notre Dame)
#82 Seattle — Tate Ratledge (G, Georgia)
#83 Pittsburgh — Jacob Parrish (CB, Kansas State)
#84 Tampa Bay — Wyatt Milum (T/G, West Virginia)
#85 Denver — Dylan Sampson (RB, Tennessee)
#86 LA Chargers — JT Tuimoloau (EDGE, Ohio State)
#87 Green Bay — Jared Wilson (C, Georgia)
#88 Jacksonville (v/MIN) — Elic Ayomanor (WR, Stanford)
#89 Houston — Marcus Mbow (T/G, Purdue)
#90 LA Rams — Kyle Williams (WR, Washington State)
#91 Baltimore — Carson Vinson (T, Alabama A&M)
#92 NY Jets (v/DET) — Will Howard (QB, Ohio State)
#93 New Orleans (v/WAS) — Denzel Burke (CB, Ohio State)
#94 Cleveland (v/BUF) — Aireontae Ersery (T, Minnesota)
#95 Philadelphia — Trevor Etienne (RB, Georgia)
#96 Kansas City — Josh Kelly (WR, Texas Tech)
#97 Minnesota — Jared Ivey (DE, Ole Miss)
#98 Miami — Yahya Black (DT, Iowa)
#99 San Francisco — Bilhal Kone (CB, Western Michigan)
#100 LA Rams — Jordan James (RB, Oregon)

Thoughts on the Seahawks picks

#18 Tyler Booker (G, Alabama)
#50 Darius Alexander (DE/DT, Toledo)
#82 Tate Ratledge (G, Georgia)

This might be a draft where the Seahawks seek to establish their newfound identity under Mike Macdonald, drafting impact players for the trenches with a high level of physical toughness and ready-made playing potential. All three of the players selected are bullying linemen.

After a 10-win season that, theoretically, could’ve and should’ve been better — rightly or wrongly, the Seahawks might think the best move (even if it’s just for self preservation) is to attack the weakest area of the team. That could be a full-blown assault on the offensive line — with one significant veteran addition and high draft picks too.

In this projection, I have the Seahawks signing Drew Dalman to play center. Based on what we’ve discovered since Klint Kubiak’s appointment — the center in his system is responsible for a lot of the line calls and protection adjustments. Dalman has just had a highly successful year playing for Zac Robinson in Atlanta, utilising the same kind of blocking system. This might be their best shot to add a significant free agent. The competition will be fierce for Trey Smith, who probably wants to find a way to stay in Kansas City anyway. Other veteran options are not as attractive as Dalman, who graded as PFF’s fourth ranked center in 2024 with a 79.8 grade blocking in the running game.

Then, you bookend your new center with two rookie guards who are tailor made for the pro’s. They are big yet athletic for their size. They are punishing and capable of setting the tone in the running game. They are finishers.

I’m not concerned that it reduces Christian Haynes and Sataoa Laumea to backup roles or competition. The line needs improving, pronto. Booker is an immediate starter and one of the best pure guards to enter the league in years. The Seahawks famously took Steve Hutchinson 17th overall in 2001. If Booker lasts to #18, which isn’t a given, they should run to the podium and make the pick. He ticks every box. Ratledge, meanwhile, had an injury plagued end to his Georgia career. I thought his play was middling at best when he did feature. However, there’s no doubting that the rest of his teammates looked up to him as the figurehead. He’s big and athletic and when he played at his best a couple of years ago he showed a ton of potential. Both guards play with an edge, they can move, they finish their blocks and could be the focal point of a new era in Seattle where the O-line, as in Philadelphia, sets the tone.

Darius Alexander meanwhile was one of the stars of the Senior Bowl. That has often been significant for the Seahawks under John Schneider. Alexander is nearly 6-4, 304lbs with 10 1/4 hands and 34 inch arms. Despite this, he plays with the quickness and burst of a player who is 30lbs lighter. He’s also tremendously physical, aggressive and powerful. Several times in Mobile he got teammates going with brilliant 1v1 reps or standout moments in scrimmage. He can immediately join the D-line rotation as an interior cog who can play DE in certain situations. You can line him up anywhere. Alexander has fantastic potential and will add further intimidation to the defensive front.

