Final Mock Draft: Seahawks Plug Immediate Holes, Keep Eyes on Future With Added Picks
After months of preparation for everyone from scouts to coaches to executives, the 2026 NFL Draft will finally kick off in Pittsburgh on Thursday, April 23, ushering in the latest crop of college talent jumping to the pros.
Still basking in the glow of a Super Bowl LX championship, general manager John Schneider, coach Mike Macdonald, and the Seattle Seahawks will roll into the annual event lacking much firepower to work with, as the team currently holds only four selections after trading away a fourth and fifth round pick for receiver Rashid Shaheed at the trade deadline last October. That’s quite the departure from the past three drafts where they built a championship foundation with 29 total picks, including 11 last spring.
Down to the final couple days before the first round kicks off with the Raiders on the clock, Schneider and company undoubtedly have already been working the phones looking for potential suitors to trade up for the 32nd overall pick to recoup a selection or two, planning ahead with hopes the dominos fall right to be able to slide down.
How will Seattle’s 17th draft under Schneider’s watch unfold? And how many picks will the Seahawks ultimately make on the heels of capturing the Lombardi Trophy two months ago?
Mariners Slug Enough Sunday Homers, Take Home Series against Rangers
When the M’s dropped Friday night’s game 5-0, their ninth straight loss against non-Astros teams, they found themselves on the edge of disaster. But two games later, they aren’t in that bad of a spot for the rest of the year, with the season series against the Rangers a manageable 2-4 despite the sweep in Arlington.
Sunday’s rubber match was decided by two things: home runs and Bryan Woo. Seattle scored all its runs via the longball in their 5-2 victory while Woo did Woo things on the rubber to keep the Rangers off the board for all but one inning of the game. It’s still a ways until a true turnaround can be declared, but the M’s did what they had to do in their weekend day games.
They also mash in the stellar Steelheads threads, for what it’s worth.
Bryan Woo dealt a cold dish to Rangers hitters, going seven innings and squeezing out most of the life from Seattle’s AL West foes.
One way to describe the skill of the Mariners pitching staff is as follows: on any given day, any of the Mariners starters can look like the ace. First among equals, however, is Bryan Woo. He had not looked any worse than his two stalwart previous years to start 2026, with a 2.16 ERA, 2.24 FIP, and 0.920 WHIP over his first four starts.
Freshmen Ready to Seize Starting Roles for Huskies for 2026 Football Season
Not long ago, the thought of playing a true freshman left tackle or defensive lineman sounded like desperation or a potential disaster.
For the Jedd Fisch-led Washington Huskies football team — and more and more across college football — it’s becoming the norm. Many things have changed since Don James paced the sidelines at Husky Stadium. Among them is the philosophy of playing freshman, which he once humorously stated should be played “when they are seniors.”
There’s no time for that in modern-day college football. Players come in physically ready to contribute, and you never know how long they’ll be in the program. Coaches can either play them — while paying them — or spend time grooming them to potentially contribute another coach at another school.
Left tackle Kodi Greene and 17-year-old defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa headline a group of true freshmen who will contribute in meaningful ways to Washington’s 2026 season. They don’t look like freshmen who should be lining up dinner reservations for high school senior prom instead of against each other at Huskies spring ball and preparing for starting roles.
Big Board: Ranking Top Defensive Tackles for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
With the deadline come and gone for teams to bring prospects into town for official visits, it’s full steam ahead for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading towards the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
Returning every key piece from their defensive line last season, including All-Pro Leonard Williams and budding star Byron Murphy II, the Seahawks don’t have any significant questions in the short term in the trenches defensively. However, Williams and Jarran Reed both are in their 30s with the former entering the final year of his current contract and the latter approaching his 34th birthday, creating questions beyond 2026 at the position that could warrant a proactive look at a quality draft class at the defensive tackle position this year.
Which interior defensive linemen stand out as the best of the best for Seattle to potentially choose from?
Quick Hits: Sounders Offense Hits Season-High Four Goals vs. St. Louis
The Seattle Sounders continued their offensive brilliance at home, scoring a season-high four goals against St. Louis City on Saturday night in a 4-1 win. The result, which came in Seattle's second MLS home game of the season (this time on grass made for the World Cup), pushed the Sounders to 5-1-1 on the young season — good for fourth place out west.
