Brock’s assessment of an intriguing Seahawks trade idea

The upcoming NFL Draft is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing of late for the Seattle Seahawks.

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The Seahawks hold five picks in the top 92 and have a number of different directions they could go to improve their roster. One option would be to add even more to their draft capital by trading back from their top selection (No. 17 overall), which is something president of football operations and general manager John Schneider has done plenty of times in the draft.

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell recently proposed a trade for the Seahawks involving that first-round pick that would fill a need on the roster while also adding to their number of draft picks in the top 92. Barnwell’s idea has Seattle sending the No. 18 overall pick the Cleveland Browns for three-time Pro Bowl guard Wyatt Teller, a second-round pick (No. 33 overall) and a third-rounder (No. 67).

FOX analyst and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard shared his thoughts on the proposal Tuesday during his Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“That feels like you’d be getting a lot back for the No. 18 pick. Are you buying trading 18 for a Pro Bowl guard, the first pick in the second round and the third pick in the third round?” co-host Mike Salk asked.

“Well, (he) was not a Pro Bowl guard last year,” Huard responded, “and when you look at the numbers, the PFF numbers … Wyatt Teller last year grade-wise was basically Laken Tomlinson.”

Huard’s trade assessment

Teller, who turns 31 next season, made three straight Pro Bowls from 2021-23 and was second-team All-Pro during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was a top-20 guard in PFF grading from 2020-23, including No. 1 in 2020 and No. 5 in 2022. But he fell to the No. 63 ranking in 2024. Tomlinson, who started every game at left guard for Seattle last season and has since moved on to the Houston Texans, ranked 66th.

While the metrics rated the two as similar players last year, Huard believes the Seahawks would be getting more from Teller.

“There’s a little more there on the résumé than there’s been for a Laken Tomlinson and some of these other veterans they picked up over the years,” Huard said.

As for why the trade would make sense for both sides, Huard pointed to the roughly $14.2 million cap hit Teller carries in the final year of his contract in 2025.

“When you look at these trades, what I’ve learned in talking to John (Schneider) and others is that sometimes you can kind of pay down some of that (trade price) if you’re willing to absorb some of that money,” Huard said. “So it may look like on paper in the draft like, oh my gosh, what a steal. Well, actually it’s evened out a little bit because we’re taking on $10 million of that $14 million, or whatever it may be.”

In his article, Barnwell explained that he was valuing Teller as a fourth-rounder in a typical draft. He compared that to the compensation Kansas City got for four-time All-Pro guard Joe Thuney when it traded him to Chicago for a 2026 fourth-rounder in March. Barnwell noted Thuney is a better but older player also in the final year of his contract.

“Initially for me, super excited (about this trade idea),” Huard said. “And as you trade down into the low 30s, could there still be an another starting guard for you? Absolutely. And then you add more picks in the third round. There could be a starting D-tackle, there could be another nice wide receiver option in that kind of round.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Brock and Salk from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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