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Prepare for a center priority

The most illuminating comment from Klint Kubiak during a day of interviews yesterday was a remark he made to Softy & Dick on KJR:

“If you’re going to be successful in the zone scheme, it all starts with an elite center.”

With the greatest respect to Olu Oluwatimi, he is not an elite center. Given the Seahawks replaced him right before the 2024 season began with a player who retired after week eight, I’m not sure they see elite potential in the former fifth round pick.

As Jeff Simmons noted on our stream yesterday, the first move made by Atlanta when they appointed Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator was to sign free agent Alex Mack. It was an inspired move. Mack led the line as they made the Super Bowl in his first season with the Falcons in 2016.

Based on Kubiak’s comments, you’ve got to believe the Seahawks are looking for a center upgrade. So is an elite player available?

The top five graded centers in 2024 per PFF were Creed Humphrey, Frank Ragnow, Tyler Linderbaum, Drew Dalman and Zach Frazier. Dalman will be a free agent. He seems like a clear target. He also had an 82.3 grade for zone blocking, good enough for sixth among centers. None of the rest of the top-10 zone blockers are available (unless the Vikings cut Garrett Bradbury, who ranked ninth). In 2023, Dalman’s zone blocking grade was even better — an elite 90.9.

In terms of age (26), fit and positional need — he ticks every box.

Ryan Kelly is an alternative if they want experience. His zone blocking grade was poor in 2024 (57.8) but he graded well in zone in 2023 (75.4). It’ll likely come down to how much you believe he has left in the tank. If you can’t get Dalman, signing Kelly is probably the best alternative. His experience would be very useful and you’d just need to take a chance on him regaining his best form.

One other option could be James Daniels. He switched to guard in the NFL after playing center at Iowa. Among all NFL offensive linemen in 2024 he ranked third for zone blocking grade (93.2). Moving Daniels back to center could be a fit. The concern is he tore his achilles in September so how is his recovery going and will his play be effected by the injury? He could be cheap but he could also be a major gamble, unless he comes at a bargain price.

This isn’t a good draft at center with extremely limited options. Given what Kubiak is saying, it also stands to reason they might want someone with starting experience. It’s been noted by many that the scheme relies on the center to call protections. This doesn’t feel like a job for a rookie.

I’ve been projecting the Seahawks to make an offensive line splash early in free agency, just as they did last year by retaining Leonard Williams and the year prior by signing Dre’Mont Jones. After hearing Kubiak today, I’m convinced Dalman could be a target, potentially to the tune of a deal between Ragnow’s $13.5m a year and Humphrey’s league-leading $18m a year. If it’s not him, Kelly feels like a probable next man up. I think the Seahawks will sign one of these two players if they reach the open market.

I had previously thought Green Bay’s Josh Myers could be an option but his zone blocking grade has been consistently poor. Unless they think he has untapped potential (and the Packers tend to get the most out of their linemen) he feels like an unlikely fit.

Zone blocking matters?

I’ve been arguing not to read too much into zone and gap schemes when judging who may or may not be drafted by the Seahawks. My main reason for this was the Saints drafting a big, physical mauler in Taliese Fuaga with their first round pick a year ago. I was 100% wrong for holding this view.

Fuaga actually had an outstanding zone-blocking grade at Oregon State (91.3). His gap-blocking grade was still good (78.9) but it’s clear he excelled more in zone. This probably convinced the Saints to take him.

Given Kubiak has stated the base for his blocking scheme will contain a lot of outside zone, with O-line coach John Benton being a big proponent of the system, it seems pretty clear that we should be focusing on zone blocking experts in free agency and the draft.

It’s also worth noting that Christian Haynes, Seattle’s third round pick a year ago, also excelled as a zone blocker at UConn (89.2). Don’t be surprised if Haynes receives a fresh start and a new lease of life in 2025, potentially getting the opportunity to start at right guard. He was a day two pick after all. I would imagine he’ll get a second chance to make that job his own.

Who are the available veterans and draft prospects who grade well in zone?

Even if the Seahawks don’t sign James Daniels to convert him back to center, it makes sense to consider signing him to compete at left guard. Trey Smith (82.8) has a good zone-blocking grade but will be extremely expensive and potentially out of reach. Mekhi Becton (74.8) surprisingly performed well in zone for his size. He might be expensive too after helping the Eagles win the Super Bowl.

