Growth of Sophomore Class Gives Seahawks Shot to Be Even Better in 2026
Like most Super Bowl winners, the Seattle Seahawks leaned heavily on their established stars on the way to hoisting the Lombardi Trophy last season. From quarterback Sam Darnold to defensive tackle Leonard Williams to linebacker Ernest Jones, the team had plenty of experienced veterans who stepped up with outstanding seasons to guide the team back to the top.
However, what made Seattle’s season truly a special one was the impressive contributions from young players in all three phases. Most notably, the 2025 rookie class played a massive role in taking the jump from a quality 10-win team that narrowly missed the playoffs one year earlier to winning the NFC West, earning the No. 1 seed, and capturing a Super Bowl title.
Continuing to be on a multi-year heater unearthing game-changing talent in the draft, Seahawks general manager John Schneider landed a Day 1 starting guard in Grey Zabel with the 18th overall pick, plugging the former North Dakota State standout into the lineup right away as a clear difference maker for a much-improved offensive line. Defensively, trading up to snag safety Nick Emmanwori with the 35th overall pick proved to be a huge steal for the franchise, as his Swiss army knife traits turned an already great defense into a juggernaut.
Along the way, Seattle also received early help from fifth-round receiver Tory Horton and fifth-round fullback Robbie Ouzts, who performed well before injuries ended up sidelining them for extensive time. Then, in the Super Bowl, fifth-round defensive tackle Rylie Mills came through with an extraordinary sack bringing down New England quarterback Drake Maye along with guard Jared Wilson, finishing the season strong after missing most of the year recovering from a torn ACL suffered in his final game at Notre Dame.
Winning back-to-back Super Bowls has rarely happened in the NFL, but if there’s a reason to be bullish on the Seahawks being able to pull off the feat in 2026 and potentially being even better this season, it’s the fact that 2025 draft class should be just getting started.
As a rookie, Zabel allowed just 24 pressures and two sacks in 17 regular season starts, finishing in the top-25 among guards in both categories along with finishing 23rd in Pass Block Efficiency Rate (97.5%). While those numbers are rock solid for a rookie and his run blocking gradually improved as the 2025 season progressed, there’s plenty of room for growth entering his second season as a foundational piece in the trenches, and Seattle will be banking on him taking a big step forward and emerging as one of the premier young blockers at his position in the league.
If Zabel unlocks his Pro Bowl or even All-Pro potential in year two, with all four other starters from last year’s Super Bowl squad returning, the Seahawks could have a top-five offensive line next season after years of struggling to field a competent unit up front.
Once he bounced back from a high ankle sprain that cost him three games out of the gate, the 6-3, 225-pound Emmanwori became an immediate weapon for coach Mike Macdonald, seeing snaps as a strong safety, slot cornerback, linebacker, and even as an EDGE on the line of scrimmage. Even after missing three games, he finished first among safeties with eight pass breakups and 18 quarterback pressures, demonstrating his immense versatility wreaking havoc all over the formation, and that success continued in the postseason with four pass breakups and a pair of pressures.
Just 22 years old, Emmanwori has barely scratched the surface of his potential with a ceiling that vaults beyond the clouds, a scary proposition for the rest of the NFC. With another offseason to continue refining his talents in a scheme perfectly suited for his skill set, Macdonald should have even more tricks up his sleeve to fully unleash the dynamic do-it-all defensive playmaker.
But while Zabel and Emmanwori will be expected to be even better in their sophomore seasons as budding stars, the Seahawks have several other returning second-year players who look poised to step up in 2026 to help their title defense, starting with Horton and Mills.
Before Seattle traded a fourth and fifth-round pick to New Orleans to acquire Rashid Shaheed last October, Horton got off to a scorching hot start on offense and special teams. While he wasn’t heavily targeted by Darnold, he made the most of his limited opportunities and thrived in high leverage situations, turning five of his 13 receptions into touchdowns. Entering Week 10, he had as many touchdown catches as Jaxon Smith-Njigba, tied for the team lead and ranking in the top 10 among receivers in the NFL.
Horton also set a new franchise record with a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown in a blowout win over the Saints, giving him six touchdowns in nine games before a shin injury prematurely ended his season. Assuming he’s fully recovered from the injury that cost him the last eight regular season games and the playoffs, his size, speed, and soft hands will give opponents another problem to worry about with Smith-Njigba, Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp all returning as pass catching threats.
Rehabbing the aforementioned knee injury, Mills’ rookie season wound up being almost a complete wash, but the Seahawks decided to activate him in mid-December. He didn’t record any stats in his debut, but followed up with three tackles in the final two games of the regular season as he started to get his legs back underneath him in what served as an unofficial preseason for him. He only played one defensive snap in the first two playoff games combined, but he shined on the biggest stage sacking Maye and generating two pressures on just five snaps in the Super Bowl.
Now listing him as a defensive end rather than a defensive tackle, Seattle hopes that Mills’ breakout performance in Santa Clara will be a stepping stone to providing another versatile, disruptive chess piece to an already stacked defensive line headlined by Williams, Byron Murphy II, and Jarran Reed. Without having to rehab this offseason, he will be focused on carving out a bigger rotational role working as a big end and a 3-tech defensive tackle, further bolstering the team’s depth up front.
It would be remiss not to mention second round pick Elijah Arroyo as a possible breakout candidate either. The ex-Miami star flashed in spurts during his rookie season, catching 15 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, but a knee injury sidelined him for the final four games of the regular season and the presence of AJ Barner limited his touches in the passing game. Possessing elite athleticism at 250 pounds, his seam-stretching ability as a vertical threat could add another element to the passing attack if he can stay healthy.
As for other sophomores who could make a steady jump in 2026, athletic guard Bryce Cabeldue will be in a direct competition against third-year blocker Christian Haynes and rookie Beau Stephens to win a backup job behind either Zabel or Anthony Bradford. Offensive line coach John Benton remains high on the former Kansas tackle and in his second season slid inside, he should be more comfortable at the position, priming him to be a viable contender for a swing guard spot.
In the wake of Dareke Young signing with the Raiders in free agency, Ricky White III will have an opportunity to replace the former special teams stalwart after the seventh rounder spent all of the 2025 season on the practice squad. Renowned for his punt blocking talents along with being a 1,000-yard receiver at UNLV, he will have to put those special teams talents to good use going up against incoming sixth-round pick Emmanuel Henderson Jr., as those two players likely will be vying for a single spot at the bottom of the receiver depth chart at a crowded position.
Receiving any on-field impact from Cabeldue or White would be the cherry on top for Seattle, but as far as realistic expectations are concerned for the defending champions and their decorated 2025 class, the quintet of Zabel, Emmanwori, Arroyo, Horton, and Mills should be primed to make a major leap as sophomores. Even with only two of those players expected to enter the 2026 season as starters on offense or defense, it would be a disappointment if the rest of the group doesn’t thrive in rotational/situational roles, as the stage has been set for all of them to contribute.
If everyone from that collective demonstrates improvement from their rookie campaigns as envisioned, coupled with Darnold, Williams, and other veterans coming back and the roster almost kept fully intact, the Seahawks have a great chance to make another run for the Super Bowl with their young core keeping the title window wide open for the foreseeable future.
