As they say, it’s always draft season in the NFL, and it’s no different for the Seattle Seahawks. Fans and analysts alike can see the gaps in the roster that will be a big talking point in the upcoming offseason.
At least some of those types find reason to point the finger at Cooper Kupp as someone who needs replacing in the offense. The former NFL Offensive Player of the Year hasn’t exactly revived his career in Year 1 with the Seahawks. He’s barrelling toward one of the worst statistical performances in his career despite being the second-most targeted pass-catcher on the team.
Seattle has already made one move this season to get more out of the passing game, trading for Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline. But who’s to say that Seattle couldn’t make another move at the position in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Bold draft swing at WR would force the Seattle Seahawks to confront tough decisions about Cooper Kupp sooner than expected
USA Today’s Ayrton Ostly recently published a mock draft that saw the Seahawks pick up USC wideout Makai Lemon with the 27th overall pick. Lemon, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior slot receiver, has 78 catches for 1,124 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Trojans in 11 games this season.
“Lemon would be an ideal fit as the offense's No. 2 option,” Ostly wrote. “He's as sure a thing in the slot as there is in the class with a very high floor. He'd fit in and exploit defenses paying too much attention to Smith-Njigba.”
Projecting a rookie wideout in Seattle’s 2026 offense as a WR2 is a bold take, even with Kupp losing a bit of a step. Shaheed and promising rookie Tory Horton would have something to say about that just as much as Kupp.
Still, a tough, underneath option like Lemon would be a welcome addition to the offense with Smith-Njigba burning defenses everywhere else. Lemon has demonstrated over the past two seasons that he’s a lethal threat to defenses after the catch, and if that skill translates to the NFL quickly, he would be an interesting addition to the Seahawks’ roster.
On the whole, though, it seems unlikely that Seattle would pursue a wide receiver in the first round if there aren’t other options at positions of need available.
General manager John Schneider and his staff went the unconventional route in last year’s draft by selecting an FCS-level tackle-turned-guard in Grey Zabel with the 18th overall selection, and that has turned out to be a fantastic decision. With Anthony Bradford continuing to struggle at the right guard spot, the team could be inclined to find a replacement early in the draft.
In a similar vein, Kupp is under contract through the 2027 season. If he were cut after this season, Seattle would eat somewhere in the ballpark of $12-13.5 million in dead cap money.
If they drafted a receiver like Lemon and didn’t cut Kupp, then Seattle would either be paying Kupp a lot for nothing or have invested a first-rounder in Lemon for modest production, considering the amount of 12 personnel the offense runs.