People might turn their noses up at a defensive lineman from Toledo. Don’t make that mistake. Alexander legitimately has an opportunity to be one of the steals of the class. See for yourself:

In the second clip, that’s a 304lbs defender rushing the edge against projected first round left tackle Josh Conerly Jr. Tell me the last time you saw a 304lbs man rush the edge like that? You’d think he was 270lbs. Also note, this is why I’ve been saying Grey Zabel has looked far better in scrimmages than 1v1’s. He does a really good job ID’ing the problem off the edge from left guard and providing late additional protection.

By the time the combine comes and goes, we might be talking about Alexander having a shot at the first round.

It was tempting to pair the Seahawks with a quarterback. Eventually, they are going to take a chance on someone. I’ve been saying for a long time that I just have a feeling that John Schneider likes the potential of Quinn Ewers. He has a great arm, his natural talent has been well known throughout the league ever since he received High School recruiting grades matching all-timers like Jadeveon Clowney. However, he simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy and consistent and for all the talent, he hasn’t shown clear evidence that he can start in the NFL.

I’m just not sure the answer is in this draft. The future of the position in Seattle likely isn’t here. Thus, they might be forced to consider extending Geno Smith to lower his cap-hit, or moving on and pursuing the younger Sam Darnold. The 2026 draft class is already being overhyped at quarterback but in Garrett Nussmeier and Drew Allar, there are two players you can imagine Schneider liking.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

Senior Bowl 2025 day three notes

Opening thoughts

I thought it was disappointing that so many players bailed on the Senior Bowl after two days. Mike Green didn’t have anywhere near as good a week as he thought he did to pull that move. The media, predictably, is focusing on one rep where he drove through Josh Conerly Jr. It’s a good rep. But too often in 1v1’s he tried to use a spin move that didn’t work and where was the burst off the edge? Why not stay and finish the week? I thought this was a lousy move.

He wasn’t alone. Deone Walker, TJ Sanders, Kyle Kennard, Bru McCoy, Shemar Stewart, Trey Amos and Donovan Ezeiruaku all decided not to bother today. If you’re committing to the Senior Bowl, respect it and stay. Otherwise don’t bother going and let someone else have the place. Not one single player played well enough this week to go home on Wednesday night. Paired with Armand Membou getting a mysterious “illness” right after Daniel Jeremiah’s first mock draft was published, I thought this was a disappointing attitude from too many players. Good on the likes of Walter Nolen and other big names for sticking it out.

Incidentally, why on earth does the NFL Network get Jeremiah to put out a mock draft before the Senior Bowl? They send a whole crew down to broadcast coverage of the event and yet players are pulling out after their agents read the mock. Don’t they want the best players out there? Put the mock out the day after the Senior Bowl instead. Goodness me.

It was also a bit disappointing that the American team didn’t do any 1v1’s in the trenches today.

I didn’t think we had as many standout performers this year compared to previous years. There was no Braden Fiske from a year ago, or Jermaine Johnson in 2022. For all the talk about the defensive tackles, really only Josh Farmer played at a consistent level. None of the edge rushers performed better than Boye Mafe did during his Senior Bowl, nor any of the linemen as well as Abe Lucas.

Players who flashed the most based on what I saw this week

Darius Alexander (DE, Toledo)
Oluwafemi Oladejo (EDGE, UCLA)
Josh Farmer (DT, Florida State)
Azareye’h Thomas (CB, Florida State)
Shemar Stewart (DE, Texas A&M)
Kyle Williams (WR, Washington State)
Elijah Arroyo (TE, Miami)
Mason Taylor (TE, LSU)

Honourable mention — Keondre Jackson (S, Illinois State) — I want to see more

National team OL vs DL 1v1’s

Wyatt Milum’s first rep was against Utah’s Junior Tafuna, who got into his chest. Milum didn’t sink his hips and was upright. He didn’t readjust and plant the anchor until he’d been shoved backwards five yards. They had a rematch where Tafuna just threw him off the spot and ran to the QB. It was a terrible look for Milum. In a third rep, Yahya Black worked through Milum before disengaging to get to the quarterback. This was a really poor day three from the West Virginia man, finished off by a 1v1 rep at midfield in front of the team where Farmer straight-armed him right back into the quarterback for another easy win. I really expected to see more aggression from Wilum this week and he’s been one of the bigger disappointments. Tafuna, on the other hand, has shown some flashes.

