The Seattle Seahawks do not have to take a quarterback in the 2025 NFL draft, but it is often better to choose one when you don't need one. If Seattle has a presumed high-quality rookie quarterback who begins as a backup, sitting for a year could only give the player time to grow and be ready to step in full-time when needed.
This offseason, Seattle added Sam Darnold, who was good in 2024 with the Minnesota Vikings, but not very good in his six years before that. In other words, Darnold is a risk, and Seattle is betting on him being as good as last season when he was working with possibly the best offensive mind in the NFL, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell.
The quarterback's contract is for three years and a max of $100.5 million. The deal has no guaranteed money after this coming season. (That part will be important in just a minute.) This leaves room for the team to take a quarterback relatively high in April's draft, though maybe not in the first round.
Would quarterback Tyler Shough be a good fit in the 2025 NFL draft for the Seattle Seahawks?
According to ESPN NFL analyst Ben Solak, among the top quarterbacks in 2025, Seattle is the best fit for Louisville's Tyler Shough. Solak says the Seahawks would take the quarterback in the second round at pick 52. Before the last month or so, every other quarterback prospect except for Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward was expected to fall into rounds three or later.
Taking Shough in round two would seemingly be an overdraft by general manager John Schneider at a position that has less need than offensive line, cornerback, safety, and wide receiver.
Shough is 6'5" and 220 pounds, though he has a less-than-ideal hand size at 9 3/4" and had an injury-plagued seven years in college. He will turn 26 early in the 2025 season. Moreover, he is just two years younger than Sam Darnold, who has already spent seven years in the league.
He does have a good arm, but not much mobility. He seems to be more of a spot starter than a player a team would want to waste a second-pick selection on.
Solak believes Shough is a good fit for the Seahawks because the quarterback did a lot of play-action at Louisville, and that is what Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak's system feeds off. Because of Shough's experience in college, he should be able to acclimate to the NFL quicker than his fellow QB prospects.
But Solak's reasoning is flawed. He points out that Darnold is basically on a two-year deal because $15 million of his 2026 salary is already guaranteed. If he sticks with Seattle for two seasons, the team could then move on to Shough (who would then be about to turn 28 years old). The problem is that none of Darnold's contract is guaranteed in 2026 until a week after the 2025 season Super Bowl.