Cristian Roldan followed a two-assist Concacaf Champions Cup second leg win vs. Tigres on Wednesday with a brace on Saturday night. Albert Rusnák assisted on both of Roldan's set-piece goals while scoring his own on a second-half penalty drawn by Paul Rothrock. Striker Osaze De Rosario came on late to score the fourth — his first of the season as the young forward vies for minutes in a competitive lineup.
Big Board: Ranking Top Safety Targets for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
With the deadline come and gone for teams to bring prospects into town for official visits, it’s full steam ahead for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading towards the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
By virtue of losing former starter Coby Bryant to the Bears in free agency, safety would appear to be an area of significant need for the Seahawks. However, Julian Love and Nick Emmanwori will both return as core starters and dependable reserve Ty Okada performed admirably in 11 starts last season, showing he’s more than ready for an expanded role. The team also brought back veteran D’Anthony Bell and added ex-Colts starter Rodney Thomas in free agency for depth purposes and special teams value, but even with those moves, it’s still possible Seattle could be in the market for a safety if the right player falls to them.
Which versatile defensive backs with safety backgrounds stand out as the best of the best for Seattle to potentially choose from?
Kraken the Ice: Seattle Ends Disappointing Season With a Thud, What Now?
After being eliminated from the playoffs with a week to play, the Kraken closed out their season without much of a whimper with losses to the Golden Knights and Avalanche, capping off a disastrous post-Olympics finish.
Emerald City Spectrum writer Nick Lee reads Seattle's eulogy after an up-and-down season, diving into the obvious low points while also revisiting a few positives that developed in the 2025-26 season, and takes a look at where Seattle must go this offseason to revive a possible contender or completely clean house.
Too-Early Storm Starting Lineup Projection For 2026 Season
The Seattle Storm more than likely have their roster set for training camp after a whirlwind 10 days that included the free agency, the WNBA Draft and the post-draft signing period, where the team brought in training camp tryout players.
Currently, the Storm’s roster is at 19 players. Only eight of those players were with the team at all in 2025, and only five actually played regular-season minutes for Seattle.
Training camp begins on Sunday, April 19, before the Storm play their first preseason game on Saturday, April 25, on the road at the Golden State Valkyries.
Mariners Free-Fall Continues with 5-0 Home Loss to Rangers
The Mariners dropped their fourth game in a row on Friday night, 5-0 to the Rangers. It was their ninth defeat in a row to teams not named the Houston Astros.
It was Seattle’s fourth shutout loss of the season, with the Mariners becoming the first MLB team to log a fourth game without scoring a run of the 2026 season. Seattle only produced two real scoring chances all game on Friday, and with such paucity of opportunities, even going 1-4 with runners in scoring position (good by 2026 M’s standards), they couldn’t scratch across a run.
Despite early shakiness and persistently bad outfield defense, Logan Gilbert gutted out a solid start.
For much of the first three games the Mariners and Rangers played against each other back in Arlington, the visiting M’s were able to put up early runs against the high-powered Texas pitching staff, even if their bats fell as dead as a doornail for the rest of the game.
How Much Did Managerial Decisions Matter in Mariners’ Losses to Padres?
Top of the sixth, Mariners down by three, bases loaded, one out. A white-hot Luke Raley was set to come to the plate, having had eight hits in his last 14 at-bats, but the Padres replaced struggling reliever Bradgley Rodriguez with powerhouse lefty Adrián Morejón. Mariners manager Dan Wilson played the match-ups and brought in the right-handed Connor Joe.
Joe struck out on three pitches. The Mariners weren’t able to score again in the game and lost 5-2 in the end, falling to the business end of the Padres’ heavy-hitting bullpen and losing their eighth straight road game.
Should Raley have stayed in the game? Well, perhaps a less extremely platoony lefty should have stayed in as a proverbial “hot hand”, but Raley is one of the most platoony hitters in the game. His career .247/.335/.463 slash line against right-handers is offset by his .182/.249/.284 slash line against left-handers. Hot or not, he simply does not hit against left-handers, which is why the team signed Rob Refsnyder - but Refsnyder was out on paternity leave, leaving the M’s with four right-handed options: Leo Rivas, Mitch Garver, Connor Joe, and Patrick Wisdom.
