Over the past four seasons, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has chosen 38 players in the NFL draft. Almost ten new prospects per season. The draft has been the most fundamental way in which Schneider has built his Super Bowl-winning roster. The vast majority of Seattle’s projected starters on offense for the 2026 season came in those four draft classes.
The defense features more veteran players acquired as free agents or in trades. Even so, several foundational members of the Dark Side – Devon Witherspoon, Byron Murphy II, Nick Emmanwori – came in those recent drafts, as did a number of younger players who could step into larger roles in the near future.
This year, Schneider has just four picks. He has seemed content to bide his time and gather additional compensatory picks for the 2027 draft. Seattle still has an excellent roster, so that seems a prudent move.
Young edge threat identified as Seattle Seahawks most valuable draft chip
Still, is it possible the GM might look to add some draft capital via a trade before the annual selection extravaganza next month? And if he is entertaining such thoughts, who might he trade?
John Kosko of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) recently wrote an article choosing each NFL team’s most valuable trade bait. He chose edge rusher Derick Hall for the Seahawks.
Hall is an intriguing prospect. The second-round pick out of Auburn in 2023 had a quiet rookie year, but proved to be a dangerous pass rusher in 2024, when he registered eight sacks.
Last year, his sack total dropped significantly, but on the field, he was arguably more dangerous than ever in his breakout sophomore season. Playing in a rotation and getting 250 fewer snaps than in 2024, Hall still managed similar pressure and tackle numbers.
His win rate on pass rush plays went way up, and on a per-play basis, he was far more productive than he had been in his first two years. He continued that strong play into the playoffs, where he got a couple of sacks in three games.
Hall has proven himself to be a dangerous pass rusher who also has the athletic talent to play the run and drop into coverage when required. He has one more year left on his rookie deal. If he continues to develop, Derick Hall could price himself out of Seattle’s league when he hits free agency.
So the thought would be to take advantage of an ascending talent at a very valuable position and recoup some of Seattle’s missing draft capital this year. It’s difficult to put a value on Hall in terms of draft capital, largely because he has yet to prove he can produce in a bigger role.
Last year, Baltimore traded Odafe Oweh, another talented edge who had fallen out of favor with the Ravens, for a mid-level player and a pick swap, allowing Baltimore to move up a few rounds on day three of the draft.
Schneider might also be looking at a day three pick in return for Hall. If that pick were as high as the fourth round, it might be a worthwhile gamble. If it falls into one of the final rounds, it would make more sense for Schneider to retain his rotational edge for the coming season and then bank on a compensatory pick should he sign elsewhere as a free agent.
Seattle has already lost Boye Mafe. DeMarcus Lawrence and Uchenna Nwosu still provide strong play from the edge, but both are getting older. Both benefit from being part of a cadre of quality edges.
Consequently, any decision about trading Derick Hall may be primarily contingent on how Mike Macdonald views several other players.
Seattle had two undrafted free agent edges on the roster last year. Jared Ivey and Connor O’Toole barely played on defense. However, if one or both have shown enough to convince MacDonald they could be quality rotational edges, the imperative to retain Hall lessens.
At this point, though, that does not appear to be the case. With Mafe gone and Lawrence and Nwosu aging, giving up a potent edge like Hall seems questionable. He may be Seattle’s most valuable draft chip, but it does look like Derick Hall would (and should) bring back enough in return to part company this year.