One of Seattle’s official-30 visits was with Oklahoma pass-rusher R Mason Thomas. It got me thinking about how they might use him.

A year ago Brady Henderson mentioned possible interest in Jalon Walker if he fell into range. He was taken by the Falcons three picks before Seattle selected Grey Zabel. Walker was a linebacker/EDGE hybrid. He was 6-1, 243lbs and had 32-inch arms. He did no pre-draft testing.

Walker had a productive rookie season, operating mostly as an outside linebacker. He had six sacks and graded well against the run.

Thomas is not the same kind of player on tape and certainly wasn’t used in the way Georgia used Walker. However, he is very similarly sized (6-2, 241lbs, 31.5 inch arms).

Is it possible the Seahawks earmarked a possible role for Walker and they could look to use Thomas in the same way?

When I asked a league source about Thomas recently, I was surprised by the reaction. “What do you do with him?” It was put to me that while he’s a good player, some people don’t know whether he’s a linebacker or a situational rusher. I wasn’t expecting that, given I figured he’d just be an EDGE.

He was described as not an easy study for the purpose of working out what his role is. Rather than be put off by this, I’m now wondering if the Seahawks think he can be what Walker would’ve been. What might be confusing for some might feel like a great opportunity to the ever creative Mike Macdonald.

Thomas’ range was projected as R2/3 — which is also the range Bob McGinn’s sources project. There are some people, however, who rate him so highly they think he could go in the top-40.

I think it’s something to consider. The Walker interest might be a red-herring but the similar sizes and the question marks over role do sound very similar. Thomas in a hybrid linebacker/EDGE role is an interesting thought.

Here’s my scouting report for him:

Obviously he’s undersized and lacks length. He’s only 6-2, 241lbs with 31.5 inch arms and nine inch hands. He also ran a 1.63 10-yard split which isn’t ideal for his size.

At his pro-day he jumped a 34 inch vertical and a 9-11 broad. His 3-cone was a 7.40. As an athletic profile this isn’t great but he plays with twitch the testing doesn’t show.

Thomas is tough and physical with some explosion to his play. The lack of ideal height and length can work to his advantage in leverage situations.

His cross-face move works a charm. There’s a surprising amount of power on show for his size and he can drive tackles back into the pocket. He packs a punch as a hitter and will leave a mark.

He can get around the edge thanks to lower body flexion and balance. A low centre of gravity seems to help him when rushing. He drove back the Auburn right tackle back into his own end zone with a straight arm for a safety. He also beat the highly touted Texas left tackle Trevor Goosby for a big sack through sheer determination.

Thomas plays with an all-out motor, non-stop energy and aggression. He consistently gets around the edge — he can bend despite the lack of traits. He might be the best at bending around the edge along with Cashius Howell.

His run defense grade (79.4) and pass-rush win percentage (20.3%) are both strong. He has shown take-on ability against bigger linemen vs the run. He can shift along the line to find gaps and then penetrate. He shows excellent timing and quickness on stunts.

I’m not convinced he won’t just be smothered at the next level in certain games. It certainly happened in college at times — the Michigan tape is a good example of this.

He’s had injury issues in his career. He doesn’t have an assortment of counters. He’s at his best when his only responsibility is to get upfield. He will likely need a wide alignment at the next level.

There aren’t many players with his physical profile succeeding in the NFL. It doesn’t mean he can’t thrive — but there’s not a lot of examples you can point to for undersized, squatty pass-rushers only running a 1.63 split.

He has the personality of a Seahawks defender and his interviews are extremely impressive. A very likeable, down-to-earth person. He also talks about the game with a lot of understanding — not only of his role but also his limitations. His are some of the best interviews I’ve watched in this draft cycle.

I think he’s a day-two player who if nothing else is going to come in and give you everything he’s got. It’s just a question of whether the bending and power still translates when bigger and stronger pro’s get their hands on him.

Should the Seahawks consider a quarterback?

I’ve deliberately tacked this on to another article because I don’t want this to become some big deal. I’m just throwing it out there.

Sam Darnold’s current contract is worth a very reasonable $33.5m a year. He won’t be offered a new one in 2026 but this time next year, he’ll be approaching the final season of his deal.

There are nine NFL quarterbacks on a salary worth $52-60m a year at the moment. None of them are Super Bowl champions.

The point I’m making is even if Darnold has a modest 2026 season, he will be able to use his status as a proven winner to max out his value. I doubt he will be unreasonable but it will not be unfair for his representatives to say the minimum salary he should earn per year should be more than the $55m being given to people like Trevor Lawrence and Jordan Love.

I’m sure a lot of fans, fresh off a Super Bowl win, simply won’t care and would pay Darnold whatever he wants. The team can’t think that way though. Darnold’s value needs to be judged carefully. Even with the success of the 2025 season, managing the situation financially is important. You have to be sure you want to commit $55-60m a year on a player over multiple seasons.

Do you need to prepare for all eventualities? Should that include being open-minded about drafting another quarterback this year?

I don’t think the selection of Jalen Milroe should automatically mean you don’t keep adding. I’m not that confident Milroe is a future NFL starter anyway. That doesn’t mean you add more competition now just for the sake of it. There has to be a player you want to take a shot on. But what if there is?

Taylen Green is an incredible physical specimen. There aren’t many players who are 6-5 and 227lbs with 10 inch hands, capable of running a 4.36 and jumping a 43.5 inch vertical — especially at quarterback. He has a big arm and supreme running ability. As a physical profile, he’s Josh Allen-level interesting. He’s reminiscent of Colin Kaepernick in terms of style of play.

Now, admittedly, the turnover issues and mistakes on tape are concerning. But that’s why he’s going to potentially be available at #96. You’re not bringing him in to start right away. You’d be buying a lottery ticket for the future — and the flexibility to decide whether you want to spend $55-60m on one player.

Here are my notes on Green:

Great size (6-6, 227lbs) and big 10-inch hands. Runs like a gazelle with long strides chewing up yards quickly. He was the sixth fastest player at the Senior Bowl (20.48mph) regardless of position.

If you give him a crease he’s difficult to stop. He is a huge X-factor as a runner and can make big plays consistently. Hs running style, frame and athleticism are reminiscent of Colin Kaepernick. I would argue, however, he’s technically a better passer but more mistake-prone in college.

He’s elusive enough to scramble away from heavy pressure to extend plays. When everything works he’s a very capable passer. There’s ample evidence of him attacking the middle of the field. He has shown some poise from the pocket at times. Green has shown he can go through progressions and run pro-concepts.

He doesn’t show much evidence of throwing late on key passes. He’s very creative and only scratching the surface of what he could be.

However — an awful season for Arkansas, led by a horrifying defense, made his life difficult. He pressed too often and threw some of the worst interceptions you’ll see. He had the third highest number of ‘turnover worthy plays’ (tied with Marcel Reed) compared to only 11 ‘big time throws’ in 2025.

It’s a shame because for large parts of the season he actually led college football for QBR and EPA. This tailed off at the end big time and he ended up ninth among draft eligible QB’s for QBR — still ahead of the likes of Brendan Sorsby, Carson Beck & Dante Moore. He finished 16th for EPA.

Going into the season there was a belief among evaluators that he could be a second round pick. He’s not ready to come in and take the league by storm but there’s definitely enough physical potential here to be interesting.

A source I spoke to recently predicted, however, that he would end up at receiver after two years of trying to be a quarterback.

Cole Payton is another interesting prospect. He’s nearly 6-3, 232lbs with 10 inch hands. He ran a 4.56 and jumped a 40 inch vertical. This is another fascinating physical profile — a big armed quarterback who made some remarkable plays for North Dakota State, with the talent to emerge into a very interesting player in time.

The interesting thing about Payton is he’s such a dynamic, strong runner he could easily be a plus-version of Taysom Hill for a creative-minded team.

Here are my notes on Payton:

He has a big frame and large hands — although he throws with his left hand.

Payton has ‘easy’ arm strength and doesn’t need to exert everything to generate power. His release is whip-like and quick, generating a high spin-rate and the ball flies out of his hand. Talk of his release being elongated are overstated — the ball comes out quickly and I’ve seen pre-draft footage where he looks great throwing the ball.

He flicks the ball to difficult areas of the field and can drive it deep down the sideline.

He’s a big burly runner with shocking quickness who can break off highly explosive runs. He’s a major red-zone threat as a runner and passer.

He has shown he can throw off his back-foot with accuracy 50-yards downfield.

Payton threw 26 ‘big time throws’ — three more than Fernando Mendoza. His 11.3% ‘big time throw percentage’ leads all quarterbacks in this draft class. He only had six turnover worthy plays in 2025. All but one of his big-time throws were +20 yard deliveries. His 62.5% completion rate on downfield throws is way above the rest of the class.

It should be noted his time-to-throw average was 3.33 seconds — far higher than anyone else’s.

If nothing else, his physical potential could make him a very useful Taysom Hill type.

Payton threw catchable passes into tight windows in close 1v1 coverage with accuracy. It’s so impressive the way he puts the ball in advantageous positions for the WR to make the play. He gets the ball out quickly on the deep-ball and throws with a good level of loft.

Poise is a plus point despite his lack of starting experience. He didn’t have a ton of tight-window throws over the middle but there are some if you look closely.

He can be creative and make things happen on the move. He showed incredible athleticism with a remarkable hurdle over a North Dakota opponent in one game.

He will need to have continued technical work on his base and footwork. However, he has been receiving strong coaching on this pre-draft and you can see improvements.

He only has 13 career college starts which is an issue.

We know John Schneider likes tools. These two quarterbacks have top-level traits and upside.

The Seahawks have a settled quarterback room and I don’t think they’re likely to spend a late third round pick on a QB. I wanted to throw it out there though. Both Green and Payton are very gifted players with a lot of upside. They have the tools to start. Could they be interesting enough to consider with what amounts to a fourth round value pick, giving you further options for the future when you inevitably come to make a decision on the most important position in the sport? Maybe we shouldn’t rule it out.

If they had more picks in this class, I think it would be a more distinct possibility.

If you missed my conversation with HawkBlogger on the draft earlier today, check it out below:

Three more official visits were confirmed today. Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson, NC State defensive tackle Brandon Cleveland and Missouri linebacker Josiah Trotter are spending time in Seattle. Meanwhile, Tony Pauline reported that a prior suggestion that Chris Johnson had visited the Seahawks was inaccurate.