Big Board: Ranking Top Guard Targets for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
With the deadline come and gone for teams to bring prospects into town for official visits, it’s full steam ahead for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading towards the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
Enjoying continuity in the trenches unlike any time previously in the John Schneider era, the Seahawks will welcome all five of their starters from last year’s Super Bowl squad back in 2026. However, while four of those starters remain under club control for at least the next two seasons, often maligned right guard Anthony Bradford will be entering the final year of his rookie deal with much still to prove if he wants to earn a second contract with the franchise that drafted him, leaving open the possibility of drafting a successor at some point later this month.
Which interior blockers stand out as the best of the best for Seattle to potentially choose from?
Post-Mortem: Three Reasons Why Kraken Failed Once Again in 2025-26
The 2025-2026 NHL regular season is now over. The Seattle Kraken failed to score a goal in their season finale, going out without much of a whimper, falling 2-0 to Vegas to bring another disappointing campaign to an end.
The Kraken finished 34-37-11, totaling 79 points. That ranks third among the five seasons in Seattle Kraken history. They fell three points shy of being the second-highest point total in franchise history. They also failed to have a winning season in Lane Lambert’s first year as head coach, finishing below .500 for the fourth time out of the five years, along with three straight years of sub-.500 hockey.
The Kraken have gone through three head coaches in five seasons. It appears as if Lambert will get a second year, barring an unexpected development.
So, what happened? Why did the Kraken fail to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight season?
Five Frontcourt Players Gonzaga Could Target in Transfer Portal
Presumably, the players who will fill four of the five starting spots for Gonzaga next season are either already on the roster or are on their way to Spokane. In the backcourt, Mario Saint-Supéry and Davis Fogle lead the charge as high-ceiling offensive talents looking to build off of promising freshman campaigns. And in the frontcourt, Braden Huff will return for his final season at the college level, after having an uber-efficient season shortened due to a dislocated knee.
But third-team All-American forward Graham Ike is out of eligibility, and reserve center Ismaila Diagne became one of six Zags to enter the transfer portal. Traditionally, the Zags prefer to play with two post players in the frontcourt, making the potential final piece to their starting lineup and a new running mate with Huff a crucial decision for next season.
Who are some players with chances of being the next Bulldog big?
Massamba Diop, Freshman, Arizona State
The man with the most buzz at the moment, Diop is coming off a strong freshman season with the Sun Devils. Scheduled to visit Spokane this weekend, the 7-1 center entered the transfer portal on April 8 as Arizona State undergoes a coaching change with Randy Bennett – former longtime head coach of Saint Mary’s – taking over at the helm. Diop made the decision with a “do not contact” tag, as Travis Branham of 247Sports.com reported the center had his sights set on either Gonzaga or St. John’s, which Diop is also slated to visit at an unknown date, likely sometime next week.
Big Board: Ranking Top EDGE Targets for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
With the deadline come and gone for teams to bring prospects into town for official visits, it’s full steam ahead for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading towards the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
After helping anchor the NFL’s top defense a year ago on the way to a Super Bowl victory, the Seahawks will roll into 2026 attempting to defend their title with plenty of questions short and long-term in regard to their EDGE group. Former second round pick Boye Mafe left to sign with the Bengals in free agency, while speculation about veteran Demarcus Lawrence potentially retiring continues to run amuck in the rumor mill and both Derrick Hall and Uchenna Nwosu will be entering the final year of their respective contracts as well.
Which edge setters stand out as the best of the best for Seattle to potentially choose from?
Sounders' Furious Concacaf Comeback Comes Up Short
The Seattle Sounders had a mind for a comeback heading back to Lumen Field for the first time since February 22.
Seattle lost 2-0 to Mexican side Tigres UANL in Monterrey last Wednesday in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinals. With the tournament adhering to an away-goal tiebreaker, Seattle needed to avoid a Tigres goal to ensure its best chance to make up the multi-goal disadvantage.