USC center Jonah Monheim tried to get his hands into Darius Alexander’s chest off the snap on his first rep. You can’t blame him for trying — it’s what you want to see, quickly shooting your hands inside. Sadly for Monheim, Alexander brushed him off like he was being blocked by a guy in the stands who’d been offered a go at the 1v1’s. Absolute domination, flashing Alexander’s tremendous upside and exposing Monheim’s limitations. Alexander also had a good tussle with Josh Conerly Jr that ended in a tie — Alexander showing power and mobility to work the edge at 300lbs, while Conerly didn’t cede ground and stood up to the power rush and attempted counter. He then destroyed Jalen Rivers. What a session for Alexander. In redzone drills he also blew up a play to the left edge, leading to teammates hollering towards him and getting hyped up. The Toledo defensive lineman has been a big winner this week and looks like a second round pick.

Joshua Farmer just has this knack of moving forwards. He faced Grey Zabel at right guard. Zabel did a good job initially, moving his feet easily to cut off the cross-face. Palmer tried a spin-move and ended up in front of Zabel, shoving him back into the quarterback. I think this was rep was a draw — a good initial move from Zabel but a good counter and recovery from Farmer. His second rep came against Caleb Rogers. He swam past him and ran to the QB with Rogers clinging on. For the first two days Farmer flashed dominant power. Today, he showed he has some quickness and a repertoire. A great week for the Florida State man.

Zabel’s second rep was against Yahya Black. He was early off the snap (false start) and Black just beat him — working the A-gap with better quickness then barging through a rather desperate attempt by Zabel to cling on. Black still just waltzed through to the QB. He then moved over to right guard to go against Jamaree Caldwell. The big Oregon defender got to the POA quicker and turned Zabel, getting the blocker into a bad position where all he could do was get Caldwell in a head-lock. It would’ve been a clear holding penalty but Caldwell still finished and got to the quarterback. A very ugly rep. Farmer then had another go at Zabel and drove through his chest deep into the backfield. This was not a good 1v1 session for Zabel at all. In fairness, he was a lot better in 11 on 11. This is where he’s sealing off, walling off, reaching to the second level. He looks so much better during scrimmages. The 1v1 stuff the internet has gone crazy about has been way overrated — and I say that as someone who has been talking up Zabel for weeks pre-Senior Bowl. It’d be more convenient for me to join the group-think on his performance but I don’t think it’s accurate.

David Walker doesn’t have lightning quicks but he still managed to get around Ozzy Trapilo with a dip and straighten for a sack. He then beat Anthony Belton at left tackle by driving through his chest. Maybe if he’d pushed Belton over he could’ve rushed to the airport and caught the same plane as Mike Green? Walker then moved over to right tackle and easily beat Belton with a speed rush. This was a good day for Walker with only one losing rep against Aireontae Ersery. He also looked good working in and out of the bags in warmups — showing some good bend. He has really short arms (31 3/4 inches) and he’s only 6-0 — limiting his potential. But he’s worked well this week.

Jalen Rivers had a good day one, a rough second day and today he blocked like this was his first go at the sport of gridiron. His first rep on day three was to allow Aeneas Peebles to run right by him into the backfield. Turnstile level play. He was then beasted by Darius Alexander. Then Ty Robinson ran by him like he wasn’t there. Absolutely dreadful. They gave him another rep to try and get him going. He lost it to Junior Tafuna. They gave him another rep. He put up more resistance against Jaramee Caldwell but still lost in the end. This was a rare occasion in Mobile of someone starting strong and fading as the week progressed.

Ty Robinson dominated Caleb Rogers in their first 1v1 rep. He engaged contact, swam over Rogers’ left shoulder and exploded to the quarterback. A tremendous play by the Nebraska lineman. Robinson had a great session, with his win against Rivers and then easily dismissing Rogers for a second time.

Oluwafemi Oladejo had a good battle with Marcus Mbow at right tackle. He used an initial punch which Mbow absorbed but Oladejo just kept churning his legs then span away to reach the quarterback. He then kicked inside and ran around Jared Monheim to sprint to the QB. He cheated, using the right guard to basically block off the center. It still showed his quickness. They re-did the rep and Oladejo still won, juking from the right to the left and just being too quick and powerful for the undersized USC blocker. He also had a win off against Aireontae Ersery using long strides to get to the edge quicker. His straighten isn’t great off the bend but he can get home. The UCLA pass-rusher continues to impress. He also carries a bit of an alpha energy — he was yelling and shouting after big plays by team mates in 11 on 11. He’s absolutely jacked too and looks like a beast in his frame.

