Round one
#1 Tennessee — Cam Ward (QB, Miami)
All of Tennessee’s moves in free agency so far point to the Titans drafting Cam Ward with the #1 overall pick.
#2 Cleveland — Abdul Carter (EDGE, Penn State)
The Browns could reach for a quarterback here, or they could pair Carter with Myles Garrett and terrorise opposing offenses.
#3 NY Giants — Jaxson Dart (QB, Ole Miss)
They just seem so stuck that they’ll need to make sure they come out of the draft with a quarterback. Dart appears to be emerging as QB2.
#4 New England — Travis Hunter (WR/CB, Colorado)
Unless three quarterbacks go in the top-three, Carter and Hunter will be top-four picks.
#5 Jacksonville — Tyler Warren (TE, Penn State)
With Evan Engram moving on, the Jaguars can easily justify adding a playmaker like Warren in this spot.
#6 Las Vegas — Ashton Jeanty (RB, Boise State)
The pound-for-pound best talent in the draft.
#7 NY Jets — Armand Membou (T/G, Missouri)
The Lions were built in the trenches and there’s a chance Aaron Glenn will follow that approach in New York.
#8 Carolina — Mason Graham (DT, Michigan)
His lack of size and length plus no testing numbers could hamper Graham’s stock.
#9 New Orleans — Jalon Walker (LB, Georgia)
Defensively they need a refresh. Walker’s versatility and character will be coveted by teams.
#10 Chicago — Omarion Hampton (RB, North Carolina)
It seems to be gathering pace that the Bears could take Hampton this early if Jeanty’s off the board.
#11 San Francisco — Mykel Williams (DE, Georgia)
Williams is a difficult player to get an angle on but he’ll probably go in the top-half of round one.
#12 Dallas — Colston Loveland (TE, Michigan)
The Cowboys signing two running backs in free agency perhaps suggests they aren’t optimistic either of Jeanty or Hampton lasts to this pick.
#13 Miami — Jahdae Barron (CB, Texas)
Whether it’s at cornerback or ‘STAR’, Barron is an exciting player with loads of character.
#14 Indianapolis — Jihaad Campbell (LB, Alabama)
They remade their secondary in free agency and this would be a great pick to plug in at linebacker.
#15 Atlanta — Donovan Ezeiruaku (EDGE, Boston College)
When you have massive production, good run defense, high-end agility and strong character, you tend to go early.
#16 Arizona — Will Campbell (T/G, LSU)
Another player who is tough to work out. Perhaps the Cardinals start him at guard or push Jonah Williams inside?
#17 Cincinnati — Mike Green (DE, Marshall)
Teams will need to look into the possible character concerns with Green. The Bengals are typically more willing to overlook such issues.
#18 Seattle — Tyler Booker (G, Alabama)
If Aaron Banks’ testing profile can convince Kyle Shanahan to draft him and Matt LaFleur to pay him $19.25m, Booker can be a fit in this scheme.
#19 Tampa Bay — Will Johnson (CB, Michigan)
The injuries are mounting up and it’ll likely keep Johnson on the board. He’s a good player, though.
#20 Denver — TreVeyon Henderson (RB, Ohio State)
Sean Payton apparently wants an X-factor in the backfield, as he did with Alvin Kamara. Henderson could go in this range.
#21 Pittsburgh — Tyler Shough (QB, Louisville)
I think someone will draft Shough in round one. His size, personality, athleticism, arm strength and playing style warrant early-round consideration.
#22 LA Chargers — Grey Zabel (G/C, North Dakota State)
Jim Harbaugh loves the trenches and the chances are he’ll love Zabel — either at guard or center.
#23 Green Bay — Matthew Golden (WR, Texas)
The Packers typically wait until round two for receivers but they seize a chance to get WR1 here.
#24 Minnesota — Nick Emmanwori (S, South Carolina)
Having pumped resources into their lines, they can now afford to look at other areas.
#25 Houston — Kelvin Banks (T, Texas)
The more you really dig into the tape, the less exciting Banks is. But the Texans need a tackle.
#26 LA Rams — Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado)
Sanders falling this far would be a big story but landing with Sean McVay would be an ideal situation for him.
#27 Baltimore — Malaki Starks (S, Georgia)
Safety remains a need for the Ravens and they typically find value in the first round.
#28 Detroit — Shemar Stewart (DE, Texas A&M)
His athletic profile is top-15 worthy. The production is not. Teams will weigh-up potential versus results.