We know now 20 of the 30 permitted official-30 visits:

Andre Fuller (CB, Toledo)
Jalen Kilgore (CB/S) South Carolina
Daylen Everette (CB, Georgia)
Coleman Bennett (RB, Kennesaw State)
AJ Haulcy (S, LSU)
Chip Trayanum (RB, Toledo)
Zion Young (DE, Missouri)
Mike Washington Jr (RB, Arkansas)
Keyshawn James-Newby (EDGE, New Mexico)
Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)
Keyron Crawford (EDGE, Auburn)
R Mason Thomas (EDGE, Oklahoma)
Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina)
Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)
Malachi Lawrence (EDGE, UCF)
Cashius Howell (EDGE, Texas A&M)
Treydan Stukes (S, Arizona)
Josiah Trotter (LB, Missouri)
Emmett Johnson (RB, Nebraska)
Brandon Cleveland (DT, NC State)

The Trotter visit is really encouraging — because it suggests the Seahawks are being very open-minded about value.

This is important. The Seahawks can’t resort to drafting for need, just for the sake of replacing lost talent. It’s absolutely critical they just keep adding the best possible players.

Kayden McDonald isn’t a big need but would present tremendous value at #32. Trotter isn’t a big need but would be a very solid pick at #64. If they’re the highest graded players on your board, well above the players at positions considered bigger needs, they should be considered.

They wouldn’t be visiting with either player unless they were considering non-obvious, yet appealing, opportunities within a challenging draft class.

When I spoke to a source within the league recently, he raved about Josiah Trotter. He was called “a hell of a player”, was compared to Nick Bolton and it was expressed to me by this extremely well respected talent evaluator that Trotter could be one of the steals of the draft. It was said he could easily fit into a 4-3 or 3-4 system and was considered a very solid second round prospect.

I don’t think he’ll last to #64 and I highly doubt the Seahawks would consider taking him whenever they make their first pick. He’s still an excellent football player though — one with an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his father and have a very strong, illustrious NFL career.

If he did last to #64 and the Seahawks were looking for great value in a draft where it’ll be difficult to find, he would provide it.

Here’s my scouting report on Trotter:

He’s an old-school, run-defending linebacker. He squats in his stance and uncoils to make contact. When he diagnoses screens he will make a beeline for the ball-carrier.

Trotter is possibly a little bit flat-footed initially when he isn’t moving forwards. He flows to the ball-carrier well when the play reveals itself.

He does chase potential lost-causes but lacks difference making acceleration. He definitely plays with a level of intensity that will be attractive to teams wanting to play with an edge.

He’s adept at dodging blocks to break to the ball, sneaking through gaps.

He had a stand-out play vs Texas A&M in 2025 — engaging the center and throwing off his block. The running back came in with late cover in protection — but Trotter easily threw him off too, only for the center to recover and put his body in front of the quarterback again. Trotter dodged the second attempted block by the center and broke free to tackle Marcel Reed as he scrambled from the pocket.

This play encapsulates the incredible effort and motor he possesses, plus the ability to get off multiple blocks and then make the play. If you want a good game to watch aside from this, he wreaked havoc against Alabama too. Trotter flashed a violent arm/over move vs Alabama and consistently escaped their blockers.

If given the opportunity he can shoot a gap and explode to the runner. You do want him moving forwards, not backwards and like most linebackers his coverage work needs development. Even then, he’s not going to be a coverage dynamo.

He missed nine tackles in 2025 (10%). There’s some bend when he attacks blockers and his angles are typically good (a plus for blitzing). He packs a punch as a take-on man and is willing to do the dirty work.

There were times were he dumped linemen on their arse. I enjoyed watching his tape more than I expected, especially given his brother’s final year at Clemson.

He’s only 20-years-old (he turns 21 this week). He didn’t do any pre-draft testing apart from the bench press at the combine (registering an impressive 27 reps).

Form the sources I spoke to recently, the feeling was Nebraska running back Emmett Johnson would go in the third or fourth round — the same range was pitched for Mike Washington Jr. They were seen as the third and fourth best runners in the class behind the Notre Dame pair of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. I’d put Jonah Coleman into this group too, personally.

You can read my scouting report for Emmett Johnson by clicking here.

Here are my notes on Brandon Cleveland:

He’s 6-3, 307lbs and has 32.5 inch arms. He ran a decent 5.12 forty plus a 1.78 10-yard split. He is not an explosive tester, only managing a 26.5 inch vertical — however, explosive traits have been typically seen as less vital here than agility. He only ran a 4.91 short shuttle though — so we aren’t talking about a player likely to go early.

He’s a large, round human who can disrupt vs the run. He gave Duke’s interior O-line a torrid time, using a straight arm to leverage the center and play off it. He also showed some quickness to run around him too and break into the backfield for a sack.

Cleveland can engage, two-gap and then shed to make the play. There is nothing flashy about his game — he’s just a battler up front who is a pain to play against.

He showed a little bit of sparkle to jump-step two linemen vs Notre Dame and burst into the backfield. He plays with balance and it helps him stand tall and hold his ground. He’s very capable of splitting double teams.

Does it all translate to an impact run defender at the next level? Maybe. I’m not overly convinced but as a late round pick it’s not much of a gamble to find out.

His lack of pure size, length and explosive traits raise a question mark about his upside. Yet there’s enough power and control on tape to think he can make this work.

I think we should be very open-minded about the positions the Seahawks target in this draft. The only position they didn’t add to in free agency was pass-rush — and it seems fairly likely they will draft an EDGE rusher at some point. Aside from that, the board should always do the work. They don’t need to force anything here.

I’ll also add — this team won with physicality and by beating opponents up with great defense and winning in the trenches. Players who bring even more quality and physicality to the defensive front seven and the offensive line — to me — feel like the best opportunity to continue building the team you want to be.

The offensive line remains a wildcard

We’ve frequently discussed the possibility that the Seahawks might spend one of their first two picks on the offensive line. There’s also been a little bit of smoke along the way.

In an exchange on X a few weeks ago, Lance Zierlein told me he’d heard O-line for the Seahawks at #32. The peerless Brady Henderson wrote a pre-free agency piece suggesting the Seahawks would check-in on the veteran market for guards (they didn’t sign anyone, so it leaves open the possibility of a draft addition). Tony Pauline, who I’ll be interviewing on Monday, reported the Seahawks have been showing interest in Emmanuel Pregnon.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid added this today:

Olaivavega Ioane (Penn State) is the clear top interior offensive lineman, but many sources believe as many as three interior blockers could go in the first round. Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis, Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon and Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge were mentioned as the top candidates to sneak in. The Chargers and Seahawks were two teams repeatedly suggested as ones to watch here.

I think this is a very real possibility. Without going over old ground too much, I don’t think it’s an Anthony Bradford issue necessarily either.

The Seahawks won a Super Bowl in part because of great play in the trenches and physical domination of opponents. Adding to that strength would be understandable. Bradford is out of contract in 12 months and seems somewhat unlikely to be extended. Drafting a player who can be cost-effective for the next four years would potentially set up your line for the next half-decade, with your two guards on cheap rookie deals for the imminent future.

In a draft without a lot of sparkle or depth, it’d be a reasonable way to come out of it feeling like you could find some impact — because there are players at guard who feel like they could start quickly, just as Zabel did a year ago.

In the week we identified the players who achieved a +75 grade for zone-blocking per PFF while also scoring a 95 or higher for weighted TEF (excellent explosive traits at good size):

Emmanuel Pregnon
Gennings Dunker
Kadyn Proctor
Spencer Fano
Keylan Rutledge
Blake Miller

Pregnon and Rutledge were both named in Reid’s report.

Bisontis is an explosive tester (3.03 in TEF, 95.4 in wTEF) but his zone grade is one of the worst in the class (66.0). I don’t think this necessarily excludes him because several are projecting him to go in the late first or early second round range. I personally have him graded lower than that but I’m not making the pick. He’s athletic and they might think they can work on his zone skills — but it is worth noting he didn’t excel in zone at Texas A&M.

Is there anything else that could further signify potential interest from the Seahawks?

John Schneider referenced ’30-30-30′ a year ago, meaning a 30-inch vertical, 30 reps on the bench press and a +30 score on the testing that was typically referred to as ‘Wonderlic’ in the past. We don’t have any ‘Wonderlic’ information but Bisontis, Pregnon and Rutledge all managed +30 inches on the vertical. Pregnon had 32 reps on the bench, Bisontis 29 and Rutledge 28 — so they are all in the ballpark.

A year ago when the Seahawks selected Zabel and Bryce Cabeldue, both were explosive testers (3.23 and 3.25 in TEF respectively) but they were also athletic. Zabel ran a 4.60 short shuttle, while Cabeldue managed a 4.59.

Many of us wondered whether the Seahawks would pivot to other guards if Zabel wasn’t available — and there was a feeling after the draft that they would’ve at least considered Tyler Booker or Jonah Savaiinaea. It might surprise you to know that Booker ran a 4.65 shuttle, with Savaiinaea managing a 4.66.

If that is indicative of anything, Rutledge ran a combine-best 4.54 shuttle. Bisontis only managed a 4.78, while Pregnon ran a 4.81 at his pro-day.

That would suggest that if they were looking for a complete package, Rutledge might be the closest to it. He’s near enough hitting two of the three 30-30-30 marks (and it could be all three if we had the mental testing data). He’s an explosive player for his size with excellent agility. His zone-blocking grade is decent and he played right guard at Georgia Tech.

With increasing chatter that he might sneak into round one — it’s possible the Seahawks could be the team to make that call.

Here are my scouting notes for him:

A well sized guard with reasonable (but not great) movement skills. He’s massive — 6-3 and 316lbs with 10-inch hands and nearly 34-inch arms. He was also the eighth fastest offensive lineman at the Senior Bowl, managing a top-speed of 13.36mph.

He didn’t give up a sack in 2025 and only conceded six pressures. That ranked eighth among all guards in college football who played +50% snaps for the fewest pressures.

Rutledge progresses well to the second level and finds intermediate targets. He has shown he can pull with ease to the left side and block on the move. He loves to finish his blocks and plays with a genuinely unpleasant edge for the opponent.

There’s really strong evidence of combo-blocking, including some top highlights on tape. He drives people off the line and will displace opponents to create opportunities in the running game.

His feet are a little bit stiff when he stands his ground and he doesn’t always move well when engaged. I do wonder if his mobility is good enough to play zone at a truly high level at the next level. The upright nature of his blocks causes problems sometimes. He had some inconsistent games — especially against NC State in 2025. When he loses early he doesn’t always have a solution to counter.

He can anchor with a strong back to hold his position. His hands get inside to control blocks nicely and he plays with heaviness in his punch. Rutledge is extremely competitive and plays right to the whistle and beyond.

A former all-state Basketball player. There’s clearly a player here it’s just how high are you prepared to take him?

Lance Zierlein gave him a R2/3 grade while Bob McGinn’s sources say R3/4. Todd McShay has him at #74 on his big board. He’s at #47 in Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50. I’ve got him in R2/3 too. So the consensus would say more of a target at #64 than #32 — yet there is growing buzz that he’ll go early.

He reminds me a little bit of Cooper Beebe, who the Seahawks apparently tried to trade up for in 2024. Beebe ran a 4.61 shuttle and while his vertical was underwhelming (27.5 inches) he did manage a 9-1 broad jump.

Beebe was the 73rd pick in his draft. I still think #64 would be more reasonable and understandable for Rutledge.

It certainly feels plausible though that they could take a guard with one of their first two picks. Remember, of the 32 ‘first two picks’ Schneider has made during his time as GM in Seattle, 19 have been used on an offensive or defensive lineman.

A quick final note — Gennings Dunker was also explosive for his size, had a strong zone-blocking grade, jumped a +30 inch vertical, managed 29 reps on the bench and ran a 4.63 shuttle. Don’t count him out.

Speaking of D-liners…

I spent three hours talking Seahawks and draft with Brandon from the ‘Hawks Nest’ earlier (see the video below). One of the things we talked about was Florida defensive lineman Caleb Banks.

I’ve long been a fan of Banks. His flashes on tape are exciting. His physical profile is incredibly rare — 6-6, 327lbs, 35-inch arms, 11-inch hands and yet ran a 5.04 with a broken foot while jumping 32-inch vertical and a 9-6 broad.

This is a special set of numbers.

I think he also deserves credit for what happened last season. He hurt his foot, missed a bunch of games and could’ve shut it down. Instead he came back and finished the season for Florida, then attended the Senior Bowl and was doing everything at the combine before his foot shut things down again.

An unnamed AFC National Scout told Lance Zierlein:

“I have tremendous respect for him. He hurt his foot in camp, tried to play through it and then had to have surgery in September. Most guys who are top-50 (prospects) would have just shut it down but he busted his tail to make it back for the last two games. That says something about his character.”

He really stands out on tape when he’s winning, just as he did at the Senior Bowl. He has a clear problem with conditioning though — he gets tired too easily and often after making a play it’s followed by a lousy effort because he’s gassed.

As a team you have to ask this. Can we get him fitter? Can we do anything to stop the injuries? If the answers are ‘yes’ to both questions, you have a potential steal on your hands.

We have no idea how teams are assessing his medicals, so we can’t say ‘I would take a chance on him’. You wouldn’t if the doctors were telling you not to draft him. If the news is more positive though, this is a sneaky opportunity.

Chris Jones lasted to the #37 pick in 2016 because teams saw him as a loafer. He ended up becoming one of the key reasons why the Chiefs won multiple Super Bowls. Jeffrey Simmons is one of the top defenders in the league. He fell in the draft due to concerning reported incidents with the law and an ACL tear.

Not every gamble pays off. The Seahawks tried it with Malik McDowell and it came back to bite them. That might’ve put them off ever making a pick like this.

If Banks is destined to last to #32 though — and it seems increasingly like he will do — it’s worth more than a passing thought.

Here are some of his Senior Bowl highlights:

Being able to use him in a heavy rotation would help in year one. Then, in the future, he might be capable of transitioning to a more regular role as a core piece next to Byron Murphy and hopefully Rylie Mills.

The chances of a more talented player lasting to #32 is unlikely. A year ago the Seahawks talk a small risk on the reported character issues associated with Nick Emmanwori. They also took Elijah Arroyo in round two despite his injury concerns.

Are they willing to take another shot, this time with Banks? You’d have to be wary of a man that size with persistent foot injuries and he might not get a medical thumbs up. If he did though, he’s a name to talk about still.

Here are my scouting notes on Banks:

He has enormous size and length (6-6, 325lbs, 35-inch arms) and 10 3/4 inch hands. The first thing to note is he has the physical potential to be special. There are not many humans who look like him or move this well at his size.

He can play across the line in different positions — nose, 1-tech, 3-tech, 5-tech. That versatility is critical in today’s NFL.

He barely played in 2025 due to injury issues.

Banks barges his way into the backfield. He can swipe away blockers’ hands to keep his frame clean and skip into backfield. He throws off blockers with disdain when performing at his best. He can bully mediocre interior linemen in the run game.

He will shock interior blockers with his quickness. There’s evidence of an effective push-pull move on tape. His lateral agility is astonishing on some reps.

He tries a slightly laboured spin move at times. He’s better when controlling blockers with a straight arm that allows him to plot a course to the QB or play the run.

He has an upright style at times when he gets tired, then he gets lazy and he’s an occasional waist bender. You get the sense he gets gassed too easily and needs conditioning work. He also doesn’t tend to explode through gaps with burst and will always need to work to create pressure, there won’t be a ton of quick wins.

If you don’t get into his frame early in the rep he will take advantage. He’s very capable of running around blocks when gaps are created through stunts. There’s a great swim move to penetrate shown on tape. When he attacks gaps in the running game he’s had success and can get even better here — and he has a jolting punch to bench-press opponents to stay clean and disengage.

He’s a ball of clay ready to be moulded into a disruptive, brutish force. The uniqueness of his frame and testing profile should ensure interest early in the draft. You don’t see many players with these traits.

Here’s the video with Brandon from earlier with more on Banks, the Seahawks and plenty of other topics:

We’ve been digging around the analytics at running back to see if it offers any clues about what the Seahawks might do in the draft. Today I want to focus on missed tackles forced and show some clips to emphasise the points made.

Firstly, a quick recap.

Here are the explosive run rates for the 2026 draft class. An explosive run is 10 yards or more. The average of all running backs drafted in the last 10 yards is 16%.

Note, in all of these categories I am going to include Jonah Coleman’s 2024 data. I’ve spoken to sources at Washington and understand he was hampered by wearing a brace in 2025. The tape the previous year is said to be a far better reflection of what he is as a player.

Jadarian Price – 21.2%
Jonah Coleman (2024) 19.8%
Jeremiyah Love – 19.6%
Mike Washington – 18%
———————————————
Emmett Johnson – 14.3%
Kaytron Allen – 14.3%
Kaelon Black – 14%
Jonah Coleman (2025) – 12.7%
Roman Hemby – 11.3%
Nick Singleton – 9.7%
J’Mari Taylor – 9.5%

I’ve separated the four running backs at the top because they all reached an above average percentage.

All of the running backs selected by John Schneider in the first two rounds had above average explosive run rates during their final college seasons (there’s no access to data for Christine Michael):

Zach Charbonnet – 22.7%
Rashaad Penny — 20%
Ken Walker – 17.6%

Schneider talked about the importance of yards after contact on his Seattle Sports radio show last week. Here’s how the same three drafted players faired for yards after contact per play in their final college seasons:

Rashaad Penny — 4.47
Ken Walker – 4.46
Zach Charbonnet – 4.15

All three scored very highly.

Here are the averages for the 2026 class:

Jeremiyah Love – 4.50
Jonah Coleman (2024) — 4.34
Jadarian Price – 3.95
Mike Washington Jr – 3.86
Kaytron Allen – 3.77
Jonah Coleman (2025) – 3.58
Noah Whittington – 3.51
Le’Veon Moss – 3.47
Rashul Faison – 3.47
Kaelon Black – 3.47
J’Mari Taylor – 3.39
Roman Hemby – 3.36
Adam Randall – 3.13
Chip Trayanum – 3.08
Demon Claiborne – 3.04
Emmett Johnson – 2.95
Seth McGowan – 2.72
Nicholas Singleton – 2.69
Jam Miller – 2.45

Once again, it’s the same four players at the top.

It’s no surprise that the Seahawks have shown interest in Coleman, have been consistently paired with Price in mocks and have had Washington Jr in for an official visit. They are the top three players on the list above, with the exception of top-10 lock Jeremiyah Love.

I now have some new data to share and discuss. Here are the yards after contact percentages for some select runners:

Jonah Coleman (2025) — 71%
Jadarian Price — 66%
Kaytron Allen — 63%
Adam Randall — 63%
Jeremiyah Love — 60%
Mike Washington Jr — 57%
Seth McGowan — 56%
Emmett Johnson — 51%

Again, note how high Coleman and Price are on the list.

Now here’s the EPA per rush for the same players:

Jeremiyah Love — 0.30
Jonah Coleman (2025) — 0.24
Kaytron Allen — 0.22
Jadarian Price — 0.13
Mike Washington Jr — 0.13
Emmett Johnson — 0.13
Seth McGowan — 0.11
Adam Randall — 0.06

Here are ‘elusiveness ratings’ for the group. This is a PFF statistic used to measure the success and impact of a running back independent of blocking:

Jonah Coleman (2024) — 153.4
Jeremiyah Love — 127.5
Jadarian Price — 118.6
Coleman Bennett (official-30 visit) — 112.2
Kaytron Allen — 102.6
Emmett Johnson — 88.3
Jonah Coleman (2025) — 85.7
Mike Washington Jr — 73.2
Demond Claiborne — 66.1
Roman Hemby — 62.6
Adam Randall — 61.0
Kaelon Black — 58.2
Seth McGowan — 51.8
Nicholas Singleton — 47.3
Chip Trayanum (official-30 visit) — 39.4
Jam Miller — 37.8

Coleman’s 2024 mark is so far ahead of anything else in the 2026 class — and it compares favourably to Walker’s final season at Michigan State. Here’s how Seattle’s three recent draftees faired:

Ken Walker — 145.9
Rashaad Penny — 129.7
Zach Charbonnet — 115.1

Finally let’s go to the missed tackles forced rate by every running back drafted by Schneider that we have data for:

Chris Carson – 37.3%
Ken Walker – 33.6%
Deejay Dallas — 31.3%
Rashaad Penny — 29.7%
Kenny McIntosh — 29.1%
CJ Prosise – 27.6%
Damien Martinez — 26.3%
Zach Charbonnet – 25.8%
Travis Homer — 17.7%

Here’s how they compare to the 2026 draft class:

Jonah Coleman (2024) — 34.9%
Jadarian Price — 28.3%
Jeremiyah Love — 28.1%
Emmett Johnson — 27.1%
Kaytron Allen — 27.1%
J’Mari Taylor — 24.8%
Rashul Faison — 24%
Jonah Coleman (2025) — 23.6%
Seth McGowan — 21.1%
Noah Whittington — 20.9%
Demond Claiborne — 20.7%
Mike Washington Jr — 20.4%
Adam Randall — 19%
Jam Miller — 16.9%
Roman Hemby — 16.1%
Kaelon Black — 16.1%
Le’Veon Moss — 15.6%
Nicholas Singleton — 15.3%
Chip Trayanum — 12.6%

Again, the two names at the very top are Coleman and Price. There is also some separation here between the two and Washington Jr, who is some way down the list for forcing missed tackles (as he is for the elusiveness ratings).

