If recent years are any indication, there will be about 14,321 mock drafts focused exclusively on the Seattle Seahawks between the end of the regular season and the actual one draft that matters in late April. This will be my first addition to that total. There will be more.
I should say this is my first formal, meaningful mock. Like thousands of other fans, I’ve been toying with scenarios and prospects – projecting what it might look like to have Cam Ward handing off to Ashton Jeanty next year while throwing seams to Colston Loveland. All, naturally, in action green and college navy. But now that the season has ended, we have a lot more information and we can get a little bit more realistic in our projections.
We know, for instance, the draft position that John Schneider will have to work with. We have our most complete evaluation of the roster. We know what young or new players still have room to grow and which older players may be headed for an exit. We know about health issues. We are beginning to get a sense of what other franchises may be planning.
Fixing the Seattle Seahawks offensive line in this 2025 NFL mock draft
Now, when I say “we know,” it does not really mean we know. We just have the latest data in an ever-expanding universe. There are lots of things we absolutely do not know in early January. From a roster perspective, we don’t know Schneider’s plans for free agency. And from an evaluation perspective, we are still in the early stages of the process.
At this point, what I know primarily comes from the players I have watched in games and the opinions I have read from scouts I trust. That means I have not watched much tape myself. I will do more of that in the coming months and will certainly add to my own knowledge base.
But I feel good enough to dive in today. I’ve seen a lot of these players at least a few times and read a lot more. When my own eyes agree with what trusted scouts are saying, I usually feel good about the evaluation. For this first draft, I did not project any trades.
And the draft tool I am using – Pro Football Network’s Mock Draft Simulator - is currently giving the Seahawks nine total picks, which is one more than I am aware of. That is usually due to discrepancies in the compensatory picks awarded to teams that have lost free agents – a determination that will not be finalized until later this year.
Be that as it may, we’re still plowing forward in this most inexact of sciences.
First round, pick 18 - Tyler Booker, Offensive Guard, Alabama
The most glaring weakness on the Seahawks is the offensive line, and the most glaring weakness on the line is at right guard, where three different linemen tried and failed to provide dependable play. Last year’s third-round pick, Christian Haynes, was expected to secure the position, but his rookie season was a washout.
By the end, he had been surpassed by another rookie, Sataoa Laumea. He struggled as well. It is possible that whoever comes in as the new offensive coordinator sees something in those young players, including original starter Anthony Bradford, that gives him hope. That seems like a reach right now. Left guard Laken Tomlinson is a pending free agent who turns 33 next month. The Hawks need major help on the line.
There are some who do not believe in spending a first-round pick on an interior lineman, and often, I agree with that mindset. But Booker was the highest player on my own developing board when my pick came and I didn’t think twice about grabbing him. He is an exceptional physical talent.
He looks even bigger than his 6’5”, 325-pound frame. He has great straight-ahead power and anchors beautifully in pass pro. For such a big man, he is surprisingly nimble when he pulls. He is not fast, but he usually reaches his targets and understands how to use his bulk to create gaps for his runner.
Booker played three years for Alabama against top-tier competition, usually lining up at left guard. He will not dominate from day one, but he will be effective and, with proper coaching, should develop into a very good starting guard.
Second round, pick 50 - Emery Jones, Offensive Tackle, LSU
It was not my intention to double down on the offensive line, but it was always a possibility. Once again, Jones' reliable upside was just too much to pass up in a position of such need. Like Booker, Jones played three years against SEC competition, and in 2023, blocking for Jayden Daniels was excellent.
He has great length and power and also moves very well for a big man. He may need some work on his ability to swivel and match speed rushers on the outside, but to be fair, it is the rare college tackle who enters the league fully prepared to mirror Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett.
Jones played on the right side at LSU and in an ideal scenario, he would develop for a while behind Abraham Lucas next year, serving as a swing tackle and logging time at guard when necessary. But Lucas has had health issues and is scheduled to hit free agency after next season. Jones could be decent as a rookie. He should be ready to step in as a plus right tackle by his second year.
Third round, pick 82 - Azareye’h Thomas, Cornerback, Florida State
Cornerback is not an obvious need for Seattle heading into the 2025 season, but Thomas was the best player available when my pick came up. And I firmly believe you can never have too many corners. One of the biggest projects for Mike Macdonald next year is getting Riq Woolen back on track. If he struggles, Thomas is ready to play big minutes right away. If Woolen returns to form, then Seattle will have an excellent group of corners to match up against high-powered passing attacks.
Thomas has prototypical size. He doesn’t have lightning speed but he is fast enough. Most of all, he is a very effective, versatile cover corner who has shown the ability to play both press and zone. Some scouts have projected him as a safety due to his natural ball-tracking skills.
Thomas is a strong tackler, and he made an interception against Virginia Tech in 2023 that was as good a catch as any made by Justin Jefferson or Ja’Marr Chase. Thomas will be ready to contribute from Day 1.
Fourth round, pick 135 - Cam Skattebo, Running Back, Arizona State
This is a projected compensatory pick. The Seahawks traded their own fourth-rounder in the Ernest Jones IV deal back in October.
I had no intention of drafting a running back this early. And I don’t believe that flavor-of-the-week Cam Skattebo will be able to run through NFL defenders the way he did in college. It’s just that firepower like this is too unique and compelling to pass up on Day Three. Kenneth Walker has had trouble staying healthy. I like Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh, and George Holani, but Scattebo has the potential to make game-changing plays that those other backups do not.
