After a dizzying and franchise-altering stretch earlier this month, much of the attention surrounding the Seattle Seahawks now shifts to April’s NFL Draft.
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The Seahawks have a golden opportunity to stockpile young talent, with 10 total draft picks and five in the top 100 – including a first-round pick at No. 18 overall.
What type of pick would earn an “A-plus” grade at No. 18? And what would earn an “F” grade?
Co-host Mike Salk posed that question to former NFL quarterback Brock Huard during Thursday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.
An “A-plus” move
Huard said he’d like to see the Seahawks trade down from No. 18 to acquire additional draft capital – a tactic that’s been commonplace for general manager John Schneider over the years.
This is an ideal draft to trade down, because it’s generally regarded as light on potential superstars but deep on starting-caliber talent.
As Huard said, the Seahawks don’t necessarily need a top-20 pick to address their most pressing need – the interior offensive line. ESPN has only one interior offensive lineman ranked among its top 20 draft prospects, but five ranked between No. 21 and No. 75.
Huard said his dream “A-plus” scenario would be if Seattle traded down into the mid-20s for a 2026 first-round pick. But since it’s unlikely the Seahawks would be able to find a trade partner willing to do that, Huard said his “A” scenario would be if Seattle traded down to acquire additional top-100 picks in this year’s draft.
“An ‘A-plus’ would be if you trade down to 25, because somebody’s gotta come up to 18 and get (a player) they love,” Huard said. “… You trade out of 18, down into the mid-20s, and still get your starting guard and next year’s first.
“An ‘A’ is you trade (down) and get (another second) and another third,” he added. “So you’d now have seven picks in the top 100 instead of five.”
An “F” pick
Huard said he’d give the Seahawks an “F” if they drafted a wide receiver with their No. 18 overall pick.
Over the past two weeks, Seattle has undergone a massive overhaul at receiver by trading away DK Metcalf, releasing Tyler Lockett and then signing Cooper Kupp and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency.
The Seahawks are still likely to draft a receiver at some point, but Huard doesn’t think it’d be wise to do so at No. 18. This year’s draft class has decent depth at receiver but is generally thought to be lacking elite receiving talent at the top.
At this point, many consider Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Texas’ Matthew Golden as the top two receivers in this year’s class. Huard doesn’t think either would be a good first-round pick for Seattle.
Huard pointed to Golden’s slow start this past season at Texas, where the former Houston transfer averaged just 41.7 receiving yards over his first 10 games with the Longhorns. Huard also pointed to McMillan’s unspectacular 40-yard dash time, which was clocked in the 4.5-second range at his pro day, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
“I don’t think any of these guys are worthy (at No. 18),” Huard said.
“Somebody at Texas who had to emerge in the second half of a season – and he did, so I’m not ripping him – but that’s not a first-round pick with the needs that you have on your roster. And Tetairoa McMillan ran like 4.52 to 4.55. He can jump out of the gym and is a super athletic guy, but not the most physical and not the twitchiest. … That would be an ‘F’ for me.”
Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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