This very much shows up on tape.

Watch this collection of clips from Jadarian Price. Notice how consistently he slips through contact and then when in space, is able to make people miss. This is particularly the case when he gets outside and is faced with one tackle to beat to reach either the corner of the end zone or to break contain to get a first down:

Price will drop a shoulder, fake-out the defender and then pivot to quickly change direction to juke away from attempted tackles. This is how you make good runs great runs. This is the difference between finding a way to score and getting tackled just short. He clearly has a knack for making people miss, eluding tackles and extending runs. The data and the tape show this.

It’s a very similar story with Jonah Coleman’s 2024 tape:

You see that same ankle-breaking ability when squared up against a defender to just shimmy away from contact, make someone miss and extend runs. There are examples on tape for both Price and Coleman where defenders are diving at thin air because the running back made them miss in a 1v1 situation.

When you’re playing outside zone and you need your running backs to get to the perimeter, reach the second level and often make someone miss this is important.

I am a fan of Mike Washington Jr. His size and speed combination is rare and he has a physical running style that can lead to some punishing finishes on tape. What he isn’t doing though is make people miss. He is far more linear. He will sprint through space and an opening, get upfield but he very rarely makes a second-level defender miss:

There is still a lot of value in this type of running style. Derrick Henry is a very linear runner who uses his 4.54 testing speed combined with a 250lbs frame to charge forward, gain momentum and then he’s difficult to stop. Washington Jr is 27lbs lighter but significantly faster (4.33 speed) and is kind of the same type of runner — big, fast and hard-charging (although obviously not at the same level as Henry, not by a stretch).

He will often make a bit of a move at the LOS to find a gap and run through it — but then when he’s at the second level he’s going to try and out-run you. There are some missed opportunities where doesn’t see the field well enough to cut back inside and he ends up being squeezed at the sideline or tackled. He doesn’t juke opponents out of their shoes like Price or Coleman.

You do see though how quickly he accelerates to get to the perimeter and when he gets there, his gliding running style enables him to sprint away from defenders and explode. When he gets going he’s difficult to stop. If he had Coleman and Price’s make-you-miss ability, he’d be a top-40 pick. It’s no coincidence that 2024 Coleman (34.9%) and 2025 Price (28.3%) have far better missed tackle forced rates than Washington Jr (20.4%).

What’s the conclusion to draw then? I think if the Seahawks are searching for big plays in their running game to replace what they’ve lost with Ken Walker, these three players are best equipped to provide it. In particular, Price and Coleman seem particularly well placed.

Coleman especially, at least with his 2024 data, seems like the man for the Seahawks.

I’m fascinated to see where Price actually lands in the draft, given the varying ranges where he’s projected. To repeat what I said a few weeks ago, I had a highly respected NFL evaluator tell me recently he thought Price was worth a high second round pick and could potentially have a better pro career than Jeremiyah Love. Others think he’s more likely to go in the #50-70 range.

Do they value him highly enough to take with their first pick, whether that’s at #32 or after trading down?

Or can they get Coleman later and actually pull off a bit of a coup here? His 2024 tape suggested second round potential. Might they be able to wait and get him at #96 at fantastic value because of a slightly disappointing injury-impacted 2025 season? His 2024 tape hints at someone more than capable of leading a NFL rushing attack. If they like him enough, is he even considered at #64?

I know Coleman has existing relationships with players in Seattle’s locker-room already so it’d be a seamless fit for him to join the Seahawks. My guess is that he or Price will probably be drafted — unless the board goes completely against them. In that instance, perhaps they pivot to Washington Jr.

I think there’s a strong chance Coleman will be their guy. Their official-30 visit list is filling up with potential targets at #32. Here’s the list of 18 reported or confirmed visits so far:

Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State)
Andre Fuller (CB, Toledo)
Jalen Kilgore (CB/S) South Carolina
Daylen Everette (CB, Georgia)
Coleman Bennett (RB, Kennesaw State)
AJ Haulcy (S, LSU)
Chip Trayanum (RB, Toledo)
Zion Young (DE, Missouri)
Mike Washington Jr (RB, Arkansas)
Keyshawn James-Newby (EDGE, New Mexico)
Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)
Keyron Crawford (EDGE, Auburn)
R Mason Thomas (EDGE, Oklahoma)
Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina)
Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)
Malachi Lawrence (EDGE, UCF)
Cashius Howell (EDGE, Texas A&M)
Treydan Stukes (S, Arizona)

It suggests a possible plan to target D-line and the secondary with their first two picks. Perhaps then the ideal scenario would be to draft Coleman? Although I think it would be foolish to rule out Price.

The best offensive linemen in the NFL are typically explosive athletes.

It doesn’t guarantee success in the pro’s. There are plenty of explosive testers who amount to nothing in the NFL. The point is not to argue explosive traits equal a good player. The point is simply to highlight that the majority of the top offensive linemen are explosive athletes and the league focuses a lot on explosive traits when selecting players early in the draft.

For 10 years we have used a formula called ‘TEF’ (Trench Explosion Formula) to measure explosive traits. We created it using a set of ideals laid out by former Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable. He said ideally an offensive lineman would achieve a 31-inch vertical, a 9-0 broad and 27 reps on the bench press to become an explosive tester.

The formula attaches a score to each test to give an overall mark. Anyone scoring 3.00 or over is considered an explosive tester using TEF.

There’s more information about TEF available here and the article explains how the formula works and why explosive testing is more important than other things like the short shuttle or sprints.

Last year the Seahawks drafted two explosive testers — Grey Zabel (3.23 TEF) and Bryce Cabeldue (3.25 TEF). Let’s have a look at what 2026 has to offer…

How does 2026 compare to other drafts?

There are 16 players who scored a confirmed 3.00 or higher in the 2026 class. This is the exact same number as last year. In recent years we have seen a rapid increase in the number of explosive offensive linemen entering the league:

2016 — 6
2017 — 3
2018 — 7
2019 — 8
2020 — 8
2021 — No combine
2022 — 9 (projection)
2023 — 19 (projection)
2024 — 22 (projection)
2025 — 16
2026 — 16

The reason we had to use a larger number of projected TEF scores between 2022 and 2024 is because the league put the bench press in a slot where most players skipped it. Many still did the vertical and broad jumps — so we took the average number of bench press reps from that year to help calculate scores. We had to do that with a handful of players this year too.

Confirmed TEF results for 2026

Emmanuel Pregnon — 3.40
Blake Miller — 3.36
Parker Brailsford — 3.35
Trey Zuhn — 3.34
Jalen Farmer — 3.24
Spencer Fano — 3.23
Jager Burton — 3.23
Jude Bowry — 3.21
Josh Gesky — 3.20
Micah Morris — 3.14
Gennings Dunker — 3.12
Max Iheanachor — 3.12
Caleb Lomu — 3.12
Josh Kreutz — 3.09
Chase Bisontis — 3.03
Kadyn Proctor — 3.00
Keylan Rutledge — 2.98
Ar’maj Reed-Adams — 2.93
Jake Slaughter — 2.92
Diego Pounds — 2.86
Dillon Wade — 2.85
Garrett DiGiorgio — 2.79
Evan Beerntsen — 2.78
Febechi Nwaiwu — 2.78
Fernando Carmona — 2.77
Fa’alili Fa’amoe — 2.74
Travis Burke — 2.73
Aamil Wagner — 2.73
Pat Coogan — 2.72
Carver Willis — 2.71
James Brockermeyer — 2.70
Ethan Onianwa — 2.65
Alan Herron — 2.63
Kage Casey — 2.61
Joshua Braun — 2.59
Alex Harkey — 2.55
JC Davis — 2.53
Matt Gulbin — 2.50
DJ Campbell — 2.49
Sam Hecht — 2.46

Projected TEF results

As noted earlier, these players didn’t do a bench press so I’ve taken the average number of reps within the 2026 class to project a TEF score:

Enrique Cruz — 3.37
Monroe Freeling — 3.29
Caleb Tiernan — 3.23
Logan Jones — 3.17
Austin Barber — 3.12
Drew Shelton — 3.12
Logan Taylor — 3.00
Vega Ioane — 2.91
Francis Mauigoa — 2.88
Beau Stephens — 2.81

Players we don’t have enough testing data to project

Markell Bell
Demetrius Crownover
Keagan Trost
Brian Parker
Connor Lew
Jaeden Roberts
Billy Schrauth
Isaiah World
Jeremiah Wright

What are the key takeaways?

Emmanuel Pregnon is among the top testers we’ve ever put through the system. Given the importance of explosive testing in the NFL, it’s why he should still be considered a viable first round pick in two weeks time:

Braden Smith — 3.52
Trey Smith — 3.49
Tristan Wirfs — 3.47
Armand Membou — 3.45
Lane Johnson — 3.44
Emmanuel Pregon — 3.40
Rashawn Slater — 3.40
Terron Armstead — 3.38
Peter Skoronski — 3.37
Bernhard Raimann — 3.37
Quinn Meinerz — 3.34
Cam Jurgens — 3.34
Zach Tom — 3.33
Drew Dalman — 3.31
Kolton Miller — 3.31
Frank Ragnow — 3.29
Creed Humphrey — 3.25

Blake Miller’s testing results are also significant. Don’t be surprised if he goes earlier than expected in round one, given his testing profile is not too dissimilar to the likes of Rashawn Slater, Peter Skoronski and Kolton Miller — all top-15 picks.

It’s also worth noting how similar his profile is to Lane Johnson. This is why I had the Eagles trading up to secure Miller in my latest mock draft, as an heir apparent to Johnson.

Other projected first round prospects are also explosive testers — Spencer Fano, Max Iheanachor, Caleb Lomu and Kadyn Proctor.

It’s not a perfect reflection on who will go early, of course. Francis Mauigoa and Vega Ioane — both expected to be very high picks — didn’t do a bench press and their projected scores are 2.88 and 2.91 respectively. However, given their size, it’s plausible they would’ve both reached the mark had they benched. Mauigoa needed 31 reps as a 329lbs lineman to reach 3.00, while Ioane would’ve needed 30 reps at 320lbs. I suspect both would’ve managed it, especially considering neither has long arms.

