In the video below Curtis Allen and I go through the 2025 draft class position-by-position, reviewing options and scenarios for the Seahawks. Draft notes for this week are underneath.

Draft notes from the weekend

Quinn Ewers vs Kentucky

Texas have developed a reputation for being quite an up-and-down team. Against Georgia they started badly and righted the ship (but had already dug themselves too big a hole). Against Florida they blew the Gators away before giving up some cheap points in the second half. Against Kentucky they looked great in the first half and fell away in the second.

There were numerous reasons for it. Ewers limped off the field at half-time after a defensive lineman landed on his right leg during a tackle. He was clearly hobbled, lost mobility and suffered in the second half as a consequence. Everything else collapsed too. The running backs fumbled. They muffed a punt and were lucky to get it back. It became messy.

Coming into the season the concerns about Ewers were consistency and health. I’m afraid these are still two big concerns. As soon as he picked up the abdominal injury early in the season he went from looking like a high first round talent to a mid-rounder. Even though he returned to the field, he hasn’t been healthy. Anyone can see that. Now he has a bad right ankle.

Credit to him for trying to play through all this, knowing it’s his final chance to showcase his talent in college. But as a NFL decision maker you’ll inevitably be left wondering — can he stay healthy? Is he going to be banged up all the time? Will his performance suffer as soon as he is?

Early in the game against Kentucky he was superb. He converted a 3rd and 11 throwing with anticipation. Then on a 4th and goal he created time in the pocket with his feet, waited for the tight end Gunner Helm to uncover and found him in the end zone. Ewers showed great poise and execution on the play and it was a great throw from an awkward angle.

After that we saw a brilliant layered anticipation touch pass with nine minutes left in the first half, on a drive that ended with points. The third touchdown drive saw an excellent red zone pass with touch, perfectly thrown to Helm — giving him a chance to go and get his second score:

The only downside in the first half was a missed wide-open crossing route before half-time meaning Texas had to settle for a late field goal. He didn’t come off his primary read and it was a blown opportunity. Other than that — a very effective first half.

His injury changed things. I still think the potential of Ewers is clear and evident in terms of arm talent. There are flashes of Aaron Rodgers in his arm and release. It is difficult, however, to say where NFL teams might feel comfortable taking him. I don’t think he’s a player who you draft to start right away. He does feel like the kind of player Green Bay would draft to develop, therefore I appreciate the Seahawks might feel the same way.

Apart from Ewers, I was really impressed with Texas center Jake Majors again. To me he’s everything you want in a center. On one key play on 3rd and 1 he subtly moved Deone Walker out of the way for a first down run with 7:30 to go in the game. I love the way he reached up to the second level and moved people off the LOS all night. He did have one mishap on a play that required him to pull across and block a penetrating defensive lineman and he didn’t get across in time but this isn’t a frequent play you demand of your center. Majors is really good — and a player with a bright NFL future.

Ole Miss vs Florida

The Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen has promised much but I’ve been left wanting more from him in games this season. Against Florida he was virtually unstoppable. He showed a great combination of quickness and burst to disrupt, registering four pressures, two sacks and a batted pass. He’s well sized to play three technique and while I doubt he comes into the league and is a consistent impact player, he certainly has the physical skill to be a decent rotational interior defender who can develop a broader role in time.

My main focus in the game though was quarterback Jackson Dart. I’ve been confused this season by the analysis of draft media, wondering what they’re seeing with certain players. Dart receiving first and second round predictions by some was baffling. He lacks the big arm, plays in a user-friendly offense and really has had one big game all year against Georgia — a contest where the Bulldogs were decidedly poor. For the season he has 27 total touchdowns and six interceptions. Last season he finished with 31 touchdowns and five picks. Considering his last game (unless he plays in a middling Bowl game) is against lowly Mississippi State, he might eclipse those numbers. Yet huge things were expected of Ole Miss this year and they haven’t delivered. There’s been no big step forward by the quarterback.

Against Florida it was what you’d expect from Lane Kiffin’s scheme — a lot of well structured completions and rhythm. Yet in the second half everything fell apart. They only scored three points after half-time against a Florida team that was blown away by Texas 49-17 two weeks ago. Dart, with two drives to get a game-tying touchdown, ended both with lousy interceptions. On the final back-breaking pick, it was already a second chance because another interception was called back on review.

For me he’s a day three quarterback. I don’t see him as a lofty high pick.

Kurtis Rourke vs Will Howard

I think Howard’s last three games have been his best. I was a fan when he was at Kansas State and thought he was a very useful mid-rounder and that going to Ohio State could really elevate his stock, as we’ve seen from other experienced quarterbacks in recent years. It hasn’t really happened — I don’t think his stock has changed much at all. But the last three games have been better with more consistency.

He was able to turn a 3rd and 35 into a conversion in the first quarter. On the first play he scrambled to his right to extend then threw a nice touch pass over two defenders to the right sideline for approximately 25 yards. On 4th and 10 he dropped from the gun, was hit as he threw and still delivered a pass over the defender to the sideline. He had to get the ball out quickly due to the pressure and he delivered nicely.

