A lot of mocks have the Seahawks taking a receiver at #18.
I’m not sold. I’ll explain why, then discuss why it might happen anyway.
The first reason why I’m not convinced is the way the Seahawks say they want to build their team. They’ve talked about being aggressive, physical and trenches-focused. It makes you think they’re more likely to adopt Jim Harbaugh’s ‘over my dead body’ approach to picking receivers before linemen.
Like the Chargers last year, taking a receiver on day two seems to make more sense. Let’s not forget, they’ve already invested a high pick on Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Do they really need two?
The second reason involves the players being discussed. I think Matthew Golden is WR1 but he isn’t a home-run pick. I suspect he will be off the board before #18 because the Cowboys seem hell-bent on drafting a receiver in round one and Golden is the best available.
I don’t think Tetairoa McMillan is worth #18 in the slightest. There’s also an issue of personality fit.
For the last few years we’ve talked about the Seahawks doubling down on character. It’s why they were never going to draft Jalen Carter, despite his talent. It’s why they’ve focused on people like Devon Witherspoon, Byron Murphy, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and Smith-Njigba. Character and reliability is a big part of their process.
Here are quotes from anonymous scouting sources, per Bob McGinn, about McMillian:
“He was in protection mode this year. There’s stuff on film this year that’s just gross. The lack of competitiveness is just disturbing at times. Very undisciplined route runner. Big-play potential but too many times it didn’t happen. Not overly physical for a big guy but he’s got natural ball skills. His feet are awesome for a 6-4 dude. He’s a real smooth operator. He’s slippery in run-after-the-catch and he’s got pretty good speed. It’s just, which guy are you going to get? He’s a really immature kid. He’s a poster child for this NIL shit. They kiss his ass to get him to stay and then they do what they want.”
You don’t have to take this as gospel but it’s not exactly the description of a player the Seahawks have taken early in recent drafts. Based on what John Schneider said on Seattle Sports yesterday, I can’t imagine this kind of review — if accurate — is going to have him rushing to pick McMillan.
Golden gets a far more positive review:
“He is a great kid and he could rise because of who he is.”
Out of the two, Golden is more likely to be on Seattle’s radar if they believe in the player and the person. Like I said though, I don’t think he’ll be available.
It all just seems a little bit lazy to me. The Seahawks traded away DK Metcalf, therefore they’ll use their top pick on a pass-catcher.
If they trade down first, I think it’s more likely. Moving down the board for extra day-two stock would be appealing. Recently Todd McShay pitched a trade with the Giants moving up to #19, giving the Buccs the 65th pick and a 2026 third rounder in return.
I think that would be an attractive move for Seattle too. The Giants have potentially set themselves up to attack a plan like this. By signing Russell Wilson, they are at least somewhat covered. They can take Travis Hunter (or Abdul Carter) at #3. They can then try to trade up from #34 to get a quarterback, possibly Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart, jumping the Steelers at #21.
Deion Sanders, who once touted the possibility of picking his son’s eventual NFL destination, today said he’s happy for Shedeur to go to ‘any of the teams needing a quarterback’. That’s the biggest hint yet that Shedeur is not going to be taken in the top-three picks.
If the Seahawks were to move down to #34, while gaining pick #65, this could bring a receiver into play. They might prefer to target Mason Taylor or Elijah Arroyo at tight end instead — but there is a receiver I do think they’ll like.
Emeka Egbuka is exactly the type of character they want. He’s been a consistent target for Ohio State. He grew up a huge Seahawks fan and adding players ‘who want to be here’ seems to be a focus for Seattle at the moment.
There was a question mark about his athletic testing. He ran in the 4.4’s at his pro-day and jumped a 38-inch vertical. That answered any of those questions.
Nobody expects Egbuka to be a big-time X-factor in the NFL. I do think you’re going to get a lot of consistent production though — particularly on third downs and key moments. He’s also physical and gritty with a high football IQ. Egbuka might be a receiver but he’s tough. The kind of tough Seattle seems to want. We’ve seen these types of player excel in San Francisco and LA. He could be a long-term replacement for Cooper Kupp, acting initially as the #3 receiver.