Keep an eye on these players…

…and don’t be surprised if they go earlier than some are projecting:

Emmanuel Pregnon
Blake Miller
Trey Zuhn
Jalen Farmer
Spencer Fano
Jude Bowry
Micah Morris
Gennings Dunker
Max Iheanachor
Caleb Lomu
Chase Bisontis
Kadyn Proctor
Keylan Rutledge
Monroe Freeling
Caleb Tiernan
Logan Jones
Austin Barber

What about weighted TEF?

We adapted the formula to add a weight angle. For example, jumping a 31-inch vertical at 325lbs is a more impressive achievement than jumping it at 295lbs. Therefore, we take a player’s TEF score, multiply it by his weight and then times it by 0.1 to create a score that takes size into account.

For example:

Emmanuel Pregnon weighs 314lbs

314 x 3.40 x 0.1 = 106.8

Logan Jones weighs 299lbs

299 x 317 x 0.1 = 94.8

Confirmed weighted TEF results

Emmanuel Pregnon — 106.8
Blake Miller — 106.5
Kadyn Proctor — 105.6
Micah Morris — 104.9
Trey Zuhn — 104.2
Josh Gesky — 102.7
Jalen Farmer — 101.1
Jude Bowry — 100.8
Jager Burton — 100.8
Spencer Fano — 100.5
Max Iheanachor — 100.2
Gennings Dunker — 99.5
Caleb Lomu — 97.7
Parker Brailsford — 96.8
Chase Bisontis — 95.4
Keylan Rutledge — 94.2
Diego Pounds — 93.0
Ar’maj Reed-Adams — 92.0
Dillon Wade — 90.1
Josh Kreutz — 89.6
Garrett DiGiorgio — 89.0
Travis Burke — 88.7
Febechi Nwaiwu — 88.7
Jake Slaughter — 88.5
Ethan Onianwa — 88.2
Fernando Carmona — 87.5
Fa’alili Fa’amoe — 85.2
Pat Coogan — 84.3
Joshua Braun — 84.2
Evan Beerntsen — 83.7
Aamil Wagner — 83.5
Carver Willis — 82.1
JC Davis — 81.5
Alan Herron — 81.0
Kage Casey — 80.9
James Brockermeyer — 80.5
Alex Harkey — 79.8
DJ Campbell — 77.9
Matt Gulbin — 75.5
Sam Hecht — 74.5

Projected weighted TEF results

Enrique Cruz — 105.5
Caleb Tiernan — 104.3
Monroe Freeling — 103.6
Austin Barber — 99.2
Drew Shelton — 97.7
Logan Jones — 94.8
Francis Mauigoa — 94.8
Logan Taylor — 94.3
Vega Ioane — 93.1
Beau Stephens — 88.5

What does this information tell us?

It further highlights how exceptional Emmanuel Pregnon and Blake Miller are as explosive testers. They are not just tremendously explosive, they are big too. That is a huge advantage in the trenches.

Kadyn Proctor’s 3.00 in TEF is not particular eye-catching — but weighted TEF puts it truly into perspective. He weighs 352lbs. Being able to score a 3.00 at that size is fantastic. So when Todd McShay speculates about the Browns considering Proctor as early as #6 overall — and many others say the Lions are smitten with him at #17 — this is one of the reasons why.

The weighted TEF scores also validate the potential of many other prospects, including Georgia’s Micah Morris. He is built like a tank, he’s highly explosive — there’s a player here waiting to be unlocked by a good coaching staff. You could say the same about Trey Zuhn, as he prepares to kick inside at the next level. Jalen Farmer has some reported character concerns which is a shame because his physical profile is tremendous.

It’s also good news again for the likes of Spencer Fano, Max Iheanachor, Gennings Dunker, Caleb Lomu, Chase Bisontis and Keylan Rutledge.

Notable weighted TEF scores in recent history

Armand Membou — 114.5
Trey Smith — 112.0
Tristan Wirfs — 111.0
Braden Smith — 110.9
Peter Skoronski — 105.5
Anthony Bradford — 105.2
Cole Strange — 105.0
Lane Johnson — 104.2
Rashawn Slater — 103.4
Terron Armstead — 103.4
Kolton Miller — 102.3
Grey Zabel — 100.8
Donovan Jackson — 100.5
Quenton Nelson — 99.8
Creed Humphrey — 98.2

Note that both of Seattle’s starting guards for the 2025 season are in the list of impressive wTEF performers above.

How does this combine with good zone blocking?

Here are the players in this draft class who scored a 95.0 or higher in weighted TEF and also received a +75 grade for zone blocking per PFF:

Emmanuel Pregnon
Gennings Dunker
Kadyn Proctor
Spencer Fano
Keylan Rutledge
Blake Miller

Predictions for the 2026 draft class

Based on the information here, I think…

— Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa, Vega Ioane, Blake Miller, Caleb Lomu, Monroe Freeling, Kadyn Proctor and Max Iheanachor will all be selected in the first round.

— Emmanuel Pregnon, Gennings Dunker, Chase Bisontis and Keylan Rutledge will all be selected before the end of round two — with the possibility of one, two or even three going in the top-45.

— Jalen Farmer (character permitting), Austin Barber, Caleb Tiernan, Logan Jones, Jude Bowry, Micah Morris and Trey Zuhn could go in the top-80, with some possibly getting consideration at the end of round two.

How do the linebackers play into this?

I’ve long been trying to find ways to find other analytical data to try and measure how other positions are judged. For example, agility and speed has seemed to be more indicative for defensive linemen. With running backs, we’ve started to focus on explosive run percentage, yards after contact and missed tackles forced rate.

With linebackers, I had heard that explosive traits were important. Todd McShay confirmed this on his show before the combine. He said teams were taking into account the two jumps, the bench press and weight. Basically, weighted TEF.

Therefore, I have put the 2026 linebacker class through the formula.

Linebacker weighted TEF results

Jake Golday — 86.5
Anthony Hill Jr — 83.8
Jack Kelly — 82.8
Kaleb Elarms-Orr — 82.1
Keyshaun Elliott — 82.0
Kyle Louis — 81.8
Jacob Rodriguez — 80.9
Aiden Fisher — 77.7
Namdi Obiazor — 75.8
Karson Sharar — 75.1
Jimmy Rolder — 74.5
Harold Perkins — 74.4
Bryce Boettcher — 72.9
Xavian Sorey — 72.3
Red Murdock — 69.8
Eric Gentry — 69.4

Linebacker projected weighted TEF results

Sonny Styles — 98.8
Justin Jefferso — 78.7
Owen Heinecke — 72.4

Players we don’t have enough data on to project

CJ Allen
Lander Barton
Wesley Bissainthe
Kendal Daniels
Deontae Lawson
Josiah Trotter
Scooby Williams
Wade Woodaz
Taurean York

Linebacker takeaways

It’s confirmation, if it was needed, that Sonny Styles is an exceptionally rare explosive athlete. There’s a very reasonable chance Jake Golday will be selected in round two. It speaks to Kyle Louis’ physical talent that he’s a smaller player at 220lbs but still scores among the bigger linebackers when it comes to explosive power. The formula doesn’t speak well of Eric Gentry’s hopes of being drafted.

In the last few weeks we’ve looked at TEF, advanced running back analytics, max-speed for pass-rushers over 0-10 yards, weighted TEF for linebackers and more. This information is gathered purely through my own work in my spare time or by gaining it from sources. You will not get a lot of this information anywhere else. Plus, I don’t have the power of a major corporation providing easy access to data, or access to PFF Elite to be able to make tape watching easier. If you appreciate the work I do in my spare time, with two weeks to go until the draft, please consider contributing to the blog’s running costs via Patreon by clicking here.

As always, all likes and comments much appreciated in the video!

With just over two weeks to go until the NFL Draft, here’s my latest two-round projection with thoughts on every pick detailed below…

Round one

#1 Las Vegas — Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana)
Kudos to the Raiders, they made a smart move by bringing in Kirk Cousins. Let Mendoza settle into the playbook, learn how to be a pro and ease him in gently. This isn’t draft related but I visited the Raiders’ stadium last week. Everything is focused on former glories. It was a striking example of how a team can end up stuck living in the past. The whole franchise feels like a shrine to Al Davis. They need to think forwards and set about creating new heroes.

#2 New York Jets — Arvell Reese (EDGE, Ohio State)
It’s going to be really interesting to see what the Jets do here. There’s no obvious answer. No home-run pick. Reese is a really good player but is he a linebacker or an EDGE? I’d be tempted to start him at linebacker and let him rush on passing downs. But if you take a player like this at #2 overall do you have to try and make him a full-time pass-rusher?

#3 TRADE Kansas City (v/ARI) — David Bailey (EDGE, Texas Tech)
There’s a lot of talk about the Cardinals wanting to trade out of this spot. It’s also being suggested it won’t actually cost that much to move up. Within this thin draft at the top-end, are teams basically going to jockey for position to get the value they want and address their key needs? In this mock, the Chiefs offer #74 and a 2027 second round pick to move from #9 to #3 to get a much-needed pass-rusher. The Cardinals, wanting to draft an offensive tackle, take the offer knowing they’ll have plenty of options at #9 — plus they get an extremely valuable high 2027 pick.

#4 Tennessee — Rueben Bain (DE, Miami)
My reservations about Bain’s body type and length are not shared by some people in the league. I spoke to sources in the last two weeks who just saw him as an amazing arse kicker who will beat opponents up in the trenches. Yet there are still some people voicing reservations about his body type and lack of arm length. There just aren’t players who look like Bain succeeding in the league. Could he last longer than people realise? I think it could happen.

#5 NY Giants — Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame)
I think the Giants are just going to take the top player on their board. Many consider Love to be the best player in the draft. They have players at linebacker and safety already. Inserting Love into an offense with the weaponry they already have would make the Giants box-office viewing in 2026.

#6 TRADE Dallas (v/CLE) — Sonny Styles (LB, Ohio State)
The Cowboys have a big need at linebacker and with no second round pick, they act to make sure they address the problem. They move up six spots, giving up #92, #152 and a 2027 third rounder. Cleveland, like Arizona, appear to be keen to move down and will appreciate a day-two pick in 2027 being thrown into the offer.

#7 Washington — Carnell Tate (WR, Ohio State)
I think this is a reach but some teams are going to be forced into this kind of move in the top-20. Tate lacks amazing speed and I don’t think he’s a #1 target. However, the Commanders simply don’t have enough people on their roster to make things happen. He will be consistent, reliable and complement Terry McLaurin. There are going to be a few picks in this draft where teams take a double rather than go to hit a home run.

