Seahawks trade into 5th round, draft Iowa G Beau Stephens

After swinging a trade to increase their pick total, the Seattle Seahawks selected Iowa guard Beau Stephens with the No. 148 overall pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

Seahawks 2026 NFL Draft Tracker: Keep up with picks and trades

The Seahawks traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the pick. Seattle is still projected to have 11 picks in next year’s draft, including four compensatory picks as a result of their free agent departures this offseason, according to Over The Cap.

The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Stephens was a first-team AP All-American this past season while starting all 13 games at left guard for Iowa, which received the Joe Moore Award for the nation’s best offensive line. He also started 12 games at left guard in 2024 and 10 games at right guard in 2022. He missed most of the 2023 season due to injuries.

Stephens adds more potential competition for Seahawks right guard Anthony Bradford, who had an up-and-down 2025 campaign. A pair of late-round picks in last year’s draft – sixth-rounder Bryce Cabeldue and seventh-rounder Mason Richman – could also factor into Seattle’s right guard mix.

A native of Blue Springs, Missouri, Stephens is ranked by ESPN as the No. 11 guard and No. 172 overall prospect in this year’s draft class.

Stephens ranked No. 4 among all FBS guards in Pro Football Focus grading last season – including No. 1 in pass block grading and No. 7 in run block grading.

Stephens didn’t allow a single sack in 581 pass block snaps over his final three college seasons and he didn’t even allow a quarterback hit in 2025, according to PFF. He also had an 89th percentile PFF zone run-block grade, which fits well with Seattle’s outside-zone blocking scheme. He had a 55th percentile PFF gap run-block grade.

At the NFL combine, Stephens ran the third-slowest 40-yard dash of any player (5.35 seconds) and had the shortest arms of the 22 guards in attendance (31 1/8 inches).

“Teams must weigh the quality of his tape against those physical limitations when projecting his role at the next level,” PFF wrote.

Here’s what NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote about Stephens in his scouting report:

Stephens plays with a strong grasp for angles, tempo and timing for his block fits. He’s able to sustain and finish at a good rate despite having average play strength. However, his comfort level and consistency drop somewhat when working beyond inside/outside zone. He’s well-postured and plays with balance in pass pro. His lack of length will become more noticeable once he hits the pros, though. Short arms, average athleticism and scheme-friendly surroundings could temper his draft slotting, but Stephens has a chance to eventually become a starter if he finds the right team fit.

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