Seahawks projected to trade out of first round, paving way for major QB pick

One of the poorest-kept secrets in the draft is the New York Giants' interest in Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Cam Ward is the indisputable top QB prospect in this class, while Sanders serves as a distant second. There seems to be little consensus about where Sanders will get picked, with the range generally falling between No. 2 overall and into the second round.

Most speculation has Sanders going to New York with the third overall pick in the draft, but a new scenario from Logan Ulrich at NFL trade rumors has them targeting Sanders later on in the first round. The scenario calls for the Giants to trade for the 18th overall pick that belongs to the Seattle Seahawks, who move down out of the first round entirely.

"The teams that have shown the most interest in Sanders are the teams picking in the top three, and those teams have picks at the beginning of the second round. If Sanders slides to the late teens or into the 20s, that should create an opening for either the Browns or the Giants to move up. The Seahawks are a team to watch. Seattle GM John Schneider loves to trade down, and this would box out the Steelers who are the remaining major threat to take Sanders in the first round."

Any scenario where the Giants move back up into the first will have to involve their 34th overall pick in the draft - which is another big inflection point in the draft for teams moving up and down. Netting that pick plus a 2026 first-rounder would probably be worth it for the Seahawks, who very likely have less than 18 first-round grades for this class, anyway.

Then again, there is a case to take Sanders themselves with that pick if he happens to slide that far. Sam Darnold is certain to start Week 1, but beyond that nothing is guaranteed on Seattle's depth chart. Sanders is still raw but he has a lot of Geno Smith in his game, which would have an obvious appeal for the Seahawks, who still claim they wanted Smith to stay. The recent addition of Drew Lock does make a QB pick this yeara less-likely scenario, though.