Landon Jackson used an inside counter to easily beat Ozzy Trapilo. It’s the first flash of quickness and agility we’ve seen from Jackson in 1v1’s. He didn’t do much work in the session. Collin Oliver the Oklahoma State edge rusher drove Josh Conerly Jr back into the QB. It was another rep this week where the Oregon man’s base and power came into question. I think, overall, Conerly’s stock has taken a hit this week.

Other notes

With no 1v1’s for the American team they stuck to a heavy dose of 11v11, 7v7 and red zone work. Princely Umanmielen beat Carson Vinson to the edge easily. Then on a run play, Umanmielen bullied him into the backfield to get to the RB. On a third battle between the pair, Umanmielen again drove the left tackle into the backfield. Vinson shone on day one but hasn’t been able to follow it up.

Jaxson Dart didn’t flash special qualities in the reps I saw. He was a little hesitant and reminded me a fair bit of Jarrett Stidham. Riley Leonard had a level of awkwardness to him and again I don’t think we saw special qualities. Jalen Milroe has at times been all over the place. It’s been a week to forget for him and he’ll probably need to take a bunch of snaps on Saturday, run around a bunch and remind people what he can do in a game. Seth Henigan is light and I’m afraid didn’t look like a NFL starter in this environment.

Tyler Shough’s ball-placement at times wasn’t great. He pulled off a brilliant play-fake in 11 on 11. and had one bad/good moment in red zone play. For some reason he turned down an open Kyle Williams on a bootleg, ran to the right sideline and then threw across his body. However, as dangerous as that is, he nailed the pass to Elijah Arroyo — who punted the ball into the stands in celebration. Shough has a better arm than the other quarterbacks in Mobile but that’s kind of like saying the Colts were the second best team in the AFC South. It doesn’t really mean much. I can’t say I thought he looked like a NFL starter here.

Dillon Gabriel was way too hesitant. It was painful to watch rep after rep where he’d just sit looking at open receivers and not pull the trigger. His accuracy was off too. He did have one excellent throw to Xavier Restrepo in the redzone, fitting the ball into a very tight window in thick coverage. That was after he sat in the pocket for ages though and in a real game he likely would’ve been sacked. When he did try and get it out quickly he was off — such as one-hopping a red-zone throw to Tez Johnson. On a bootleg in the redzone he found it really difficult to throw to the right side as he’s left handed. He completely overshot the pass to Gavin Bartholomew, leading to an interception for Tommi Hill. I think if you were hoping a quarterback would emerge from this group to be a possible solution for the Seahawks, you better hope one of them is saving something special for Saturday’s game.

The more I’ve watched of Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas the more impressed I’ve been. You expect with his frame he’ll be stiffer than he is in transition but he sticks in coverage, can flip his hips and he finds the football. It’ll be interesting to see how he tests because the league needs cornerbacks and I get the sense he will be a big riser after this week. He had a really good interception on a 1v1 in the end zone, plus he broke up a Tyler Shough pass nicely on a different rep. He just looks the part.

UCLA’s Maliki Matavao is a player I want to watch more of. He’s looks quite mobile for a tight end and he’s well sized. He sealed well in the running game in 11 on 11.

Western Michigan’s Bilhal Kone — who definitely has the talent to be an interesting mid-round pick — had a good rep in the red zone vs Jayden Higgins. It was nice, tight coverage and he got a pat on the back from the coaches. Kone plays with a calmness and doesn’t panic. He’s supposedly a good tester so he’s a cornerback to watch at the combine.

Miami’s Elijah Arroyo is a beast. Even when he’s covered he’s not. He also has strong hands and a powerful frame. It’s difficult to gain position against him and he could be a redzone monster. Along with LSU’s Mason Taylor, he’s one of the big winners this week. Frankly, they both look like top-45 picks.

Washington State’s Kyle Williams absolutely destroyed Nebraska’s Tommi Hill on a red-zone rep. Then he beat him again for good measure, changing direction back to the opposite direction. Williams is completely underrated. He’s so sudden and quick. Half of the receivers in Mobile needed 20 minutes to pull off four different moves to get open. Williams wins immediately. He’s going to look great playing in LA for the Rams.