Will Fries (91.2) has shown to be an excellent zone-blocking guard, while there’s a thought Trey Pipkins III (74.0) could be a cap casualty for the Chargers. Teven Jenkins, another free agent, graded at 70.5 but in 2023 he scored an 85.7. Ben Cleveland in Baltimore, someone I really liked when he was at Georgia, had a 2023 zone blocking grade of 81.9 (albeit from just 39 snaps). Coleman Shelton struggled in zone in 2024 (58.7) but the previous year excelled (87.3).

Could the trade market come into play? If the Chiefs move to retain Trey Smith at a high price, could Joe Thuney become available? His zone blocking grade was a 79.1 in 2024. Kansas City can’t pay everybody.

It’s also worth thinking outside of the box. Jedrick Wills wasn’t much of a run-blocker in Cleveland but I think he’s been playing out of position at tackle. Kick him inside to guard and maybe he can be this year’s answer to Becton in Philly?

There also has to be a chance Lucas Patrick comes in as a draft hedge. He had an acceptable 68.7 grade in Kubiak and Benton’s zone scheme for New Orleans last season. As an experienced veteran he’d be an obvious signing to make — especially to cover the possibility you miss out on a guard in the draft.

In terms of the rookie class, there are several players who graded well in zone.

William & Mary left tackle Charles Grant leads the way with a 92.8 grade. However, he feels very much a tackle rather than a natural fit at guard. Wyatt Milum, the West Virginia left tackle who is also projected to guard, had a 90.3 grade in zone.

There are a host of other players who graded 80 or above in zone per PFF:

Charles Grant (T) — 92.8
Wyatt Milum (G) —- 90.3
Armand Membou (T/G) —- 87.5
Jack Nelson (T/G) —- 86.4
Logan Brown (T) — 85.2
Clay Webb (G/C) — 84.9
Grey Zabel (G/C) —- 84.8
Cameron Williams (T) —- 84.0
Marcus Mbow (T/G) —- 81.6
Kelvin Banks Jr (T/G) —- 81.5
Connor Colby (G) —- 81.3

It might be worth keeping an eye on Iowa’s Colby. The Hawkeyes are good at producing linemen and tight ends. He’s played both guard spots and right tackle. He apparently ran a 4.47 short shuttle and jumped a 30 inch vertical in High School. He started 50 games at Iowa, the second-most by an offensive lineman in the Kirk Ferentz era. The Hawkeyes ran for 200+ yards in eight games in 2024, the most by the team since 2015.

Seahawks fans aren’t going to be dancing in the streets with mid-round picks on Iowa linemen but this might be exactly what they need. Listen to him speak and watch his tape. He’s a tough, athletic, gritty foundational blocker. As much as I want to see a big effort to invest in the line, adding players like Colby, Jack Nelson and Grey Zabel is a way to build structure and fit. You don’t have to avoid drafting a guard early but if you go in a different direction it’s not the end of the world.

Jared Wilson the Georgia center is just outside the 80’s range with a 78.9 but again, I’m not sure how keen the Seahawks will be to draft a center early. Jonah Monheim (69.4) and Jake Majors (63.8) graded surprisingly poorly in zone given the style and schemes they play in.

If you extend the list out to the 70’s, Aireontae Ersery (77.3), Dylan Fairchild (77.2), Will Campbell (74.5), Josh Conerly Jr (73.7) and Donovan Jackson (73.2) all grade reasonably well. I’m not worried about Tyler Booker’s 65.5 in zone — I’ve seen enough on tape to think he can play either scheme at a high level and believe he will be coveted by many teams. Tate Ratledge, equally, should be able to block well in zone. He graded at 71.4 in 2024 and a 74.3 the year before.

There are plenty of options here — whether they want to go early or wait until the middle rounds. Ideally, given the dearth of draftable centers and need for ‘elite’ qualities at the position, they acquire a top center. In a perfect world, they also add a quality left guard. Whatever happens, they have plenty of good zone blocking offensive linemen in this draft to target — either to compete to start immediately or to draft and develop behind a new veteran presence.

The Seahawks should be able to take a step forward on the O-line this year. It might not be a Chiefs-style 2021 rebuild, creating an instant turnaround up front, but that isn’t realistic based on what’s available.

