The Seattle Seahawks have made some of the biggest moves so far this offseason. Geno Smith and DK Metcalf have gone out the door, with former NFC West rival Cooper Kupp coming aboard. How did the Seahawks grade out in the 2025 NFL Draft?
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Overall Seahawks Draft Grade: B+
Seattle grabbing Grey Zabel with the 18th pick on Thursday night was one of my favorites and made them a clear Round 1 Winner. The pressure ghosts were back bothering Sam Darnold as his tenure in Minnesota came to an end. While we don’t yet know if Zabel can impact the professional game at a high level, the idea that this franchise is honest in their self-evaluation is a step in a very positive direction.
Either Darnold is the answer under center, or he’s not – Seattle is prepared for both. In addition to Zabel, the ‘Hawks took a big-play threat at tight end (Elijah Arroyo) in the second round, a project quarterback (Jalen Milroe) in the third) and bought low on a 6’3” play-making receiver (Troy Horton) in the fifth.
Seattle went 7-9 in 2011 – they have had one losing season since. That sort of organizational stability doesn’t happen by accident, and draft execution like that allows for results like that to sustain.
Grades for Every Seahawks Draft Pick
- Round 1, Pick 18
Grey Zabel, OG | North Dakota State
Grade: A
There was talk that the Seahawks were eyeing a trade down at 18th overall, but in the end, they stood firm and selected Grey Zabel. Zabel was my 19th overall prospect, and he fills perhaps the Seahawks’ biggest need with Sam Darnold now in tow, reinforcing their interior offensive line.
There’s always a bit of trepidation with FCS prospects making the jump to the NFL, but Zabel projects especially well on the interior. At 6’6”, 315 pounds, he’s quick, explosive, and malleable in recovery, with unnaturally easy flexibility and leverage acquisition. He can channel those athletic traits into impressive closing range and driving power.
Zabel will need to keep upping his play strength at the NFL level, but he has the athleticism, wicked hands, and tenacious road-grader mentality to prove he belongs, and he could feasibly grow into a quality starter at either guard or center.
- Round 2, Pick 35
Nick Emmanwori, S | South Carolina
Grade: B-
This is a Mike Macdonald-coded move, as the Seahawks traded up to acquire one of the most talented pure athletes in the 2025 NFL Draft. Nick Emmanwori was ranked outside my top 50, so this is still fairly rich for him, but his best chance of success would come with a creative defensive mind, and that’s exactly what Macdonald is.
It’s worth noting that Emmanwori doesn’t fill an immediate need, either. The Seahawks were set at safety with Coby Bryant and Julian Love, but Emmanwori could fill in nicely as a big-nickel defender with some rotational split-field ability.
He’s an incredibly natural coverage defender for his size and flashes elite closing speed and terse physicality coming downhill. He needs to improve his overall instincts and run-support ability, but the upside is high.
- Round 2, Pick 50
Elijah Arroyo, TE | Miami (FL)
Grade: B+
The Seahawks committed to Sam Darnold in free agency and are now committed to equipping him with the weapons he needs to succeed. In Round 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Seahawks selected Elijah Arroyo out of Miami, inserting a vertical threat into Klint Kubiak’s offense.
Arroyo is a smooth, dynamic long-striding athlete with great seam-busting ability and body control at the catch, but he also has the fluidity and short-area quickness for his size to supplement a more diverse route tree and stem work working vertical. He can still improve his consistency as a blocker, but he’s a great fit for a QB in Darnold who likes to push the envelope and seek out big plays.
- Round 3, Pick 92
Jalen Milroe, QB | Alabama
Grade: C
This is the range where teams should’ve started considering adding Jalen Milroe as a developmental QB. I wouldn’t have expected the Seahawks to be the ones, however, given that they went all-in on Sam Darnold this offseason. That third-rounder they spent on Milroe is one they can no longer spend on an extra WR or offensive lineman for Darnold, and that could be costly.
As a pure player, Milroe is good value at this point. He’s an elite athlete and running threat with a rocket arm, and he could develop into a starter with more mechanical development. However, his vision runs very hot-and-cold, and he’ll sometimes force bad throws as a result. The long-term gain for Seattle is unclear here, but he does infuse the QB room with some security.
- Round 5, Pick 142
Rylie Mills, DT | Notre Dame
Grade: B - Round 5, Pick 166
Tory Horton, WR | Colorado State
Grade: B+ - Round 5, Pick 175
Robbie Ouzts, TE | Alabama
Grade: C - Round 6, Pick 192
Bryce Cabeldue, G | Kansas
Grade: A - Round 7, Pick 223
Damien Martinez, RB | Miami (FL)
Grade: A+ - Round 7, Pick 234
Mason Richman, OT | Iowa
Grade: C+ - Round 7, Pick 238
Ricky White, WR | UNLV
Grade: A