Seahawks Post-Super Bowl Seven-Round Mock Draft
Alabama guard Tyler Booker prepares to block against Tennessee in an SEC regular season game.
With the Philadelphia Eagles blowing out the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans to win their second Super Bowl in eight seasons, the NFL has officially entered offseason mode with free agency only a month away for the Seattle Seahawks and all 32 teams.
While negotiations with impending free agents such as linebacker Ernest Jones will undoubtedly heat up in coming weeks, however, gearing up for the upcoming NFL Draft will also reemerge as a top priority for general manager John Schneider, coach Mike Macdonald, and the Seahawks, starting with the annual NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis later this month.
Heading towards the combine and the start of a new league year, who could Seattle target to improve its roster with sights on competing for a Lombardi Trophy in 2025? In the aftermath of the Super Bowl, here’s my latest stab at a nine-player draft class for Schneider, Macdonald, and company with an early emphasis on the trenches:
Round 1, Pick 18 - Tyler Booker, G, Alabama
A mountain of a man at 6-5, 325 pounds, Booker emerged as one of the SEC’s premier offensive linemen as a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide, earning First-Team All-SEC honors in 2024. Though he’s not an elite athlete for the position, he offsets average lateral mobility and quickness with outstanding technique, excelling at taking quality angles out of his stance to consistently win on reach blocks utilizing his excellent length and find a way to get his hands on defenders at the second level. He’s a smooth operator in pass protection, particularly against bull rushers where he cements his anchor into the ground to shut down powerful defenders in their tracks, as he allowed just 10 pressures and zero sacks in his final collegiate season.
At the next level, Booker will have to work on keeping his hands inside, as he has had a tendency for them to slip outside of the targeting area and draw too many holding penalties. But he’s a dynamic all-around blocker who should be able to thrive in any type of scheme and would immediately provide an upgrade for the Seahawks at arguably their weakest position group on the roster, setting the stage for Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet to enjoy more running room to operate and Geno Smith to have a bit more time to scan the field from the pocket.
Round 2, Pick 50 - Jack Sawyer, EDGE, Ohio State
An easy candidate for the All-Effort team at the FBS level, Sawyer exhibits a relentless motor to the whistle every single snap, positioning himself to frequently make impact plays for the Buckeyes. His strength at the point of attack as a run defender made him one of the nation’s best edge setters, while his ability to overwhelm blockers with power as a rusher allowed him to breakout in that department with 4.5 sacks during Ohio State’s run to a national championship this winter. He has a nose for punching out the football, as he forced three fumbles in 2024, and he also has a knack for getting his hands out on loose footballs and turning turnovers into points with a pair of fumbles returned for touchdowns.
On film, Sawyer lacks the electric first step or explosive juice possessed by top prospects at his position such as Penn State’s Abdul Carter or Marshall’s Mike Green, which could lead to him slipping out of the first round despite his impressive production in the rugged Big Ten. Still, he brings elite toughness and physicality to the table and those traits win at the next level. Potentially able to rush from inside on passing downs, he would provide an intriguing, albeit smaller, replacement option for Dre’Mont Jones, who could be a cap casualty candidate for the Seahawks, while having the talent to push for early playing time behind Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, and Derick Hall.
Round 3, Pick 87 - Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse*
*Acquired from Broncos for pick 85, 2026 seventh-round pick
Despite throwing 24 touchdowns and only six interceptions in his first season as a starter at Ohio State, McCord wound up transferring with the Buckeyes bringing Kansas State transfer Will Howard on board, taking his talents to Syracuse with a chip on his shoulder. The former top recruit smashed records in his lone season with the Orange, establishing a new single season ACC passing mark tossing for 4,779 yards and 34 touchdowns while finishing 10th in Heisman Trophy voting. An ugly performance with five interceptions against Pittsburgh, including a trio of pick sixes, dropped his draft stock a few pegs at the time, but he demonstrated substantial growth as a processor from the pocket after the game and threw only one interception in the final six games compared to 15 touchdown passes.
In an era where teams covet duel threat quarterbacks, McCord won’t wow with his mobility or scrambling talents, and he still has a tendency to lock onto his first read rather than transition into his next progression. However, he has improved managing pressure in the pocket and has the arm talent to make every NFL throw, as evidenced by his FBS-best 11 big time throws against pressure last season. He will need time for continued development, but sitting behind Smith for a year or two could be the right situation for him to blossom into a future starter for Seattle.
Round 4, Pick 137 - Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State
Recruited by the Spartans as a quarterback, Nash stayed at his native position for his first three seasons on campus, including throwing six touchdowns as redshirt sophomore in 2021. Transitioning to receiver the following season, he only caught six passes in 2022, but he improved rapidly with another offseason of training and by his senior season, he transformed into one of the country’s most lethal weapons on the outside with 1,382 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions to earn All-American honors. Possessing good size at 6-3, 195 pounds with an outstanding catch radius and the speed to inflict damage on opposing defenses both as a deep threat and after the catch, he led the nation with 10 touchdown catches traveling 20-plus yards and tied for third with 29 forced missed tackles.
Drops have been a bit of a bugaboo for Nash during his three seasons as a receiver, including failing to snag six catchable passes last season. He also had a pair of fumbles, so ball security in general will be an area he has to improve upon in the pros. But his combo of size, speed, and football IQ coupled with his ability to produce from the slot and outside would make him an ideal successor for Tyler Lockett pairing up with DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle’s receiving corps. Klint Kubiak also would have an opportunity to mix in some trickery with the former mobile quarterback in his arsenal.
