This will be the final Seattle Seahawks-centric, seven-round mock draft before the real thing begins Thursday night. Unlike previous mocks, this one was made with an assist from “The Beast,” Dane Brugler’s comprehensive draft guide.
The Seahawks are set to enter the draft with 10 selections, beginning with the 18th pick. This mock will begin with Seattle … trading that pick.
Round 1 (No. 23, from Packers): Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
In March, general manager John Schneider talked about the increased difficulty of finding a trade partner in recent years, but in this scenario, Schneider and his buddy Brian Gutekunst of Green Bay complete a simple exchange to move back in the first round. This trade would give Seattle five picks on Day 2.
Booker, an All-American guard, was the 18th pick in my first Seahawks mock draft of the offseason in February. In this mock from last month, I had the Seahawks trading back into the first round to select North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel, who can play guard and center.
Booker is the No. 24 prospect and the top-ranked guard in The Beast. Zabel is the 32nd prospect and the top-ranked center, though some NFL teams might see him as a guard.
Booker has some athletic limitations, but there’s no doubt about his ability to displace defenders, which is essential for offensive linemen regardless of scheme.
And if Seattle’s new offensive coaches are as good as Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald want us to believe they are, then developing Booker into a high-level run blocker in a wide-zone scheme shouldn’t be an issue, given the other traits he already possesses. Booker is also a powerful and consistent pass protector, and I’m comfortable breaking a tie by going with the more reliable player in that part of the game.
Zabel is a great athlete and perhaps a cleaner scheme fit for Seattle’s perimeter run game, but for now, I’ll take Schneider at his word that he believes this year’s center class isn’t very good. So, if Seattle seeks a guard in the first round, Booker seems like the safer bet.
Round 2 (No. 35, from Titans): Jayden Higgins, WR, Iowa State
In this ranking of the top five wide receiver fits for the Seahawks, I mentioned that trading up for Higgins would be worth the investment. In this deal, Seattle coughs up its original third-round pick and its seventh-round selection from the DK Metcalf trade to ensure it gets its guy to start the second round (Tennessee doesn’t have picks in the third or seventh rounds). Seattle would still have Pittsburgh’s second-round pick from the Metcalf deal, Las Vegas’ third-round pick from the Geno Smith trade and Green Bay’s third-round selection from earlier in this mock.
Higgins has impressive quickness for a 6-foot-4, 214-pound wide receiver and knows how to use his size when the ball is up for grabs. He’s built like an outside receiver but can line up in multiple spots, something that would make him attractive to Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The Metcalf trade created a need at wide receiver, and drafting Higgins would help fill that void, along with veterans Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Round 2 (No. 52, from Steelers): Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo
The Seahawks’ initial second-round pick in Brugler’s prediction of all 257 picks is Florida State cornerback Azareye’h Thomas, and had they not traded that pick in this mock, he’d probably be my choice, too. If Thomas and Alexander are both available, though, I’ll break a tie by going with the three-technique because of the difficulty of finding impact players at that position.
Alexander (6-4, 305) is a big, powerful athlete who recorded 7 1/2 tackles for loss, 3 1/2 sacks, five passes defensed and a pick six last year at Toledo. Any questions Seattle might have had about the level of competition were likely answered at the Senior Bowl, where Alexander was one of the top performers.
Seattle has a strong interior defensive line, headlined by Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed and Byron Murphy II, but needs a fourth man in the rotation. Alexander could take on that job as a rookie, learn from the vets along the way and prepare for an increased role in the future. His best plays, Brugler wrote, “are reminiscent of Leonard Williams.”
Round 3 (No. 87, from Packers): Nohl Williams, CB, California
Williams, a consensus All-American, is Brugler’s CB8 and the No. 66 prospect with a Day 2 grade after recording an FBS-high seven interceptions with 15 pass breakups in 2024. Those ball skills likely won’t go unnoticed by Macdonald’s staff. Neither will the plays from Williams’ film that prompted Brugler to write: “With his compete skills, receivers know they are in for a dogfight, and he is one of this class’ best tackling cornerbacks.”
