South Carolina defensive back Brandon Cisse during the NFL Scouting Combine.
The Seattle Seahawks are set to host South Carolina cornerback Brandon Cisse on a pre-draft visit this week, according to ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, a small update that could carry real meaning for a team with limited draft capital and an offseason hole to manage in the secondary. NBC Sports, citing Reid’s report, noted that Cisse already had a 30 visit with the Cowboys before adding Seattle to his schedule.
That matters for two reasons.
First, the Seahawks no longer have the same cornerback depth chart they finished last season with. Seattle moved on from Riq Woolen in free agency, even after four productive years from the former fifth-round pick, then brought back Josh Jobe and added veteran Noah Igbinoghene. Devon Witherspoon remains a centerpiece of the secondary, but the position still makes sense as a draft area to watch.
Second, Seattle only has four picks in the 2026 draft: No. 32, No. 64, No. 96 and No. 188. That means every confirmed official visit has a little more weight than usual. The Seahawks do not have the volume of picks to spread mistakes around, so their pre-draft meetings can offer a better clue than normal about which positions they view as true priorities.
Jordan Reid
South Carolina CB Brandon Cisse had a 30 visit with the Cowboys yesterday and he’ll also visit with the Seahawks this week, per source.
Why Brandon Cisse makes sense for Seattle
Cisse is not an out-of-nowhere name.
NFL.com’s draft coverage has him on the radar as a real prospect in this class, and national mock-draft and rankings pieces have placed him in roughly the top-100 conversation. Nick Shook’s recent mock for NFL.com sent Cisse to Seattle at No. 32 overall, while Bucky Brooks described him as a technically advanced, competitive cover man with enough polish to push into Round 1 range. Daniel Jeremiah’s latest prospect rankings also included Cisse among the notable names in the class.
Even if Seattle is not considering him in the first round, that caliber of player is worth serious attention for a front office holding picks at the end of each of the first three rounds.
The raw production won’t be the whole selling point. According to NBC Sports’ summary of his 2025 season at South Carolina, Cisse had 27 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and one interception after transferring from NC State. South Carolina’s official bio notes he finished his college career with 65 tackles and 10 pass breakups over three seasons and earned a combine invite, while NFL combine coverage highlighted his explosiveness with a 41-inch vertical.
That blend of athleticism and profile is likely part of the appeal.
The bigger Seahawks angle is the roster, not the visit itself
Brandon Cisse
GettySouth Carolina’s Brandon Cisse could become the next great Seattle Seahawks cornerback, if his visit leads to the team drafting him.
This is where the story gets more interesting than a standard visit tracker item.
Seattle’s offseason has already shown a willingness to reshuffle the secondary. The team lost Woolen and safety Coby Bryant in free agency, then re-signed depth pieces and added Igbinoghene and D’Anthony Bell. The Seahawks are not entering the draft desperate at corner, but they are clearly still auditing the room.
That is especially relevant because Mike Macdonald’s defense asks a lot from defensive backs. Seattle can get through 2026 with Witherspoon, Jobe and Igbinoghene as part of the rotation, but long-term roster planning at corner would still be smart, particularly if the Seahawks believe they can land a cost-controlled starter or a high-end sub-package defender in the first three rounds. That is an inference from the team’s offseason moves and visit pattern, not something Seattle has explicitly said.
Why this visit stands out more with only four draft picks
The simplest version of this story is “Seattle is doing homework on a cornerback.”
The better version is that the Seahawks may be telling the league something about how they want to allocate scarce resources. Teams with eight or nine picks can afford wide exploratory visits. Teams with four picks often have to be more precise. Seattle’s known visit list already includes players at other need spots, but adding Cisse strengthens the case that cornerback remains firmly on the board despite the team’s other offseason moves.
And because Cisse is viewed as more than a fringe late-round flier, the meeting is easier to take seriously.
That does not mean the Seahawks will draft him. Pre-draft visits are information gathering, not promises. But with the draft now set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, this is the kind of breadcrumb worth following for a defending Super Bowl champion that still has a few premium roster decisions to make.
For now, the most useful takeaway is this: Brandon Cisse is not just another name on a long list. If Seattle is spending one of its official visits on him this close to the draft, it is a sign the Seahawks still see cornerback as a position worth real investment.