The Seattle Seahawks used to be a bit trickier to predict in any given draft because the team would often trade back or take a risk with their first choice. Since general manager John Schneider took over roster control after firing head coach Pete Carroll, who was let go after the 2023 season, the team has taken fewer gambles.
Staying put has helped Schneider, though. His last couple of drafts have been brilliant. The problem in 2026 is that the team has just four selections.
What can Seahawks fans expect from the team this April? Could Schneider trade back for the first time in 2019? Anything might happen, but here are three guesses at what will.
Three guesses at what the Seattle Seahawks will do early in the 2026 NFL draft
Trading back
The most obvious thing Seattle could do is also the most logical. The 2026 draft isn't loaded with perceived high-end talent, so what the Seahawks could get at pick 32 is akin to what they could get in the 40s. Plus, John Schneider would probably want to add more picks to the four the team has.
Of course, the lack of great depth might also make it more difficult to find a team that wants to move up. The hope is that someone sees a player they like and would like to have the bonus of having a fifth-round option for the player that comes with a first-round pick.
The risk, of course, is passing on a player who turns out to be quite good, such as edge rusher Zion Young or cornerback Chris Johnson might do. What 12s can expect is for Schneider to make the right decision.
Seahawks take running back Jadarian Price
Assuming that Seattle sticks with the final pick in round one, Price wouldn't be a shock for the team to choose. Taking a running back so early in the draft might be pooh-poohed by most teams, as the position has a relatively short shelf life in the NFL, but Price also fills an immediate need for the Seahawks.
Kenneth Walker left in free agency, and presumptive starter Zach Charbonnet will be coming off an ACL tear that he suffered in the playoffs. After Charbonnet, Seattle's running back group might be decent, but it is unproven. Relying on any one of them to be productive is a gamble.
Price is clearly the second-best back in the 2026 after his Notre Dame teammate Jeremiyah Love, and has the speed and power to be a good pro. He needs to work on his fumbling issues, though, or he won't see much playing time.
Seahawks take cornerback Colton Hood
Like Price, Hood fits an immediate need the Seattle Seahawks have. Riq Woolen left in free agency, and Josh Jobe will be counted on to be a full-time starter at the beginning of the season for the first time. Jobe can be good, but he will also feel the weight of expectations.
Hood is 6-feet and 195 pounds with solid speed (he has been timed as fast as 4.44 in the 40-yard dash), and he is a willing and efficient run-defender. That will be key to getting instant playing time in Mike Macdonald's scheme. It could also be a reason that Schneider chooses Hood if he falls to 32.
Still, most likely, the Seahawks will trade back and out of the first round in the 2026 draft. Maybe the team will be lucky enough to find Hood still on the board when Seattle does have its first choice.