As the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks will get the worst reward. They'll have the final pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and while there will clearly be solid options to consider there, they may not have a true chance to get the prospects they covet the most.
That's just the way things go as the league tries to enforce parity by giving the worst teams the best prospects. That's also why Seahawks fans shouldn't get their hopes up with South Carolina star cornerback Brandon Cisse.
ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. shared his updated mock draft for the first round after the first wave of free agency. In it, it has the Kansas City Chiefs stealing Cisse just three picks before the Seahawks are on the clock.
The Seattle Seahawks may not get a shot at Brandon Cisse after all
As reported by Seahawks podcaster Jeff Simmons, the Seahawks met with Cisee at the NFL Scouting Combine. More than that, he has a close relationship with Nick Emmanwori after playing 7-on-7 together, and he even attended the NFC Championship Game vs. the Los Angeles Rams.
Cisse is an explosive athlete with a great nose to disrupt passes, and while guys like Mansoor Delane, Jermod McCoy, and Avieon Terrell were always expected to be out of the Seahawks' range at No. 32, he looked like a feasible target with the final selection of the first round.
But now that the Kansas City Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie and lost Jaylen Watson in free agency, he's a no-brainer selection at No. 29.
The Seahawks need to add more depth at cornerback after losing Riq Woolen to the Philadelphia Eagles. They kept Josh Jobe in town and signed Noah Igbinoghene in free agency, but that shouldn't stop them from addressing their long-term concerns at the position. In Kiper's mock draft, they do so with Tennessee's Colton Hood.
Of course, there's no such thing as a perfect prospect. A lot can go wrong for a young and talented player to fulfill his potential in the league, including being in the right environment. The Seahawks have two sharp defensive minds leading the way in Mike Macdonald and Aden Durde, and they should be able to bring the most out of whoever they get.
This team should be just fine, regardless of whether they get their first option or someone else. Even so, it always stings to look back on the NFL Draft and wonder how different things could've been if X or Y player had been available.