Why Seahawks’ ’25 draft keeps looking better and better

The Seattle Seahawks’ 2025 NFL Draft class was among their best in franchise history, providing them with a slew of young talent that contributed to their Super Bowl-winning team.

Who experts predict the Seahawks to draft at No. 32

A recent exercise by The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner only further reinforces just how great it was for Seattle.

With the 2026 draft just a week away, Baumgardner did a redo of the 2025 draft’s opening round. In other words, if every team got a do-over, how would the first 32 picks of last year’s draft play out now?

In Baumgardner’s re-draft, Seahawks hybrid defender Nick Emmanwori went No. 5 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That’s 30 spots ahead of where Seattle traded up to snag Emmanwori at No. 35 overall in last year’s draft.

Also, Baumgardner’s re-draft slotted Seahawks left guard Grey Zabel at No. 16 overall to the Arizona Cardinals – two spots ahead of where Seattle actually drafted him.

So, in Baumgardner’s view, the Seahawks essentially got the value of picks No. 5 and No. 16 for the cost of picks No. 18 and No. 35.

That’s one heck of a deal.

As for who the Seahawks got in Baumgardner’s re-draft? He had them using last year’s No. 18 overall pick on linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who in reality went to the Cleveland Browns at No. 33 overall.

Schwesinger beat out Emmanwori for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, but it’s difficult to imagine him having a bigger impact than Emmanwori or Zabel.

Emmanwori’s rare combination of size, speed and athleticism was integral to Seattle’s top-ranked scoring defense, giving head coach Mike Macdonald a versatile chess piece to play linebacker against heavier offensive formations and nickel corner against lighter sets. And Zabel helped solidify the Seahawks’ long-struggling offensive line, starting every game at left guard for Seattle’s best O-line in years.

Moreover, while Emmanwori and Zabel are the headliners, several other 2025 Seahawks draft picks are candidates to make second-year leaps after having their rookie seasons impacted by injuries.

Speedy wide receiver Tory Horton, a fifth-round pick, had five touchdown catches and a kick return score before suffering a season-ending shin injury.

Defensive end Rylie Mills, a fifth-round pick who missed most of the season while recovering from a torn ACL, displayed his tantalizing potential with an impressive sack in the Super Bowl.

And tight end Elijah Arroyo, a second-round pick, showed flashes as a dangerous field-stretching threat before a knee injury sidelined him down the stretch.

If that trio takes a step forward this fall, Seattle’s already-stellar 2025 draft class could look even more spectacular a year from now.

Seattle Seahawks offseason coverage

• ‘Made in a lab’: A massive D-end in draft for Seattle Seahawks
• Draft for need or best available? How Seattle Seahawks can do both
• The pick for Seattle Seahawks at No. 32 seems obvious to draft analyst
• Brock: A ‘ferocious’ cornerback for Seattle Seahawks in NFL Draft
• Rost: 5 Seattle Seahawks nuggets from NFL Draft expert Dane Brugler

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