#29 Washington — Kenneth Grant (DT, Michigan)
An EDGE rusher would be ideal but the options aren’t great here.
#30 Buffalo — Maxwell Hairston (CB, Kentucky)
His tackling and run defense is a problem but he’s silky smooth in coverage and will be able to cover at a decent level quickly.
#31 Kansas City — Tetairoa McMillan (WR, Arizona)
A player who relies on ball-tracking and body control, plus natural gifts, but lacks great upside and athleticism.
#32 Philadelphia — Mason Taylor (TE, LSU)
With the news they’re willing to move off Dallas Goedert, will they take his replacement here?
Round two
#33 Cleveland — Josh Simmons (T, Ohio State)
The Browns need to add a left tackle, whoever lines up under center.
#34 NY Giants — Tate Ratledge (G, Georgia)
The Giants badly need to upgrade their offensive line. Ratledge wowed with his testing at the combine.
#35 Tennessee — Bradyn Swinson (EDGE, LSU)
He’s being slept on. Swinson and Donovan Ezeiruaku led the NCAA for pressures during the regular season.
#36 Jacksonville — Emeka Egbuka (WR, Ohio State)
A super smart receiver who’d be a great complement to Brian Thomas Jr.
#37 Las Vegas — Jack Bech (WR, TCU)
He’s such a good player. Naturally talented and driven. He can have a great NFL career.
#38 New England — Landon Jackson (DE, Arkansas)
Jackson is built like a terminator and feels like a Mike Vrabel type.
#39 Chicago (v/CAR) — Elijah Arroyo (TE, Miami)
He’d excel as Ben Johnson’s Chicago-version of Sam LaPorta.
#40 New Orleans — Luther Burden (WR, Missouri)
They need to add a receiver and Burden would be good value here.
#41 Chicago — Jaylin Noel (WR, Iowa State)
Noel is such an impressive, dynamic talent.
#42 New York Jets — Tyleik Williams (DT, Ohio State)
He could do with shifting a bit of weight but he has excellent physical upside.
#43 San Francisco — Derrick Harmon (DT, Oregon)
Harmon could go earlier than this after a good combine workout.
#44 Dallas — Quinshon Judkins (RB, Ohio State)
An excellent combine should put him in the top-45 range.
#45 Indianapolis — Donovan Jackson (G, Ohio State)
Will Fries is in Minnesota, so they replace him with another BIG-10 lineman.
#46 Atlanta — Shavon Revel (CB, East Carolina)
If it wasn’t for the knee injury, Revel might’ve gone in the first round.
#47 Arizona — Carson Schwesinger (LB, UCLA)
His tape was so good in 2024. Even if he’s a one-year wonder — he’s an impressive player.
#48 Miami — Walter Nolen (DT, Ole Miss)
A mix of some character concerns and inconsistent play could drop him a bit.
#49 Cincinnati — Darius Alexander (DT, Toledo)
He really looked the part at the Senior Bowl. He could be an option for the Seahawks in round two.
#50 Seattle — Ty Robinson (DT, Nebraska)
The replacement for Roy Robertson-Harris. He ticks every box — personality, aggressive playing style, versatility, production and brilliant testing numbers.
#51 Denver — Tre Harris (WR, Ole Miss)
Running in the 4.5’s won’t help his stock but Sean Payton might be able to turn him into Michael Thomas, who also fell after running in that range.
#52 Seattle (v/PIT) — Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas)
Even after signing Sam Darnold, this feels like the year the Seahawks will draft a quarterback to develop.
#53 Tampa Bay — Xavier Watts (S, Notre Dame)
They say they’re after ball-hawks — and Watts has a ton of interceptions over the last two seasons.
#54 Green Bay — Azareye’h Thomas (CB, Florida State)
If they move on from Jaire Alexander, they’ll need a replacement.
#55 LA Chargers — James Pearce Jr (EDGE, Tennessee)
There are apparently a lot of concerns regarding Pearce’s character so a dramatic fall isn’t improbable.
#56 Buffalo (v/MIN) — Andrew Mukuba (S, Texas)
Another addition to Buffalo’s secondary is necessary and Mukuba feels like their type of player.
#57 Carolina (v/LAR) — Harold Fannin Jr (TE, Bowling Green)
They need as many pass-catching playmakers as they can get for Bryce Young.
#58 Houston — TJ Sanders (DT, South Carolina)
His lack of lower-body power is a concern but he knows how to rush the passer and make plays.
