In Mike Macdonald’s first season as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, the team had a below-average scoring offense and missed the playoffs.
Macdonald then fired his offensive coordinator and made significant changes to the offensive staff. Seattle traded its starting quarterback, released one of the best wide receivers in franchise history (Tyler Lockett) and traded DK Metcalf. The Seahawks also entered the draft with very serious needs along the interior offensive line.
This is important context because it helps explain Seattle’s 11-man haul in the 2025 NFL Draft. Nine of the picks were spent on offense, including the top selection, guard Grey Zabel. He’s the first guard general manager John Schneider has ever drafted in the first round. Zabel turned out to be one of three college tackles the Seahawks drafted, two of whom will play guard in the NFL.
Seattle also drafted two receivers on Day 3, selected a fullback for the first time in a decade and made its first quarterback pick since 2018 (and only the third in the Schneider era, since 2010).
The offensive side of the ball needed work, and Seattle’s draft class reflects that. The team wants to establish an identity as a physical offense built around the run game. After this weekend, the Seahawks have the best running quarterback in the class, a 274-pound fullback who would rather throw a lead block than catch a touchdown pass and a running back who referred to himself as “Beast Mode 2.0” during a conference call with local media.
Best value pick
Milroe has the potential to be the best value by a wide margin if he becomes a starter. His rookie deal is projected to be worth $6.2 million over four years, according to Over the Cap. Sam Darnold’s three-year contract is worth $100.5 million, and he’s not even among the top 15 highest-paid players at his position by average annual value.
Competent quarterback play is expensive and hard to come by. It might take some time for Milroe to become a competent NFL quarterback, but if he reaches that level, he’ll be one of the most valuable picks in the entire draft.
Most surprising pick
Many of the Seahawks’ picks either visited Seattle or were often mocked to the team ahead of the draft (Zabel falls into the latter category), so it’s hard to call any of them a surprise. Milroe technically qualifies because, on the surface, he’s not much of a scheme fit and needs live reps that might be hard to come by in a quarterback room with a high-priced veteran free agent signee like Darnold.
Milroe has high-end traits, but to maximize his talent as a starting quarterback, it seems Seattle would have to drastically change the offense, which is an investment I wouldn’t have expected them to make after spending so much on Darnold in large part because of his familiarity with Kubiak’s scheme.
Biggest question mark
Milroe is one of the biggest question marks of the draft. He’s an elite athlete with legitimate power, game-breaking speed and a rocket arm. The best possible version of a guy with his physical traits could be a top-tier player at the game’s most important position. But he’s a raw passer, and regardless of speed, agility or arm strength, the best in the business must be able to process and throw accurately. Milroe was available in the third round because of concerns about his ability to check those boxes in the NFL.
He was asked by local media if he’d be willing to accept a Taysom Hill-style role, and Schneider and Mike Macdonald were posed a similar question. They were also asked whether Milroe can throw with anticipation and go through progressions. Milroe isn’t the first prospect to enter the league with those knocks on his scouting report, but it explains why he’s the choice for this category.
Remaining needs
The Seahawks made 11 picks and didn’t draft a cornerback, so that will be a position to watch as they fill out their undrafted free-agent class. They’re returning all three starters from last season, and the need isn’t urgent, but with Josh Jobe and Riq Woolen on expiring deals, the team could have justified adding at least one player at the position.
Schneider said he didn’t think center class had much talent, which makes it completely unsurprising that Seattle didn’t draft one over the weekend. Maybe the team picks one up in the rookie free-agent haul, but Schneider has made it clear he wants to see Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell battle for that job.
Post-draft outlook
Zabel is the only player expected to make a significant impact as a rookie. That’s the expectation that comes with being a first-round pick. If he’s a good starter immediately like Charles Cross, Abe Lucas and Damien Lewis were as rookies, Seattle’s offensive line might be in good shape. If the other two rookie offensive linemen end up playing and holding their own, then that’s a bonus, but it shouldn’t be the expectation.
The other three guys I see with a path to helping the team as rookies are Nick Emmanwori, Elijah Arroyo and Robbie Ouzts. The latter has the numbers working in his favor because the roster features only one other fullback (Brady Russell). Emmanwori and Arroyo have veterans ahead of them, but no job is safe in the defensive back room, and Arroyo’s main competition is a fourth-round pick entering Year 2. AJ Barner had a good rookie year, but nothing is guaranteed, especially when a new play caller comes in.
(Photo: Will McLelland / Imagn Images)
