General manager John Schneider wasn't a huge fan of the potential high-end talent in the 2026 NFL draft, or he just didn't think there was much of it. He began the draft with four picks, finished with eight, but many of those came in the later rounds.
Three, in fact, came in the seventh round, and with the second of those selections, Seattle took defensive tackle Deven Eastern out of Minnesota. Will he make the team? Maybe not, but as all 12s know, the team has been mostly successful over the last decade and a half because of the late-round gems it has found.
Many of those have come in the fifth round, but not all. Running back Chris Carson was a seventh-round choice, and he became the Seahawks' starting running back for many seasons. If not for an injury, he might have been one of the most productive backs in franchise history.
Seattle Seahawks select defensive tackle Deven Eastern in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL draft
What to expect of Eastern? To be fair, the outcome is unknown. He is big enough to play in the NFL as he is 6'5" and 315 pounds, but he isn't overly athletic, nor was he very productive in college. He lacks positional flexibility, something head coach Mike Macdonald craves, so the pick by Schneider is odd.
Eastern is either going to be a nose tackle or not, but he also doesn't play with a strong anchor. In the NFL, the assumption is that he will be pushed around by smarter and bigger offensive linemen, and Eastern won't help in run support. He is also going to offer nothing in terms of pass rush.
Maybe John Schneider simply loaded up on late-round draft picks to give players the team was iffy on a chance. After all, nothing is really lost by taking a player in the seventh round. They have to earn their way and, eventually, earn their pay.
Still, Deven Eastern isn't going to help on special teams, needs to add mass to play along the interior of the defensive line, and appears to be a candidate to be released before he has a chance to earn a roster spot.
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