Without the opportunity for a trade, could Seattle find a replacement for free agency loss Riq Woolen.
The Seattle Seahawks began their Super Bowl offseason by losing a starter on defense in Riq Woolen, who signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.
With a league-low four picks in this week's 2026 NFL Draft, Seattle now has a boundary defender as one of the select few position holes.
Because of this, ESPN's team of NFL Nation beat writers have drafted a first-round mock that sees the Seahawks land San Diego State corner Chris Johnson, a name who has already been linked to Seattle before in the draft process.
As Brady Henderson explains, the Seahawks and their scarce capital could be looking to trade back from their No. 32 selection and inherit depth picks in the middle rounds. But for the sake of this mock, there are no trades allowed. Each team sticks and picks, so the Seahawks land a Woolen replacement at the bottom of Round 1.
"[Notre Dame running back] Jadarian Price was also a consideration given Kenneth Walker III's departure," Henderson says. "But Seattle's offseason has been defined by disciplined decisions; GM John Schneider sticking to his board to take Johnson would be another one."
There's discipline, no doubt, because of the free agency loss. And we're sure Schneider, a cream-of-the-crop manager, has done his due diligence in each prospect in this range, Johnson included.
But what exactly is Seattle's interest in him?
Seattle had been linked to the 6-0, 185-pound corner in the past, with early reports indicating that the team was spending one of its top 30 visits to bring him to the Emerald City.
However, NFL Draft analyst Tony Pauline stated that this was never actually the case.
In a post on X, Pauline wrote, "Chris Johnson/CB/San Diego State, making an official 30 visit to see the Raiders next week. I can confirm, contrary to reports, Johnson never made trip to see the Seahawks."
The answer actually highlights just how valuable he could be to the Seahawks. Perhaps a visit and wasting one of the coveted 30 official meetings may not be necessary because Seattle is so confident it'd take him if he makes it to No. 32.
According to the latest draft insights, several other teams are taking note of Johnson's skillset, and he has climbed up the projected rankings. The Seahawks likely see him as a steal.
Maybe ESPN's projections aren't as sold on Johnson as some GMs around the league are, but if Henderson's prediction here comes to fruition, the defending champs will gladly take a sharp cornerback prospect to continue building out their secondary around after recently signing star safety Devon Witherspoon and drafting a solid second-round safety in Nick Emmanwori last year.
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