Illinois State’s Keondre Jackson really caught my eye today. He’s a big safety but didn’t look out of place in coverage. Perhaps he could be worked into some corner situations? He looks like a physical, versatile chess piece. He’s out here bringing it after being at the Hula Bowl. I like him. He might be worth a look early on day three and I can’t wait to see how he tests. His interview with the NFL Network was really good too. I’m going to spend some time tomorrow trying to dig out the rest of his Senior Bowl reps.

Tomorrow I will publish a post-Senior Bowl mock draft. On Saturday I will provide notes from the game.

Senior Bowl 2025 day two notes

Before getting into the notes, if you missed my latest show on Puck Sports be sure to check it out here (and please like the video on YouTube if you can):

Opening thought

I think the 1v1’s in the trenches have been disappointing through two days. We’ve had too many spin moves that aren’t counters, not enough pure wins off the edge and very little in terms of ‘wow’ moments from a much vaunted D-line group.

Nobody has rushed the edge like a Jermaine Johnson in 2022 and lit up the Senior Bowl this year. It’s all been a bit underwhelming. I have to say, I’m also not watching the offensive linemen and feeling like anyone jumps out as a ‘must draft’.

National team notes

— Mike Green had a frustrating, mixed day. On the plus side, he buried Josh Conerly Jr on one rep. The Oregon tackle, lining up on the right side, lost balance in the set and Green just ran straight through him. Aside from that though, Green maddeningly kept using an ineffective spin move in his 1v1 reps. When he did just rush the edge, as he did in his opening rep against Ozzy Trapilo, the tall left tackle just rode him out of the play. Jalen Travis also stoned Green with a fairly basic pass-pro set and engage. You want to see dynamic burst, quickness and bend in a pass rusher with Green’s size and he hasn’t shown it in the first two days. Yet I’m sure everyone will call him a ‘big winner’ because of the one rep where Conerly lost balance and was embarrassed.

— My annual, never-ending frustration with how people view ‘wins’ in the 1v1’s continued today with Grey Zabel. In his first rep, Ty Robinson attacked his left shoulder. To Zabel’s credit, he took away an attempted swim move. However, Robinson’s pure power and momentum had Zabel basically standing on the quarterbacks toes six yards behind the LOS. I’ve seen this rep described as a win online and the commentary team were again waxing lyrical.

You tell me. In any NFL game, how would this constitute a win? This is just over two seconds after the snap. The guy in the white shirt is the quarterback:

Again, these sessions are not about linemen staying in front of defenders and not being beat right off the snap against a swim/rip or speed rush. Robinson pushes the pocket here. If an interior defender does that in a game, it’s a win. I feel like we have these moments every year and it’s a shame. I have positive things to say about Zabel’s performance and I really like him as a prospect. But we have to be say what’s really happening. On the video I’m watching of the 1v1 footage, Yahya Black drives Jalen Rivers back into the QB and the guy behind the camera says, “that’s a win for Miami.” No, it really isn’t.

— In the scrimmages I thought Zabel did very well. Both he and Jared Monheim reached up to the second level very efficiently. He walled off when he needed to. I think technically Zabel needs a lot of work at center. His hands don’t always shoot inside but he’s also shown he can leverage at his height. I like him best at guard. In a rematch against Robinson, Zabel did a better job squaring up to the Nebraska defender and blocked his path to the quarterback. It also needs to be noted that they’re letting Zabel take way more reps than any lineman I’ve ever seen before at the Senior Bowl. Nobody is clocking to see often he jumps back into the line-up. Good for him I guess but they typically manage this.

— Monheim did very well in the scrimmages to the point I was starting to wonder if I’d completely botched my evaluation of his tape at USC. However, in 1v1’s he had a few struggles. Joshua Farmer, as he’s done for two straight days, bullied him back into the QB by attacking the left shoulder then just sealing his hands inside and driving Monheim backwards. Aeneas Peebles shrugged him off with ease to burst into the backfield on a different rep. In a rematch against Peebles, Monheim set nicely, gained leverage and finished. A nice recovery. I do think he could be an interesting day three center despite an up-and-down day.

— Farmer just keeps his feet moving all the time. It’s impressive. He’s a one-trick pony but he does it well. He doesn’t just bench-press you. He’ll engage and then churn and churn. The feet keep pumping, the arms are constantly working to hit the mark. He doesn’t have any speed rush to speak of but in virtually every rep he pushes the pocket. He did this to Marcus Mbow at right guard and then on the final rep of the session, he barged his way through Zabel. Mbow in a separate rep lined up at center and Femi Oladejo just ran by him like he was a traffic cone. We don’t need to see that again.