Overall he adjusted his arm angles well, moved around to create, showed a good arm and was able to fit the ball into tight windows. He does take some snaps under center. His interception should’ve been caught by the receiver and was bobbled into the air and picked off after the deflection. He’s big and can be a strong runner. After the game he spoke well and I enjoyed the little piss take that was caught on camera at the expense of Indiana’s outspoken coach Curt Cignetti. Quarterbacks need to have a little bit of bite and personality to them.

I’m not sure whether Howard will ever be a NFL starter but there’s something here to work with. He has the tools. If the Seahawks don’t take a quarterback early, he at least will provide a toolsy player to work with and try to develop in a draft range where they might want to add a QB.

Rourke started well. He had a great throw over the middle for a 3rd and 9 conversion early on, fitting the ball over one defender and in front of another. There was great zip on the pass, accuracy and timing — it was a NFL throw. He exploited a soft zone shortly after to convert a 3rd and 6 in the same sequence. This all culminated in an opening drive TD.

Looking at his final stat sheet I didn’t expect to be anything but underwhelmed but in fairness, Rourke had no chance in this game. He was sacked five times and pressured seven times. He suffered two drops. He didn’t throw a turnover worthy play in the game. He played well early, two special teams blunders blew the game open and then Indiana were out of rhythm. They schemed their runs well but couldn’t scheme for the passing game to work around the disadvantages up front, nor did they handle blitzing well.

The slight concern is I do think it speaks to Rourke’s lack of star power. Some QB’s can elevate their teams against the odds and Rourke simply isn’t that type. He’s not a big time athlete, capable of making it happen when everything else isn’t functioning. But neither should this game determine he’s no good or seriously impact his stock. He had no supporting cast and stood little chance of success once the game escalated either side of half-time. Rourke has a collection of impressive throws this season. He’s not a high pick but he’s certainly intriguing enough to consider at the start of day three.

Josaiah Stewart continues to shine

I’ll keep saying it — this is a guy to keep an eye on. Wink Martindale loves him. Martindale mentored Mike Macdonald. You can easily see him fitting into Seattle’s pass rush rotation. He’s such a dynamic edge rusher and has shown he can take over games.

He had two sacks at the weekend against Northwestern. The first isn’t a particularly great bend-and-straighten but his effort to fight through the block and finish is evident:

Stewart bullies the right tackle into the backfield on the second sack:

We can all embrace the need to fix the offensive line in Seattle but when you think back to the early days of the LOB era — they drafted Bruce Irvin and Bobby Wagner in 2012, then signed Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett in 2013. It’s possible the Seahawks will continue to build up their defense with more talent over the next couple of years.

Only Marshall’s impressive edge rusher Mike Green has a better PFF grade than Stewart this year. He currently has eight sacks, 33 pressures, 18 QB hurries and seven QB hits. His pass rush win percentage (24.7%) continues to lead the NCAA. I think Stewart and Green (21.6% win percentage) could both have some appeal if the Seahawks add to their pass rush in the off-season.

Devin Neal shines against Colorado

What a performance by the Kansas running back. I immediately watched three more of his games after witnessing this display. He reminds me a lot of Rashaad Penny at San Diego State with his frame and shifty ability to accelerate.

His change of direction was unbelievable at times:

He has the build to get the tough yards inside but look at the quickness he shows here to bounce to the edge, turn upfield and make an explosive play:

The best backs exhibit patience in the backfield, the game slows for them and they use explosive cuts and subtle shifts of the body to create openings. Neal definitely showed that against Colorado:

He finished the game with 207 yards on 37 carries, scoring three touchdowns as a runner. He added 80 receiving yards on four catches plus another score. He has 740 yards after contact for the season — 16th most in the NCAA. He’s not in the Ashton Jeanty, Kaleb Johnson realm there. There’s still a lot to like though and it’s very easy to imagine him being featured in the NFL. His acceleration, thick frame, contact balance and ability to work to the edge then cut upfield will carry plenty of appeal for pro teams.

Final notes

— Harold Fannin Jr had another big game against Ball State, registering nine catches, 125 yards and a touchdown. He’s a good combine away from being a top-45 lock:

— Jalen Milroe started with big passing plays against Oklahoma but was awful the rest of the way. He made huge mistakes on turnovers. The Sooners took away the run and he couldn’t win as a passer. He’s not taken the steps many claim as a pocket passer and remains an outstanding athlete but not an outstanding QB. He can run around and make things happen and he has the arm strength to make eye-catching plays. But he’s limited in what he can do in the pocket, really limited.

— LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier was sensational again, this time against Vanderbilt. Where would LSU be without him? He continues to make legit NFL throws every week and the truth is, even in the recent loss to Florida, he’s played very well. Should he really go back to LSU? For me he’s very much in the QB1 mix. He will go in the first round if he declares. Is another year with Brian Kelly that appealing? Only Shedeur Sanders has the capability of going before him and Nussmeier is the antithesis of all the baggage that comes with Shedeur and his father.