Todd McShay, who has really come into his own in recent weeks with his coverage for the Ringer, has published a tier list for first round prospects. It’s a useful list given it includes 18 names and the Seahawks pick 18th overall.
Here’s the list that Todd tweeted:
Tier one: Abdul Carter, Travis Hunter, Mason Graham
Tier two: Ashton Jeanty, Tyler Warren, Jalon Walker, Jahdae Barron, Will Campbell, Colston Loveland
Tier three: Mykel Williams, Cam Ward, Omarion Hampton, Armand Membou, James Pearce Jr, Mike Green, Will Johnson, Jihaad Campbell, Tyler Booker
I would have Ashton Jeanty in tier one. Positional value be damned. He is too good not to have in that top echelon. He’s pound-for-pound the best player in the class.
Aside from that, it’s an important list. McShay is well connected and has the pulse of the league. The sudden emergence of Omarion Hampton as a potential first rounder is worth paying attention to — that kind of thing doesn’t suddenly just happen. A few well sourced people have started to put that out there.
McShay also left off names that he has recently promoted. Pre-Senior Bowl, he raved about Shemar Stewart and predicted he wouldn’t get out of the top twelve or so picks. He’s not included in any of the three tiers, speaking to this being a list influenced by league sources rather than just personal opinion.
If we take on face value that the 18 names might be something of a general consensus on who is best in class, the Seahawks are guaranteed to be able to draft one of the above.
It also further validates something I’ve been mocking recently — and that’s a fall for Shedeur Sanders. He is not included above in McShay’s list.
The Seahawks have not had an early round bust in a few years. I think in part that is because they’ve let the draft come to them. They haven’t forced positions. They’ve stuck to their grading.
If we look at tier three in particular, it is possible to imagine Mike Macdonald having a lot of creative fun with a player like Jihaad Campbell. He is such a force of nature, with incredible size and the ability to operate as both a pass rusher and linebacker. He has a personality — as does Carson Schwesinger — that the Seahawks will really like. Campbell isn’t quite as conventional as Schwesinger though and can be used in a variety of ways. He says he’ll do everything at the combine and is promising a top workout. Keep an eye on him, he could quickly emerge as a player who goes earlier than many are projecting.
Will Johnson, on pure ability, would be a fantastic acquisition if he drops into range. You’d be getting one of the best players in the class. You can certainly make a case for James Pearce Jr, a player many believed could emerge as a candidate to go first overall.
I also don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility that players in tier two could be available, such as Jalon Walker or Jahdae Barron. Both are high-character, natural leaders with strong talent. They are the types of players the Seahawks have been targeting in recent drafts.
I’ve been insisting Colston Loveland won’t last to #18 and McShay’s list further explains why. He is universally considered one of the ten best players in the draft. However, the fact he’s recovering from a shoulder injury and won’t test at the combine is interesting and could just nudge teams to go in a different direction if he doesn’t do any pre-draft testing. Some people won’t like the pick but Loveland, for me, would provide home-run value at #18 if the shoulder forces a fall.
You’ve also got the two offensive linemen. Armand Membou’s zone blocking grade stands out and he could be a perfect fit to transition to guard. Tyler Booker doesn’t have the grades but his tape is so good — and let’s see how he tests before writing him off as a scheme fit. The thing is though, McShay’s list isn’t rich in O-line talent. I’m not a big fan of Will Campbell, I think he had a poor 2024 season. I’m not surprised Kelvin Banks Jr isn’t included in the top-18. As noted earlier this week, I reviewed his tape a few days ago and I’ve knocked his grade down on my horizontal board. Grey Zabel is an excellent zone blocker and an ideal fit for the scheme. But is he worth the #18 pick?
Frankly, fans should probably prepare themselves for the Seahawks going BPA at #18 whatever happens. They’re not likely to deviate from a plan that has worked for the last few years. The chances are BPA won’t be an offensive lineman.
However, in order to best set up the team for an improved 2025 season, they do need to fix the offensive line. The only thing worse than reaching for an offensive linemen to fill a need in the draft will be to do what they did last year and inadequately address needs in free agency.
Sifting through what was available at left guard and signing Laken Tomlinson, adding Nick Harris at center and then feeling the need to bring in Connor Williams right before the season began, as he was just returning from injury, was a disaster. John Schneider made a fair point about paying Leonard Williams instead of overspending on linemen in free agency and he made the right call 12 months ago. However, the reality is they’ve not done a good enough job either drafting and developing or signing free agents over the years. Now they have to go further to fix this problem. They don’t have three years grace to build a young line any more. They had that in 2022 and now, they need quick fixes.
It’s absolutely crucial they find solutions on the veteran market. They need proven plug-in-and-play quality. There aren’t a lot of great options out there but they have to be fiercely competitive to sign the ones that are available.
Imagine how far this team can grow if they can achieve this? Their biggest problem, addressed before the draft. Then injecting the best young talent available to the roster, irrespective of position, with your top pick.
This is a big week for the Seahawks. Not just because of the information they’ll gather for the draft — but also the conversations they’ll have and the preparations they can make ahead of free agency.
In the last two years they’ve made a splash when the market opened — to get Dre’Mont Jones and to keep Leonard Williams. In Drew Dalman and Trey Smith, there are two linemen worthy of that level of aggression this year. There are alternatives (Ryan Kelly, Kevin Zeitler, Teven Jenkins, Will Fries, James Daniels). You’d also hope they’d be creative to see what can be done via trade. There are moves to be made.
Even if you sign players of that quality and still want to use your top pick on a lineman — there’s nothing wrong with that. Especially if you sign shorter term ageing veterans like Kelly or Zeitler (which I’m in favour of if you can’t get to the likes of Dalman and Smith).
It all starts with free agency. That is where the Seahawks need to find impact, experience and talent to bolster an offensive line that has struggled for too long. If you want to become the team you say you want to be, if you want to reclaim Lumen Field as a fortress, if you want to run the ball and connect your offense and defense, it has to start with being far better up front.
They successfully rebuilt their defensive line over the last three years. Now it’s time to rebuild the offensive line and then go and get the best player available in the draft at #18, knowing you’ve already addressed your biggest off-season need.