Round 5, Pick 173 - Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State
The Seminoles completely imploded in 2024 after narrowly missing out on a berth in the college football playoff one season prior, but Farmer deserves credit for continuing to play well with everything seemingly crashing around him. The 314-pound defensive tackle ranked in the top 30 in the nation with 26 quarterback pressures and finished with at least four sacks for the second straight season, proving to be a rare bright spot in Tallahassee while bringing some oomph to Florida State’s interior with an above average penetrating ability for a nose tackle.
Built with a thick upper body, Farmer has the power, functional strength, and violent hands to excel as a two-gapper at the next level where he can create congestion in the middle and push the pocket to disrupt opposing quarterbacks. He’s likely not explosive enough for his pass rushing production to fully translate to the NFL, but he still will have a chance to wreak some havoc in that department while immediately providing contributions as an early down run defender. In time, he could develop into a three-down defender at the next level and a potential heir apparent to Jarran Reed, who will be a free agent for the Seahawks next month.
Round 6, Pick 187 - Nohl Williams, CB, California
Taking his talents from UNLV to Cal, Williams shined as a ball hawking maestro in his lone season against ACC competition for the Golden Bears, leading all cornerbacks at the FBS level with seven interceptions while also ranking in the top 10 in pass breakups (nine). A physical corner with plus size at 6-1, 200 pounds, he loves to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and has enough athletic juice to be able to stay with speedy receivers downfield, using his receiver-caliber ball tracking skills to get his hands on breakups and picks.
Williams has been occasionally vulnerable to give up a big play in coverage, particularly when quicker receivers beat him on inside releases, and while he has the right mindset playing downhill and blowing up blocks defending the run and screens, he struggled earlier in his career with missed tackles. He did make marked improvements in that area of his game in 2024 with only three missed tackles all season and though some teams may have concerns about his athleticism in coverage, his elite ball skills and physical play style seem like the right fit for Macdonald’s defense as a potential starter down the line.
Round 6, Pick 196 - Brandon Crenshaw-Dixon, T, Florida
Previously starting for San Diego State, Crenshaw-Dixon packed his bags and flew cross country to join the Gators for his final year of college eligibility and didn’t disappoint. Stepping into the starting lineup at right tackle after being on the left side in his final two years with the Aztecs, he allowed just 11 pressures and one sack against top-tier SEC competition, holding his own against speed rushers with light feet and quick hands in his pass sets. Agile for his size at 6-7, 320 pounds with the length to reach edge defenders, he also performed quite well as a zone blocker, grading out as PFF’s eighth-best blocker on those concepts (84.2), better than Texas standout Cameron Williams.
Due to his height, in a similar to predicament to current Seahawks tackle Stone Forsythe, Crenshaw-Dixon has battled natural leverage and pad level issues, which remains a legitimate concern on his evaluation as a potential pro tackle. He also has had trouble with being too grabby in pass protection, resulting in too many holding penalties over the course of his college career. As a developmental prospect, however, he stands to benefit most in a zone-centric scheme such as Kubiak’s in Seattle and with Forsythe and George Fant potentially on the way out and Abraham Lucas heading into the final year of his rookie contract, he could be on the fast track to playing time with the Seahawks.
Round 6, Pick 212 - LaJohntay Wester, WR/KR, Colorado
After bursting onto the scene with over 1,100 receiving yards for Florida Atlantic in 2023, Wester hit the transfer portal to take his speed and big play ability to Colorado. Though he didn’t quite match his receiving yardage output from the season prior, the electric playmaker still amassed 931 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns for the Buffaloes, ranking sixth among receivers averaging 7.1 yards per reception after the catch and sixth with 821 receiving yards from the slot. He continued to be a scintillating weapon on special teams as well with a punt return for a touchdown.
Weighing 170 pounds soaking wet, Wester doesn’t come close to prototypical size for an NFL receiver, creating concerns about his long-term durability in the NFL. Though he had six touchdowns on passes traveling 20-plus yards in his final season at FAU, that production didn’t translate to Colorado, as he only caught four such passes total in 2024. Athletic testing at the combine could vault Wester back into higher round consideration, but with the Seahawks needing help in the return game and reinforcements at wideout, he would be a quality prospect to take a flier on at some point on day three to add to the stable.
Round 7, Pick 236 - Brant Kuithe, TE/FB, Utah
Not built like a traditional tight end, the 6-2, 236-pound Kuithe has battled numerous injuries, including being sidelined the entire 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL and going down with another significant injury in November. When he has been healthy, however, he proved to be a difference maker for the Utes in a variety of ways, snagging 183 receptions for 2,387 yards and 22 touchdowns while also adding 188 yards and six touchdowns as a runner out of the backfield. Capable of creating after the catch as well as taking handoffs in short yardage situations as a fullback, he stood out as one of the best modern H-back prototypes in college football when able to suit up.
Due to his size and injury history, Kuithe won’t be mistaken as an inline tight end. But for teams that seek a versatile skill player who can catch, run, and block from multiple positions, he would check off those boxes, assuming he has a clean bill of health, of course. At this stage in the draft, if the Seahawks don’t think they can land him as a priority free agent, this would be the right spot to roll the dice on a prospect who has the potential to still be a contributor for an offense running frequent two back sets.
