While the Seattle Seahawks find themselves in a legitimate battle for the NFC West crown, the 2025 NFL Draft may be far from the fans’ mindset, but that is most definitely not the case for John Schneider and company. With Schneider and a sizeable Seahawks contingent in Austin, Texas, last week to watch the Texas Longhorns get throttled by the Georgia Bulldogs, it was made clear the draft is very much on Seatle’s mind.
A lot is still to be determined this season. There’s a path where the Seahawks struggle and find themselves with a top-10 pick. There’s also a path where Mike Macdonald and the players break through, win the NFC West, and could be looking at multiple home playoff games. Players such as Geno Smith and DK Metcalf could ascend and be locked up for the next half-decade, or there’s a scenario where both are traded, and the Seahawk end up with five or six picks in the top 100 but are facing a true rebuild.
Right now, I don’t want to step too far into the future plans beyond what Seattle currently has in their arsenal for the first three rounds of the 2025 draft. Before we get to the selections, there are a few observations that need to be stated about this class.
Seahawks get offensive in this third-round mock draft
First, this class is very weak at the top. I currently have 12 prospects that I feel are legitimate first-round prospects. This doesn't include my evaluations of the quarterback position. They are the last position that I evaluate, as I prefer to see the whole body of work (specifically, the CFP games or conference title games carry a great deal of weight to me in my evaluations).
Secondly, other than once a decade, the QB position bullrushes its way up the draft boards due to the need for the position. I foresee this season having at least four QBs that will go in the first round, with the majority going in the top 15 picks. With the Seahawks currently selecting pick 20, this increases their odds (like last year with Byron Murphy) of selecting a legitimate 1st round talent in a spot that accurately fits the value of the pick.
Third, for my mock draft articles between now and April, I will almost exclusively be using Pro Football Network. Their rankings are the most realistic, and their system is easy to use. Let’s mock!
Round 1 pick 20: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
For the second straight season, the Seahawks benefit from a quarterback run, acquiring my #10 overall prospect in the draft, the former national championship tight end out of Michigan. Loveland, a native of Gooding, Idaho, had a tremendous sophomore season with 45 receptions, 649 receiving yards, and four touchdowns in Jim Harbaugh’s offense that went 15-0.
This year, with arguably the worst quarterback situation in the entire country, Loveland leads the team with 36 receptions, 344 yards, and two touchdowns through five games.
With a 6’5” 245 lbs frame, Loveland is a plus blocker with exceptional skills in the receiving game. He’s far too athletic for linebackers and physically bullies defensive backs. In a different offense or with a legitimate quarterback, you’d be hearing a lot more from Loveland this season.
He is in the Brock Bowers realm and would bring immediate attitude, physicality, and talent to the Seahawks' rushing and passing attack.
Round 2 pick 54: Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas
While Jordan Love was signed this season to a contract extension, there’s a bit of uncertainty going into 2025 at the safety position. Assuming Seattle locks up newly acquired linebacker Ernest Jones IV, look for Mike Macdonald to look for a talented safety to properly run his scheme: enter Andrew Mukuba.
Mukuba is a senior transfer from Clemson who is now roaming one of the better defenses in the country at Texas. With exceptional speed and ball recognition, you’ll notice that his stats are much lighter than most safeties that you’ll see in this draft. That’s because he has the ability to deter quarterbacks from even testing him. When they have this season, it’s usually been a mistake, as he has three passes defended and two interceptions so far in seven games.
Round 3 pick 85: Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State
I think it's a near guarantee that this is Tyler Lockett’s final season in Seattle. Age and his contract situation make it unrealistic for him to return next season. That opens the door for Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo to step up, but also for Seattle to add to the position group in the draft. Jalen Royals is the perfect addition to this team.
If you happened to watch Boise State superstar Ashton Jeanty running for a million yards against Utah State, you might have noticed that Utah State wide receiver caught nine passes for a whopping 211 yards and two touchdowns. That was Jalen Royals.
Royals is a 6’0” 205 lbs senior who, while he is on a pretty bad team, has dominated all competitions with 55 receptions for 834 yards and six touchdowns in just seven games. He has 4.3-level speed and plays like a 6’4” receiver. If you want a guy to help take the top off the defense, making it difficult for defenses to solely focus on Metcalf, then Royals could be a 3rd round plug and play wideout.