Best player available is probably the key

The Seahawks have been very disciplined in the draft in recent years, rejecting forcing needs and relying on their grades with their highest picks. It felt like a reaction to the 2019 draft, where they reached to fill a defensive line need in round one (LJ Collier).

They haven’t forced anything since, instead preferring to let the board come to them. They’ll likely maintain that approach in 2025.

It does mean making some free agency moves on the offensive line to set up the opportunity to go best player available with their top pick. If they get that done, anything is on the table at #18.

Understandably at the moment most mocks pair the Seahawks with an offensive or defensive lineman. It could easily be the case that a trenches player is BPA in round one. It’s absolutely critical they make signings in free agency to create the opportunity to let the draft come to them. This is one of the things that has really served Howie Roseman well in Philadelphia in recent years.

I wouldn’t react too badly if you see a mock, like Lance Zierlein’s, where he paired the Seahawks with Luther Burden. If he lasted to #18, he could easily be best player available. He’s one of the most talented players in the draft. You also see Colston Loveland last to #18 in some mocks or linebacker Jalon Walker.

Seattle’s approach of BPA plus high football character will likely shape what they do with their top pick. If a quality offensive lineman (Booker, Membou, Banks Jr) lasts to #18 — need could match value. If they sign veterans to upgrade the O-line, they’ll have great flexibility in the draft.

Don’t underestimate the football character aspect either — it’s clearly played a big part in their thinking in recent drafts. The likes of Tyler Booker, Jalon Walker, Jahdae Barron and Jack Sawyer are celebrated for their toughness, leadership and football character. This is also why I think the quarterbacks will interest Seattle — there are several high character, high upside signal callers in this class.

Everything the Seahawks do in the media is deliberate.

Last year they weren’t being non-committal over Geno Smith — while constantly changing the subject to Drew Lock during press-conferences — for a laugh. I think it’s pretty clear they wanted to try and persuade Lock to return and felt the best way to do that was to promote him publicly and give the impression he could compete to win a job in Seattle. It didn’t work and he signed for the Giants.

It wasn’t the only reason for their messaging, though. The not-so-subtle reporting from Adam Schefter, discussing Smith’s value to potential trade suitors over his contract, was as close to a ‘come and get him’ plea to the rest of the league as you can get. They were clearly open to offers. Then, once the combine had come and gone and presumably nobody took the bait, suddenly the Seahawks pivoted and started promoting Smith as the unchallenged starter.

This year, we’re seeing very different messaging. Mike Macdonald’s recent interview with Fox-13 was fairly emphatic. He said Smith was their guy and he believed they could win a Super Bowl with him. At the conclusion of the Super Bowl the Seahawks then tweeted this from their official account. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Smith is front and centre in the image.

Is the purpose of this simply to try and eliminate questions about Smith’s future? Is it a definitive commitment to the quarterback?

Or is there something else going on?

Here’s my best guess…

Firstly, I think there has to be more to this than simply a firm commitment. We all accept the Seahawks are going to enter into negotiations with Smith and his representatives in order to work out a new contract. Nobody expects them just to throw money at Smith and this is going to have to be a compromise agreement to lower his cap-hit in 2025 and retain annual outs and flexibility for the team.

I sense that the Seahawks feel a public show of support is the best thing for the forthcoming talks. A repeat of last year could be thrown back at them. It’s easier to say ‘we want you here, we’ve made that clear — but it has to be on our terms’.

In many ways it could be similar to what they tried with Lock 12 months ago, albeit they’ll hope with a different conclusion.

I have to believe there’s a bit of this going on otherwise Macdonald’s words would simply serve as fantastic leverage for Smith’s camp when it comes to talks.

Secondly, I don’t think there’s any misdirection here or any attempt to barter leverage in trade talks. They’d find it really hard to be this publicly supportive and committed to Geno Smith and then turn around a few weeks later and say, ‘ah yeah, about that, we’re now moving him’. The language Macdonald used is not ‘we have no intention of trading him’ ala Russell Wilson. He was unequivocal in his backing for Smith staying in Seattle and I think he was being honest. Smith isn’t going anywhere short of a big breakdown in talks.

I believe they fully intend to strike a deal and as noted for some time now, my expectation is they will. It will need to be a compromised arrangement though. They’re not going to give Smith a deal that locks him in as the starter beyond 2025, especially given he turns 35 in October.

