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Coming off a promising first-year campaign from Mike Macdonald, the Seattle Seahawks' bumpy offseason makes its next stop at the 2025 NFL Draft. Following a combination of puzzling and encouraging free agency moves, general manager John Schneider enters the draft with eight picks at his disposal.
Once the team suits back up in the fall, it will look substantially different from what it did in 2024. Following a series of surprising moves, the Seahawks will notably be without Geno Smith, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in 2025.
The Seahawks began the offseason by releasing fan-favorite team captain Tyler Lockett in a move that shed some tears. They followed up the move by trading Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders, an initially questionable move given the dry quarterback market. However, they subsequently offset the losses by signing Sam Darnold, Cooper Kupp and DeMarcus Lawrence in free agency.
Overall, Schneider managed to pull a significant portion of the big names available in free agency. Regardless, the team still has several gaping roster holes to fill. In addition to Lockett, Seattle also released veterans Roy Robertson-Harris, Dre'Mont Jones, George Fant and Rayshawn Jenkins. The Seahawks also let Laken Tomlinson, Tre Brown and Jonathan Hankins walk in free agency, among others.
In their next offseason venture, the Seahawks begin the 2025 NFL Draft with 10 draft picks, beginning with No. 18 in the first round. The trades of Smith and Metcalf gave them two additional selections. With clear goals to hit, Schneider is suddenly at a crossroads in his career, with the result of the draft likely the determining factor of his offseason.
Round 1, Pick 18: DT Kenneth Grant (Michigan)
With their first-round pick, the Seahawks go with Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant in this 2025 NFL mock draft. Interior defensive linemen remain one of the team's biggest needs in free agency after losing Robertson-Harris, Hankins and Jones. Jarran Reed, who took the field for 60 percent of the snaps in 2024, is the team's only returning starter at the position.
Once John Schneider makes his pick at No. 18, Grant will be the best nose tackle available. With unique athleticism, speed and agility, Grant is easily the best pass-rushing interior lineman of the class. His run-stopping might be a work in progress, but Grant has the potential to be a true game-wrecker out of the gates. As a product of Michigan, Grant has a clear connection with Macdonald, just missing the latter's time in Ann Arbor by one year.
Round 2, Pick 50: OG Tate Ratledge (Georgia)
With Tomlinson gone and no viable replacement added in free agency, the Seahawks are desperately in need of help at guard. Anthony Bradford, who started in 2024, is the only viable starter currently on the roster. While Bradford played 53 percent of the offensive snaps in his second year, he received a dreadful 48.3 PFF player grade.
Guard is one of the driest positions of the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Seahawks can find themselves an immediate day one starter in the second round with Georgia's Tate Ratledge. Scouts have differing opinions on the order of the guards in the class, but Ratledgde, a 2024 first-team All-American, is a consensus Day Two prospect. As the best-performing guard at the Combine, Ratledge has the potential to be a steal for whoever lands him in the second or third round, and Schneider should be all over him.
Round 3, Pick 82: CB Quincy Riley (Louisville)
Losing Tre Brown might not seem like a big deal, especially with Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen forming one of the best young defensive back duos in the league. But with Witherspoon playing most of his snaps in the slot, the Seahawks are in need of another outside cornerback to complete the trio. If they do not add a cornerback early in the draft, they will be stuck with either Josh Jobe or Nehemiah Pritchett in the starting lineup, a complete recipe for disaster.
Seattle has too many other burning needs to address to take a cornerback in the first two rounds, but Louisville's Quincy Riley would be a solid target late on Day Two. As a physical defender who thrives in press coverage, he would fit right in with Woolen and Witherspoon. Scouts critiqued his man coverage skills in college, but he excelled in zone schemes, which Macdonald loves to run. With multiple solid pieces in their secondary, the Seahawks can afford to allow their newest addition room to grow, and Riley could potentially develop into a cornerstone of Macdonald's defense for years to come.
Round 3, Pick 92: LB Barrett Carter (Clemson)
The Seahawks maintain Tyrice Knight and Ernest Jones IV at the heart of their defense, but are otherwise thin at linebacker. Behind their two studs, Drake Thomas, Josh Ross and Patrick O'Connell are the only other inside linebackers on the roster. Macdonald, along with defensive coordinator Aden Durde, has built a concrete 3-4 system in Seattle's improving defense, making it likely they leave the draft with at least one inside linebacker.
