5 Players the Seahawks Could Draft on Thursday Night

With a clear need on the offensive line, Schneider will likely surprise everyone and go in a different direction.

Rashad Penny. Bruce Irvin. Germain Ifedi. LJ Collier. Names like these elicit memories of mock drafts gone to waste as Seahawks General Manager John Schneider laughed in the face of predictability. And for most Seattle fans, this is what we think of when the NFL Draft comes around each year. No matter what need we believe should be filled or player we fall in love with watching social media highlights, Schneider is usually thinking of someone else. Like watching Donald Trump offer condolences for Pope Francis while standing next to a six foot Easter Bunny, we are often left confused, befuddled and searching for answers on draft night.

However, Schneider and the Hawks front office may becoming more predictable. In 2022, Seattle drafted Charles Cross with the 9th overall pick. While Cross was mocked to go anywhere between 13-17 in the first round, the Hawks jumped on a need. In 2023, the Hawks surprised and met expectations with Devon Witherspoon at #5 overall and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at #20. Finally, last year, Seattle took Byron Murphy with the 16th overall pick, making the fan base and draft experts very happy.

So what should we expect on Thursday night? I am guessing a weird year where Schneider shocks everyone with the draft selection. But just in case, here are five potential picks at #18 overall for the Hawks.

Tyler Booker, G, Alabama

Often projected later in the first round, Tyler Booker is the name that sports talk radio in Seattle has been salivating over for months now. At the same time, Pro Football Focus ranked him the 190th best guard in the country last year. Ouch. Booker’s athleticism left a lot to be desired from the NFL combine, thus he is sometimes projected to fall as late as the second round. Other analysts love him as someone that can play right away and be a mainstay on a team’s offensive line for the next decade.

This doesn’t feel like a Schneider selection.

Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State

Grey Zabel really came on in 2024 and jumped up draft boards after displaying his athleticism at the NFL combine. Playing the 2024 season exclusively at left tackle, Zabel could be slotted as a guard in the NFL (and played there in 2023 and 2022 in college at times). Zabel is an elite blocker as evidenced by being top 10 in nearly every scheme possible, according to Pro Football Focus. This selection would get me excited. So of course, it won’t happen.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona

As a junior in 2024, Tet McMillan caught 84 passes for 1316 yards and eight touchdowns. He is ranked the #1 or #2 overall receiver in this draft class depending on how one classifies Travis Hunter. McMillan is NFL ready at 6’4 and breaks tackles all over the place (29 missed tackles forced last year). He is hard not to fall in love with and would sure be fun with JSN and Cooper Kupp. However, the Hawks seem to want to run the ball more so this would be a weird use of a first round pick.

Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama

It seems less and less likely that Jihaad Campbell will be available for the Seahawks when they pick at number 18. Pro Football Focus rates Campbell as the best athlete in the draft among linebackers with impressive sprint speed among many attributes. Campbell was awesome last year and would certainly fill a need for the Hawks. In addition to his speed, Campbell produced last year for Bama. With 65 stops (classified as a tackle that means the offense failed), the linebacker was a force. If he is still around at 18, I will be disappointed if the Hawks pass on him.

Kelvin Banks, Jr, OL, Texas

Another player who seems likely to be gone by the time the Hawks are on the clock, but Banks would fill a tremendous need. The interesting part about Banks is that he projects to be a tackle in the NFL, but some teams may draft him to play inside. While the Hawks have an obvious need at guard, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding Abe Lucas at right tackle. After Will Campbell of LSU, Banks is the consensus next best tackle on the board. Is it possible he falls to the Hawks at 18? At least one publication mocked Banks to the Hawks.