— Josh Conerly Jr had a difficult day. His first rep was a good battle with UCLA’s impressive Femi Oladejo with both players countering in a score-draw. It was a good battle. Oladejo has had a great couple of practises so far. He looks the part — 6-3, 261, 33.5 inch arms, 80 3/4 wingspan. He’s had some success working inside and out. He’s been of the better performers in Mobile so far. Back to Conerly, I’ve not seen a lot to suggest he’ll go in the top-20 this week.

— Junior Tafuna has some classic Utah power in his hands. He drove back Caleb Rogers when he lined up at center for a an easy bull-rush win. Rogers did have a win against Ty Robinson, delivering a good powerful jolt with his hands inside to knock Robinson off course.

— Wyatt Milum struggled at right guard. He looked half asleep on his first rep and then on his second, Darius Alexander had his lunch money with an effective swim move. That was despite Milum being half a second early off the snap. Ty Robinson made his life miserable too attacking the right shoulder and then accelerating through contact to reach the quarterback. I expected more from Milum this week.

— If Aireontae Ersery had a decent first day, he had a bit of a nightmare on day two. He kept oversetting to the outside, something the other tackles struggled with yesterday. Two defenders, including Darius Alexander, beat him inside because of this. It’s sloppy technique but perhaps speaks to his discomfort at right tackle. On Tuesday he lined up in his more natural left tackle spot. Today he just looked cumbersome.

— Landon Jackson doesn’t have any twitch. He’s too big and struggled to burst to the outside or counter. Ozzy Trapilo just took away the edge when they lined up against each other. Trapilo didn’t have the same success against Josaiah Stewart, who worked through contact and straightened to finish.

— Jalen Travis had a good rep to begin his day and also had the win against Mike Green but he was also walked back into the quarterback by David Walker. An easy power win.

American team

— My first thought was ‘please can you mix these 1v1’s up’? We saw enough of Miles Frazier vs Tim Smith on day one. The first rep they showed was Smith in an awkward position with his helmet buried into Frazier’s chest, driving him backwards before tossing the LSU lineman to the turf. Frazier had a great rep against RJ Oben at right tackle. His set was really smooth and he just sealed off the path to the QB immediately. They had a rematch later on and Frazier was called for a hold.

— Cam Jackson clearly decided he wanted to copy TJ Sanders and Kyle Kennard and came out wearing sweatpants. This needs to go in the bin. His first rep was good though, driving Jacob Beyer backwards. His second rep, against Clay Webb, was another productive bull-rush. Webb received coaching on his hand placement after the whistle.

— Walter Nolen’s first rep was against Clay Webb. The Jacksonville State blocker did a good job initially to stall Nolen but the Ole Miss pass-rusher span out of the block to dip inside. This was a really dynamic counter from Nolen. Jackson Slater had Nolen’s second rep. He was competitive and clung on even with the defensive tackle forcing him back before going with the same spin-counter. His third rep was more of the same, pushing the pocket into the quarterback. He turns his body on contact and makes it very difficult to get your hands inside. The best way to describe Nolen is ‘slippery’.

— Kyle Kennard’s first rep came against day-one standout Carson Vinson. Kennard tried to use a euro-step to get around the outside. It wasn’t the prettiest move and he didn’t slip the block but there was a suspicion of a hold in there. Vinson’s second rep was against Sai’vion Jones of LSU. He won initially until Jones disengaged. Kennard met Vinson again later on and the South Carolina defender bull-rushed him effectively into the backfield. Yesterday Vinson had an eye-catching day. Today was kind of average.

— Shemar Stewart went with a bull-rush on his first rep, driving Emory Jones backwards. It’s a bit weird that there’s still no word on why Ian Rapoport said Stewart wouldn’t practise due to injury and now he’s participated in the first two days. Stewart’s second rep was a bull-rush on Jonah Savaiinaea — driving him backwards into the quarterback. In scrimmages, he showed an outstanding burst to win with speed against Emory Jones for a sack/fumble. That’s what we’ve been waiting to see. It was the first glimpse of someone saying, “I’m a high draft pick.”