#8 New Orleans — Mansoor Delane (CB, LSU)
The EDGE rushers expected to go early are off the board, leaving the Saints to decide whether they want to go for Makai Lemon here or take their pick of the cornerbacks. They opt to keep Delane in Louisiana after his 4.38 forty at his pro-day likely secured a top-12 placing in the draft.

#9 TRADE Arizona (v/KC) — Francis Mauigoa (T/G, Miami)
The Cardinals moved down six spots, gained some extra stock for next year and get the player they might’ve taken at #3 anyway. This is why they might be open-minded about moving down at a discount. They can’t expect to get the haul they got from the Texans in 2023. This is a very different class.

#10 Cincinnati — Caleb Downs (S, Ohio State)
There seems to be an increasing amount of chatter that Downs might last longer than people realise. He hasn’t done any pre-draft testing. His brother Josh only ran a 4.48 at 171lbs so there’s every chance Caleb, who is 35lbs heavier, is actually quite slow. We saw what that did to Kyle Hamilton’s stock. Could he fall into the teens? I wouldn’t bet against it.

#11 Miami — Spencer Fano (T/G, Utah)
If you’re launching a major rebuild and want to shake off your finesse, party-city image that the Dolphins have had for far too long, start by focusing on the trenches. This would be a statement pick for Miami. Fano is really good and could play guard initially and eventually move over to right tackle in the future if needed.

#12 TRADE Cleveland (v/DAL) — Kadyn Proctor (T/G, Alabama)
There’s been speculation that the Browns are very interested in Proctor. In this scenario they move down a few spots rather than reaching at #6. We know the Ravens always liked size on their offensive line so perhaps Todd Monken has adopted that approach? Proctor would be kept at left tackle, at least initially, if this is the pick.

#13 LA Rams (v/ATL) — Vega Ioane (G, Penn State)
The Rams could easily go for a receiver here but they might be just as well investing in the trenches. They could move Steve Avila back to center if they wanted but they’ll also be mindful that he’s out of contract after this season. Sean McVay pivoted to massive linemen two years ago and Ioane certainly fits that bill. He’d give them an immediate contributor in year one as they seek to win the lot in 2026.

#14 Baltimore — Makai Lemon (WR, USC)
Both Proctor and Ioane feel like Ravens-type linemen but they go off the board before Baltimore gets a chance to take either. Therefore, they settle on adding another weapon. Lemon had an odd combine where his interviews were all over the place — but he’s a good player and if the Ravens were prepared to draft Mike Green a year ago, I doubt some weird media sessions are going to put them off drafting Lemon.

#15 TRADE Philadelphia (v/TB) — Blake Miller (T, Clemson)
The Eagles make a move, climbing eight spots for the price of #98 and #153. The Buccs are willing sellers, knowing they are trading into the range where they can kick-off a run on pass-rushers at the end of round one. The Eagles are seeing the offensive tackles come off the board and worry they’ll miss out at #23. They go up to get Blake Miller, whose explosive testing results were at an elite level — not too far off what Lane Johnson produced at his combine. I can’t think of a better heir apparent in the circumstances.

#16 NY Jets (v/IND) — Jermod McCoy (CB, Tennessee)
McCoy lasts on the board because he hasn’t played football for 18 months and teams are quite rightly going to be a little bit cautious about that. With Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon off the board, the Jets decide to wait until later to add a receiver and instead go for the talented McCoy to further bolster a defense that didn’t record a single interception last season.

#17 Detroit — Caleb Lomu (T, Utah)
There’s a lot of talk about the Lions really liking Kadyn Proctor but he’s not available in this mock. Lomu, for me, is the most capable pure left tackle in the draft. He can be a plug-and-play starter for the Lions, meaning they don’t have to mess Penei Sewell around switching his position.

#18 Minnesota — Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
Thieneman is an incredible talent who had one of the best on-field combine performances I can recall in 18 years of writing this blog. His upside potential is so high and he has special qualities. It shouldn’t be a surprise if a team very early in the draft calls his number. He could easily go earlier than this.

#19 Carolina — Kenyon Sadiq (TE, Oregon)
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Sadiq went in the top-15 or lasted to the end of round one. He’s a tough projection. On the one hand, running a 4.39 at 241lbs is highly impressive. But he’s not an orthodox tight end and as a ‘big receiver’ he hardly set the world alight at Oregon.

#20 Dallas (v/GB) — Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama)
In 2016 Tony Romo was approaching his 35th birthday. The Cowboys tried to trade up in round one to draft Paxton Lynch (the Broncos beat them to it). Instead, they drafted Dak Prescott. Romo suffered a compression fracture in his back months later, Prescott stole his job and the rest is history. Fast forward to today. Prescott turns 33 in July. He has an injury history. The Cowboys traded for Trey Lance and Joe Milton and appear to at least be entertaining the idea of finding someone who can potentially be the future. If they rate Simpson highly — and there’s plenty of buzz suggesting he will go in round one — they might draft him to plan ahead, allowing him to sit and learn for the next year or two. If Prescott gets injured again, we might see Simpson elevated in the way Prescott was in 2016. There’s also no linebacker worth this pick and the depth at that position should present an attractive option in round three.

#21 Pittsburgh — Monroe Freeling (T, Georgia)
The Steelers are going to have start investing in their offensive line again and the starting point has to be at left tackle. Freeling isn’t strong enough at the moment and will experience some major growing pains. Pass-pro is king, however, and he has the size and traits that are coveted at the position.

#22 LA Chargers — Peter Woods (DT, Clemson)
There’s some recent buzz that Woods will definitely find a home in round one. I don’t really understand it — his testing was underwhelming based on raised expectations from Bruce Feldman’s ‘freaks list’. He had a very average 2025 season. However, the Chargers need more up front but could they, along with the Vikings and Texans, make a call to the Giants about Dexter Lawrence?

#23 TRADE Tampa Bay (v/PHI) — Akheem Mesidor (DE, Miami)
The Buccs have such a striking need for a pass-rusher. In this mock they felt comfortable moving down into the early 20’s knowing this was going to be the ‘pass-rush sweet-spot’. Todd Bowles likes speed off the edge and has used shorter-armed rushers before. Mesidor feels like a better than Keldric Faulk. He’s seen as a very different type of prospect to Miami team-mate Rueben Bain but the expectation is, despite his age and injury history, Mesidor will still go in round one.

#24 Cleveland (v/JAX) — Jordyn Tyson (WR, Arizona State)
Tyson’s injury situation is a concern. He just misses too many games. It could mean he lasts into the 20’s. The Browns could be his floor if he does drift in round one.

#25 Chicago — Keldric Faulk (DE, Auburn)
The Bears do like bigger defensive ends (they signed Dayo Odeyingbo, who is recovering from a torn achilles). Faulk is a bit of an enigma — he’s athletic for his size but doesn’t look like an 8-10 sack player. He’s more of a big-end who can reduce inside. There’s a range where players like this get taken and it’s typically not until about here. To go higher he would’ve needed to test brilliantly and he opted out instead.

#26 Buffalo — CJ Allen (LB, Georgia)
The signing of Bradley Chubb takes the edge off the pass-rushing need a little bit. They need more at linebacker and while Allen is hardly Luke Kuechly, his hard-nosed, downhill style will go down a storm with Bills Mafia.

#27 San Francisco — TJ Parker (EDGE, Clemson)
I thought Parker was one-dimensional on tape, relying on playing off a straight-arm. He’s not the quickest to the edge and he doesn’t counter well enough. Yet there seems to be a feeling he will go in the late first round despite an underwhelming 2025 season.

#28 Houston — Kayden McDonald (DT, Ohio State)
I wanted to see more at the combine because on tape you see flashes of athleticism that teased a great workout. Then he didn’t run or jump and looked sluggish during on-field drills. Even if the pass-rush upside isn’t there, McDonald is going to be able to come in and secure your run-defense from the interior immediately. He’s a heck of a player.

#29 Kansas City (v/LAR) — Max Iheanachor (T, Arizona State)
He’s long, explosive and has plenty of upside. The Chiefs love to focus on traits and with these two picks in the first round they reinforce their trenches ahead of what will be a bit of a roster-refresh over the next two seasons.

#30 Miami (v/DEN) — Colton Hood (CB, Tennessee)
Hood can really cover in close quarters. He’s not a zone merchant but if you want him to get up close and compete, he’ll do it. Moving around three teams in three years is a bit off-putting but that’s the modern college game. He’s a talented player who would fit Miami’s attempts to be more physical.

#31 New England — Zion Young (DE, Missouri)
I have serious reservations about his speed and burst but he’s a powerful human with a bit of a wild side. The Patriots have shown over the last few months that they’re willing to live with a lot — so they might be less put off by his recent DWI charge than some other teams.

#32 Seattle — Cashius Howell (EDGE, Texas A&M)
He’s a relentless, intense pass rusher with the quickness to get around the edge. His win percentage is 19.8%. His arm length isn’t ideal but Mike Macdonald was able to get a lot of production out of Kyle Van Noy in Baltimore. The Seahawks need more quick wins and Howell is no slouch vs the run either. His personality fits this team. Cornerback is a very strong consideration here too but the options are deemed better than the edge rushers at #64 in this projection.

Round two

#33 NY Jets — Denzel Boston (WR, Washington)
This would be a good move for the Jets — especially given Geno Smith will be starting in 2026. He’ll need someone who can win a few contested catches.

#34 Arizona — Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (S, Toledo)
This isn’t Arizona’s biggest need but they are clearly positioning themselves for a longer-term build, looking at the 2027 quarterback class (like many others).

#35 Tennessee — KC Concepcion (WR, Texas A&M)
He currently has some injury question marks and part of me wonders if he’s a bit too similar to the receivers they already have but they need more weapons.

#36 Las Vegas — Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State)
Adding more at cornerback makes sense, unless they really like someone like Emmanuel Pregnon to fill a void at left guard. However, if they’re playing a lot of zone under their new defensive coordinator, Johnson is a great fit.

#37 NY Giants — Brandon Cisse (CB, South Carolina)
When I recently asked a NFL source who had the potential in this class to be a #1 cornerback, the three names were: Delane, McCoy and Cisse.

#38 Houston (v/WAS) — Chase Bisontis (G, Texas A&M)
I am not a big fan of Bisontis’ but this isn’t a mock to show what I’d do. Nick Caserio once used a top-20 pick on Kenyon Green too and I wouldn’t have taken him in round three.

#39 Cleveland — Eli Stowers (TE, Vanderbilt)
His combine testing has highlighted the potential he has a big target in the passing game. He’s not going to be a big blocker — but he can be a mismatch option for a team that will likely use a lot of two-TE situations (see: Baltimore’s offense under Todd Monken).

