Seahawks mock draft mailbag: Here's who fans would take if they were GM

New York Times

15-04-2025

We must begin with a thank you to everyone who submitted a seven-round mock draft for this exercise. There were 80 total mocks submitted — some plausible, some operating with what I must assume are custom-made trade value charts.
Many of the results were to be expected based on the Seattle Seahawks' needs and the franchise being run by a general manager, John Schneider, with 15 years of draft history to use as reference material. Some of the other trends that emerged were surprising.
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It was hard to choose only a handful to analyze for this article, but here's what stood out for one reason or another.
It is fitting that the three most common submissions were interior offensive linemen. That was Seattle's weakest position group in 2024, and the front office didn't address it in free agency. Schneider essentially doubled down on his stance that guards are often overdrafted and overpaid and stated that this year's center class isn't very good, but it feels like he can't afford to ignore those positions in this draft.
The surprise was seeing how many fans are high on Quinn Ewers. He was productive at Texas but doesn't have many traits that jump off the screen.
Grey Zabel has benefited greatly from all the positive pre-draft coverage. He was by far the most popular first-round pick in the mocks we received, despite being a small-school prospect at an unglamorous position. The fans have clearly geeked out on draft coverage this year and are tired of Schneider not investing more in interior offensive linemen. Zabel is the No. 1 center in Dane Brugler's draft guide with 'Pro Bowl upside,' and if he realizes that potential, he'd be the best player Seattle has had at the position since Max Unger.
Tight end is another position Schneider has yet to spend a first-round pick on, so the Colston Loveland love — pun intended — was also interesting to see. At the same time, this is believed to be a very good tight end draft class, so it's understandable to think Loveland would be the best player available when Seattle is on the clock with the 18th pick.
We had to break a few ties here because of an identical number of submissions at certain slots, but this is basically what a Seahawks Fan Consensus Mock Draft looks like for 2025.
Ten of the 80 submissions packaged Tate Ratledge and Jared Wilson together, a move the Seahawks might be considering based on their reported visits with nearly all of Georgia's draft-eligible offensive linemen. Schneider has drafted college teammates in four of the past six drafts, including two from the same position group in 2024, so it's not a stretch to think he'd double up on Georgia linemen and draft multiple Longhorns this year.
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I'm looking forward to revisiting this mock once Seattle's draft class is complete to see how close the fans came to predicting Schneider's moves.
The top two picks here are players the Seahawks should be comfortable taking in the first round, so a scenario in which they land Matthew Golden and Tyler Booker is excellent (Booker is among 17 players attending the draft, which indicates he believes he'll be a first-round pick). Golden is my WR1, and Booker is arguably the best true guard in the class. Two urgent needs filled through the first two picks is a great start.
Beyond having the physical tools for a player at a premium position, Azareye'h Thomas seems like a guy with the attitude and mental makeup that coach Mike Macdonald would really enjoy. He has a confidence and swagger that reminds me of former Seahawks cornerback D.J. Reed (Thomas has named former Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey as a player he admires). Doubling up on guards with the Ratlege selection is a nice move given the urgency of the need.
I can understand an inside linebacker selection, but I'm not high on Demetrius Knight, who seems to have physical limitations that will pull him off the field on third downs. That's not ideal for a linebacker who is already the same age (25) as Ernest Jones IV. Day 3 is all about dart-throwing and seeing what sticks. My two favorites from this mock are Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Kyle McCord, one of the two Day 3 quarterbacks I'd be willing to take a flier on (Will Howard is the other).
'I'd be careful when you hear people say this isn't a great (QB) draft.' — John Schneider https://t.co/9qUHuSkBqM
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) April 11, 2025
Will Johnson probably shouldn't get out of the top 10, so if he makes it to the 18th pick, that's great news for the Seahawks. Jayden Higgins was a very popular choice among fans — for good reason. For a 6-foot-4, 214-pound wideout, Higgins is a really fluid mover who can separate off the line of scrimmage. Drafting him would lessen the need to grab someone like Kyle Williams, whom I'd be shocked to see available on Day 3. But if he's there, Seattle should trade whatever it takes to get him at the top of the round.
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Ty Robinson and Princely Umanmielen would be great additions to the trenches, though it would surprise me if the former is available that late in the draft based on the numbers he put up in 2024.
Trade terms: Seattle sends pick No. 18 to Denver for Nos. 20, 122 and a 2026 fourth-round pick. Seattle then sends pick No. 20 to Minnesota for Nos. 24 and 97.
Pepe, I commend your willingness to make multiple calls on the first night of the draft. You even picked up an asset in 2026. These are very John Schneider-y moves. I'm sure he'd be proud. The Vikings have only four picks, so it's hard to see them moving up, but I respect the thought, nonetheless.
Ending with 12 bites at the apple and six top-100 selections is generally good draft process, especially in a year believed to be low on true blue-chip prospects (and of course we have another Ratledge/Wilson package). This reminds me of Seattle's 2017 class. Schneider traded back multiple times and wound up with 11 total selections. Many of those picks didn't pan out, though, so hopefully the 2025 version of that strategy would produce better results.
Pearce and Morrison are two players I can see developing into capable starters after maybe a year or so. The other intriguing pick here is Shough, probably the third-best quarterback in this class behind Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. He might not make it out of the second round, let alone be available in the back of the fourth, but as mentioned earlier, this mock was just a fun set of wheeling and dealing to consider.
Trade terms: Seattle sends pick Nos. 18 and 234 to the Browns for Nos. 33, 67 and a 2026 second-round selection.
Another mock straight from the Schneider School of Moving and Maneuvering. I don't see this one as far-fetched because the Browns aren't likely to take a quarterback with the No. 2 pick, but it would be perplexing to enter a season with Kenny Pickett and 40-year-old Joe Flacco. A potential scenario here: Cleveland drafts Travis Hunter at No. 2, then feels inclined to move up and reunite him with Sanders.
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Schneider has a history of trading away picks during the season to address deficiencies, caused by either performance or injury, so picking up a future second-round pick in this deal is something I imagine he'd seriously consider.
I'm not as high as the fans here on the Mason Taylor pick, but I can get on board with trading out of the first round entirely if the result is landing Kenneth Grant to strengthen what is already a very talented defensive line (and there's that Ratledge-Wilson package again). The Kevin Winston Jr. selection isn't my favorite, but getting Shough in the third round would be a good move.
Trade terms: Seattle sends pick Nos. 18, 52, 172 and a 2026 third-round selection to the New York Jets for No. 7.
Dale, you're a brave man. You argued that there are only a handful of legit top-10 prospects, and that Warren is one of them, thus the willingness to trade up. Is there some truth to that argument about the lack of elite prospects? Probably. Would Schneider do this deal? Probably not. He's never traded up in the first round before, and it's highly unlikely he'll choose this year to buck that trend.
However, I respect the effort here and the case for the move. This is probably the only mock that would ensure Seattle drafts a player on whom it has a first-round grade. So, on that front, it's understandable to an extent. I also respect that despite submitting a mock that was unlike any other we received — only one other included a trade-up from 18, and that one went only to 15 — Dale still had the Ratledge-Wilson package. The fans are speaking that pairing into existence.
(Photo of Gray Zabel: Sean Arbaut / Getty Images)