In the shadows of the iconic Space Needle, the Seattle Seahawks kicked off their annual draft party at the MoPOP in downtown Seattle for day one of the NFL Draft. Coming into the franchise’s 50th season, this draft will be critical for the Seahawk’s development. They come in the NFL Draft with the 18th pick, aiming to build upon their 10-7 record from Mike MacDonald’s first season in his head coaching career.
Offensive line sounds like a no-brainer for the Seahawks, however, giving up 21.6 points per game may tell you otherwise. By scoring only 22.1 points per game on average last season, others will say they need a consistent gamebreaker in the backfield. It’s going to be an intriguing draft for the Seahawks. Their fans and football fans around the NFL are excited to see the direction the Seahawks take with their draft.
The Seahawks didn’t waste any time to submit their card when it was time for their first pick. With their initial pick, they chose North Dakota State offensive guard Grey Zabel with the 18th pick in a surprising NFL draft. The intent is to strengthen the offensive line and to protect San Darnold. The 6-foot-6, 312-pound guard played all over that Bison offensive line, giving the more beef on that side of the ball.
In his four years at North Dakota State, Zabel played four of the five offensive line positions. His quick hands and good feet make up for his short arms. Zabel frame has room for additional mass and possesses quality playing strength. He also has the vision and agility to work upfield for combo blocks. This fits an immediate need for the offensive side of the ball. Piquing our interest for their remaining nine draft picks of the draft.
“It’s going to be surreal. To wear the Seahawk logo on your chest has been kind of a dream. Super excited and anytime you get to tie the cleats up and hit the grass, you got to be grateful. It’s a “get to” mentality, not a “have to” mentality. So, I get to go to practice tomorrow and show up to one of the best jobs you can possibly have.”
“Being there at the Senior Bowl and watching him steal reps from people… He couldn’t wait. He was taking reps at center, left guard, right guard. He was taking reps from people,” Seahawks general manager Jon Schneider recalled. “I think just seeing the competitor and the want to. Like he said, ‘chip on his shoulder.’ Ready let it rip. He was into it; he was competing his tail off and it was really impressive to see first-hand and be right there.”
The newly drafted Zabel will wear 76, which happens to be the same jersey number worn by Hall of Famer and Seahawks Legend Steve Hutchinson. The Seahawks would be extremely fortunate to get a Hall of Famer career out of the number 18 pick in the recent draft.
“That was kind of the equipment staff’s idea,” Zabel said. “I had to ask Hutch if it was OK to wear it and he was all for it and super excited for it. No better number to wear in Seattle history.”
With the 35th pick in the 2nd round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Seahawks dialed up South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. This 6-foot-3, 220-pound native of Greensboro, North Carolina brings a combination of size and athleticism, reminiscent of a legendary Cam Chancellor. After posting a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, a 43-inch vertical leap, and an 11-foot, 6-inch broad jump at the NFL Scouting Combine, Emmanwori’s rare ability can potentially separate him from the future Hall of Famer.
“I’m happy they came and got me. I felt great when I went up there for the visit, talked to the coaches, and had a great visit. I felt the most connected with them,” Emmanwori said about his visit with the Seahawks. “So, if it was anybody to do it, I knew it was going to be them.”
They used their second pick in the second round to draft former University of Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo. The 2024 Second-team All-ACC, started all 13 games and recorded 35 catches for 590 yards and 16.9 yards per catch, and seven touchdowns. At 6-foot-5, 250-pound the Seahawks hope that this Fisco, Texas native can realize his big play potential, and open up this offensive. Yet, Arroyo will have to improve his run blocking to earn playing time for a regime that claims to be focused on the run.
The Seahawks played a part in one of the oddest draft stories we’ve seen, as it was widely anticipated that Shedeur Sanders, son of NFL Hall of Famer defensive back Deion Sanders, would be a first-round or a second-round draft pick. Yet, unexpectedly, the young Sanders slipped out of the first two days of the draft into the 5th round before the Cleveland Browns drafted him with the 144th pick.
Many times, in sports, the more talented the player is more a franchise will tolerate off the field, missing practices, or for whatever reason it may be. For the Seahawks to be one of five teams that elected to pass on Sanders when they had the opportunity to draft him, those decision-makers should now be comfortably on the hot seat. The Tennessee Titans drafted Cam Ward with the first pick in the NFL Draft, and he was the only quarterback to understandably get drafted ahead of the talented Sanders in this year’s draft.
Neither the New York Giants drafting Jaxon Dart, the New Orleans Saints drafting Tyler Shough, the Seahawks drafting Jalen Milroe, or the Cleveland Browns drafting Dillon Gabriel with Shedeur Sanders being available made logical sense. Those picks could NOT have been made solely on their football-playing abilities.
What makes Sanders falling in the draft so preposterous, is that Sanders led the Colorado Buffaloes to their first winning season in nearly two decades in his senior season. Sanders also led the nation in completion percentage (74.0), passing yards (4134), touchdowns (37), passing yards per game (306.8), and quarterback rating (168.2). I said the NATION. Sanders was also named the 2024 BIG 12 Player of the Year, so don’t let anyone tell you these draft picks were made based on football ability!
Sanders is the quintessential definition of a pro-ready quarterback. Whereas, Jalen Milroe is the quintessential definition of a project. In his senior season at Alabama, Milroe completed 64.3% of his passes and threw for the most yards in his college career (2844) but recorded the lowest percentage of touchdowns thrown when completing a pass (5.0%) while throwing the most interceptions in his four-year career (11).