Thirdly, I do think there’s something else at play here that I’ve not seen discussed anywhere else. It plays off my hunch that this is the year the Seahawks will finally draft a quarterback.

If there are one or more QB’s they are targeting in the draft, it makes absolute sense to make it seem to the rest of the league that Geno Smith is 100% the guy. Other teams might not buy it, especially if the new contract structure contains year-to-year flexibility. If you want to try and throw teams off the scent though, so that they’re less suspicious of you being in the quarterback market, it makes sense to have the Head Coach come out and announce that you have complete and total faith in the incumbent.

Again, I’m not saying Macdonald fibbed for leverage in the draft. I think he truly believes what he said. Yet the added advantage of having consistent messaging supporting Smith in the media is it might cast doubt in the minds of some teams that you might take their guy at quarterback on day two.

Signing Matt Flynn in 2012 probably did more than anything to help the Seahawks make other teams think they weren’t going to take one in round three of the draft. They didn’t sign Flynn purely for this reason (obviously). It was an added bonus though and they caught many off guard when they selected Russell Wilson in round three.

The same can be said for this current situation. Re-signing Geno Smith to a new deal and taking every opportunity to promote him to the media could be a good plan to get to the position the Seahawks want to be in. That is — having Smith as the starter, while bridging to a younger quarterback taken in the draft.

As I’ve said a few times now, I think there will be a middle-class of quarterbacks in 2025. I also think there are quarterbacks the Seahawks will be interested in. I don’t think it’s out of the question that their messaging in the media this week is about making Smith feel wanted and more open-minded to a compromise agreement, while also trying to conceal their interest in drafting a quarterback as a future replacement.

The Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl is good news for the NFL. It shows that you can still win a Championship with a great defensive performance and that you don’t necessarily need a legendary quarterback (Mahomes, Brady) to reach the pinnacle of the sport.

There are a few things that need to be noted though, as Seahawks fans inevitably second-guess moves made by their own team in comparison to moves made by Eagles GM Howie Roseman.

In 2020 the Eagles took Jalen Reagor with the 20th overall pick. The player taken 21st overall was Justin Jefferson. Nothing else needs to be said.

In that same draft, they took Jalen Hurts with the 53rd pick. Todd McShay called it a “mistake” to build around Hurts, criticising his accuracy and noting he was replaced by Tua Tagovailoa in Alabama. “Can you win a Super Bowl with Jalen Hurts?” questioned McShay.

Eytan Shander from Philly Voice wrote an article in 2020 titled: ‘Drafting Jalen Hurts puts more pressure, criticism on pretty much everyone’ — noting:

What happens now is on everyone involved and it begins with the people who brought Hurts to Philadelphia. We know – or at least we should by now – that it’s not Howie Roseman taking over the draft board like a belligerent Chip Kelly.

Over the years the Eagles have whiffed several times with high picks. Andre Dillard was a bust in round one. We’ve already mentioned Reagor. Jordan Davis hasn’t worked out as intended with the 13th overall pick. Nolan Smith is kind of in the Boye Made/Derrick Hall territory of player.

It’s not just the draft. Bryce Huff, a $51m signing last off-season, was a healthy scratch against the Chiefs.

Prior to the Eagles’ first Super Bowl title in 2017, they’d gone 7-9 in the two previous seasons. Before losing control of personnel decisions to Chip Kelly, Roseman was GM from 2010 to 2014. Within that period, the Eagles’ record was 42-38. After beating the Patriots in the Super Bowl, Philadelphia were 31-33 over the next four seasons.

So while Roseman has done a tremendous job building his team, to the tune of a likely place in the Hall of Fame one day, he isn’t flawless. Neither is what he’s achieved impossible to copy.

So what can the Seahawks learn from his approach? The key thing he has done that the Seahawks haven’t, in my opinion, is the same thing the 49ers did in order to elevate themselves into Super Bowl contention. They’ve acquired brilliant veterans to combine with the hits they’ve had in the draft.

The 49ers trading for Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey took San Francisco to a new level. Combined with intelligent picks (George Kittle, Fred Warner etc) and some splashes in free agency (Charvarius Ward, Javon Hargrave) they crafted a team capable of competing at the highest level.

The Eagles adding AJ Brown via trade, Saquon Barkley in free agency and then having the nouse to see opportunities in Zack Baun and Mekhi Becton helped take the Eagles to the top of the game, combined with the draft picks they hit on.

