Bob Condotta Seattle Times
SEATTLE – The NFL draft is just a little over two weeks away, set for April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
As it nears, there remains a clear consensus from mock drafters about the positions the Seahawks should prioritize with the four picks they have — rush ends, running backs and cornerbacks/defensive backs.
Here’s a look at which players the Seahawks are projected to take in some of the latest mock drafts, as well as some of our comments.
### Peter Schrager, ESPN.com
**His pick:** Running back Jadarian Price, Notre Dame
**His comment:** “Believe it or not, Notre Dame has never had two running backs selected in the first round of the same NFL draft (Schrager has Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love going fourth overall to Tennessee). In fact, only four running back tandems from the same school have ever been selected in the first round in the same year. But Price is the No. 2 running back in this class and would provide some nice pop to the Seattle offense after the departure of Kenneth Walker III via free agency. He had only 113 carries last season but turned them into 674 yards and 11 scores.”
**My comment:** Most analysis of Price includes the word “explosive,” which is the biggest thing the Seahawks are missing with the loss of Walker. There are questions about his ability to handle a big workload, but that may not be a big concern early on with a few other backs on the roster who can share in the carries. Stylistically, Price seems like exactly what the Seahawks need.
### Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com
**The pick:** Edge Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
**His comment:** “They lost Boye Mafe, one of their rotational pieces, to the Bengals in free agency, so they need more help. They won the Super Bowl because of their front. They could also consider a back here, but I think they wait.”
**My comment:** That this is considered to be a particularly good year for pass rushers in the draft likely played into how the Seahawks played things out with Mafe, knowing they can find someone to help replace him. The big question may be if the 6-foot-3, 253-pound Howell makes it this far after notching 11.5 sacks last season.
### Nick Wright, FoxSports.com
**The pick:** Howell
**His comment:** “The Seahawks, after losing a few of the defenders in free agency, add to their defensive depth with Howell, the edge rusher out of Texas A&M.”
**My comment:** A pass rusher makes all the sense in the world not just because of the loss of Mafe but also with DeMarcus Lawrence appearing on a year-to-year basis with his career (he turns 34 on April 28) and Uchenna Nwosu entering the final season of his contract.
### Bill Barnwell, ESPN.com
**His pick:** Barnwell projects a trade with the Seahawks dealing the 32nd pick to Cleveland and moving down to 39 while picking up two other picks — Nos. 70 in the third round and 149 in the fifth.
**His comment:** “Well, we know what Seattle general manager John Schneider does with his late first-round picks. Though anything is possible, we saw him trade out of the 32nd pick after the Seahawks won the Super Bowl in 2013. He moved down again in 2016, 2017, 2018 and twice in the first round in 2019. Missing fourth- and fifth-round picks in this year’s draft after trading for Rashid Shaheed, Schneider has to be a heavy favorite to trade out of this selection and pick up some extra draft capital for the defending champions.
“Though Schneider would also miss out on the fifth-year option at No. 32, the Seahawks would pick up an extra third-round pick and restore that fifth-round selection by moving down seven spots here.”
**My comment:** There will be lots of speculation of the Seahawks moving down to add more picks, both because of Schneider’s history and also because the Seahawks have just four picks and adding a few makes sense. Given that this is regarded as a draft not filled with a lot of obvious stars but decent depth, adding two other players by moving down seven spots would also make a lot of sense.
### Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic
**His pick:** Howell
Baumgardner has the Seahawks taking running back Emmett Johnson of Nebraska with pick 64 and cornerback Malik Muhammad of Texas with pick 96.
**His comment:** “This might be too early for RB2, but if Seattle falls in love with a playmaker such as Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price and wants to pull the trigger, it would not be a shock.”
**My comment:** From a perceived need standpoint, all three picks make sense. Muhammad is the cousin of former Husky Jabbar Muhammad.
### Charles Davis, NFL.com
**His pick:** Cornerback Avieon Terrell, Clemson
**His comment:** “The ‘Hawks will utilize Terrell outside and in the slot. His ability to make plays as a blitzer fits their scheme well.”
**My comment:** Moving on from Riq Woolen makes adding a corner an obvious move.
### Chad Reuter, NFL.com
**His pick:** Cornerback Chris Johnson, San Diego State
Reuter also has the Seahawks taking Jadarian Price in the second round and receiver Skyler Bell of UConn in the third.
**His comment:** “Johnson’s speed (4.4-second 40-yard dash) and electric footwork make him a perfect fit to join Devon Witherspoon in the Seahawks’ starting lineup.”
**My comment:** Johnson was a standout on special teams at SDSU and had two pick-sixes last season. Some might question the Seahawks using a third-rounder on a WR given that just about every WR is back from 2025 and the team’s other needs and few picks. Conversely, Cooper Kupp is likely on a year-to-year basis at this point.
### Jaime Eisner, The Draft Network
**His pick:** Johnson
**His comment:** “Chris Johnson is one of ‘my guys’ in this draft class. He’s projected as an early second-rounder, but I’d love for the Seattle Seahawks to take him here. Johnson has had back-to-back strong seasons with the Aztecs and will be just 21 years old when the NFL season starts. Johnson is scheme-versatile and a difference-maker on the back end — he has five interceptions, four forced fumbles, and two touchdowns over his last two collegiate seasons. Johnson is still ascending as a prospect, leaving plenty of room for growth.”
**My comment:** Johnson is one of 13 players known at this time to have had an official pre-draft visit to Seattle so the Seahawks are obviously interested.
### Bruce Feldman, The Athletic
**His pick:** Terrell
**His comment:** “This is a big need for Seattle, as is running back, but this spot seems too high to grab Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. or Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price. The younger brother of Falcons first-rounder A.J. Terrell is 5-11, 186 pounds. He tested OK in Indy, jumping 34 inches and posting 10-3 in the broad jump. The 2025 season was a huge disappointment for Clemson, but don’t blame Terrell; he made a ton of plays. He had 46 tackles (4.5 for loss), three sacks, 11 pass breakups and a Clemson-record five forced fumbles.”
**My comment:** As is evident, a lot of the same names are surfacing for the Seahawks. That obviously doesn’t mean one of these players is sure to become a Seahawk, but it does show that anything other than Seattle taking a running back, edge rusher or cornerback/defensive back with their first few picks will be a surprise.