> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Seattle Seahawks Need To Draft Proficient Blocking Tight End - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/seattle-seahawks-need-to-draft-proficient-blocking-tight-end/ - Published: 2025-04-17T18:36:34.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T06:20:41.000Z - Author: Nick Lee - Tags: 2025 NFL Draft, NFL Draft, Seahawks, Jackson Hawes, Luke Lachey \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1557"\] ![ Mitchell Evans, tight end for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, at the media day press conference in the Georgia World Congress Center ahead of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship versus the Ohio State Buckeyes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Credit: Bobak Ha’Eri ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/2025-0118_mitchell_evans-format-original-2.jpg) Mitchell Evans, tight end for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, at the media day press conference in the Georgia World Congress Center ahead of the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship versus the Ohio State Buckeyes at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Credit: Bobak Ha’Eri \[/caption\] As the Seattle Seahawks head into the 2025 NFL Draft, their roster is undergoing a quiet but significant transformation under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The franchise, now under the leadership of head coach Mike Macdonald, is shifting toward a more balanced, physical style of play that demands more from the tight end position than ever before. Simply put: Seattle needs to add to the tight end room — but it can’t just be *any* tight end. With Noah Fant’s role in a new system uncertain and his contract in the last year, the Seahawks' tight end depth is thin behind second-year player AJ Barner. Kubiak’s offensive philosophy, shaped by his father Gary Kubiak and influenced by Kyle Shanahan, leans heavily on outside zone runs, play-action passes and a physical identity rooted in the trenches. That scheme doesn’t just *include* tight ends — it depends on them. Barner seems to fit the mold. He came on strong as a rookie out of Michigan and held his own in the run game while catching four touchdowns, the most by a Seahawks tight end since Jimmy Graham. In a Kubiak offense, tight ends are not just auxiliary receivers. They are hybrid weapons: part offensive lineman, part route-runner. Seattle needs a tight end who can seal the edge on outside zone runs, climb to the second level to block linebackers, and then turn around and threaten the seam off play action. Noah Fant’s strengths do not lie in the trenches getting his hands dirty. He puts his athleticism on display out in space with the ball in his hands. After this coming season, only Barner is under contract among Seattle’s tight ends. They need to add to the group, but also need to do it smartly. They need the right fit. This draft offers a few players who fit the need of a tight end who can make plays in the passing game while also holding their own in blocking. Here are three tight ends in this draft class that fit this description. Disclaimer: This is assuming Tyler Warren out of Penn State will not be available by pick 18\. If he falls to 18, the Seahawks should consider taking him. ### **Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame** At 6-foot-5, 258 pounds, Evans is the proper size to be an in-line blocking tight end. He logged 235 snaps this past season at Notre Dame inside the trenches with his hand in the dirt. With that size, he has admirable body control and ball skills. With the Irish, he logged back-to-back 400-plus-yard seasons. He appears to want to impose his will when blocking. For Evans, blocking does not appear like a chore. Instead of him having to block, he gets to block. That mentality got him and the Irish all the way to the College Football Playoff National Championship, where they lost to Ohio State. His tough-nosed style with surprising ball skills is the perfect blend Kubiak needs. Evans is likely a Day 3 pick, somewhere around the fifth round. ### **Luke Lachey, Iowa** Like Evans, Lachey has plenty of size at 6-foot-6\. His frame is a little slighter, but with room to fill out with some NFL-caliber strength, conditioning, and nutrition coaching. His height and wingspan offer an elite catch radius. He never put up eye-popping numbers with the Hawkeyes, as many rarely do. (How did George Kittle only have 737 career receiving yards at Iowa?) He is a fluid athlete, but can work to become more physical. Where he fits with this system is his willingness to block, even if it isn’t always pretty. He logged over 400 snaps as an in-line tight end, given Iowa’s pro-style offense. The clay is still wet with Lachey, with some time and room to grow into a fine NFL tight end. He still could be available late in the fifth to early sixth rounds. ### **Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech** Pound-for-pound, Hawes might be the best pure blocking tight end in this draft class. He also might be the smartest, given that he started his college career at Yale. Mike Macdonald, Kubiak and company have to love a smart guy who loves to get down and dirty in the trenches. He could operate as an extra offensive lineman, but one who is wearing an eligible number and be a threat in the red zone. Hawes is a true throwback who won’t be a good fit on all teams. But to this Seahawks team — looking to reestablish physicality — he’s almost perfect. And he should be available perhaps even as late as the seventh round or even as an undrafted free agent.