Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

PFF picks obvious point of emphasis for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Jun 20, 2025 1:30 PM ET

At long last, the Seattle Seahawks invested major draft capital in their interior offensive line by selecting Grey Zabel, arguably the best interior lineman in the class, with the No. 18 overall pick back in April. This marks the first time the Seahawks have spent a first-round pick on the interior offensive line since 2016, and considering how bad they were in that area last year, there was no better time to break that trend.

Did they solve the problem completely, though? No, not at all.

Zabel should provide a nice boost at left guard but he's only one player and can't carry the interior line all by himself. There's still plenty of question marks at the other two interior positions, particularly right guardwhere Anthony Bradford and Sataoa Laumea both struggled last season.

For that reason, Pro Football Focus' Trevor Sikkema believes the Seahawks should again prioritize selecting an interior offensive lineman in the 2026 NFL Draft.

"Seattle’s interior offensive line posted a 52.8 PFF pass-blocking grade in 2024, ranking 29th in the NFL," Sikkema wrote. "The team heavily invested in that area by drafting the versatile Grey Zabel in Round 1 this offseason, but the fact of the matter is that the Seahawks could have, and maybe should have, added more bodies to that group.

"Christian Haynes struggled as a rookie, earning just a 48.5 PFF overall grade on limited playing time. He needs a big bounce-back season, or else the Seahawks might be using another priority pick on an interior player next offseason. Tackle Abraham Lucas is great when healthy, but he has dealt with chronic knee issues and the team lacks depth behind him. Seattle needs to make more offensive line investments."

The offensive line was one of the main reasons for the offense's underwhelming performance as a whole last season. Geno Smith took 48 sacks, tied for the fourth most in the league, and the run game never really got going the way they wanted to.

If the new-look offense is to succeed, then that success must start up front.

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

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