According to various reports, the Seattle Seahawks are taking a meeting with Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald. While the team can visit with as many as 30 players before the NFL draft, meeting with McDonald could indicate what the team is hoping to do in 2026.
In 2025, Seattle had 11 picks, and nine of those selections were spent on offensive players, which was an unusually one-sided ratio. Though the team only has four choices ahead of the 2026 draft, McDonald's visit might prove that general manager John Schneider wants to spend most of those resources on the defense, especially on the defensive line.
That would make complete sense, too. While Seattle is likely set to have a very good D-line again next season, some of the key parts are getting older. Leonard Williams will be 32 years old in Week 1, and Jarran Reed will be 33.
Seattle Seahawks reportedly meet with Ohio State product Kayden McDonald
Byron Murphy II is turning into a very good player and will only be in his third season of his career. Rylie Mills missed much of last season, but will only be in his second year in 2026. The assumption would be that the Seahawks want to get younger on the line before it suddenly gets quite old.
McDonald has been projected in most mocks to go in the mid-to-late 20s in April's draft. Seattle doesn't choose until 32 at the earliest. The team could choose to trade back in hopes of picking up another 2026 selection or two. Four picks are not many, and Schneider would almost certainly want more.
What appears clear is that the Seahawks would not trade up any spots to grab McDonald. Schneider doesn't have the draft capital to truly do that, unless he is able to move Seattle's first-round pick this season, and then another later-round choice in 2027. That doesn't appear likely.
But let's dream that for whatever reason, Kayden McDonald does fall to the Seattle Seahawks at 32. He would instantly be a massive presence in the middle of the line and help to continue shutting down the run.
The Ohio State product is 6'2" and 326 pounds, and while he isn't overly athletic, he does have some quickness in small spaces and is strong enough to go hand-to-hand with interior NFL offensive linemen. He will need to develop better pass-rush technique, but he would get plenty of snaps early in his career on early downs to stop running backs.
Does Seattle need a player like McDonald more than it needs an edge rusher or high-end safety? Maybe not, but John Schneider is going to choose the best player available for the Seahawks' system. If that happens to be Kayden McDonald, it wouldn't be a surprise.