Ranking Likeliest Positions For Seahawks' First Round Pick

The Seahawks have the potential to upgrade their interior offensive line, especially at right guard or center. There are great opportunities to get a quality starting guard within the first two rounds. Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane ranks around the middle of the draft, and Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon is late first round to second round. There will be plenty of capable centers and other guards in the second round or later rounds.

Seattle will have a serious problem if running back/Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III leaves via free agency. The Seahawks would be a capable starting running back with Walker gone and Zach Charbonnet still injured. They would be too late on Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, and there isn’t another viable option in the first round. The Seahawks would likely use a second-round pick, shoot for a solid free agent replacement, or trade for a veteran like Detroit Lions' David Montgomery.

Likely: Trade Back, Wide Receiver and Edge Rusher

There are many solid options for the Seahawks in the first round, but one option they have to consider is trading back. Seattle has only four picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. They traded their fourth and fifth round picks to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for wide receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed. If the Seahawks want to use the draft to fill in some of the holes on their roster, they have to think about trading back for more picks.

Another likely option for the Seahawks in the first round is to get another reliable receiver. Outside of star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Niigba, the Seahawks don’t have a consistent mid-range to deep threat pass-catcher. Shaheed is a one-play explosive player, and Kupp isn’t as dynamic as he once was. While this receiver class isn’t elite, it possesses solid players. Several talented receivers like USC’s Makai Lemon, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields, and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion are options for the first round or the Seahawks if a capable player is in the second round.

Finally, the Seahawks are going to be looking at edge rushers to fill in their already impressive group. There is a good likelihood that Boye Mafe will leave the Seahawks to look for a bigger role somewhere else. Also, head coach Mike Macdonald let it slip that he is always chasing edge rushers of any kind.

Very Likely: Cornerback and Safety

Based on the number of high-value prospects available and the needs that the Seahawks will have to fulfill, the secondary might have to be the first for the team to draft. The Seahawks have cornerback RIq Woolen, cornerback Josh Jobe, and safety Coby Bryant, who are all set to be free agents. There is a chance that one or two of these players come back. Whoever departs leaves a big hole in the Dark Side Defense.

The Seahawks might be confident in safety Ty Okada becoming the full-time starter at strong safety, but he is an exclusive rights free agent. If the team can’t work on a deal for him, then the Seahawks might turn to Oregon’s Dillon Thieneman or Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, who would be great targets.  

The biggest concern is the lack of reliable depth at cornerback, even before free agency starts. If Seattle loses Woolen and Jobe, then the cornerback position opposite Devon Witherspoon becomes a serious issue. The Seahawks might then get Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy, Tennessee's Colton Hood, South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse, or Clemson’s Aveion Terrell. This is a stacked cornerback group, which means the Seahawks could still find a potential starter in the second round. 

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