Stacy Rost: 3 things to know about Seahawks heading into draft

Didn’t want to sit through more than 30 minutes of Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schnieder and head coach Mike Macdonald answering questions ahead of their second draft together? We’ve got you covered.

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The pair discussed Tuesday how draft evaluation around the league has changed with the introduction and advancement of analytics, spending time with the recently re-signed Drew Lock in Florida, how NIL has impacted players’ decisions to stay in college, a quick question on Charles Cross’ fifth-year option (answer: they’ll answer at a later date), and how to balance finding players who can be aggressive on the field and a great teammate off of it (a much more welcome question here).

Personally, the most relevant information for this week’s draft, in particular for the Seahawks’ first pick, felt like their points about trading back, the overvaluation of quarterbacks and offensive linemen, and a dearth of talent at offensive line.

‘A lazy narrative’

Schneider gets the questions about the offensive line. Seattle’s struggles there aren’t a secret, and it’s a clear area of need, one he’s willing to admit.

But he also pushed back against the idea that the Seahawks are solely focused on that position over others, and perhaps more subtlety pushed back at the idea that it’s Seattle’s struggle alone.

“Every team is looking for offensive linemen,” Schneider said, adding that the idea that Seattle is searching for or prioritizing the offensive line is a lazy narrative. “We’re trying to create guys every single year. It used to be when I started in the league that a free agent had to have three redeeming qualities. Well now, especially with offensive linemen, you have guys, maybe in the fourth round, that have two redeeming qualities: tall and long. Strong and quick. Or whatever.

“It’s just something that’s happened, and it’s not something anyone in football is happy with to be honest with you. It’s just an area that hasn’t been developed as well as the other side of the ball. I think it just comes down to if you’re going to play football at a young age, do you want to sack the quarterback and do your sack dance, or do you want to block for a quarterback or running back?”

Schneider acknowledged that offensive linemen — along with quarterbacks — are often pushed much higher in the draft than their talent level would typically dictate as a result.

Are we being presumptuous to assume they’ll take an OL at 18?

There’s one interesting takeaway, one fair point, and one fair critique here.

• The takeaway: It sure feels like the Seahawks are comfortable with question marks on the offensive line as opposed to overpaying or overdrafting less talented players. And even though every other mock draft has them selecting a lineman at 18 overall, I’d hesitate to assume that’s the move simply because it’s what everyone believes they badly need.

There’s good talent available there in the middle of the first round. Alabama’s Tyler Booker is No. 17 on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board. But is another interior lineman, like North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel, worth it at 18 if other players have higher grades from Seattle’s front office? They need help there, especially if they want to take a step forward (no pun intended) in the run. But North Caolina safety Nick Emmanwori, Texas receiver Matthew Golden, and Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell have all received (mostly) higher grades. Would Seattle jump to take one of them instead?

• The fair point made by Schneider: Seattle isn’t the only team struggling with its offensive line. Yes, it’s incredibly frustrating to watch the same problem resurface year after year. But he’s right in that there’s a talent issue up front that teams around the league are struggling to counter. Former Rams offensive tackle and current NFL analyst Andrew Whitworth recently talked about the issue, noting the difficulties from a lack of practice time in newer CBAs, while others have cited theories more similar to Schneider’s: big, strong linemen have more often gone to the defensive side of the ball.

• Lastly, a fair critique: The Seahawks are far from the only team to struggle with O-line development, but those struggles are still a problem that’s hindered them. A notable stat from The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia:

From the piece below: John Schneider drafted 2-time Pro Bowler Russell Okung with his first pick as Seahawks GM in 2010.

Since then, he has drafted 24 offensive linemen who have combined for zero Pro Bowls. https://t.co/NdaZKOzkpi

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) April 21, 2025

You’re not going to knock it out of the park with every draft, and Seattle has, to its credit, taken several swings at the O-line. But a big problem remains a big problem, and it’s one the Seahawks will need to solve whether that’s at 18 or much later.

Don’t rule out a trade… back

ESPN’s Adam Schefter posted a column Monday morning detailing everything he’s hearing heading into Thursday’s first round, and one of his notes is that the Seahawks are one of several teams who have shown interest in trading back.

Shocking? Absolutely not. There’s been no movement in this class yet — bucking several recent trends — but the Seahawks taking an interior linemen in the first round (something Schneider hasn’t really done) sure feels more believable if it’s in the 20s.

Seattle Seahawks draft coverage

• Salk: Three acceptable scenarios where Seahawks don’t draft OL at 18
• Brock Huard believes Seahawks will ‘move all over’ in draft
• Analyst: Why the Seahawks may not draft O-line in first round
• A full seven-round Seahawks mock draft – with three trades
• Daniel Jeremiah: The Seattle Seahawks’ ideal QB draft scenario

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