With the Seattle Seahawks staring a playoff bid right in the face and a non-zero chance of earning the No. 1 seed in the conference, John Schneider and the rest of the front office are likely looking at the 2026 NFL Draft without too much cause for alarm, as they can theoretically pick just about any position without drawing the ire of the fanbase.
Marcus Mosher and Ryan Fowler of FanSided had the Seahawks going down two very different paths in their 2026 NFL Mock Drafts. Fowler wants Seattle to keep adding weapons around Sam Darnold, while Mosher thinks they should target a new starting linebacker in the middle of their defense.
Mosher had the Seahawks using their first-round pick to find a linebacker that could start in Mike Macdonald's defense for most of the next decade, selecting Georgia linebacker CJ Allen. Fowler believes that Cooper Kupp is the veteran who needs a more immediate replacement.
Leaning on a wide receiver class that could see around seven or eight players come off the board between the end of the first round and the middle of the second round, Fowler had Seattle selecting Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell. Both of them have ceilings that could end with some Pro Bowls.
Seahawks select CJ Allen, Chris Bell in 2026 NFL Mock Drafts
Allen appears to be the next great Georgia linebacker on the conveyor belt, as he was at the heart of a Bulldogs defense that made top prospect Ty Simpson look utterly baffled. With great speed, above-average coverage ability, and solid open-field tackling, Allen looks like a Macdonald linebacker.
Bell is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. While the 6-2, 220-pound player has faced criticism for running a limited route tree that consists of screens and go-balls, players with his combination of size, speed, and tackle-breaking ability at wide receiver don't come along very often.
Allen should have no problem leapfrogging backups like Tyrice Knight and incumbent starter Drake Thomas to take his spot alongside Ernest Jones in the Seattle defense. Bell, in a perfect world, would likely occupy a role not that dissimilar to what Kupp has been filling this season.
The Seahawks and their fans can at least go into next Draft with the luxury of knowing their quarterback situation is resolved, the roster is deep enough to where there are no extremely glaring holes that need to be addressed, and the front office could simply take the best player available.