Both teams also found quarterbacks outside of the first round.

This is where the Seahawks are currently lacking. They haven’t been hopeless. Acquiring Leonard Williams has been a hit. Signing Julian Love was also an intelligent piece of free agency work. More is needed though. Generally speaking they haven’t done a good enough job in free agency — either in terms of landing top players or by finding rough diamonds to bring in and develop. They haven’t been able to draft a quarterback who can be the future either — although they haven’t whiffed on anyone in the years since trading Russell Wilson, so this is understandable.

The point I’m making is I don’t think it’s impossible for the Seahawks to promote themselves to Philadelphia’s level in the future, especially if Mike Macdonald can produce an exceptional defense. If they’re going to do it though they’ll need to be better in several areas.

They have to do a better job in free agency. Whether it’s the pro-personnel department or a bigger involvement from Mike Macdonald, they need to find the big opportunities available in free agency. Whether that’s adding big names or hidden gems, the Seahawks simply haven’t used the veteran market well enough.

Who’s the next Mekhi Becton? Is it Jedrick Wills, for example, who is leaving Cleveland? Who’s the next Zack Baun? Who can come in like Charvarius Ward and tie down a cornerback slot? What is the next brilliant move, finding impact and value, that the Eagles appear so good at finding?

When there’s a rare opportunity to add a blue-chipper, make sure you’re ready to capitalise. The Eagles did with Barkley. At the end of the day, elite talent matters. It’s why the Seahawks need to have their finger on the pulse when it comes to Myles Garrett’s situation in Cleveland. You need a certain number of world class players to win a Super Bowl and the Seahawks are limited in this area.

In the draft, don’t overthink things and prioritise big men when the grading is similar. The Eagles didn’t reinvent the wheel when they identified players like Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens, both blog favourites. Draft players like this, with very obvious pathways to starting in the NFL. Put down some roots on your O-line too, you can’t keep chopping and changing at positions like center and guard every year.

It’s not just the offensive line either. Milton Williams’ testing results and profile made it clear he had an excellent chance to become a very good NFL defender. I interviewed Williams in the build up to his draft. Traits matter on the defensive line and it’s why I’m intrigued to see how Darius Alexander performs at the combine after an eye-catching Senior Bowl where, at times, he looked Chris Jones-esque.

Finally, be ready to draft a quarterback even if you’re criticised for doing so. I can just see it now. Seahawks Twitter having a meltdown if they use the #50 pick on a Will Howard or Quinn Ewers. Just like there was a meltdown about the Eagles drafting Hurts when they already had Carson Wentz.

Hurts didn’t have standout traits but what he did show in college was a level of grit, production, high-character and he could throw a pretty football. He went to a team able to tailor a system to his strengths and give him a strong supporting cast.

The likes of Howard, Ewers, even Riley Leonard and Jaxson Dart are not a million miles away from where Hurts was coming into the league. He received a 6.14 grade from Lance Zierlein in his NFL.com draft profile. He was compared to Tim Tebow. Lance has adjusted how he grades since 2020 so it’s difficult to make a direct comparison but he’s given Ewers a 6.24 grade and Dart a 6.19. He’s yet to grade the likes of Howard and Leonard.

For all the talk of this being a ‘bad’ quarterback group — I do think there’s a middle class within it for the first time in a long time. There are experienced players available who have played in big college football environments, in big games, and have some of the qualities needed to stick in the NFL. They won’t thrive regardless of the situation they end up in, like Joe Burrow. Can you still find a guy in day two this year who can be brought in to develop? Yes, in my opinion you can. I think the team might feel this way too which is why they’re intending to work out an arrangement with Geno Smith to continue as a bridge. I think this will be the year the Seahawks draft a quarterback.

So there are things for the Seahawks to aim for this off-season. They need a better approach to veteran acquisition and need to hit in this area when the new league year begins. They need to be ready to act if elite players become available, while also identifying the value and quality hidden within the market. They need to do a better job not overthinking the offensive line and they should draft one of the quarterbacks in this class on day two.

The Eagles have shown that intelligent team building, quality in the trenches and connected football can still win big. The Seahawks and others can realistically try to emulate their success.

