The Seattle Seahawks entered the 2026 NFL draft with four selections and came out of it with eight. Many of those were late-round picks, so how immediate their impact is felt is unknown. One current player, Tyrice Knight, should breathe a sigh of relief with what the team didn't do, though.
General manager John Schneider chose a bunch of defensive backs, a running back, an offensive lineman, a wide receiver, and a nose guard, but he didn't choose an edge rusher or inside linebacker. That last spot is where Knight plays, but just barely.
He was a starter at the beginning of last season after becoming one in the middle of the year before. But the linebacker was overtaken on the depth chart by Drake Thomas early in 2025, and Knight was relegated to a backup again. Whether he lost the trust of head coach Mike Macdonald or Thomas made more plays, Knight could have been worrying about his standing on the roster.
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrice Knight should feel secure in his job after what happened in the draft
As the Seahawks didn't draft an off-ball linebacker nor have they signed one in free agency who would be an obvious replacement for Knight, he should understand that he will be counted on to keep being a valuable member of the inside linebacker group and a contributor on special teams.
No guarantee exists that Drake Thomas will continue to hold down one inside linebacker spot next to Ernest Jones, either. Knight could still reclaim being a starter. What he needs to work on is his tackling, which did improve later in the year but was probably one reason he was benched after Week 3.
The linebacker missed multiple tackles in the first two games, an issue that will lose a defensive player reps under Macdonald, especially an inside linebacker. Due to a short-term injury to Thomas, Knight started again in Week 10 against the Arizona Cardinals, and he played exceedingly well. Well enough, in fact, that he cemented his roster spot for the foreseeable future, even if he was a backup.
In 2024, though, Tyrice Knight was a much better tackler, missing on only 6.7 percent of his attempts. Clearly, he can bring down opposing ball-carriers, so maybe his technique simply suffered when given a chance to start last season.
Or maybe Drake Thomas just creates more opportunities for the defense to take the ball away. Thomas will also have to work on his tackling problems, as he missed 17.1 percent of his attempts in 2025.
What is clear is that Knight and Thomas will need to play well next to Jones in 2026 for the team to have a chance at repeating as Super Bowl champions. There is no one else who can take their place for the Seattle Seahawks.
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