Rob Rang's Seahawks Draft Preview: 7-Round Mock Draft

One of the most recognized names in the industry, Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. Rob has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Rang's opinions and evaluations are his own and do not reflect those of the Seahawks. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.

The 2025 NFL draft figures to be a fun one for Seahawks fans.

The strengths of the year's class line up well with Seattle's perceived needs along the line of scrimmage and with 10 selections – including five within first 92 picks overall – the Seahawks will be on the clock early and often.

Seahawks fans feeling anxious about the offensive line will be pleased with Seattle's first round "investment," should my projection below prove accurate. For what it's worth, a year ago, I missed on the name of the first three players the Seahawks drafted but correctly forecasted that these picks would be spent on a defensive tackle, offensive guard and inside linebacker.

I wouldn't put it past John Schneider to invest an early pick on a speedy pass-catcher or back-seven defender. There seems to be such a wide variance of opinion on prospects in this draft that Schneider and Mike Macdonald could find themselves in position to nab a falling star.

But I'll be surprised if the Seahawks' starting left guard next fall doesn't come via this draft with at least a couple premium picks dedicated to the defensive front, as well.

So, enjoy! And without any further ado, the Seattle Seahawks are on the clock.

Round One - No. 18 overall – Kelvin Banks, Jr., OL, Texas

The Seahawks turned to the Longhorns a year ago with Byron Murphy II and I could see the club returning to Austin to nab his former teammate, the reigning Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award winner.

The 6-foot-5, 315 pounds Banks is a former-5 recruit who started 42 of a possible 43 games in three seasons, allowing just three sacks during that time. He starred at left tackle for the Longhorns but his girthy frame and quickness project nicely inside to left guard, as well, where the Seahawks are looking for an upgrade after allowing last year's starter Laken Tomlinson to leave via free agency.

Banks has terrific quickness for a player of his size and the Longhorns ran a lot of the same wide-zone principles that Klint Kubiak and his coaches are implementing in Seattle. Banks, 21, was voted a team captain as a junior for a national title contender and faced future NFL draft picks every day in practice. At that age, he's as battle-tested as it gets, ranking among the safer prospects of the class.

I think Schneider would like to use his first pick on a flashier athlete at more of an impact position.

But the Seahawks can check off a lot boxes – and allow themselves a lot more flexibility the rest of the draft – just by investing early with Banks.

Round Two – No. 50 overall – Oluwafemi Oladejo, Edge, UCLA

Edge rusher might be the Seahawks strongest positional group, but it is a strength of this year's class and Macdonald seeks to attack opponents with waves of varied rushers, so a Day Two reinforcement is likely. In terms of style, Oladejo combines the initial burst and bend offered by current Seahawk Boye Mafe with some of the rugged physicality and that helped Derick Hall leap to eight sacks this past season.

The aforementioned Mafe is entering the final year of his rookie contract and while the Seahawks are fortunate to have Uchenna Nwuso returning and splashy free agent addition DeMarcus Lawrence also on the perimeter, both are veterans coming off of injury-shortened seasons.

The chiseled 6-foot-3, 260-pound Oladejo began his college career as an off-ball linebacker at Cal but emerged this past with the Bruins rushing off the edge, leading the Bruins in both tackles for loss and sacks, before turning heads at the Senior Bowl practices and winning Defensive MVP honors of the game itself.

Round Two – No. 52 overall (from Pittsburgh) – Jalen Royals, WR, Utah State

Seahawks fans should be excited about the arrival of Cooper Kupp (and Marques Valdez-Scantling) in Klint Kubiak's offense, but the club must add speed to a receiving corps seeking to replace longtime stars Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. Valdez-Scantling and Dareke Young are the only two of the nine receivers currently on Seattle's roster with a 40-yard dash time under 4.5. That doesn't track with Kubiak's system, which is reliant on receivers who can win after the catch or with Darnold, an excellent deep-ball passer.

There are several receivers expected to be drafted on Day Two that I think would be a great fit for Seattle, with Royals offering a similar style as the more well-known Luther Burden III, who I projected to the Seahawks in this offense-only mock draft last week. (https://www.seahawks.com/news/blockers-and-big-plays-featured-in-offense-only-mock-draft)

The 6-0, 205 Royals was clocked at 4.42 seconds and his speed translates beautifully to the field. He had 10 catches of 50+ yards over the past two seasons – and he missed five games this past year due to a foot injury that has since healed and did not keep him from working out at the Combine, his Pro Day or the Senior Bowl.

He's fluid off the line and out of his breaks, currently showing better agility and upside than polish in his route-running. I see the athleticism and work ethic to develop here, however, with the soft hands and wiggle after the catch to add much-needed juice to the Seahawks' passing attack.

Round Three – No. 82 overall – Ty Robinson, DL, Nebraska

Like at edge rusher, the Seahawks will almost certainly be investing one of their first handful of picks on a traditional defensive lineman, likely someone who can either handle the outside role that Roy Robertson-Harris provided or at nose guard, where the Seahawks had Johnathan Hankins playing last season.

At an imposing 6-foot-6 and 288 pounds Robinson is cut from a similar cloth as Robertson-Harris and current Seahawk Mike Morris. He is rugged, powerful and instinctive but also a quality athlete, as his 9'11 broad jump demonstrates.

