The Seattle Seahawks might still snatch up a free agent edge rusher this offseason, but the remaining ones are likely only one-year fixes to add to a good group that includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derick Hall. The 2027 NFL draft might be when the team finds its next long-term impact player.
Plus, it's never too early for a mock draft, right? The Athletic's Dane Brugler has already produced one following the 2026 draft, and in the first round of the mock, Seattle takes Clemson's Will Heldt. Heldt played for Purdue in his first two years in college, but exploded in his first year with the Tigers.
In 2025, the 6'6" and 260-pound edge rusher had 45 total pressures, 7.5 sacks, and 15.5 tackles for loss. He already has excellent size for the NFL with the capacity to gain even more mass, if needed. While Clemson had a loaded defensive line last season with 2026 draft picks Peter Woods and TJ Parker, Heldt might have been the best of the bunch.
Seattle Seahawks projected to choose Clemson's Will Heldt in 2027 mock draft
Which, of course, leads to the biggest issue with the Seahawks being projected to take Heldt next year. Brugler has the team picking at No. 31 (oddly, the Los Angeles Rams are picking No. 32, which implies the Rams would beat Seattle in next season's Super Bowl, which is an impossibility as both teams are in the NFC), and assuming Heldt is better in 2026, he could go high in the draft.
12s wouldn't want Seattle to be so bad that they are in a position to choose Will Heldt, though, so it's a bit of a catch-22. Getting the edge rusher would be great, but no fan wants the team to be bad enough to do it.
Brugler has four edge rushers going before Heldt, so maybe the position is so deep that the Clemson product will still be available. Just imagine what head coach Mike Macdonald could do with the player. By 2028, Heldt could be an All-Pro and stay at that level for many seasons.
Also of note, The Athletic's mock draft has the Arizona Cardinals taking Texas' Arch Manning with the first selection. That means the Seattle Seahawks' NFC West rival would be so bad that the team from the Pacific Northwest should count on two wins against the team from the desert. Some things never change.
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