Huard: Encouraging sign for Seahawks in ’25? Their ’26 free agents

The Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 NFL Draft class has been reviewed well, but the same can’t be said for how they’re viewed as a team for the 2025 season.

Does Seahawks’ draft class move needle for ’25? An insider’s view

In FOX Sports’ NFL power rankings released after the draft, the Seahawks came in at No. 17 in the league, behind all three of their NFC West rivals: the Los Angeles Rams (No. 7), San Francisco 49ers (No. 11) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 15). And that’s in line with what Vegas is thinking about the Hawks, too.

Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard has a hard time accepting that at the same time as something else he’s been seeing.

Asked by co-host Mike Salk on Monday’s edition of Brock and Salk about encouraging signs for the 2025 Seahawks season, the longtime football broadcast analyst and former NFL quarterback had an interesting answer.

“The encouraging lists are top running backs of the 2026 free agent class – oh, there’s Ken Walker,” Huard said. “Top right tackles in the 2026 class, there’s Abe Lucas. Top edge rushers in the 2026 class, there’s Boye Mafe. Top safeties in the 2026 class, Coby Bryant cracks that list.

“So in just about every one of these too-early-to-look-at 2026 free agent classes by position, you know what you see? A Seahawk, a Seahawk, a Seahawk, a Seahawk.”

Not only are those players talented enough to be on those lists, but it stands to reason that they’ll be motivated to do all they can on the field in 2025 in order to cash in next year in free agency.

“(Those) signs point to how in the world can this be a team at 18th or 20th (in the NFL) when those players, those ascending players going into their contract year, are viewed around the league as some of the top free agents to be,” Huard continued. “To me, that’s a positive sign moving forward.”

Brock Huard answers three football questions at 7:45 a.m. during each edition of Brock and Salk, which airs from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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