The 2025 NFL draft has recently finished, and minicamps haven't started yet, but many NFL pundits are already looking ahead to next year. What will the Seattle Seahawks do? Who knows? A lot depends on what happens during the 2025 season.
We can make some educated guesses, of course. Perhaps the team needs to find a right guard (assuming 2025 first-round pick Grey Zabel plays left guard in the coming season) or a cornerback if Riq Woolen is not brought back in free agency. Defensive linemen Jarran Reed and Leonard Williams are solid, but both are over 30.
The 2026 quarterback class is supposed to be much better than what was available in 2025. Maybe free agent acquisition Sam Darnold does not work out, and third-round choice Jalen Milroe never proves he can throw with accuracy on shorter routes. Seattle might go QB in the first round next year.
ESPN BET has the Seahawks going from good to bad in 2026
ESPN draft guru Jordan Reid sees the Seahawks taking University of Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano in the first round. He is 6'5" and 305 pounds and has played both left and right tackle. Seattle won't need a left tackle, as that spot belongs to Charles Cross and will likely be the case for years to come.
Instead, Fano could replace the oft-injured Abraham Lucas. Lucas is solid when he plays, but he has struggled mightily in the last two seasons with being healthy enough to play. An offensive line, as much as any other position group, must have consistency. If Lucas continues to miss games, the Seahawks' O-line might never fully mesh.
Fano might also slide in at right guard, but he appears to be a good prospect at tackle. He allowed just one sack in 2024 and should be even better in 2025 in terms of run blocking.
But Fano is not the surprising part of Reid's too-early 2026 mock draft. To be fair to Reid, the issue is not his, but instead in how ESPN BET sees the 2025 season playing out. Based on league win-loss records from last year, the Seahawks are predicted to choose at number 12 next year. The team that chose at 12 this year was the Dallas Cowboys, who went 7-10 in 2024.
In other words, ESPN BET theoretically has the Seahawks being three games worse next season, a year in which the defense should be even better and the offensive play-calling much improved. Plus, the San Francisco 49ers might be worse with their multiple offseason losses, and the Arizona Cardinals are, well...the Arizona Cardinals.
Why would Seattle go from 10-7 in head coach Mike Macdonald's first season to suddenly being 7-10? Who knows. The likelihood is that ESPN BET is very wrong; the Seahawks will make the playoffs and finish somewhere in the 20s.