Roster-building through the offseason comes in waves. The first wave has now come and gone. Though there are still dozens of intriguing free agents on the market, most NFL teams struck fast in the opening days of the new league year to snap up the players they wanted the most. Now, the league enters a lull. Things will not really rev up again until the draft, a little more than a month away.
Seattle Seahawks fans have witnessed several decisive moves made by general manager John Schneider. Geno Smith, D.K. Metcalf, and (probably) Tyler Lockett are gone. Sam Darnold will take over at quarterback, while Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling are in at receiver. Laken Tomlinson has left a hole on the offensive line, while DeMarcus Lawrence will help bolster the defensive front.
Schneider will most likely sign another player or two in the coming weeks, but now, most of the front office’s attention turns to the draft. Trading Smith and Metcalf have given Schneider excellent capital with which to work. The Seahawks currently have 10 picks, including three compensatory selections.
Seattle Seahawks fix the offensive line in new 7-round 2025 mock draft
After poor results in last year’s draft, this will be Schneider’s single biggest opportunity to revive a franchise that has seemed to be treading water since the final days of Russell Wilson.
The following mock draft is not predictive. As the actual event approaches, we will be able to make more educated guesses as to what the GM has in mind based on reported prospect interviews and whatever other scuttlebutt we can pick up in the ether.
For today, we are just doing what I want to see. I am using Pro Football Network’s draft tool, which allows for some trading within the draft. As you will see, I made two trades. I did not gain any picks this year but I put a very good one in the bank for 2026.
Round 1, pick 18: TRADE – Atlanta
I traded the 18th pick in the first round to the Falcons in exchange for the 23rd pick and Atlanta’s 2nd-round pick in 2026.
Round 1, pick 23: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
I was hoping for a trade-back opportunity in round one. After about the first dozen picks, there is a drop-off where a lot of the talent is very close. With several players I still wanted on the board at 18, I moved back five spots and received a second-rounder next year.
Nick Emmanwori, the dynamic safety from South Carolina who I had taken in my last mock, was still available, but with the rebuilding that is now occurring on the Seahawks’ offense, I couldn’t pass on Loveland. He is a big, athletic, tight end who will make an immediate impact in Klint Kubiak’s offense.
Pairing him with A.J. Barner in either 22 formations or with both Jaxon Smith Njigba and Cooper Kupp on the field offers great run/pass flexibility. We saw a prototype for this last year in Las Vegas. Loveland will catch a lot of balls in this offense and he will make Barner a more productive player as well, capitalizing on his blocking and underneath routes.
Round 2, pick 50: Josh Conerly, Jr. OT, Oregon
I was delighted that Conerly was on the board at 50. He is an athletic, polished tackle who, like Loveland, will contribute from day one. The only potential problem is that he has played on the left side exclusively at Oregon, and that, of course, is the one spot where Seattle is currently secure.
No matter. He is such a sophisticated pass blocker that I suspect he will be able to make the move to the right side with a little work in the offseason. And should Charles Cross want to test the free agent waters two years from now, Conerly would be primed to step right in on the left side.
Round 2, pick 52: Wyatt Milum, OG, West Virginia
You see the strategy, right? Get the most immediately impactful player in round one, and then attack the team’s biggest weakness – the offensive line – as aggressively as possible. Milum is not an elite athlete. However, at 6’6” and 313 pounds, he is no slouch either. And he is a plug-and-play guard who already shows sophisticated technique. In other words, Milum is not a project. He played a lot of tackle at West Virginia but, given his arm length, is destined to move inside to guard in the NFL.
Round 3, pick 82: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
I had no intention of taking Milroe – or any quarterback – this early. But when he fell into the third round, he became an obvious choice. Physically dominant but still very green, Milroe is an ideal candidate to sit for a year or two behind a veteran like Sam Darnold as he learns the pro game. His spectacular running ability and powerful arm will make him a versatile gadget player for Kubiak early on.
The problem with drafting Milroe is that he will not be reliable should he have to step in for an injured Darnold in year one. That may necessitate keeping a third quarterback – perhaps Sam Howell – on the active roster. But Howell needs some competition, and Milroe has a huge upside.
Round 3, pick 92: TRADE – Philadelphia
I traded picks 92 and 234 to the Eagles for picks 96 and 165.
Round 3, pick 96: Jared Ivey, E, Mississippi
I was considering taking Ivery at 82, so I was pleased that he remained on the board here. With Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, and now DeMarcus Lawrence, Seattle doesn’t really need another defensive end. And that doesn’t even account for last year’s top pic,k Byron Murphy II.
But as the Eagles have proven, teams can never have enough linemen on both sides of the ball. Ivey can make an immediate impact as a power rusher off the edge, and playing behind Lawrence should offer him a crash course in how to play the run on the edge.
Round 4, pick 137: Danny Stutsman, LB, Oklahoma
Stutsman is a productive all-around linebacker. He is an athletic player who moves well and always seems to be involved in running plays. Stutsman would have been a low-cost replacement for Ernest Jones IV had the Hawks lost him. Now, the rookie could play behind Jones or could pair with him to give Seattle a very good run defense in the middle of the field.
Round 5, pick 165: Rylie Mills, DT, Notre Dame
As with the Milroe selection, I did not have Mills or a defensive tackle targeted with this pick, acquired from the Eagles. But Mills is simply too disruptive a force to pass up. He combines length, speed, and instincts to make plenty of plays in the backfield. The reason Mills fell this far is injury-related. He is currently recovering from an ACL tear suffered late last season.
It is possible he may not be ready for the start of the 2025 season. Whatever team picks him may simply decide to let him recuperate for the entire year. With relative strength along the defensive front, Seattle can afford to do that. Then, as older players like Reed and Lawrence – and one day, even Leonard Williams – are retiring, Seattle will have players like Murphy and Mills ready to step in.
Round 5, pick 172: Jake Majors, C, Texas
Majors is not going to blow anyone away with his physical attributes. What he has is outstanding experience at the highest levels and excellent technique that he has honed through four seasons of starting with the Longhorns. If forced into action early, Majors might struggle with the speed and power of opposing interior linemen, but he will not be overwhelmed, either physically or mentally.
Round 5, pick 175: Kitan Crawford, S, Nevada
If Crawford were a little bigger, he would be a Day Two safety prospect. At 5’10”, 202, he is a bit undersized. But he has excellent speed and shows natural aggressiveness in run support. He will be an immediate contributor on special teams and could fill a variety of roles for a creative defensive coordinator.
Though this projection might be an overreach, I see a little bit of Bob Sanders, the Colts' outstanding undersized safety, when watching Crawford on tape.
Round 7, pick 223: Elijhah Badger, WR, Florida
I intended to take both a corner and a wide receiver with two of my ten picks. With corners, I simply never found any I liked. With receivers, there were several intriguing prospects available in the 7th round. In some ways, Badger is the safest of these players. He has the size and skills to be a legitimate pro receiver. He has been productive.
He does not have the blazing speed you’d prefer in a wideout, but running out of the slot, he could be a sneaky option. Plus, his quickness and ability to read zones have made him a solid return man in college, and the Hawks could use that as well.
I like the group of players, both in terms of making an immediate impact and as pieces of a long-term roster. Plus, I added an extra second-round pick next year. If Michael Penix struggles in Atlanta, that could be a very valuable selection.
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