What would it take to get a very good NFL player? That depends on the position, right? If someone is an elite wide receiver, a first-round draft choice makes sense. The good part is that the Seattle Seahawks did not have to give up a high-round draft pick for receiver Rashid Shaheed.
The issue is that Shaheed is not that good. He went undrafted out of Weber State in 2022, was eventually signed by the New Orleans Saints, and has since been, well...meh. He doesn't stay, had no more than 46 catches in any season in his first three years, and saved his best for this season. He's been solid, but definitely not worth the amount of draft capital Seattle sent to get him.
The Seahawks moved a fourth and fifth-round draft choice in order to acquire Shaheed. One of those selections should have been enough; otherwise, general manager John Schneider should have said no.
Seattle Seahawks give up too much to acquire Rashid Shaheed from the New Orleans Saints
There are several reasons why adding a high-end receiver, such as Shaheed's Saints teammate Chris Olave, would have made more sense than adding Shaheed. One is that the trade value greatly favors New Orleans.
Another is that Olave and Seahawks star receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba played together at Ohio State and would have been a perfect pairing. Shaheed is simply a fast receiver who squelches the potential of another Seattle wide receiver.
That wideout is Tory Horton, who should be no lower than WR3 after scoring a team-leading five receiving touchdowns through the first nine games, and he has another as a punt returner. Plus, Cooper Kupp, once healthy, will revert to WR2, which already would have diminished Horton's reps.
Adding Shaheed pushes Horton's snaps further down. This is nonsensical. Horton needs more snaps, not fewer. Kupp is a better blocker than Shaheed. The only reason to add the now-former Saints receiver is if John Schneider thinks that is the final piece in Klint Kubiak's offensive pie. Still, it's an odd edition that doesn't appear to help long-term.