Cover skills are top priority for the position, but as Macdonald laid the foundation in Year 1, he established himself as a guy who loves tough and physical defensive backs. Williams (6-0, 199) will have to overcome short arms and average speed in the NFL, but his play at Cal suggests he’s worth taking a chance on, especially with two of Seattle’s three starting corners on expiring deals.
Round 3 (No. 92, from Raiders): Josaiah Stewart, Edge, Michigan
Stewart was an undersized (6-1, 249) but productive pass rusher at Michigan, where he recorded 13 tackles for loss, 8 1/2 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles last season. He’s EDGE16 and the No. 80 player in Brugler’s guide with a third-round grade (he was also a Senior Bowl participant).
Stewart projects as a pass-rush specialist, but Macdonald’s staff could develop him into a capable every-down player. Achieving that goal might take time and require Stewart add weight, which is why it’d be beneficial for Seattle to make this pick when its need at edge rusher isn’t urgent.
Its current foursome of Uchenna Nwosu, DeMarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe and Derick Hall should provide plenty of firepower in 2025. But Mafe is on an expiring contract, and the soon-to-be 33-year-old Lawrence signed a three-year contract Seattle can get out of next offseason (not to mention, Nwosu is recovering from knee surgery).
With his speed, explosiveness and play strength against the run, Brugler wrote, Stewart can be more than a pass-rush specialist. Seattle has the setup to help him reach that potential.
Round 4 (No. 137): Jalen Rivers, OL, Miami
Rivers, a three-year starter at Miami, is OG9 in The Beast with a fourth-round grade. He’s 6-6 and 319 pounds with long arms, and he uses that size and length to fend off rushers in pass protection. Rivers made starts at left tackle and left guard at Miami and took snaps at center during the Senior Bowl.
The size, length and positional versatility would be the draws here for Seattle, which hardly has its starting lineup sorted out, let alone its depth pieces. Rivers could begin as depth for all three O-line positions, then hopefully develop into a starting-caliber player at one of the interior spots (most likely guard).
Round 5 (No. 172): Devin Neal, RB, Kansas
RB15 with a fourth-round grade in The Beast, Neal is a patient runner with a good burst who should be an excellent fit for Seattle’s zone running scheme. He was extremely productive at Kansas, rushing for more than 1,000 yards each of the last three seasons. Neal (5-11, 213) rushed for 1,266 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024 and added 254 yards and one score as a receiver. He was also a Senior Bowl participant.
Seattle doesn’t have a pressing need for another running back because of Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh. Walker’s rookie contract expires after this season, but Charbonnet and McIntosh are under contract through 2026. And with how difficult it is to keep running backs healthy throughout a season, a fifth-round pick on a talented prospect like Neal is justifiable.
Round 5 (No. 175): Cobee Bryant, CB, Kansas
Bryant, CB26 with a sixth-round grade in The Beast, is 6-foot and a thin 180 pounds with subpar speed, but he has the mentality Seattle will like for a guy who doesn’t have some of the traditional measurables. He’s an avid trash talker — Bryant models himself after Jalen Ramsey — who won’t back down from a challenge. His competitiveness translated to production at Kansas, where he had four interceptions and 11 pass breakups last season.
Bryant has an aggressive play style that shows up in both facets of the game. He’s a little like Tre Brown coming out of Oklahoma in that his aggressiveness can draw flags; Bryant was penalized 18 times in his career, according to Brugler. But as was the case with Brown, proper coaching can help with that.
Round 7 (No. 234): Jackson Hawes, TE, Georgia Tech
Hawes (6-5, 253) wasn’t much of a pass catcher at Georgia Tech, hauling in just 16 passes for 195 yards without any touchdowns last season. The projection here is that Hawes, another Senior Bowl participant, would come to Seattle as a special-teamer and a blocking tight end (and fullback, maybe?). Seattle’s current backup tight ends are Brady Russell and free-agent signee Eric Saubert, but they’re on one-year deals and shouldn’t dissuade the team from rolling the dice on a late-round prospect who’s a decent athlete and very strong blocker.
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