The Seahawks don’t have a glorious history of big trades. Percy Harvin, Jimmy Graham, Jamal Adams. This hasn’t been an area where they’ve had a great deal of success.

However, I do think more often than not you need to make an inspired trade and/or a savvy free agenct signing to become a contender.

Look at the Eagles, in a second Super Bowl in three seasons. The AJ Brown trade was an absolute steal. When you pair that move with the addition of Saquon Barkley, it’s clear why the Eagles have had as much success as they have.

Granted, they’ve also done a better job than most at building their trenches. It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation though. It’s possible to add talented veterans and still build a good O-line and D-line.

The 49ers are an even better example. Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey provided the benchmark for San Francisco’s run to two Super Bowls. The Rams won a Championship with an ‘F-those picks’ mentality, inspired by multiple veteran deals.

The obvious exception to the rule is the Kansas City Chiefs. They’ve built a dynasty around homegrown talent. However, they had the wisdom to identify, draft and develop a player destined to become, potentially, the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. Swap him out for Jared Goff and it’s unlikely the Chiefs would have the same level of success. Trying to emulate the Chiefs is akin to trying to emulate the Brady and Belichick era in New England. It’s virtually impossible. Another Patrick Mahomes isn’t coming any time soon.

The Seahawks are not a contender in the NFC currently. They’ve missed the playoffs in back-to-back years. When they last made the playoffs in 2022 they were swatted away by the 49ers.

There are several reasons why they aren’t a post-season threat. The offensive line isn’t good enough. Geno Smith is far from a bad quarterback but neither is he an elite difference maker, capable of covering up issues on the roster. The defense has some talented players but really only Leonard Williams who you’d consider a true difference maker.

They’ve tried to build a contender through the draft. However, at the moment they have a bunch of players in the ‘good not great’ category. Between 2010 and 2012 they were able to unearth elite talent across the different rounds. They haven’t repeated that. It means they have a roster that is thoroughly decent but too often hasn’t been able to win big games. In 2024, they only had two wins against teams with a winning record — the Broncos in week one (Bo Nix’s first pro game) and the Rams in week 18 (fielding a bunch of backups).

As much as fixing the offensive line has to be a priority, there are a couple of things to consider. How much improvement can actually be made in one off-season? A lot of people want the Seahawks to pursue Trey Smith but how realistic is that? Aside from Smith, there aren’t any other elite linemen available on the open market. There are options in the draft but the Seahawks already have a young O-line.

Kansas City’s 2021 off-season is often highlighted as something to try and emulate. The Chiefs drafted Creed Humphrey as well as Smith. They signed Joe Thuney to a big free agent contract and traded for Orlando Brown Jr.

Sheer brilliance from Brett Veach and arguably not realistic to copy. For starters, it’s a paper thin draft class at center. It’s not easy to find a talent like Smith in round six. The competition to sign him as a free agent will be fierce — and Thuney’s decision to go to Kansas City was likely inspired by the ability to play with Patrick Mahomes.

Truth be told, the Seahawks can improve their O-line this year but a transformational off-season is a little far-fetched. It’s probably going to need to be a bit of a slow burn. The constant changes to the coaching staff and personnel have removed any opportunity to build chemistry and consistency. Klint Kubiak and John Benton have to put down some roots. They’ll need to develop the players already on the roster, create a functioning scheme and build. This probably isn’t going to be a situation where the Seahawks add two big-ticket free agents and everything is peachy.

I suspect we’ll see one splurge on a lineman when free agency begins, at least if the opportunity is there. But I’m also not sure using #18 on a lineman and signing one big name in free agency will elevate the line sufficiently that the Seahawks become contenders. This is in part because other issues will remain. They still won’t have an elite quarterback or enough blue-chip players on the roster. The offense might function at a smoother rate and they might be able to make the post-season. A deep run, however, is probably beyond them. They don’t have enough difference makers.

In any off-season scenario, they’re still going to need to consider drafting a young quarterback and that’ll be the case until they strike gold. They might never be a serious playoff threat until they pull this off. However, the Eagles — who are winning with Jalen Hurts playing at a fairly middling level (ranked 15th among quarterbacks per PFF grade) — are an example of what can be achieved without excellence under center.

Adding greatness with a legit game-changer, while working to fix some of the other areas of the team, will do more to accelerate your chances of becoming a contender again. That’s why the Seahawks should at least be in the conversation to acquire Myles Garrett.