#40 Kansas City — Christen Miller (DT, Georgia)
There seems to be a feeling the Chiefs want to refresh their defense and get back to being a more dangerous threat on that side of the ball. They might be copying the Seahawks — run the ball (with Ken Walker) and play defense (at least until Patrick Mahomes is back to 100%).

#41 Cincinnati — Caleb Banks (DT, Florida)
Some teams will be put off by the repetitive foot injuries and the hit-and-miss effort. Then there’s the Bengals, who will probably look at the frame and the athletic upside and take a chance.

#42 New Orleans — Avieon Terrell (CB, Clemson)
Terrell is very talented but you have to eventually acknowledge that running in the 4.5’s or even 4.6’s and blaming a hamstring issue will just linger in minds. Can he run again before the draft? Maybe. But he might be more top-50 than top-32 at this stage.

#43 Miami — Gabe Jacas (EDGE, Illinois)
He can run and has some quickness but he doesn’t show it enough on tape. He just wants to run through everyone all the time. Use your speed.

#44 NY Jets (v/DAL) — Emmanuel Pregnon (G, Oregon)
I still think there’s a chance Pregnon goes earlier than this. You can’t be as explosive as he is and not be very interesting to teams. His testing profile matches some of the best O-liners in the league.

#45 Baltimore — Lee Hunter (DT, Texas Tech)
His body looks like an orange balancing on two matchsticks and that’s why he only managed a pathetic 21.5 inch vertical at the combine. That should sink his stock really but I’ve only heard positive things about Hunter when speaking to people, so here we are. I’m not a big fan though.

#46 Tampa Bay — Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech)
His production, character, playing style and a strong Senior Bowl have combined to put him in a position to go in the middle of the second round. His explosive testing numbers, important at linebacker, were strong.

#47 Indianapolis — Jake Golday (LB, Cincinnati)
I said after the combine that Golday has a Colts feel to him and I’m sticking by that. He can be used to rush the passer too, which is another need for the Colts.

#48 Atlanta — Domonique Orange (DT, Iowa State)
It’s not often you get a nose tackle with with his size (322lbs) and length (33.5 inch arms) who can also disrupt the passing game. He’s not a million miles behind Kayden McDonald to be honest yet they get him 20 picks later.

#49 Minnesota — Davison Igbinosun (CB, Ohio State)
I am not a fan of Igbinosun. I think he gives up too many plays and has way too many flags (even though that issue improved in 2025). I understand why his talent is tantalising though for teams who think they can fix him.

#50 Detroit — R Mason Thomas (EDGE, Oklahoma)
He just feels like a Dan Campbell player and they need more juice off the edge to help Aidan Hutchinson. He’s not big and his testing was average but his motor runs non-stop throughout every game he plays.

#51 Carolina — Keionte Scott (CB, Miami)
There aren’t many slot cornerbacks who play with aggression, intensity and impact. Running a blazing forty at his pro-day should put him in round two.

#52 Green Bay — Will Lee (CB, Texas A&M)
I watched him this week and while he does give up some plays, his size, length, explosive traits and competitiveness are very interesting.

#53 Pittsburgh — Chris Brazell II (WR, Tennessee)
He’s just such a fluid and fast player who does an amazing job contorting his body to adjust to the ball. Don’t be surprised if he goes a lot earlier than this.

#54 Philadelphia — AJ Haulcy (S, LSU)
He’s tough, versatile, comes downhill and hits you in the face but also shows good instinct and a nose for the ball. It was surprising how well he faired playing free safety for LSU.

#55 LA Chargers — Gennings Dunker (T/G, Iowa)
He just feels like a Jim Harbaugh player. Tough, physical, quirky personality. He could plug in at guard and cover at tackle if needed.

#56 Jacksonville — Jadarian Price (RB, Notre Dame)
I wouldn’t be shocked at all if Price goes in the top-40 picks. Some people think he belongs in that range. Others see him as a late second rounder. It could go either way — if you really study the tape you see how often he makes people miss to create big plays.

#57 Chicago — Bud Clark (S, TCU)
Production tends to translate at safety. Clark had 15 interceptions in college. He’s one of the most fun players to watch on tape — a dynamite safety prospect.

#58 San Francisco — Gracen Halton (DT, Oklahoma)
The 49ers continue their D-line overhaul that began a year ago. They bring in an interior pass-rush presence to try and cause havoc from the inside. Halton jumped off the screen when watching Oklahoma in 2025. He is disruptive.

#59 Houston — D’Angelo Ponds (CB, Indiana)
There’s no lack of talent or passion for the game with Ponds. But the reality is he will have issues with his size. Someone will take him in this kind of range but his next-level play will be up-and-down depending on the matchups he faces.

#60 TRADE Baltimore (v/CHI, BUF) — Logan Jones (C, Iowa)
It feels like we’ve been talking about Jones forever but he finally enters the draft this year. The Ravens, who lost former Iowa man Tyler Linderbaum to the Raiders, move up to draft another one to replace him. They give up their fourth round pick (#115) and two of their fifth rounders (#154 & #174) to jump from #80 to #60.

#61 LA Rams — Omar Cooper Jr (WR, Indiana)
I like Cooper — but there was about a three week period where it felt like the internet and draft media got a bit too carried away. His range is probably round two and probably not early round two.

#62 Denver — Josiah Trotter (LB, Missouri)
Speaking to people recently, I was struck how well liked Trotter is. The feeling is he’s a lot more like his dad than brother Jeremiah is and he could end up being a Nick Bolton type.

#63 New England — Chris Bell (WR, Louisville)
Bell would’ve likely been a top-40 pick but for his injury situation. It might keep him on the board as a consequence, with the Patriots in this case benefitting. He’s a big bodied receiver who can make plays after the catch.

#64 Seattle — Daylen Everette (CB, Georgia)
The Seahawks are probably going to want someone with similar size and athleticism to Riq Woolen at cornerback. Someone they can work with to try and develop as their third corner, who can play in a rotation when Devon Witherspoon moves inside. I’m not sure they need to use a first round pick on that — especially with depth at corner.

Thoughts on the Seahawks picks

It could easily come down to a combination of edge rusher and cornerback, in either order, at #32 and #64.

They are two need areas following the departure of Boye Mafe and Riq Woolen. Based on the ESPN piece that Brady Henderson contributed to last week, it seems like they might be interested in adding youth to the pass-rush even if they want to pursue a Von Miller type after the draft.

I could’ve easily placed Brandon Cisse or Chris Johnson at #32. I could’ve put Colton Hood there too if he lasted. All would be fair value in this draft. But the way Brady phrased it in his piece — that Woolen was the cornerback #3 — on top of the fact they’ve not added anyone to the pass rush pre-draft (just as they didn’t take a guard before drafting Grey Zabel) makes me think they might do it in the order projected in this mock.

There will be pass rushers they could consider at #64, including Joshua Josephs and Dani Dennis-Sutton (although there are reportedly some character concerns with both). It’s nothing serious — but you can definitely see with their interviews (especially DDS) why teams might have a few question marks.

There are no such issues with Howell who screams Seahawks when you listen to him speak.

I also have Malachi Lawrence lasting into range because some of the air seems to have come out of his balloon recently.

The Seahawks have options — whether they go EDGE then corner, or corner then EDGE. But it feels like a plan either way that could happen.

Dating back to 2010, John Schneider has drafted an offensive or defensive lineman 19 out of 32 times (59.4%) with his first or second pick.

I don’t want to go over old ground too much on whether they would consider Jadarian Price. I think they will — it’s just how highly they rate him. I think they will have a lot of time for Jonah Coleman too.

I don’t want to rule out Emmanuel Pregnon either, or Gennings Dunker for that matter. Adding an offensive lineman to set up the next five years with that unit makes sense.

Projected scenarios

#32 Cashius Howell (EDGE)
#64 Daylen Everette (CB)
#96 Jonah Coleman (RB)

#32 Chris Johnson or Brandon Cisse (CB)
#64 Malachi Lawrence (EDGE)
#96 Jonah Coleman (RB)

A final point — I think we will see a run on pass-rushers at the end of the first round and a run on cornerbacks in round two. That might indicate how the league, and therefore the Seahawks, views the positional shelves in this class.

I am travelling back to the UK so wanted to post something quickly (although I will do some work on a couple of articles on the plane).

Following on from yesterday’s piece, where we briefly touched on Zion Young again, I wanted to lay out the comparisons below. This scares me:

Darius Robinson (2024 first round pick)

9 sacks
17% win percentage
27.5% wins in true pass sets
10-yard: 1.73 (at 285lbs)
Run defense grade — 81.4
Good Senior Bowl
Max GPS speed at the Senior Bowl: 14.31mph

Zion Young (possible top-50 pick in 2026)

8 sacks
17.4% win percentage
25.6% wins in true pass sets
10-yard: 1.72 (at 267lbs)
Run defense grade — 86.6
Good Senior Bowl
Max GPS speed at the Senior Bowl: 15.04mph

LJ Collier (2019 first round pick)

6 sacks
17.1% win percentage
21.8% wins in true pass sets
10-yard: 1.68 (at 283lbs)
Run defense grade — 79.4
Good Senior Bowl
Max GPS speed at the Senior Bowl: 15.24mph

It’s worth remembering that LJ Collier went in round one for a reason. His pass-rushing tape in his final year at TCU was impressive at his size. He was able to attack the edge far better than you’d expect for someone weighing 283lbs. He had a dominant Senior Bowl and was seen as an ‘alpha’ during the week in Mobile.

But it didn’t translate to the NFL. His lack of burst was too much of an issue. He couldn’t win in the same way he did at TCU.

Darius Robinson similarly has failed to make any impact in the NFL despite having all of the same positives as Collier. Both players, despite poor athletic testing numbers, were able to persuade teams to take them in the late first round.

Young’s speed numbers are concerningly similar and yet he’s considerably lighter than the other two. He too is now being touted as a possible late first round pick. I feel like we’ve been here before.

I can understand the Seahawks potentially wanting to add power and alpha energy to their defensive line given DeMarcus Lawrence is, at the absolute most, giving you one more season. Yet Lawrence is 254lbs and has always played in that range. He ran an impressive 4.31 short shuttle. He isn’t just a physical force, he has some athletic quality too.

If the Seahawks want to truly replace Lawrence, it can’t just be about power and aggression. There needs to be some burst and agility.

One of the things I like to do every year is play detective and see if we can glean anything from the information available to us. Sometimes it can be helpful, sometimes it ends up sending you down a blind alley. I thought I’d spend a little time today discussing some of these things, in relation to certain positions and prospects.