The Sounders started strong, benefitting from a renewed Albert Rusnák, who scored in the 11th and 82nd minutes to break a cold streak in the scoring department with Cristian Roldan assisting on both.
Ultimately, a rally wasn’t meant to be as the Sounders won the match 3-1, but lost the 3-3 series on the tiebreaker, courtesy of a late first-half goal from Tigres.
Analysis: Five Day 3 Diamonds Seahawks Should Target in 2026 NFL Draft
When the NFL Draft kicks off next Thursday, April 23, there will be a mad scramble for teams such as the Seattle Seahawks to get the handful of players scouts think will be ready to start very early on in 2026. After that, it’s anyone’s guess.
Once we reach Day 3 of the draft weekend, running from the fourth to the seventh round, it’s less about finding the perfect plug-and-play guy and more about taking chances on guys that may be raw or unrefined but possess an elite skill or trait that the coaching staff can work with.
Let’s explore five draft prospects of all shapes and sizes who possess an elite trait or characteristic, despite their flawed profile, that may merit the Seahawks taking a flyer.
Huskies Add Gonzaga’s Steele Venters to Men’s Basketball Team as Departures Mount
For now, we’ll assume the University of Washington will field a men’s basketball team for 2026-27.
Who will play on that team remains very much in question. Next season’s roster no longer appears on the Washington Athletics website, but as of Wednesday, we believe the Huskies have seven scholarship players — including two additions from the transfer portal as of Wednesday — on the roster, plus walk-on guard BJ Roy.
College basketball, with reports of well over 2,000 players in the transfer portal, appears to be in chaos. The Huskies are a prime example of roster upheaval.
Big Board: Ranking Top Running Back Targets for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
With the deadline come and gone for teams to bring prospects into town for official visits, it’s full steam ahead for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading towards the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
In the aftermath of winning Super Bowl LX MVP honors, Ken Walker III took advantage of his stock never being higher by signing a record-setting free agent contract for a running back with the Chiefs, leaving the Seahawks with major questions in the backfield. Aside from losing the speedy back, Zach Charbonnet underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in February and likely will miss at least the first two months of the 2026 season, meaning the team will have to weather the storm early without their top two rushers from their title run with limited starting experience on the current roster.
Which ball carriers stand out as the best of the best for Seattle to potentially choose from?
M’s Fall Back to Fallen Bats, Offense Goes Limp in 4-1 Loss to Padres
Seattle took full advantage of a get-right series in the standings, at least, but when it came to resetting the hitters, the lessons evidently didn’t stick. The lone run of the Mariners’ 4-1 loss to the Padres on Tuesday was a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, with no other sources of production. Bryan Woo got handed his second loss of the season thanks to the resurgent incapability of his hitters and a little bit of poor defense to boot.
It’s beginning to seem like this is what the 2026 Mariners offense really is.
The Mariners offense took a big step back against healthy MLB pitching, failing to capitalize on some early opportunities.
On Friday, the Mariners had begun a series of cold versus cold, taking on a skidding Astros club and spitting out their rivals with a four-game sweep. From near-disaster to near-.500 was one thing, but Tuesday’s game presented a contest of hot versus hot. The Padres entered the series coming off a four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies and with a five game winning streak, though the Dodgers’ hot start meant that the Dads were further behind first in the NL West (two games) than the M’s were in the AL West (one and a half games).
But against Petco Park’s perennial playoff contenders rather than a banged-up (in the understatement of the century) Astros hurling staff, the M’s had to deal with good starters and elite relievers.
Big Board: Ranking Top Cornerback Targets for Seahawks in 2026 NFL Draft
With the deadline come and gone for teams to bring prospects into town for official visits, it’s full steam ahead for the Seattle Seahawks and the rest of the league heading towards the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
After losing former Pro Bowl starter Riq Woolen in free agency, the Seahawks could be in the market for a cornerback as early as the No. 32 overall pick in the first round. Fortunately, this year’s incoming class at the position features both top-end talent and depth, providing plenty of options for general manager John Schneider and coach Mike Macdonald to address one of their biggest needs on defense.
Which corners stand out as the best of the best for Seattle to potentially choose from?
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