NFL Draft Superlatives: Breaking Down Seahawks’ 2025 Draft Class
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Former South Carolina and current Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori is the most NFL-ready prospect among the team’s 11-player draft class. [/caption]
The 2025 NFL Draft is complete. The Seattle Seahawks made a whopping 11 picks in the seven rounds. They also swung several trades. While some articles will break it down pick-by-pick, let’s get a larger scope of the draft class itself. Let’s do superlatives for the Seahawks’ 2025 draft class.
Most NFL-Ready: Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
I mean, just look at him, right? Nobody who is 6-3 and 220 pounds should be able to run a 4.38 40-yard dash and jump 43 inches. That’s when you get a call from Nick Fury to join the Avengers. From a pure physical traits standpoint, no one checks boxes in the Seahawks class, perhaps in all this 2025 NFL Draft class, like Emmanwori. Plus, he didn’t exactly play in the Junior Playschool Conference. He made a name for himself in the SEC. With 88 tackles, four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, Emmanwori earned First Team All-America honors.
He is the ultimate chess piece in the secondary. With over 100 snaps in the box, as a free safety, and even at slot corner, Emmanwori can go anywhere Mike Macdonald wants. Even with some veterans in the safety group, Emmanwori is a rare specimen who needs to see the field immediately in 2025.
Best Fit: Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
The Seahawks went with their biggest need, and best fit, right away at pick No. 18. Zabel will slide straight into the left guard spot. While the team likely will give all the guards a chance to compete in camp, something catastrophic would need to happen for Zabel not to be in the starting lineup Week 1 for Seattle.
Kubiak’s system requires athletic offensive linemen and Zabel emphatically checks off that box. He played all five offensive line spots at North Dakota State and produced an incredible 36.5-inch vertical at the combine, the best of any offensive lineman, and a 111-inch broad jump. He’s plenty athletic for a 6-6, 312-pound guard. He’s already Seattle’s most athletic lineman outside of left tackle Charles Cross. Perhaps, he could establish himself as the most athletic lineman in Seattle with a strong camp.
Best Draft-Day Trade: Day 2 Trade-Up With Titans to Get Emmanwori
Many had Emmanwori going in the first round. Many had the Seahawks taking him at No. 18. The fact that the Seahawks swung a trade to get Emmanwori after taking another consensus first-rounder in Zabel was one of the biggest wins of the draft around the NFL. Still, the price wasn’t nothing. Seattle sent picks 52 and 82 to move up to 35 to snag him early in the second round. However, it means the Seahawks essentially got two first-round talents in this draft while still managing to select 11 new players.
Biggest Steal: Damien Martinez, RB, Miami
I debated going Emmanwori here since he was supposed to go in the first round. To get away from the Emmanwori-heavy content already, let’s go with the seventh-round running back. At 6-0 and 217 pounds, he is an absolute load to bring down. If you had to pick a running back that went in day three that most resembled beloved Seahawks legend Marshawn Lynch, this is your guy.
With a minimum of 100 rushing attempts last season, Martinez ranked fifth in the FBS in yards after contact average per carry. NFL Mock Database had Martinez pinned as a fourth-rounder. Many mock drafts had him going before the sixth round. In reality, the Seahawks got him in the seventh round. He will immediately push Kenny McIntosh for the third running back spot. Plus, Ken Walker III enters the final year of his rookie deal. There is no guarantee the running back room will be stable after this season. Martinez offers some insurance and depth.
Biggest Boom or Bust: Elijah Arroyo, TE, Miami
Some were left scratching their heads at Seattle taking a passing game-first tight end at No. 50. However, in a vacuum, Arroyo is an exciting prospect. At 6-5, 250 pounds, he is an ideal size for a receiving tight end. Factor in his sub-4.70 speed at that size, and you have a dangerous combo. With natural hands and fluid movement, Arroyo is a very athletic weapon to put into the tight end room. He and Noah Fant have similar profiles. That leads to the boom-or-bust nature. Arroyo will not be an inline blocker, getting a lot of the opponents’ helmet paint on his.
