The Seattle Seahawks had to address an issue along their offensive line early in the 2025 NFL draft. Many 12s, as opposed to national pundits (who turned out to be correct), might have assumed general manager John Schneider would not go for an interior offensive lineman in the first round. He did as he chose North Dakota State's Grey Zabel.
Because Schneider made the move, it freed up his draft a bit. While it would be nice for Seattle to take another high-quality guard or center, the team is also able to take the best player available midway through round two. This might have meant a wide receiver or a cornerback.
The oddly good part of the 2025 draft is that there are few players expected to be stars, but many with potential as starters. The high-end quality might be thin, but not the depth of goodness. Whatever the Seahawks did on Day 2, with four selections to start the day, should turn out well. We won't know how well (or poorly) for a couple of seasons. One cannot judge a draft pick on one season.
Seahawks choose Elijah Arroyo in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft
While Schneider's first draft without Pete Carroll last year was iffy, this draft he seems to be cooking. Taking Zabel in the first round was brilliant, and trading up to choose safety Nick Emmanwori in the second round was almost as good. Adding tight end Elijah Arroyo at pick 50 meant Schneider was three-for-three in the 2025 draft.
Arroyo needs some work as a blocker, but he is a fantastic receiver. He is also big enough to develop into someone who can block well, as he is 6'5" and 250 pounds. He only had 35 receptions last season with Miami, but the Hurricanes' offense was not designed well for him. That will change under Seattle's new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak.
Kubiak needs tight ends who can catch and run. Veteran Noah Fant does that but has just one season left on his contract. Seattle could even still release him and save almost $9 million. Arroyo is his eventual replacement, and he could be immediately impactful.