Every team will feel this way. The Falcons, for example, will be priming themselves for a big move. They’re in a similar spot to the Seahawks. It’s easy to imagine Miami and Tampa Bay being interested. This is the problem. Aside from the obvious contenders who will be sniffing around (Buffalo, Washington, Detroit, Baltimore, Green Bay, Minnesota, possibly even the Chiefs) — you’re going to have a bunch of teams, some picking earlier than Seattle, who see Garrett as a route to legitimacy.

The Commanders in particular feel like a great fit. They have momentum, they just made the NFC Championship game so they’re close, they have an exciting blossoming superstar at quarterback, they have new owners who are making a difference. This is a franchise you can imagine Garrett having interest in. It’s also easy to imagine they’d be quite aggressive in acquiring someone like Garrett, with Jayden Daniels’ rookie contract creating an amazing opportunity to make a splash.

Even so, the Seahawks have to force themselves into the conversation. They don’t have any truly special players. This is an opportunity to acquire a rare gem, someone capable of doing what Aaron Donald did for so long — wreck games on his own. This would give the Seahawks an opportunity to have one of the best, if not the best, defensive units in the NFL. That’s a great platform to work on improving the offense and connecting everything together, to try and get the team in a position to win big.

It’d take an almighty effort. They’d have to sell Garrett on the project, first and foremost. They’d have to go above and beyond to acquire him. Two first round picks would be the starting point in negotiations. Other picks and players would likely have to make up the package. They can’t do ‘whatever it takes’ as there will be a price point that is too high. Still, the Seahawks have to look into this.

Garrett isn’t a gadget offensive player, a finesse tight end or a noisy box safety. He is an actual generational talent, a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in the making, a destructive pass-rusher who strikes fear into every opponent. He can win you games, big games. He is one of the 15 best players in the league at any position.

No other player can elevate the Seahawks like Garrett, in the draft or free agency. His arrival would be a statement of intent. It would be a declaration of seriousness about actually trying to win a Super Bowl, instead of treading water in the middle ground. The Browns won 11 games in 2023 with Joe Flacco at quarterback because of the impact of players like Garrett combined with a strong running game. The Seahawks can try to recreate Cleveland’s physical style from the season before last.

This is an opportunity to give Mike Macdonald a chance to build something special on his side of the ball. It won’t guarantee a Super Bowl or even an appearance in the NFC Championship game. It would enable the Seahawks to think it might be possible, though — especially if Kubiak and Benton can get the running game going and create a non-disaster situation on the offensive line.

Adding a good young guard at #18 or a pass-rusher with potential makes a lot of sense but it might just lead to more of the same — a team desperately seeking greatness at key positions and only ending up with ‘good’.

They need to be in the thick of trade talks, they need to try and find a way to get in a room with Garrett and see if they can convince him that he can achieve his career goals in Seattle.

It’ll be more expensive than the 49ers trading for Williams and McCaffrey. This can be their version of those moves though — an inspired addition injecting serious quality into the roster, enabling the team to improve in a way rookie draft picks probably won’t be able to. Garrett isn’t Harvin, Graham or Adams. He’s an elite player at one of the three most important positions in the game. They have to be in the mix, because there’s a real threat they’ll just be picking in the late teens for years to come unless they can add special players.

If you missed my four-round mock draft yesterday, including detailed thoughts on Seattle’s picks, check it out by clicking here.

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.

According to PFF, Howard posted a rating of 139.8 against the blitz in 2024 with a completion percentage of 75.2%, throwing 15 touchdowns and just one interception.

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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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:

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.

In my latest Puck Sports show, some thoughts on the Senior Bowl before getting into Geno Smith and the possibility of the Seahawks drafting a quarterback this year. Please give the video a watch and if you can, like it on YouTube and leave a comment!

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.

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.

According to PFF, Howard posted a rating of 139.8 against the blitz in 2024 with a completion percentage of 75.2%, throwing 15 touchdowns and just one interception.

Howard also won the Big-12 with Kansas State in 2022.

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:

Just an absolutely ridiculous throw from Quinn Ewers

On the road, under pressure, no pressure for him. A DIME for a touchdown

Texas up 10-3 over Alabama

pic.twitter.com/jxqSrKQYs2

— Your Sports Digest (@YourSportDigest) September 10, 2023

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.