Mel Kiper Jr takes sensible approach for Seahawks in latest 2025 mock draft

While a nice thought might be that Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider would take a high-end interior offensive lineman in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, most fans rightfully assume that is not going to happen. Schneider does not eschew taking linemen high, but normally only if they play tackle, such as Charles Cross in the 2022 draft.

Seattle could take right tackle Abraham Lucas's replacement early in this April's draft, but that seems unlikely. The move would not be a bad one necessarily. Lucas has been often injured and is entering the final year of his rookie contract. A hopefully healthier long-term right tackle would be nice.

So, instead of addressing the Seahawks' most glaring weakness with the team's first choice in the 2025 draft, let's safely assume Schneider looks elsewhere. Perhaps he goes back to the tried and true way of taking the "best player available." There isn't anything wrong with that approach, either. In fact, no approach is fundamentally wrong if the player turns out to be quite good, no matter what position he plays.

Mel Kiper, Jr. believes the Seattle Seahawks will choose Nick Emmanwori in the 2025 NFL draft

Unlike many NFL analysts who have Seattle taking an offensive lineman in the first round (and normally, if it is a tackle, it is with an eye that Seattle will move that player to guard), ESPN's draft guru, Mel Kiper, Jr., has a smarter guess at what Seattle will do. The team will take a defensive player first.

In his latest mock draft, the player Kiper predicts John Schneider will choose is South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori. He is basically the equivalent in college to what Kam Chancellor was for Seattle in the 2010s. Emmanwori is 6'3" and nearly 230 pounds with lots of speed. He ran a 4.38 40 at this year's NFL Combine. He also had a 43" vertical.

He was also capable of creating turnovers. He had four interceptions last season for the Gamecocks.

There is little doubt that head coach Mike Macdonald would love to have a player like Emmanwori in his defensive backfield. Julian Love has shown to be quite good in Seattle, but while Coby Bryant ascended last season, there is no proof he can replicate that performance and he is also entering the final year of his contract.

Maybe going defense first in the draft would not seem to help Seattle's biggest concerns; Schneider has clearly decided that the defense is the priority this offseason and the future to the Seahawks winning a lot of games. The offense had a massive overhaul, but the defense will return in 2025 mostly with the same players as last year. Plus, the team added defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence.

Seattle does need to take a quarterback first, and this year's QB class is weak anyway. A wide receiver would be nice, but signing Cooper Kupp likely means the Seahawks do not go WR first, either. An interior lineman (or two) can be found in rounds two and three. The choice of Emmanwori would be a good one. And who doesn't want the second coming of Kam Chancellor?

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