You might say, ‘why would they want another player who operates in a similar way to Smith-Njigba?’ I suppose you could say the signing of Kupp is evidence they don’t mind having multiple versions of this type of player. They have plenty of picks to add some deep speed later on and might feel they already have it in Marquez Valdez-Scantling.
Whether people like Seattle’s approach or not — this is the type of player they’ve drafted in recent years.
Could they take him even without a trade-down? There are two things to consider.
Firstly, it’s the BPA approach. Egbuka is 26th on Todd McShay’s big board ahead of Zabel (#33) and Malaki Starks (#34),
Lance Zierlein gave Egbuka a 6.37 grade. That’s better than Zabel (6.34), Kenneth Grant (6.36), Jihaad Campbell (6.34), Starks (6.34), Omarion Hampton (6.33) and Shedeur Sanders (6.30).
Based on my own rankings, I think he is the second best receiver in the draft behind Golden and worthy of being considered between the 16th and 23rd best player in the draft. You can view my horizontal board here.
It’s not that unrealistic to imagine the Seahawks have Egbuka ahead of some other popular alternatives. It’s not necessarily what I would do — but as with the Tyler Shough article yesterday, I wouldn’t rule anything out.
Secondly, there’s this from Tony Pauline today:
“People at the (Ohio State) pro-day believe that the run on receivers will begin with the Seattle Seahawks, who own the 18th selection and run through the 26th pick owned by the Los Angeles Rams.”
Pauline also noted that Egbuka’s pro-day showing cemented a first round placing, “likely in the middle part of the first frame.”
A lot of people like to criticise Tony. I’ve known him for a long time and consider him a friend. I think it’s important to note a couple of things. He’s an information gatherer from a variety of sources. He passes on rumours and sometimes speaks a little bit too matter-of-factly about what are essentially rumblings. If you’re willing to accept that’s what it is, you can have fun with it. Over the years some of those rumours have been true. He has been right on several stories, including some big ones. Just a year ago he said Byron Murphy was the guy the Seahawks wanted but they didn’t think he’d last.
He’s also had some whiffs. He famously passed on info from a source who thought the Seahawks were going to draft Trevor Penning and Desmond Ridder in 2022.
The point I’m making is this. Take all of this with a pinch of salt. Just don’t assume it’s all wrong. There may well be a feeling within the league — rightly or wrongly — that the Seahawks will take a receiver at #18. Plenty of people are mocking it.
Again, I’m not convinced they will. However, if you’d asked me a year ago whether I thought they’d take a cornerback at #16 I’d have also said ‘no’. Yet if Murphy hadn’t been available, we’ve since discovered the chances are Quinyon Mitchell or Terrion Arnold would’ve been Seattle’s choice.
If they did use their top pick on Golden or Egbuka, how would they fix the offensive line? I’m going to keep stressing this — there are plenty of options throughout this draft. It’s not Grey Zabel or bust. They might not see a big difference in grade between Zabel and others. Tate Ratledge, Donovan Jackson, Charles Grant or Marcus Mbow in round two, for example. Dylan Fairchild or Wyatt Milum in the middle rounds. The excellently violent Chase Lundt who is a personal favourite. Logan Brown or Jack Nelson. Or later round options such as Bryce Cabeldue and Connor Colby. All of these players graded well in zone.
I also wouldn’t completely rule out Tyler Booker, purely for the fact he’s plug-and-play, safe as houses, physically brilliant and carries A+ character marks. It might not be at #18. They might trade down first. But I don’t think he’s totally out of the equation, especially since the 49ers drafted Aaron Banks for the same scheme and Green Bay just paid him $19.25m a year to play for Matt LaFleur.
I think Zabel or Booker would be a very good top pick. If they decide to go in a different direction, they can still address their offensive line. The options are there and they have plenty of stock to work with.
