The Seattle Seahawks have made several bold selections in the 2025 NFL draft already. With their fourth pick overall, John Schneider just sent a message to the entire league. It's on, baby.
John Schneider went against some of his long-standing trends with the first pick of this draft by taking offensive lineman Grey Zabel with his first pick. Zabel projects best at center or guard. We know Steve Hutchinson had a lot to do with that. The Hall of Fame guard was taken with the 17th pick overall, so he knows something about the value of guards.
Schneider then went back to his bag of tricks and made a trade in the second round. But this time he traded up, not down. The results of Seattle's trading down have been uneven. For every Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner - granted, amazingly great picks - there have been four or five like Germain Ifedi, Paul Richardson, and Anthony Bradford. Trading up, though, has been a different story.
Seahawks break with tradition repeatedly on Day 2 of the NFL draft
Schneider hasn't traded up nearly as often as he's traded down. But when he has, it's almost always been the right move. Except for trading up to get the nearly complete bust Darrell Taylor, Seattle has done a terrific job at moving up to get top players. Jarran Reed, Michael Dickson, DK Metcalf, and Tyler Lockett were all drafted by Schneider after he moved up to get them.
Now we can add Nick Emmanwori's name to that list. There hasn't quite been a safety in the league like the South Carolina star since Kam Chancellor destroyed ball carriers in Seattle a few years ago. Emmanwori shows every sign of being that guy for the Seahawks. I see his selection as just as necessary as Zabel's pick in the first round.
Schneider stayed pat with the 50th pick to shore up a position that needed some depth. Better yet, the selection of tight end Elijah Arroyo enables the Seahawks to make a move with Noah Fant. Fant's a good player, sure, but he also has the second-highest cap hit on the team this year. Trading or cutting him would clear nearly $8 million from the Seahawks' cap. No matter what Seattle does here, drafting Arroyo was a win.
With their fourth pick, the third of Day 2, Schneider unleashed the dogs of war. Drafting Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe with the 92nd pick is a stroke of genius. It's no secret that Seattle has put Sam Howell on the trading block. This move all but finalizes that as a reality. Drew Lock probably isn't too thrilled about this, but he's had three chances now to show he's a starter in the NFL. He still may do it, sure, but those odds just dropped again.
As for Sam Darnold, he doesn't have that much to worry about. Yes, on the surface, it looks like the Falcons are drafting Michael Penix after they signed Kirk Cousins. But there's a world of difference between the 8th pick overall and the 92nd. No one lets the number 8 pick ride the bench anymore. The 92nd pick, that's a different story.
Russell Wilson wasn't taken until the 75th pick. For that matter, Cousins lasted until pick 102. There will be zero pressure to get Milroe on the field in 2025. If Darnold falters or is injured, Lock will be there to step in. Unless, of course, Seattle's newest quarterback lights it up in camp, as Wilson did.
And that's what sealed the 2025 draft as such a massive win for John Schnieder. Yes, they still need to add another guard, another wide receiver, a cornerback - yadda yadda yadda. There's a lot of depth at all of those positions, and the Seahawks don't need to draft stars at any of them.
Yes, it would be great if they did. But based on the four players John Schneider has already added, the Seahawks are definitely in the hunt for the next several years.