A pick-by-pick analysis of where each of 8 ‘swaggy’ Seahawks draft choices fit

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The Seahawks entered this NFL draft with a league-low four choices. It was set to be the second-fewest in team history.

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Then John Schneider happened. As usual.

The general manager who had made 74 trades of picks in 16 previous drafts entering this weekend made four deals during this draft. Three came on the final day, Saturday, during rounds four through seven.

“Unfortunately, people don’t want to trade with us until the sixth or seventh round, fifth or sixth round. I don’t know why it happened like that this year,” Schneider said.

Those deals doubled Seattle’s total number of picks for what the GM had said was a weaker draft thinner in talent than next year’s. The Seahawks traded away one of their expected 12 choices for 2027 to select Iowa All-America guard Beau Stephens in the fifth round.

Here is my analysis of how each of the Super Bowl champions’ 2026 draft picks fit:

Round 1 (32): Jadarian Price, running back Notre Dame

As Schneider’s comments above indicate, the Seahawks wanted to trade back way earlier, out of round one to net a fourth-round pick. They wanted to then select Price in round two. But no one wanted to trade with them. No one was left to, following six trades immediately before Seattle’s spot at 32.

Schneider assessed the second-best running back in this draft would not still be available when Seattle’s next turn came up at 64, the bottom of the second round. So, earlier than they planned, they got Price to be the heir to departed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker.

Macdonald said Price will compete with the seven other running backs the Seahawks have on the 90-man offseason roster for the lead job.

But to be clear: Price is a first-round pick. He will be the only Seattle running back under contract beyond 2026 when he signs his four-year rookie deal. It will be worth a slotted $16.99 million.

He’s the starter.

Round 2 (64): Bud Clark, safety, TCU

The Seahawks love Clark’s confidence. They love how aggressive he is attacking passes in the air. Coach Mike Macdonald said they also love his “competitive spirit.”

Coby Bryant, Seattle’s multiyear starting safety and 2022 draft pick, signed in free agency with Chicago last month. Ty Okada made 11 starts and won a Super Bowl ring filling in mostly for injured veteran safety Julian Love. Macdonald said this weekend the coaches are excited for Rodney Thomas, the former starting safety for Indianapolis and Yale graduate who was the first external free agent the Seahawks signed last month.

Clark will compete with Okada and Thomas, or rotate with them, to replace Bryant starting with Love in the back of the defense.

Round 3 (99): Julian Neal, cornerback, Arkansas The bold, brash former Fresno State safety played one season as a hard-hitting cornerback in the Southeastern Conference. He was an instant Seattle media star talking to us after he got drafted Friday night.

He was, in a word, wild.

“We’re going back to back!” he declared about 10 minutes after he got drafted by the champion Seahawks.

The 99th pick of this draft says he is the most physical cornerback in it.

If he tackles NFL players like he did college guys — or as well as he talks — Macdonald will find a place for him in a rotation with re-signed (for $8 million per year) Josh Jobe opposite three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

That’s the arrangement the coach had for Jobe and Riq Woolen, until Woolen signed with Philadelphia in free agency last month.

Round 5 (148): Beau Stephens, guard, Iowa

Schneider couldn’t believe the first-team All-American guard was available on what was an otherwise idling Seahawks Saturday morning. They didn’t have a pick in rounds four and five — until they traded a fourth-round choice in their 2027 draft to move into the fifth round and get the rugged Stephens. “It was too big a gap and too much talent there,” Schneider said. “We were pretty surprised.”

Stephens played left guard the last two seasons at Iowa, and right guard for one season before that. Right guard Anthony Bradford will be entering the final season of his rookie contract.

Macdonald wouldn’t say if Stephens will begin by working at right or left guard. But let’s be real: The Seahawks didn’t trade one of their picks in a strong draft next year to have Stephens idle behind stud left guard Grey Zabel, the 2025 first-round pick who will be starting there for the next three or four years, at least.

Round 6 (199): Emmanuel Henderson Jr., wide receiver, Kansas

I’ve been covering NFL drafts since my first one on the Oakland Raiders for the Sacramento Bee 23 years ago. I can’t remember anyone drafting a punt-team gunner, specifically for that role.

The Seahawks did this weekend.

They lost their gunner, wide receiver Dareke Young, in free agency to the Raiders last month.

That’s what why Seattle picked Henderson. He was elite at being a gunner in college. Schneider noted Henderson clocked almost 23mph in GPS tracking sprinting down the sideline outside closing in on and tackling opposing punt returners. He’s also a punt returner.

Yes, a punt returner who also tackles punt returners. Henderson isn’t breaking into a wide-receiver rotation among Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Jake Bobo and Tory Horton. But he’s got a job waiting for him on the 2026 team as a gunner.

Round 7 (236): Andre Fuller, cornerback, Toledo

“You can never have too many corners,” Macdonald, the maestro of moving defensive backs around in different roles, said after this draft.

That’s why he took three of them, two in the seventh round.

Fuller was one of four Seahawks draft picks this year who made pre-draft, top-30 prospects visits to Seattle. That’s seven over two drafts. Nick Emmanwori, Horton and Bryce Cabledue had top-30 visits to Seattle last year.

The 6-1, 200-pound Fuller must show out how all rookies must, to play in their first NFL seasons, that is: On special teams. “He’s playing on teams,” Schneider said.

Round 7 (242): Deven Eastern, nose tackle, Minnesota

If he can come in like a pro, the 6-5, 315-pound Eastern can carve out a place on the roster as a rookie, even as a pick this late. Brandon Pili signed back for 2026 as an option at nose tackle. Byron Murphy excelled moving up and down the line of scrimmage in his second season last year.

Macdonald wants more interior defensive-line depth. Eastern could provide some.

“Our coaches were very excited to add an A-gap (between the guard and center) player that can get up and down the line of scrimmage,” Schneider said, “and have some upside as a pass-rusher.”

Round 7 (255): Michael Dansby, cornerback, Arizona

Seahawks scouts got onto Dansby because of his competitiveness and “stickiness” in pass coverage. He also excelled as a gunner at San Jose State and Arizona.

Dansby told us on a phone call after he got drafted that he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.25 seconds, very unofficial, during training for this draft.

A seventh-round pick who almost became an undrafted free agent running in the 4.2s?

“He’s a cornerback. He’s going to tell you that,” Schneider said. “He’s swaggy.”

Swaggy fits this Seahawks draft.

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