It is unfair to project him as a new Marshawn Lynch, but the man who is making “contact balance” sexy will be the best power runner the Hawks have had since Beastmode. And he can be very effective on swings and screens. Holani was a pleasant surprise in camp last year. Skattebo has the potential to be a lot more. If nothing else, he will be fun to watch running downfield on kick coverage.
Fifth round, pick 169 - Ja’Corey Brooks, Wide Receiver, Louisville
This is the second of three projected compensatory picks. Seattle’s original pick was given up as part of the Leonard Williams trade.
On Days one and two, you have to hit on almost all of your selections. Day 3 allows for more adventure. You can sometimes take a flier on a high-ceiling playmaker. That is what Jz’Corey Brooks is. Brooks has had a maddening career. Injuries have slowed him down. Inconsistency has been a concern. A surprisingly mundane 4.65 40 time is worrisome. Still, he has shown the ability to be a big-time playmaker and if his health issues are behind him, he could be a huge steal.
Brooks was on the verge of breaking out at Alabama when he suffered a shoulder injury during his junior year. He eventually transferred to Louisville. Brooks has excellent hands. He tracks deep balls well. He can run. He has had periods of great productivity in his college career. At those times, he has looked like Ja’Marr Chase. OK- maybe a poor man’s Ja’Marr Chase.
At other times he has seemed to disappear. In Seattle, were he to run patterns from the Z or X alongside DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, he could give opposing defenses huge headaches. Brooks is a risk, but in the fifth round, his upside is too high to pass up.
Sixth round, pick 184 - Malik Verdon, Safety, Iowa State
There is some confusion over the Seahawks' sixth-round draft picks. They are expected to get one more compensatory pick in the round, and they essentially flipped their original pick in two trades this past season. So I can’t figure out why my simulator awarded me three picks in the round, but I’ll take them. For now.
With this first one, I’m getting a player I absolutely love. Verdon (accent on the second syllable), is a big, mobile safety who makes huge hits and runs well enough to play all over the field. He has had some nagging forearm injuries which may scare teams off a bit.
Verdon is big – 6’4" and 220 pounds – and he plays big. He played at a very high level over the last two years with the Cyclones, covering sideline to sideline as a nickel corner/safety. I understand this is a reach, but I can’t help but see Kyle Hamilton when I watch him, and I don’t think Mike Macdonald can pass up the chance to groom another top-tier safety. Hamilton was the key to the defenses Macdonald ran in Baltimore. Verdon could develop into that type of player in Seattle.
Sixth round, pick 194 - Jahvaree Ritzie, Defensive Tackle, UNC
I want to make clear that I liked Jahvaree Ritzie before Leonard Williams’ spectacular pick-6 against the Jets this year. But that play just felt like some sort of message from above because Ritzie had done the exact same thing against UVA earlier this year. A big defensive tackle with the agility to grab a batted ball and then rumble 84 yards for a score? Let Ritzie play behind Williams for a year or two and then slot him in next the Byron Murphy in the middle of the line.
Seattle’s interior defensive line is getting old and has had trouble stopping the run even when going full throttle. Ritzie is an athletic big body. He carries about 290 pounds very well and may be best suited to play end in a 3-4, but he also shows a good knack for using his quickness to shoot gaps. In order to really play inside on a consistent basis, he will need to add some bulk. I think he can do that, but even if he can’t, he still offers MacDonald some options on how to play him in multiple alignments.
Sixth round, pick 212 - Josh Priebe, Offensive Guard, Michigan
Sometimes you just need a tough guy in the middle of your line. Priebe began his college career at Northwestern, where he excelled in 2023. He transferred to Michigan the following year and continued his fine play. At 6’5,” 305, he has good size and power and probably has the ability to add some weight to his frame. But Preibe’s best attribute is his toughness.
He played some tackle in college but is best suited to line up inside in the pros. He has a lot of experience and does many of the little things well. He is good with his hands. He understands positioning. And he routinely plays to the last echo of the whistle. Coming from the Big Ten, Priebe should be able to make the transition to the NFL and provide the Hawks with the depth they desperately need across the line.
Seventh round, pick 233 - J.J. Pegues, Defensive Tackle, Ole Miss
Are you getting the sense that one of my main missions here is to build up both of the Seahawks’ lines? I think Mike MacDonald wants to do that as much as anything. He has some strong players on both lines, like Leonard Williams and Charles Cross, but too often, Seattle found themselves being pushed around in 2024. JJ Pegues will provide another big body to help replace the aging rotation in the middle of the Hawks' defense. Plus, he can run.
Pegues earned a brief spotlight earlier this season when he scored not one, but two touchdowns against South Carolina. On both plays, he took direct shotgun snaps – something you don’t often see from a 325-pounder defensive lineman. On the first play, he powered his way into the end zone. On the next, he showed remarkable nimbleness and actually danced outside for an easy score.
Those were two of the seven touchdowns the fifth-year senior scored on 21 runs in 2024. Of course, Pegues needs to be a force on defense if he is going to make a mark in the NFL, and he showed good pop from the middle of the line, totaling 3.5 sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss in 13 games this past season.
There you have it. I seriously considered taking a developmental QB in the later rounds and I kind of wanted a linebacker. But I am happy with this haul. Three athletic playmakers on offense and defense, along with a bunch of big tough players on both sides of the ball. With improvements along the offensive line, the Hawks could just line up Skattebo and Pegues in the backfield and pound opponents into submission.