Seattle Seahawks General Manager John Schneider just went full gangster. For just the third time in his 15-year career, he may need to draft a quarterback. Schneider’s got a treasure chest of draft capital. The good news for him is that he can do that by reshaping the team’s future at the quarterback position. The Seahawks now have 10 picks, including three valuable early-round selections for the 2025 NFL draft.
Throughout his time with Seattle, Schneider has selected only two quarterbacks: Russell Wilson and Alex McGough. This scant history is a stark contrast to all the exciting opportunities on the horizon. Schneider’s quarterback draft history might look very different. I’m still bitter he didn’t pull off that lucrative trade with the Cleveland Browns way back in 2018. That’s how he got the Browns to agree to a trade down from the No. 1 overall pick. His first plan was and then his plan B was to take that pick and draft Josh Allen. Those discussions did not progress.
Despite having focused on other player positions, Schneider has not hesitated to invest early-round picks in older players, demonstrating a commitment to maximizing immediate team performance. This draft cycle, too, offers an extremely unusual situation for Schneider and first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. With the team’s recent trades involving DK Metcalf and Geno Smith, Schneider secured extra second- and third-round picks, enhancing their draft strategy.
The Seahawks now have one of the deepest arrays of draft capital in the league, with Nos. 18, 50, 52, 82 and 92. Plus, they have an extra fourth-rounder and multiple fifth and seventh-round picks to play with in any draft strategy they might choose. Yet this wealth of opportunity leaves plenty of room for Schneider and Macdonald to target a quarterback sooner rather than later.
As part of their preparation for the draft, Schneider has utilized two of Seattle’s 30 pre-draft visits on potential quarterback prospects: Tyler Shough from Louisville and Jalen Milroe from Alabama. Unannounced visits indicate that this is a team hungry to find new and exciting talent. They might even be sending a message that they plan on signing or drafting a quarterback.
Schneider was quick to defend this year’s quarterbacks from a lot of deserved skepticism. Yet the truth as he saw it was that everyone was wrong to think it is bad. He emphasized that the quality of available players should not deter the Seahawks from pursuing a quarterback if they believe it aligns with their vision for the future.
“We have four guys that we really like.” – John Schneider
This statement speaks to Schneider’s optimism about the pool of talent Seattle has to choose from. Second, he understands intuitively that quarterbacks require a massive amount of working time and developmental opportunity. Without developmental leagues such as NFL Europe, players face specific hurdles when making the jump to the pro circuit.
“And then the guys need so many reps, and we don’t have NFL Europe anymore,” – John Schneider
That’s where the Seahawks find themselves right now in a fascinating dilemma. Schneider and Macdonald should have very tough choices to make come this draft. Combine that with a strong assortment of available Seattle picks and an apparent interest in both quarterbacks Shough and Milroe. That would mean they’ll likely soon be making a big decision on their long-term future under center.
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