— TJ Sanders, minus the sweatpants today, had a rough outing. He was dumped on the floor by Willie Lampkin then given a second rep immediately, where Jacob Beyer stoned him. I’m not sure if he’s hurt because we didn’t see a lot of him and he was wearing a special helmet today. It was a disappointing watch, though.

— Deone Walker won his first rep against Garrett Dellinger, getting his hands in the right place and driving through contact. It’s hard not to comment again, though, on just how sloppy his frame looks with the overhanging gut and thin legs. Walker’s second rep was similar, driving back Miles Frazier before slapping him away to disengage. He had a really nice swim move on Clay Webb to penetrate in scrimmage. He showed good quickness for his size. There’s some talent there but he looks like he belongs in KFC not the NFL.

— Jared Ivey’s first rep wasn’t great. He was driven off his path to the quarterback too easily and couldn’t recover. He used a swipe-move on his second rep but it lacked juice against Garrett Dellinger.

— Jonah Savaiinaea’s first rep was at right guard against Tim Smith. He absolutely dominated him. He had a tougher go-around against Shemar Stewart on his second rep as mentioned earlier.

— Princley Umanmielen’s first rep came later in the drill and he looked really athletic trying to spin away from the initial contact. His second rep kicked inside to guard against Emory Jones and the LSU man just devoured him. We only saw two Umanmielen reps and one comes at defensive tackle? Really? Jones had a bounce-back day today. He had some good battles with Barryn Sorrell of Texas at right tackle both in the 1v1 drill and at the end at midfield with the whole team watching on. He also had a good scrimmage win on a running play against Walter Nolen, before burying Cam Jackson on the very next snap.

Where’s Armand Membou?

Apparently he is sick and has gone home. Dane Brugler calls it a ‘stomach flu’. I’m sceptical. He’s suddenly being mocked very early in round one and this has all the hallmarks of being pulled out of practise in a ham-fisted way by his representatives.

Quick-hitting notes on other positions

— I’ve been really impressed with Tez Johnson during the receiver 1v1’s. He’s creating continuous easy separation. He’s really light and small but he knows how to get open against the admittedly modest competition here.

— Kyle Williams’ release is excellent and he can drive off separation with a well-timed head-fake. He’s shown some suddenness. He did have one rep where he kind of ran a route into coverage, ceding an advantage to the DB.

— Harold Fanin Jr didn’t look as fluid moving as Mason Taylor and Elijah Arroyo. It was noticeable how they just look a lot more at ease running routes, cutting away from coverage and separating.

— Jaylin Noel is good out of his break and has a little bit of dynamism to him. On one rep against Azareye’h Thomas — who had tight coverage — he did a good job tracking the ball and made a difficult, twisting catch. For a taller corner, Thomas often does well to stick in a foot race.

— Jalen Milroe barely looks draftable. Without the ability to take off and use his legs, he’s being asked to sit in the pocket and be an orthodox QB. He can’t do it. He threw a horrendous interception during scrimmage straight to Jack Kiser. Even on a deep completion to Jack Bech the ball fluttered in the air. It’s astonishing that people spent time during the season suggesting he’d developed as a passer. That wasn’t true in the slightest. He can’t be taken in the first three rounds and frankly, I wouldn’t draft him at all. He’s a running quarterback who didn’t play all that well in college when needing to throw.

— On top of the pick, Kiser had a good day — reading his keys to fill gaps in the scrimmages. He might be a late rounder or UDFA but he’s competitive.

— Devin Neal looked fantastic. Superb cuts and change of direction. He’s one of the more underrated players in this class. Every time he took a rep your eyes were glued to him.

— Quincy Riley had a great rep sticking with Xavier Restrepo, then turning to play the ball. I’ve been a bit disappointed with Restrepo — I thought he’d shine in these 1v1’s. He’s just looked pretty ‘meh’.

— Maxwell Hairston had a really good rep against Arian Smith in 1v1 coverage. He can trail well, stick in the hip pocket and get his head around. Hairston has been one of the few bright spots at corner.

— Billy Bowman lacks size but he competes in coverage and he closes well. Another defensive back, Mac McWilliams, has also caught the eye. I’m eager to watch more of his tape.

— I didn’t think the Jaxson Dart/Riley Leonard/Seth Henigan/Jalen Milroe group showed that much at quarterback. I’ve not been able to watch coverage of the National team QB’s yet.

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