ESPN put together a piece a week ago where each of their team reporters discussed three key draft needs. Brady Henderson, who is the go-to source for intel on the Seahawks, noted running back, edge rush and cornerback.

At running back, he noted the team was high on George Holani and Emmanuel Wilson as ‘power runners’ but they needed to replace Ken Walker’s big play ability.

This plays into the way we’ve been discussing the position, focusing on data such as explosive run rate, yards after contact per attempt and missed tackles forced rate. John Schneider noted himself on his Seattle Sports show this week that they put a lot of emphasis on yards after contact — but go deeper into the analytics (eg yards after contact when hit behind the line of scrimmage).

What can we learn from this? They’re more likely to focus on the players with strong explosive run rates and higher yards after contact per attempt. I promise this article isn’t just going to repeat everything we’ve discussed already — but here’s a reminder of the top three runners based on explosive run rate for 2025:

Jadarian Price – 21.2%
Jeremiyah Love – 19.6%
Mike Washington Jr – 18%

It was reported on Friday that Washington Jr will make an official visit to Seattle.

16% is the average for runners over the last decade. In 2025, all of the rest of the class came under this number.

What about yards after contact per attempt? It’s the same three players at the top of the list:

Jeremiyah Love – 4.50
Jadarian Price – 3.95
Mike Washington Jr – 3.86

We’ve also discussed that Jonah Coleman’s 2024 tape was superior to his 2025 stuff due to injury. I’ve spoken to sources at Washington about this and he had to play with a brace during the season and was never quite 100%. This shows up in his max speed, which dropped 0.8mph between the two seasons.

Coleman’s explosive run rate in 2024 was 19.8% when fully healthy and his yards after contact per attempt was an excellent 4.34. I think you can add his name to the trio above.

This might be the group (Price, Washington Jr, Coleman) from which the Seahawks select a player to try and replace Walker’s big play capability.

It might be easier to address this position than first expected. There’s a lot of talk now that Price’s range is more likely late second round or early third round. I’ve discussed how a source I spoke to last week rated him as an early second rounder — and that’s still possible. But many do see him as a mid-day two player.

Washington Jr meanwhile, despite his great combine, is still largely viewed as a third rounder at best. The same source who raved about Price called Washington Jr a third or fourth rounder. He wasn’t keen on Coleman either.

Bob McGinn, who has consistently done an excellent job accurately projecting where players will go through his anonymous sources, has Price down as ‘R2-3’, Washington Jr as ‘R3-4’ and Coleman as ‘R4’.

All of this suggests the Seahawks might be able to sufficiently address this need on day two and if they are focused on explosive plays — Price, Washington Jr and Coleman fit the bill.

Brady then turns his attention to the pass rush and cornerback in the ESPN piece:

“Even if DeMarcus Lawrence puts off retirement for another year, Seattle has to add youth on the edge after letting Boye Mafe walk. They did the same with Riq Woolen, who was their No. 3 corner.”

I thought this was interesting. Firstly, Brady speaks with some conviction about the need to add youth to the pass rush. A lot of the conversation online has been about potentially passing on this EDGE group and just signing someone like Von Miller after the draft. That could still happen. But it also could be that they fully intend to draft a pass rusher too.

When I spoke to people in the league last week, I was told ‘EDGE/DE’ was the deepest defensive position group in the draft (receiver was named as the overall position with the most depth).

That said, a lot of that depth will come off the board quickly. Teams always need pass rushers. The Seahawks might be presented with a situation where the depth works in their favour (a player they like is still available at #32) but only to a point (the best options might be gone by #64).

Mike Macdonald spoke at the owners meeting this week and was asked about losing Boye Mafe. He noted the need for ‘quick wins’ more so than sacks. The Seahawks didn’t have enough quick wins even with Mafe on the roster. Now, the need is all the more pressing.

For all the talk of this being a deep group of pass rushers, very few provide genuine speed off the edge. Arvell Reese, Cashius Howell and Malachi Lawrence were the only players to run a 10-yard split in the 1.5’s. Many reports say Gabe Jacas also achieved that mark at his personal pro-day but I’m sceptical given the setting for these types of event are usually more favourable than the combine. Plus, unlike Reese, Howell and Lawrence, Jacas didn’t have to spend two days being interviewed and medically examined before testing — nor did he have to travel to another part of the country and stay in a hotel for a week.

I feel like we’ve done a good job on this blog emphasising the speed of Howell and Lawrence by highlighting their max-speed over 0-10 yards during the 2025 season. Lawrence managed 16.1mph and Howell 16mph — #1 and #2 among EDGE rushers who could be available to the Seahawks.

If you want quick wins, these two seem like the best bet. It’s also worth noting that while Howell has unusually short arms his run defense grade of 73.6 is reasonable and he only missed three tackles all season.

McGinn projects Howell a range of ‘R1-2’, while Lawrence is considered a third round talent.

Don’t be surprised if the Seahawks have a decent amount of interest in Howell. His personality is also a match, Macdonald has had success with shorter-armed pass rushers before (Kyle Van Noy in Baltimore) and his pass rush win percentage is strong (19.9).

It’s also worth noting that this is the only position they didn’t hedge before the draft. They signed players at corner, running back and safety but not ‘EDGE’. A year ago, they didn’t sign any veteran O-liners then drafted Grey Zabel at #18. It doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to do the same but there are a few indicators here that they might think there will be an EDGE rusher they like available to them (and if it isn’t Howell, maybe it’s one of the others).

A final point on the pass rush — note Brady mentioned, “Even if DeMarcus Lawrence puts off retirement for another year.” It’s pretty clear that nothing has been officially decided here. When Macdonald was asked about it at the owners meeting he gave the kind of answer you’d expect. Just remember that Doug Baldwin didn’t retire until shortly after a 2019 draft where the Seahawks took two receivers. They might’ve asked Lawrence to delay making an announcement to avoid showing their hand. If so, signing a veteran (eg Von Miller) and drafting a pass rusher would make even more sense.

If Lawrence does plan to retire, drafting someone who can play with power might be as much a priority as finding quick wins. That might explain the official-30 visit with Zion Young, considering his lack of speed (1.72 10-yard split, max speed of 0-10 yards of 15.1mph) but copious amounts of physical energy.

Then there’s cornerback. Brady interestingly refers to Riq Woolen as the team’s #3 cornerback. If you look at it through that prism, you have to ask — is drafting a #3 cornerback really worth your first pick? Especially in a reasonably deep cornerback class?

Rather than feel like they need to make this their priority, they might be prepared to draft for upside. There are long, tall cornerbacks with interesting physical tools — just like Woolen — who could be available in rounds 2-4. For example — Daylen Everette, Ephesians Prysock, Charles Demmings and Tacario Davis.

It’s a difficult position to project for the Seahawks. Prior to Devon Witherspoon, the earliest pick they spent on a cornerback in the John Schneider/Pete Carroll era was #90 overall on Shaquill Griffin in 2018. I wouldn’t just assume that was a Carroll thing either.

Clearly they did consider using another high pick on a cornerback with Quinyon Mitchell in 2024 until Byron Murphy unexpectedly fell to them. Let’s not forget though — Mitchell had an outstanding Senior Bowl and then ran a combine 4.33 at 6-0 and 195lbs. He also benched 20 reps at 30lbs over his bodyweight.

Mitchell was a rare player and has gone on to become one of the NFL’s best at his position. Witherspoon is about to become a +$30m-a-year player. It’s hard to find the prospect at #32 who lives up to that kind of standard.

The Ravens, with Mike Macdonald as defensive coordinator, drafted two cornerbacks — Damarion Williams in the fourth round (2022) and Kyu Blu Kelly in the fifth (2023). Both ran in the 4.5’s and funnily enough ended up in Seattle after being cut by Baltimore.

With Macdonald in Seattle, the Seahawks drafted Nehemiah Pritchett in round five and DJ James in round six — both in the 2024 draft. Pritchett ran a 4.36 and James a 4.42.

The Ravens did draft Nate Wiggins 30th overall just after losing their defensive coordinator to the Seahawks. He ran a 4.28 — a time nobody in the 2026 draft came close to matching. His NFL.com grade from Lance Zierlein (6.43) is also well clear of every corner in this year’s class apart from Mansoor Delane.

I don’t know whether the Seahawks would take a lesser athlete at corner as high as #32. We’ll find out in three weeks. There’s nobody like Wiggins available though.

Chris Johnson feels like a Seahawk and he has a terrific grade for zone coverage (91.9 — #1 among all cornerbacks). That might be important given Seattle uses zone 77.5% of the time. But is he a first rounder? Some rave about him, others think he’s a day two player.

There are two other positions not listed that also seem worthy of a mention. The Seahawks have concluded or have arranged official-30 visits with several safeties. With some good fits in terms of personality, character and playing style — this could also be a position they consider quite early.

Visits with AJ Haulcy and Jalon Kilgore have been reported. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren had a zoom with the team. Bud Clark, Treydan Stukes and Zakee Wheatley all feel like they could play for this team too. Clark in particular could be a sneaky option at #64 if he’s available.

Then there’s the O-line. Contrary to what many would have you believe, John Schneider has used 11 picks on offensive linemen in the first three rounds of the draft since 2010. They regularly have targeted the trenches for investment.

In a previous ESPN article before free agency began, Brady discussed the possibility of the Seahawks checking-in on the guard market. At the time it made me think that perhaps adding more competition at right guard (and possibly even center) was more likely than some of us thought.

Tony Pauline reported recently that Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon was getting a lot of attention from the Seahawks. We know they like explosive traits (John Schneider referenced the ’30-30-30′ for players a year ago, meaning a 30 inch vertical, 30 reps on the bench press and a 30 score on the Wonderlic).

Pregnon’s TEF score of 3.40 means he’s one of the most explosive offensive linemen to enter the NFL in the last decade. A year ago the Seahawks used picks on Grey Zabel (3.23 TEF) and Bryce Cabeldue (3.25 TEF).

On top of this, Pregnon has the highest zone-blocking grade in the draft (93.0).

Would they consider drafting him early? It’s very plausible.

Bob McGinn is projecting him with only a ‘R2-3’ grade. Todd McShay today moved Pregnon up to #44 on his big board though, up from #53. Is he starting to rise in the media as we’ve been suggesting he might?

Guard might not be the biggest need but finishing off your O-line for the foreseeable future and making it a considerable strength sounds very appealing. If you are better on the O-line and D-line than your opponent, as we saw in the Super Bowl, you’ll win a lot of games.