The defending Super Bowl champions enter the draft with the fewest picks in the NFL. Seahawks GM John Schneider told reporters Monday that it is not a situation he plans to keep.
The defending Super Bowl champions enter Thursday night in Pittsburgh with four picks, the fewest of any team in the NFL, and a clear desire to change that. GM John Schneider confirmed Monday he will be actively looking to move back from No. 32, and per Brady Henderson of ESPN, Adam Schefter echoed the same sentiment, writing that two of Seattle's greatest needs heading into this draft are running back and more draft picks.
The roster holes are real despite the championship. Kenneth Walker III departed in free agency and Zach Charbonnet is recovering from an ACL injury that puts his 2026 season in serious jeopardy. On the outside, Riq Woolen left for Philadelphia, leaving Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe as the primary options at boundary corner with the group thin beyond that.
On the edge, Boye Mafe walked in free agency and DeMarcus Lawrence is weighing retirement. Seattle needs volume, and four picks does not give them enough runway to address all of it.
If the Seahawks stay at 32, the two names that keep coming up are Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price and cornerback Colton Hood. Price has the potential to be an every-down back who provides support in both the running and passing game, and his speed and playmaking ability make him one of the more dynamic offensive players in this class.
Hood is a technical cornerback with great feet and fluid hips who posted three interceptions and 14 pass breakups over the last two seasons. Both make sense. Neither requires burning a first-round pick if Seattle moves back far enough.
That is the more compelling scenario. The Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets have both been connected to moving up for Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson. Either team trading up from No. 32 would give the Seahawks an early- to mid-second-round pick and an extra third-round pick to restock depth across multiple positions. That kind of haul would let Schneider address running back, cornerback and edge all in the same weekend rather than picking one.
At No. 64 in the second round, prospects like TCU cornerback Braylen Ingraham and Georgia running back Trevor Etienne have been connected to Seattle in various projections. Both would represent real value for a team that needs contributors now rather than developmental projects.
Schneider has traded back in the first round at least five times since 2010. He has not pulled it off since 2019, but the motivation has rarely been higher. Four picks is not enough to fill these holes. Thursday night in Pittsburgh will tell us whether the right partner materializes.