Seattle Seahawks Draft Rapid Fire: Best pick, highest upside

It was quite a busy draft for the Seattle Seahawks, with general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald walking away with an intriguing collection of 11 new players.

Why Big Ray is big fan of Seattle Seahawks’ top pick Grey Zabel

Who were the best and worst picks? What pick surprised most? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard and co-host Mike Salk answered those questions more Monday morning during Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

Seahawks draft rapid fire

• Who was the best pick?

It probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that both Huard and Salk were fans of the Seahawks picking North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel at No. 18 overall. Zabel figures to compete immediately for a starting job at a position that was the team’s most glaring need heading into the draft.

“Grey Zabel was the best pick, man,” Huard said. “I’ve come to understand that they were not going to (trade back) below 25. They knew their need. There were a few of the guys in that interior group they liked, but Grey Zabel was their (number) one.”

“I would agree. I don’t think it’s really even all that close,” Salk said. “I mean, he’s not necessarily my favorite pick … but how could you not love the fact that they got exactly what they needed at the right spot? And as we talked about, the way the draft went in the first round, I’m not sure they had much of a choice. You had to do it then. You couldn’t get cute. They didn’t. They drafted a guy that they needed.”

• Which pick has the highest upside?

The Seahawks put an emphasis on drafting players with elite athletic traits, especially in the early rounds. None seem to stand out athletically compared to other draft prospects at their position more than quarterback Jalen Milroe, who the Seahawks picked in the third round. The Alabama product ran a 4.40-second 40-yard dash at his pro day and has a running ability that has drawn comparisons to two-time MVP Lamar Jackson.

“If you get a franchise quarterback in the third round, he’s got the highest upside,” Salk said. “With his ability to run and everything else, if he can figure out the passing part of this, Jalen Milroe is the highest upside pick they made, and 92 is a perfect spot to make it.”

• What was the iffiest pick?

Tight end seemed like a position the Seahawks would address at some point in the draft, but Miami’s Elijah Arroyo in the second round may not have been the most obvious fit. Arroyo’s greatest skills come as a receiver. He has the elite athletic traits Seattle coveted in the draft, but there are questions about his blocking abilities, and he dealt with knee injuries in college, including a torn ACL.

“I don’t think he was their (top choice at) tight end,” Huard said. “That kid Mason Taylor (out of LSU) went real high in the second round, but he was right behind him and they were not going to let him get off the board.”

“I’m not down on Elijah Arroyo,” Salk said. “I’m a little down on picking a tight end at 50. I would have liked to have seen them take another offensive lineman there.”

• Which current Seahawks benefit most from the draft?

The Seahawks were expected to be in the market for a cornerback in this year’s draft, possibly even during the second or third rounds, but didn’t end up taking one. Huard and Salk agreed that was good news for Riq Woolen, who’s heading into the final year of his contract, and Josh Jobe.

“Their jobs just became a lot more secure for now,” Salk said. “Now that doesn’t mean they’re going to find somebody to challenge them eventually.”

• Which current Seahawks are on the hot seat?

With 11 picks, the Seahawks were able to address several positions. That also meant there are a number of returning players who could be fighting to keep their playing time or even a roster spot.

The tight end and running back positions stood out to Salk.

“I mean, obviously it’s Noah Fant,” Salk said. “But also, I think that if you are in that running back room, whether it’s Ken Walker or the kid from Georgia, Kenny McIntosh, I think all those guys are probably a little bit on watch now after taking another running back.”

Huard pointed to wide receiver Jake Bobo. The Seahawks added pass catchers who can also contribute on special teams like Bobo does. That include UNLV’s Ricky White III, who blocked four punts in college.

“They got some dudes here that can really, really run. They got some dudes here that are gonna make this team,” Huard said.

Salk also mentioned guard Anthony Bradford, who struggled when healthy last season and doesn’t seem to fit the style of lineman needed in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s system.

“Given the three guys they drafted and their biggest connective singular trait of being athletic and (having) speed, I don’t see how Anthony Bradford’s on this team. I just don’t see it,” Salk said. “If that’s what they’re looking for from their guard, Anthony Bradford’s not that. I’m not sure Christian Haynes is either, but I know it’s not Anthony Bradford.”

• What was the most surprising pick?

Salk and Huard had differing opinions on their most surprising pick. Salk went with Alabama tight end Robbie Outz, a 275-pounder the Seahawks are converting to fullback. And Huard went with Milroe.

“It’s like, wait, what? This tight end? Who (had) 160 yards last year?” Salk said.

“Milroe is still (the most surprising) with Sam Darnold and Drew Lock on the roster,” Huard said. “Now, I love it. … I said to you, Milroe, third or fourth round is kind of where I would take him. So it wasn’t shocked, but it was bold.”

• Who will be the most impressive looking at rookie camp?

The consensus was that second-round safety Nick Emmanwori would be the most impressive at rookie camp. He starred at the scouting combine while posting the highest vertical jump (43 inches) and broad jump (11 feet, 6 inches) of any participant, and he was second among safeties with a 4.38-second 40 time.

“This guy is Adonis,” Huard said. “(Former Seahawk cornerback) Shawn Springs was like the most perfectly sculpted athlete I ever saw in my life. … Italian sculptors in the first century, you can’t do it better than that, it doesn’t get better than that. And that’s Nick Emmanwori.”

• Who is Damien Martinez?

This year’s running back class was considered as very deep, and the Seahawks were able to grab a highly productive one in the seventh round in Miami’s Damien Martinez. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in his final two college seasons, which included 1,185 yards in the 2023 campaign while at Oregon State.

“You’re going to see a little (Zach) Charbonnet, a little bulk,” Huard said. “He is more Charbonnet than he is MacIntosh and (Walker).”

• Does Bryce Cabeldue or Mason Richman have a better chance to play early?

After addressing the O-line early with the pick of Zabel, the Seahawks took Kansas guard Bryce Cabeldue in the sixth round and Iowa tackle Mason Richman in the seventh.

“(Cabeldue) does because of that athleticism, because he slides in to guard,” said Huard, who has plenty of experience with Cabeldue from his time calling Big 12 games for FOX. “And one of the conversations I had with some of his coaches through the years and even in this buildup (to the draft) was, you know what? It may not be a bad thing that he’s a late-round pick and he’s going to be in prove-it mode instead of know-it mode.”

• Who was the most Mike Macdonald pick?

To no surprise, Huard and Salk went with the two defensive players Seattle selected.

“The way that (Macdonald) talked about (defensive tackle) Rylie Mills, Rylie Mills is Mike Macdonald’s guy,” Huard said.

“I think it’s gotta be Nick Emmanwori,” Salk said. “I mean, just the ability to move him around on defense.”

• Who was the most John Schneider pick?

Huard went with White, who Schneider said reminded him of Donald Driver. Driver was a four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver picked in the seventh round while Schneider was in Green Bay.

“Ricky White’s got a little stuff to him now,” Huard said. “Unfortunately for him, this was a pretty deep receiver draft with a lot of dudes that played a lot of ball.”

Since Schneider was previously enamored with quarterback prospects like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, Salk hopes it’s Milroe.

“I hope he had that same level of conviction on Milroe that he had with some of the other guys he’s wanted a quarterback over the years,” Salk said.

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m.

Seattle Seahawks Draft Rapid Fire: Best pick, highest upside

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