RENTON, Wash. — The Seattle Seahawks wrapped up their rookie minicamp on Sunday. Here are some observations about the 2025 rookie class.
Grey Zabel
First-round pick Grey Zabel spent minicamp at left guard, as expected Seattle’s two-day minicamp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Seattle knows he can play left tackle in a pinch and has the mental capacity to play center if needed, but for now, he’ll slot in next to left tackle Charles Cross. Zabel will have to earn the job, of course, but it’s safe to assume that if any of the interior linemen want to crack the starting lineup, they’ll have to win the battle at right guard. That competition will include sixth-round pick Bryce Cabeldue, who lined up there in practice next to seventh-round pick Mason Richman at right tackle.
Head coach Mike Macdonald can’t fully evaluate his rookie linemen until they’re wearing pads, but their first impression was encouraging.
“You can see the skill set, the movement, see things we’ve seen on tape, see the attitude,” Macdonald said. “We will work on the finish and all that stuff when it becomes time, but really good first step with those guys. It’s fun to see it come to life.”
Nick Emmanwori
Also falling into the “as expected” category is second-round safety Nick Emmanwori playing near the line of scrimmage in practice (often beside tryout players since the rookie free-agent class didn’t include any safeties). Emmanwori received a lot of instruction in between snaps from Macdonald, safeties coach Jeff Howard and defensive backs coach Karl Scott. Emmanwori said the talks with the head coach were mainly about alignment and “making sure I’m reading my keys, going through my progressions and making it look good out there.”
Plays during minicamp are very vanilla, but you can see how playing near the line of scrimmage may be a good fit for Emmanwori. He’s big, strong and can cover ground quickly, but he’s probably not someone Seattle wants to play in space, at least not right away. Emmanwori can cover, as general manager John Schneider said multiple times on draft weekend, but using him at the second level will probably lead to more advantageous matchups.
“He wants to be great, which is a fun characteristic to work with,” Macdonald said. “Great start.”
Emmanwori will be the first Seahawk since Russell Wilson to wear No. 3 in a game. Emmanwori wanted a single-digit jersey, but his college number (7) is currently taken by veteran outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who gave up No. 10 to Cooper Kupp. All the other single-digit jerseys are taken by veterans except for No. 6, worn by Milroe.
Seattle has issued jerseys previously belonging to nearly all the prominent members of the Pete Carroll-era teams. The last one left now that Wilson’s old number has a new owner is Bobby Wagner’s No. 54. The Seahawks have just four retired jerseys in honor of former players — Steve Largent (80), Walter Jones (71), Kenny Easley (45) and Cortez Kennedy (96) — and all of them played exclusively for Seattle, though that may change as we get further removed from those Carroll-era teams.
“Russell Wilson is one of my favorite quarterbacks growing up with that Legion of Boom defense,” Emmanwori said, explaining his decision. “Respect to Russell. He did a lot for this organization, did everything he could. I’m going to do what I can in this number and make it special on defense in my own way.”
Elijah Arroyo
A long strider with great athleticism, Arroyo had a leaping grab up the seam on Friday, showcasing the type of pass-catching ability that Seattle believed made him worthy of the 50th pick (Schneider had previously never drafted a tight end earlier than the third round). Arroyo said he takes pride in having a wide catch radius. Seattle’s decision-makers believe he’s such a mismatch for defenders at 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds that he’s effectively another wideout.
Arroyo agrees.
“I’m a big target,” Arroyo said. “I’m a tight end, but when it comes to the pass game, I like to count myself as a receiver.”
There was a play during Saturday’s practice that required Emmanwori to cover Arroyo across the field. Emmanwori has the wheels to do that, but with Arroyo’s speed and long strides, you can see how the rookie may create issues for defenses that don’t have great athletes at inside linebacker or safety who can turn their hips and run with him.
Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe lit up when talking about throwing to his new teammate.
“I threw him some nice balls today — and he went to go get that ball. I was happy,” Milroe said.
Milroe and Arroyo participated in the Senior Bowl and later went on a few pre-draft visits together, Milroe said. In the process, they talked about how great it would be if they could team up in the NFL.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Milroe said. “To get back on the field with him, it’s really cool.”
Robbie Ouzts
The physical benefits of rostering a fullback won’t show up in these pad-less practices, but Robbie Ouzts’ pass-catching ability was on display during minicamp. He likely won’t be heavily involved in that facet of the game, but as Seattle has witnessed up close for years playing against San Francisco’s Kyle Juszczyk, a fullback with reliable hands adds another useful wrinkle to the two-back offense. And in the case of the fifth-round rookie from Alabama, it helps that he’s used to catching passes from Seattle’s rookie quarterback.
“I don’t know if it’s the offense or Milroe feeding me, but, yeah, I got a lot of looks there early on, so I’ve just got to make the most of my opportunities,” said Ouzts, Milroe’s college teammate for four years. He added that his tight end background “definitely helps” when executing the receiving duties required of the fullback.
“Being more of a natural at tracking the ball, turning, getting upfield, lowering my shoulder, that can be foreign to a lot of fullbacks,” Ouzts said.
Tory Horton and Rylie Mills recoveries
Fifth-round selections Tory Horton and Rylie Mills sat out due to knee injuries. Mills, pick No. 142, suffered a torn ACL in December. Mills said there’s a return-to-play plan in place but did not give specifics.
Horton had surgery to repair a season-ending LCL injury he suffered in October. He was able to run at the combine but is sidelined out of precaution. Macdonald did not provide a timeline for Horton to see the field.
“I wouldn’t say it’s anything major,” Macdonald said. “When he comes back, he should be close to full-go. We’ll see how that kind of comes about.”
Said Horton: “I’m feeling good where I’m at right now. Great progress. I’m just taking mental reps and still going game-speed mentally.”
Players drafted in the fifth round typically have a tough time making an impact as a rookie, but when Horton is healthy, there’s a chance he can jump to the front of the line as Seattle’s punt returner. He scored three times in college and averaged 16.3 yards per return. Neither of last year’s punt returners are on the roster. Seattle signed veteran returner Steven Sims to a one-year deal, but that doesn’t guarantee him the job. When asked about a potential role for Horton, the first thing Macdonald mentioned was the rookie’s ability to return punts.
Jalen Milroe
Milroe looked comfortable throwing the ball and leading the group in both practices, though it’s too early to make much of any specific plays. Sixth-round running back Damien Martinez gave a shoutout to Milroe for “picking up the offense, being confident, coming out and making sure everybody is where they’re supposed to be and on point.”
“He’s got great energy, great competitive energy. He’s trying to get it right. Great command of the huddle. Really takes pride in the operation,” Macdonald said. “All the fundamental things we’re going to be building on from the ground up, he’s just got a great attitude about it.”
Milroe said he intends to do the virtual reality training used by quarterbacks such as reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels, who made the Pro Bowl and led the Commanders to the NFC title game. Macdonald said they’re still working out the details, but the goal is to see how the technology can help players at every position, quarterbacks included.
“For Jalen and the quarterbacks specifically, you’re only going to get so many full-speed reps out there,” Macdonald said. “How do you change tempos? How do you do things like that where you can be creative, where you can get these really great cheap reps and stack those on top of each other so when he does get his opportunities in practice, he can make the most of them?”
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