Team general manager John Schneider and the Seattle Seahawks will be tasked with hitting another home run or two in the upcoming NFL Draft set to take place next week, and the pressure is on for a couple of reasons, considering how well Schneider has drafted in the past.
Thanks to the free-agent departures of players like Kenneth Walker III and Riq Woolen, the Seahawks have needs on defense (cornerback and edge rusher) and on offense (running back and even wide receiver). Schneider may have already tipped his cap in the direction the Seahawks will go in the draft, but nothing is certain.
Outside voices have projected and predicted who the Seahawks like and who they'll take as long as those players are available. All of that said, however, and considering Schneider's excellent draft selections in the past, do Seattle's picks this year have a chance to equal last year's? All things considered, the Seahawks' 2025 draft class is one of their best in recent memory.
The Seattle Seahawks 2025 draft class included Grade A picks like Nick Emmanwori and Grey Zabel
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected guard Grey Zabel at No. 18 in the first round, safety Nick Emmanwori at No. 35 in the second round, tight end Elijah Arroyo at No. 50 also in the second round, quarterback Jalen Milroe at No. 92 in the third round, and defensive tackle Rylie Mills at No. 142 in the fifth round.
A year later, all of the above-mentioned players, save for Milroe, have seen playing time, or at the very least been afforded opportunities here and there to get on the field (Mills has seen the least playing time aside from Milroe).
Still, both Milroe and Mills can rest on the fact that the jury is still out on them, and their chances will come in due time. As for the likes of Zabel, Emmanwori, and Arroyo, the Seahawks have already seen the impact of their first three draft picks from a year ago.
While Zabel and Arroyo have shown great potential in their positions (Arroyo is on track to make a significant jump in year two), Emmanwori has thus far shown the brightest for Seattle and made their second-round pick of him look like a home run.
Emmanwori was a massive contributor to the Seahawks' elite defense last year, despite being a rookie. His versatility as a safety, being able to morph into a linebacker in situational football, was integral to Seattle's defensive schemes.
Zabel was also a significant piece in helping the Seahawks win the Super Bowl as a rookie. In fact, even though there is always room for growth after year one, there is an argument to be made that Emmanwori and Zabel are already ahead of schedule in their development.
Schneider already struck gold with Byron Murphy II and AJ Barner in the 2024 draft, which followed up his outstanding 2023 draft selection in Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, not to mention Derick Hall and Zach Charbonnet.
There is no question that Schneider knows how to draft elite talent and solid depth, as he has for over a decade. This year's draft should be no different, and Seahawks fans are in good hands with Schneider at the decision table. The only question is: can he outdo what he did last year?
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