Seattle Seahawks insider predicts 2025 NFL draft pick won't make 53-man roster

After 14 years with Pete Carroll at the helm, the Seattle Seahawks' switch to Mike Macdonald as their new head coach last year came as a bit of a culture shock. Macdonald's influence resulted in a number of highly-visible changes, from small-order things like removing the basketball hoop from the team's meeting area to larger shifts like actually tackling during practice.

One of the major changes came at running back, where Carroll had historically rostered four players for the regular season. When the initial 53-man roster came out, Macdonald only had three: starter Ken Walker, backup Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh.

If the Seahawks once again only roll with three running backs, then Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times expects rookie seventh-round draft pick Damien Martinez out of Miami to be the odd man out.

"McIntosh’s experience as a kickoff returner would for seem to give him the nod over Damien Martinez for the third spot, though the Seahawks would undoubtedly keep Martinez on the 16-man practice squad that can be assembled after cuts are made..."

Condotta's projection is probably correct if Macdonald only carries three, but we feel the team wouldn't have drafted Martinez in the first place if that was the plan.

Then again, there's likely to be a heavy emphasis on tight ends this year, and the addition of the fullback position to Klint Kubiak's offense means there will be less spots to go around overall - so the running back room could very well be just as thin as last year. The Seahawks also have a pretty talented back on their practice squad with George Holani.

While it's rare, draft picks do get cut before they play a single meaningful game. Last year, Seattle waived their sixth-round pick, Auburn cornerback DJ James after he bombed during the preseason. To avoid getting a pink slip on cutdown day, Martinez will have to impress in those August matchups.