Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold (14) participates in pregame warmups against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

ESPN post-NFL draft power rankings names QB Seahawks' most-improved position

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated May 13, 2025 11:15 AM ET

There is no question that the Seattle Seahawks made greater changes to their roster than any other NFL team this offseason. However, there is quite a bit of debate as to whether it actually has made them a better team or not.

While Seattle's defense is largely the same and should continue improving in Year 2 under Mike Macdonald, the offense amounts to a series of question marks - as the front office totally turned over the quarterback and wide receiver rooms and brought in a new offensive coordinator, to boot. In other words, this is pretty much a totally new offense and nobody is quite sure what to expect.

That lack of consensus is reflected in a recent power rankings list from ESPN after the 2025 NFL draft. They have the Seahawks at No. 16 - the same spot they were in after free agency. However, their note from ESPN beat reporter Brady Henderson names quarterback their most-improved position as it should be.

ESPN on Seahawks' QB changes

"This is about the entire QB room because it remains to be seen whether Sam Darnold will be better than Geno Smith. But there's no question Seattle has improved the position as a whole. Drew Lock is an upgrade over Sam Howell at QB2. Third-round pick Jalen Milroe, who replaces Jaren Hall as the No. 3, gives the Seahawks an explosive playmaker. He can immediately make an impact in special run packages while he develops as a passer."

We'd prefer not to see Milroe out there in obvious rushing situations - making him an unnecessary target for opponents. Once he's ready to really function as a dual threat then it'll be time to see what he can do.

That said, Henderson is 100% right about Lock and Milroe functioning as significant upgrades over the QB2 and QB3 options the Seahawks had last season. We would argue that Darnold will in fact be better than Smith - it's just that it might go overlooked in the midst of all the terrible offensive line play that would have sunk either one's hopes of leading this team to the postseason.

Grey Zabel will help at least a little bit in that department, and the addition of Elijah Arroyo gives Seattle's offense an element it's been missing for a really long time. However, there's a real chance that the OL changes won't be enough to overcome the same low ceiling we've seen for the passing game the last two seasons.

If that's the case, then 16th is probably a pretty fair ranking. But, if the Seahawks can either scheme their way around it or finally coach up a quality starting five up front then their ceiling will be a lot higher than ranking 16th suggests - possibly even as high as reaching the NFC championship.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: