The Seattle Seahawks need to replace right guard Anthony Bradford, but this has been known for several years and hasn't happened. In 2026, though, Bradford will be entering the final year of his rookie contract and shouldn't be brought back in 2027. The team could replace him with a draft pick this year.
If that happens, Iowa's Beau Stephens could be the guy. That is because of Seattle's reported pre-draft visits so far; only one interior offensive lineman is among the group, and Stephens is the one. The Hawkeye is expected to last into day 2 of the draft, but likely because of a lack of positional flexibility.
Offensive tackles get chosen ahead of interior linemen because the tackles have to fend off elite edge rushers. The interior offensive linemen need to stop their quarterback from being pressured, of course, and also be great in run-blocking, but they face fewer one-on-one situations with excellent athletes.
Beau Stephens might be exactly who the Seattle Seahawks need to replace Anthony Bradford
Make no mistake, though, that Beau Stephens is quite good at what he does. He was a First-Team All-American in 2025, allowing just four total pressures and no sacks. He hasn't allowed a sack in the past two years and only two quarterback hits. At 6'5" and 315 pounds (with the frame to gain mass), he keeps his quarterback clean.
He is also excellent in run-blocking as well, though he will need to work on that aspect of his game entering the NFL. He is fundamentally sound, however, so he shouldn't have an issue adjusting how the Seahawks would want him to perform in the run game.
In each of the past two seasons, Stephens has been penalized only once. He is an exceedingly clean player, and added to a line that includes Charles Cross, Grey Zabel, and Abe Lucas, Stephenis might help Seattle have one of the better offensive lines in the league for many years to come.
What keeps Beau Stephens from being a first-round pick is that he has relatively short arms and falls short of elite athleticism. He would still be a good fit in the Seattle Seahawks zone-blocking scheme, though.
As for Anthony Bradford, he has committed at least four penalties in each of his first three seasons and had 10 in 2024. He's also allowed exactly 28 quarterback pressures in every season so far, and 10 total sacks in the past two years. He is only barely better at run-blocking. He lacks athleticism and the ability to move well. He needs to be replaced, and Beau Stephens might be the guy.
Add us as a preferred source on Google