Milroe struggled to be an effective passer while at Bama, with a set of impressive receivers. However, his scrambling ability proved to be world renown, as he registered 4.3 yards per carry and 20 rushing touchdowns in his final season in Tuscaloosa, AL. This 6-foot-2, 210-pound native of Katy, Texas, will presumably have time to learn the game, as he will likely play behind the Seahawk’s biggest free agent acquisition, long-time journeyman Sam Darnold. Either way, it will be interesting to see if he can develop into a legit NFL quarterback.
The Seahawks went defense with their first fifth round, by drafting Notre Dame’s defensive end Rylie Mills. The 6-foot-5, 273-pound, Lake Bluff, Il., native is aggressive, physical, and has heavy hands yet he lacks explosiveness and quick twitch muscles. If his repaired knee holds up, he could become a rotational player.
“Yeah, he’s got position flexibility for us, (in) base. He can play at least two spots. Then run four-down, our sub stuff. Playing inside. We’ll see how he plays the big ends, like a six-technique. The multiple gap things on early downs,” Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said about Mills. “Going through him and meeting him and talking football with him, seeing how he approaches the game, his approach with the rush, how they orchestrate their pass-rush games, it’s really impressive. Sounds like a fifth or six-year vet. Compete for pass-rush snaps too.”
Later in that same round, with the 166th overall pick, the Seahawks selected Colorado State’s wide receiver Tory Horton. The two-time captain at Colorado State was a first-team All-Mountain West receiver in 2022 and 2023. Horton was working on a third consecutive season with over 1000 yards receiving before suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2024. Which left him 35 yards shy of becoming the all-time Mountain West leader in receiving yards.
“Tory is an underrated guy, in our opinion,” Schneider shared. “He can return punts, his catch radius, competitive, very fast.”
With their final pick in the fifth round, the Seahawks selected Alabama fullback Robbie Ouzts. Playing in all 12 of his final games in Tuscaloosa, Ouzts sees the run lane like a running back, makes good decisions as a lead blocker, and adjusts well to flatten linebackers. His compact and muscular frame makes it tough for him to sustain blocks for long.
“Smart, tough, reliable, swaggy, athletic, speed,” Schneider said when listing the traits that make up a Seahawk. “We added a 275-pound fullback that runs 19 mph, that’s pretty cool, you know. That’s a lot of momentum heading downhill.”
“He’s going to compete with Brady (Russell). You don’t have to live in 21 (personnel). There’s 12. All those guys are kind-of competing for those roles. We got a lot of great players that fit that tight end-fullback mold, Macdonald said of the expectations for Ouzts. “Special teams is going to be a big part of it, too. I know this. To bet against Brady Russell would be a gigantic mistake. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
The Seahawks drafted University of Kansas guard Bryce Cabeldue with their lone pick in the sixth round. At 6-foot-5, 310 pounds Cabeldue not only has played on the left and right side of the offensive line, but his skill set is well-suited for a transition to guard, providing roster flexibility. His high motor and coachability will enable him to develop into a starter in the future.
“Bryce, is a 30. 30, 30 guy. Really athletic; chip on his shoulder; very smart. Projected to play inside,” said Schneider.
With their initial pick of the seventh round, the Seahawks selected University of Miami running back Damien Martinez. At 6-foot, 232-pounds, Martinez seeks contact when he runs, yet has the speed to make explosive plays in the run game. At Oregon State Martinez averaged over six yards per carry, while averaging 5.7 yards per carry his lone season at the University of Miami, on 50 less carries than his final season as a Beaver.
“I think you respect that about him, about guys that can run the ball physically, downhill. Had a lot of great guys come through this building that have ran it like that. Nod to those people,” said Schneider. “Just again, really excited about the guys we have on our roster. Come in and come kick butt with the rest of them. It’s going to be a great competition. But we’re really excited about him.”
“I’m really excited to see our run game come to life. These guys fit what we are trying, how we want to do it,” said Macdonald about their recent draft. “You got to move people, man. You’ve got to get downhill and play north and south; and that’s what they’re going to help us do.”
Later in the seventh round, the Seahawks drafted University of Iowa guard Mason Richman with the second pick in the round. At 6-foot-5, 307-pound Richman was a technically sound tackle in college, though he may need to move inside to guard in the NFL. He did start in 52 games, including 43 in a row.
“Richmond; we’ll start him at tackle; the buy-in has been awesome,” Schneider mentioned.
With their final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Seahawks drafted University of Nevada Las Vegas wide receiver Ricky White. The Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year led the nation with four blocked punts and making White the first UNLV player selected in the NFL Draft in 15 years. He finished his career with 218 receptions, 3,143 receiving yards, and 23 touchdown catches in his Rebels career.
“Ricky (White III), the special team’s part, Jay (Harbaugh) and Fitz (Devin Fitzsimmons) are really excited about him. Josh (Bynes), all those guys. He’s blocked four punts,” Schneider boasted. “Personally, he kind of reminded me of Donald Driver, they (Green bay) drafted him in the sixth round. He was one of the better special teams’ players in the league before he completely established himself as our number one receiver.”
Though selecting a franchise quarterback is like finding a needle in a haystack, it’s also subjective. Similar to choosing your favorite flavor ice cream, while there are many unique and flavorful ones, sometimes plain is best. The Seahawks development plan will play a critical role in getting the best out of their rookies and ultimately tell their story of the future the Seahawks will have.
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