Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider said during the team's pre-draft press conference on Monday what all 12s assumed. That is that the team is looking to potentially trade back in order to acquire additional picks. Another way Seattle could do that is by possibly trading former starting center Olu Oluwatimi.
ESPN's Brady Henderson suggested as much while on Seattle Sports 710 AM's Bump and Stacy show this week. The reporter is a longtime insider of the Seahawks, so if he thinks there is a chance something might happen, then there is a real chance it does.
Henderson said, "It would not shock me if there is a trade, maybe even before the draft, maybe during the draft. Olu Oluwatimi is a guy that I kind of wonder about his long-term future in Seattle, and maybe you flip him for a Day 3 pick."
Seattle Seahawks linked to potential trade of center Olu Oluwatimi for Day 3 draft pick
The only question with the above is whether Oluwatimi, who was a fifth-round pick in 2023, has any draft value to another team. He hasn't shown himself to be capable of being a long-term starter, and questions about his strength that existed in his draft year haven't been fully answered.
The center started eight games in 2024, and he wasn't terrible. He wasn't so good that the Seahawks were ready to cement his spot along the offensive line, though. Last season, Jalen Sundell beat Oluwatimi out for the starting position and stayed there except for the four games he spent on injured reserve after hurting his knee.
That Sundell was decent but not great might also be telling about Oluwatimi, and other teams are going to notice that. The 2023 fifth-round pick hasn't been able to beat out the 2024 undrafted free agent for a starting gig. Would he go to a different team and do better?
Even if another team is entertaining that thought, it doesn't mean that team is willing to give the Seattle Seahawks a Day 3 draft pick. That would be anywhere from rounds four through seven, and as Oluwatimi was a fifth-rounder, Seattle likely can assume they wouldn't get better draft value than they spent on the center.
Is giving up Olu Oluwatimi, a fairly good option to have as a backup, for a sixth-round or seventh-round choice enough just so the Seahawks can say they had more than the four selections they have entering the 2026 draft? That's questionable. Not that Brady Henderson is wrong, of course, because he easily could be correct, but the move still might not be a smart one for John Schneider.
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