Arroyo needs to make his hay in the passing game, creating mismatches over the middle. If that doesn’t work out, he doesn’t bring much value as a blocker. Plus, there is the added concern about his injury past. If Arroyo can stay healthy and Kubiak finds ways to best use his skills in the passing game, this could be a home run pick. If not, it will be hard not to look down the board at whom else the Seahawks could’ve taken at 50.
Best “Football Sickos” Pick: Robbie Ouzts, TE/FB, Alabama
For those old-school, throwback football fans, this is your favorite pick the Seahawks made. Listed as a tight end at Alabama, Ouzts will be a fullback in a Seahawks uniform. At 275 pounds, he will bring the thump as a blocker. He is more agile than your average offensive lineman and thicker and nastier than your typical modern tight end. This pick, more than any other, illustrates offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s intentions with Seattle’s offense. They want to get physical and nasty. They want to establish a tone of intimidation and physicality. For all you “sickos” (it’s supposed to be an endearing term) who want fullbacks back in the NFL, Ouzts is your front man with the thick, beautiful mustache.
Most Questionable Decision: Passing on Bigger Needs at No. 50
Going with the boom-or-bust theme, the Arroyo selection has a chance to look very bad in a year or two. Sure, he could be a Pro Bowl tight end. He has that ceiling. However, if he doesn’t pan out, let’s look down the board at who was still available when Seattle went with Arroyo. At cornerback, a position Seattle didn’t draft at all, they passed on Benjamin Morrison, Darien Porter, and Shavon Revel. Along the offensive line, Tate Ratledge was still there. The Seahawks could’ve doubled down at guard. At defensive line, Senior Bowl darling Landon Jackson at EDGE and disruptive defensive tackle Darius Alexander were all still there. This is the spot in the draft where fans will look to if things don’t work out.
Day 3 Sleeper: Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State
The Seahawks waited until the fifth round to address the receiver spot. Horton isn’t some undersized receiver from a Group of 5 school. At 6-2, almost 200 pounds, he has the frame to be a great NFL wideout. He will likely need to pack on a few more pounds of muscle to handle an NFL workload. With long strides and sudden movements in routes, Horton creates headaches for opposing secondaries.
Combine his size with his 4.41 40 time, Horton is an immediate deep threat. Frankly, he appears a bit like Seattle’s new veteran big receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. With a polished route tree and coaching, Horton could become a solid NFL option on the outside. It might take some time, especially with Seattle bringing in a few veterans to complement Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but Horton could turn out to be a solid No. 2 guy soon enough.
Best Pick With Future in Mind: Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
Many eyebrows extended heavenward around the NFL when Seattle chose to bring in uber-athletic quarterback Jalen Milroe from Alabama. Sam Darnold is the starting quarterback for the Seahawks in 2025. The selection of Milroe does nothing to put that in jeopardy for this season. The Alabama product is very raw as a passer.
As a fine-tuned athlete, Seattle can find ways to get Milroe on the field as a rookie in certain packages, but not as the starting quarterback. In fact, he likely will have an uphill battle to unseat Drew Lock as the backup. Still, there is enough raw ability and a good mental makeup for the Seahawks to think Milroe can be the guy in 2026 or 2027. This situation will have fans fantasizing about the potential for at least a few seasons.
Most Intriguing Undrafted Free Agent Signing: Zy Alexander, CB, LSU
Technically, this doesn’t count as part of Seattle’s draft class. Consider it a bonus item. The Seahawks did not select a true cornerback in the draft, a position that most assumed would be a priority. Riq Woolen enters the final year of his rookie deal. Josh Jobe is on just a one-year deal. The corner situation outside of Devon Witherspoon beyond 2025 is murky at best.
Alexander agreed to an undrafted free agent deal with the Seahawks, though it has yet to be officially announced by the team. NFL Mock Database had the LSU corner as a possible fifth-rounder. At 6-1 with 4.56 40 speed, he has a decent combination of size and speed to keep up with NFL receivers. He is effective as a disrupter when the ball is in the air and he can handle his own when the run game comes his way. Alexander going undrafted to Seattle could be a huge coup.
