Rost: 4 potential non-OL picks for Seahawks at No. 18

The Seattle Seahawks’ biggest need is clear. Fans have been screaming for offensive line help from the rooftops, and Seattle’s struggles up front were the biggest knock against an otherwise competitive, if flawed, team in 2024.

Field Yates’ home run draft pick for Seahawks at No. 18

When the Seahawks are on the board in next month’s NFL Draft at pick No. 18, the answer seems obvious. Boring even. After missing out on signing guard Will Fries and a number of cheaper free agent options, why would Seattle not address its single greatest need in that moment – oh, wait a minute, these are the Seahawks we’re talking about.

They zig when you think they’ll zag. They’ll take a cornerback when the draft day camera is panning toward a top defensive lineman.

Now, granted, this same Seattle front office did take a franchise left tackle at No. 9 overall three years ago when that was a clear need, and added to the defensive line with last year’s first-round pick after a horrible season against the run. Both choices made sense. They’re not all chaos all the time.

But hear me out: a few non-offensive line picks in the first round make sense too.

S Nick Emmanwori (South Carolina)

Both NFL.com’s Eric Edholm and ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum have Emmanwori being selected at No. 31 overall (though Edholm’s pick involves a trade back for the Rams to the Chiefs’ current spot). Could Seattle move back instead and address the defensive backfield first? Seattle’s biggest flaw is its offensive line, no doubt. But there’s a clear talent gap between Seattle’s roster and the best rosters in the NFC. Prioritizing overall talent anywhere and everywhere (or never-ending depth in the trenches, like Philly) is how you close the gap. Emmanwori doesn’t address the trenches, but he does add a gifted weapon to Mike Macdonald’s defense.

Last season, Emmanwori was a first-team All-American, first-team All-SEC and SEC player of the year. At the NFL combine, he posted an eye-popping 4.38-second 40-yard dash and a 43-inch vertical jump. He may not be the single best safety available in most mocks (that nod has more often gone to Georgia’s Malaki Starks) but is certainly the most athletic, and his size (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) will have Seahawks fans reminiscing about Kam Chancellor.

The Hawks need a guard, but what if they add a little boom instead?

WR Matthew Golden (Texas)

Listen. I need you to listen to me. Stop that complaining about another first-round receiver, because I’ve got to remind you that there are no guarantees newly signed free agents Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Cooper Kupp are delivering big numbers this year – much less in 2026! Your receiver room seemed so shallow before those signings; why assume it’s completely set now?

OK, sure. I know John Schneider and Mike Macdonald have reiterated the importance of the run game. I know the Seahawks’ run game ranked near the bottom of the league last season and Schneider and Macdonald probably weren’t especially pleased at how pass-happy the offense became.

But this isn’t just a pick for turning the offense around this year; this is a pick to make your offense whole and deeply competitive for the next several seasons (you know, when Kupp and Valdes-Scantling are still in their 30s and probably not here, and you’re paying Jaxon Smith-Njigba a whole lot more than you are now).

Golden will probably be off the board before Seattle’s on the clock, but his versatility makes him an intriguing option for Klint Kubiak’s new offense.

DT Kenneth Grant (Michigan)

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has been a fan of the idea of Seattle taking a defensive lineman (though he’s certainly talked to Brock and Salk about several great offensive line picks).

Grant has been more often mocked toward the second half of the first round, and like Emmanwori, this could be a scenario where Seattle trades back and still gets great defensive talent.

Why take a defensive tackle? Because if this year’s stacked Eagles team taught us anything, it’s that you can never, ever have enough talent in the trenches. Depth isn’t a bad thing when it comes to one of the central tenants of football.

The 6-foot-4, 331-pound Grant adds a strong, bulky weapon to a defensive line that’s already added first-round talent with Byron Murphy II.

CB Jahdae Barron (Texas)

The Seahawks do not need a cornerback. I repeat: THE SEAHAWKS DO NOT NEED A CORNERBACK.

Now, let’s go over a few reasons the Seahawks could definitely take a cornerback.

Riq Woolen is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, with no extension yet announced. Devon Witherspoon is continuing to grow, adding another Pro Bowl season to his resume in 2024, and if he’s set for a huge 2025 campaign, he and his agent will surely be eyeing the massive contracts signed by Derek Stingley Jr. and Jaycee Horn.

Outside of some tough financial decisions next offseason, the Seahawks’ defense feels closer to being an elite unit than the offense. So why not push it over the edge, as opposed to adding a guard at No. 18 with a second-round grade?

The 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner had five interceptions last season and could be the first corner off the board (a claim he made himself, so you’ve got to respect the confidence). He’s trending a bit higher than Seattle’s positioning – more often to the NFC West rival 49ers at No. 11 or the Cardinals at No. 16 – but at least one NFL analyst (NFL Network’s Charles Davis) has him landing with the Hawks.

Seattle Seahawks news and analysis

• GM explains how this Seahawks offseason differs from last year
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• Should Seattle Seahawks trade up in first round of NFL Draft?
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