At nearly 24-years old, Robinson was literally a man amongst boys this past season for the Cornhuskers, jumping from four tackles for loss and one sack in 2023 to leading the team in both categories this past season with 12.5 and seven, respectively. He has active, powerful hands and he pairs them with awareness, batting passes (and a field goal in 2023) effectively. He is a true tough guy, earning the honor of wearing a single digit uniform – a tradition brought to Nebraska by head coach Matt Rhule, who went to Lincoln following three seasons in the same role for the Carolina Panthers.

And if that isn't enough, Robinson also proved to be a punishing lead blocker in short yardage situations.

Round Three – No. 92 overall (from Las Vegas) – Quincy Riley, CB, Louisville

The Seahawks boast one of the league's better all-around cornerbacks in Devon Witherspoon but with the supremely talented Riq Woolen entering the final year of his rookie contract and Josh Jobe back on a one-year deal, corner is a significant need for Seattle, even after Nehemiah Pritchett flashed as a rookie fifth round pick.

Anyone being added to this Seahawks room had better be brimming with confidence and that describes Riley, an absolute ballhawk who leads this year's cornerback class with 15 career interceptions.

At a shade under 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds with 4.48-second speed, Riley isn't the biggest or fastest corner in this class, but he does possess legitimate man-to-man cover skills, showing both the agility to shadow receivers' at the stem, as well as late acceleration to close on the ball.

Round Four – No. 137 overall – Jay Toia, NG, UCLA

As mentioned previously, the Seahawks will be looking to this draft (or undrafted free agency) to add competition at nose guard with veterans Quinton Bohanna and Brandon Pili currently the only defensive linemen on the roster listed north of 315 pounds.

Toia is a 6-foot-2, 341-pound fire hydrant of a nose guard who plugs up the middle very effectively. He was a three-year starter at UCLA, never missing a game due to injury. He was voted a team captain in 2024, a relative rarity among defensive linemen.

This might be earlier than the Seahawks want to invest a selection for a player who amounts to a specialist in today's pass-happy NFL but stopping the run in short yardage is going to critical if the Seahawks looking to not only get into the playoffs but be a real contender. Toia isn't going to stop Philadelphia's tush-push on his own but he's just as stout as some of the more celebrated run-stuffers of this class and therefore should be considered a relative bargain on Day Three.

Round Five – No. 172 overall – Marques Sigle, DB, Kansas State

I'll admit, part of the appeal for Sigle (pronounced Sea gull) to the Seahawks is just the poetry it might create for longtime play-by-play maestro Steve Raible. I mean can't you just hear it now, "Holy catfish! Another interception for Sigle and the Seahawks are soaring again!"

In all seriousness, Sigle is an intriguing candidate for the Seahawks, both due to his own talent as well as Seattle's need for more bodies in the secondary, especially with last year's breakout starting Coby Bryant joining the aforementioned Woolen in entering the final year of their rookie contracts.

Sigle began his college career as a cornerback at North Dakota State but transferred up to Kansas State two years and saw action at nickel and both safety spots. At 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, Sigle's size projects better to cornerback than safety – but so does his speed. He was clocked at an eye-popping 4.37 seconds at the Combine and is not just a track star, generating 174 tackles, including 10.5 tackles for loss over his career, as well as seven interceptions and two forced fumbles. He is currently more of a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type but Sigle has a skillset worth developing.

Round Five – No. 175 overall – CJ Dippre, TE, Alabama

I could see the Seahawks investing an earlier pick at tight end, but the top candidates are more pass-catchers than blockers and I believe that Noah Fant and AJ Barner are well-suited to performing well in that role in Kubiak's scheme.

Dippre is a block-first powerlifter who bet on himself in transferring to Alabama after initially playing at Maryland, where he caught all three of his career touchdown passes. He possesses rare size and strength for the position, finishing second among all Combine participants with 32 repetitions in the bench press after weighing in at a shade under 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds. Dippre isn't just weightroom strong, he's violent and functionally powerful, moving defenders at the point of attack. He's also a quality special teams player with better speed (4.69) and hands than his limited production as a receiver would suggest. I think Schneider could be reminded of a young Will Dissly with Dippre.

Round Seven – No. 223 overall (from Pittsburgh) – Ricky White III, WR, UNLV

After clocking a 4.61 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine, White probably fell out of most team's draftable grades but as referenced earlier, the Seahawks seem less interested in straight-line speed at receiver than some clubs. White may not have run well at the Combine – he came in at 4.50 at his Pro Day – but he certainly plays fast, generating 19 touchdowns over the past two seasons. And he's physical as well, starring on special teams and as a downfield blocker.

White originally signed with Michigan State but opted to transfer to UNLV, where the two-time team captain set a school record with 1,483 receiving yards in 2023 and earned the Mountain West Conference's Special Teams Player of the Year in 2024, leading the entire country with four blocked kicks.

Round Seven – No. 234 overall – Carson Bruener, LB, Washington

The Seahawks appear set at inside linebacker after signing Ernest Jones IV to a multiyear extension and hitting big on fourth round pick Tyrice Knight, but depth behind Seattle's starters is a concern, which could make Bruener a smart and popular selection to cap this draft.

Bruener is an NFL legacy who emerged a year ago for the hometown Huskies, starting all 13 games and pacing the Dawgs with 104 tackles. At 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds Bruener isn't the biggest linebacker, but he's an instinctive and assignment-sound tackler who turned heads in coverage – both against the pass and on special teams – registering eight passes broken up and three interceptions in 2024.