Clemson's Barrett Carter, who projects to land either late in Day Two or early on Day Three, is one of the most versatile and athletic linebackers of the class. Whether it was at Michigan or with the Baltimore Ravens, similar players have thrived in Macdonald's defenses. Carter might be a touch undersized but is outstanding in pass coverage, racking up seven pass breakups in 2024. He makes up for a lot of his lack of size with a relentless pursuit, making him a nice addition to the room behind Knight and Jones.
Round 4, Pick 137: WR Tez Johnson (Oregon)
Wide receiver looked like it was going to be a much bigger need earlier in the offseason after John Schneider cleansed the Seahawks of Lockett and Metcalf. However, adding Kupp in free agency eased some of that pain. Still, with Kupp turning 32 in June and only two receivers contracted beyond the 2025 season, Seattle might want to add insurance in the draft.
Coming in at just 154 pounds, Tez Johnson is one of the most controversial and scrutinized prospects of the draft class. A handful of recent players, namely DeVonta Smith, have debunked the size debate, but Johnson's unnaturally slim frame could make him the lightest player in the NFL once he is officially drafted. But with 2,080 receiving yards in his two years at Oregon, his speed, hand skills and dynamics with the ball in his hands are blatantly undeniable.
Round 5, Pick 172: S Malachi Moore (Alabama)
The Seahawks are content to begin the year with Julian Love and Coby Bryant at safety, but the position is thinning out with the respective departures of Rayshawn Jenkins and K'Von Wallace. Behind Love and Bryant, Seattle only has a flurry of former undrafted players, none of whom have meaningful experience to their name.
If John Schneider targets safety early on Day Three, Alabama's Malachi Moore has the best potential value left on the board. As the emotional leader of the Crimson Tide defense over the past two seasons, Moore's versatile skill set has drawn comparisons to fellow former Tuscaloosa legend Brian Burns. Moore's speed is less than optimal, but he more than makes up for it with his awareness and grit. He compiled 70 tackles, one sack, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and two forced fumbles in 2024, earning a stellar 84.9 player grade from Pro Football Focus.
Round 5, Pick 175: OG Jackson Slater (Sacramento State)
The Seahawks' dire need to add guards could force John Schneider to look at multiple prospects, which is exactly what he does in this 2025 NFL mock draft. Even if Seattle takes a guy like Ratledge early in the process, adding more talent in the later rounds would suit them well. Behind Bradford, Christian Haynes, who has zero career starts, is the only other returning player on the roster.
The guard class is not deep, but FCS prospect Jackson Slater is a guy many teams are intrigued by as a potential Day Three pick. Like any other FCS prospect, Slater's level of competition, strength and size have been questioned by scouts throughout the pre-draft process. However, he debunked many physical questions at the Combine, where he rattled off 31 bench press reps, proving his raw strength and power. His footwork and hand speed are already up to code, making him an intriguing name to monitor as someone who could outperform his draft position.
Round 7, Pick 223: WR Chimere Dike (Florida)
With all but one of their special teamers departing, the Seahawks could use a late-round pick on a replacement in the 2025 NFL Draft. Third-string running back Kenny McIntosh is the only player currently on the team who lined up as a kick or punt returner in 2024. Florida wideout Chimere Dike, who impressed with his speed at the Combine, is one of the top prospects who could find himself taken in the later rounds as a potential special teams contributor.
Of the wideouts who participated in the 40-yard dash, Dike finished third with an official superb 4.3-second time. Only Matthew Golden and Dont'e Thornton Jr. finished in less time. Dike showcased his value as a returner in 2024, averaging 13.6 yards per return with Florida. As a pure receiver prospect, his lack of size and route-running ability pose questions, but he could very well carve out a KaVontae Turpin-like role on any team that takes a shot on him in the sixth or seventh round.
Round 7, Pick 234: C Cooper Mays (Tennessee)
Connor Williams is gone, and Seattle is fully content to turn the starting center job over to Olu Oluwatimi. But behind the potential rising star, only 2024 undrafted rookies Jalen Sundell and Michael Novitsky are currently lined up to compete for the backup role. Much like guard, the incoming center class is weak, but the Seahawks should look to add depth in the later rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Despite being voted by some as a 2024 first-team All-American, Tennessee's Cooper Mays is not a prospect who captured any attention with his physical prowess. Instead, he is the definition of consistent and the exact type of leader coaches want commanding an offensive line. Through his two years as a starter, Mays only ceded one total sack. There is nothing flashy about him, but Mays is a late-round prospect who should find himself on a roster as a backup in 2025. John Schneider has to make sure Mays ends up in his locker room.