#59 Baltimore — Demetrius Knight (LB, South Carolina)
When you watch Knight it’s impossible not to think of the AFC North.
#60 Detroit — Marcus Mbow (G, Purdue)
He has to kick inside and the Lions might give him a shot to replace Kevin Zeitler.
#61 Washington — Oluwafemi Oladejo (EDGE, UCLA)
Dan Quinn is going to love ‘The Mayor’.
#62 Buffalo — Benjamin Morrison (CB, Notre Dame)
Three out of three picks in the secondary. That’s how badly Buffalo needs help on the back-end.
#63 Kansas City — Sai’vion Jones (DE, LSU)
He’s underrated and has some real juice as a pass-rusher.
#64 Philadelphia — Josh Conerly (T, Oregon)
When I look at Conerly’s size it scares me. The Eagles once took Andre Dillard though.
Notes on Seattle’s picks
Half the people who read this will reply immediately saying Tyler Booker isn’t a scheme fit. I’ll refer you to what I wrote yesterday:
Another potential target, Tyler Booker, might be more likely to reach #18 after a poor combine testing performance. However, it’s worth noting that the 49ers drafted Aaron Banks in 2021 for the same scheme Seattle is now running. Let’s compare their testing numbers:
40 yard dash: Booker – 5.38, Banks – 5.34
10-yard split: Booker – 1.96, Banks – 1.91
Short shuttle: Booker – 4.83, Banks – 4.92Kyle Shanahan picked Banks in round two. Green Bay just gave him $19.25m a year to play in Matt LaFleur’s offense. This is ample evidence we shouldn’t rule out Booker in Seattle.
If Banks attracts both Shanahan and LaFleur, I see no reason to think Booker won’t be on Seattle’s radar. If anything, his poor testing at the combine might’ve done them a favour — ensuring he lasts to #18.
I maintain he has the best guard tape I’ve seen since Quenton Nelson entered the league. His legendary leadership qualities will appeal to the Seahawks and he’s possibly the most equipped player to start early as a rookie.
Isn’t that what the Seahawks need?
In round two, people might say Ty Robinson is a reach at #50. I totally disagree. He had seven sacks in 2024 and his testing profile is excellent — he ran a 4.83 forty at 288lbs, jumped a 33.5-inch vertical, ran a 4.50 short shuttle and managed 28 reps on the bench press. He has A+ character, is exactly the type of player who fits the personality of the defense Mike Macdonald wants and he’d be an ideal replacement for Roy Robertson-Harris.
Then there’s Quinn Ewers. There’s not much more to say about him at this stage, other than to repeat my hunch that I’ve had for two years that John Schneider admires his natural talent. The fact he’s been working with Mike McCarthy should provide some useful intel. He only turns 22 tomorrow so he can be developed behind Sam Darnold for a year or two, before competing to start.
Seahawks picks — rounds 3-7
R3 — Jared Wilson (C, Georgia)
He has an athletic testing profile similar to Erik McCoy, who excelled at center in New Orleans for Klint Kubiak.
R3 — Tory Horton (WR, Colorado State)
A highly respected leader who tested brilliantly at the combine and just has the look and feel of a Seahawk.
R4 — Jackson Hawes (TE, Georgia Tech)
The best blocking tight end in the draft and someone with the personality and attitude they’ll love.
R5 — Nazir Stackhouse (DT, Georgia)
A classic nose tackle who had an impressive combine, standing out with a well proportioned frame and good movement skills.
R5 — Robert Longerbeam (CB, Rutgers)
Another strong leader with plus athleticism who could add to the depth at cornerback.
R7 — Josh Williams (RB, LSU)
Wore the fabled #18 jersey for LSU and gives everything as a runner. Underrated.
R7 — Luke Kandra (G/C, Cincinnati)
Medical concerns could drop him in the draft but he’s a good scheme fit and if he’s not off their board, could be an option here.
Full Seahawks draft class
R1 – Tyler Booker (G, Alabama)
R2 – Ty Robinson (DT, Nebraska)
R2 – Quinn Ewers (QB, Texas)
R3 — Jared Wilson (C, Georgia)
R3 — Tory Horton (WR, Colorado State)
R4 — Jackson Hawes (TE, Georgia Tech)
R5 — Nazir Stackhouse (DT, Georgia)
R5 — Robert Longerbeam (CB, Rutgers)
R7 — Josh Williams (RB, LSU)
R7 — Luke Kandra (G/C, Cincinnati)
