Which positions are "BLOCKED" from new members?

Assessing the needs at each position, ranked from "Walter Jones" to "John Moffitt"

There was an error in Thursday’s Seaside Joe: I forgot to unlock the comments for everyone, including free subscribers. I apologize for my oversight in not changing that setting and free subscribers can now comment on that post — How did you become a Seahawks fan? — or today’s post and I will come through on that comped trial subscription that I promised you.

Should Seahawks fans still be thinking about whether the team will draft a quarterback in next week’s draft? Apparently Wyman and Bob are because they CONTINUE to ask John Schneider if picking a quarterback is on the table despite how BORING that position should be right now, to which Seattle’s GM replied that adding Drew Lock: “Doesn’t preclude us from doing anything in the draft.”

“Not being precluded” is fine, but the Seahawks signed Sam Darnold for three years and Schneider expects a backup competition between Sam Howell and Lock, who was signed for two years. The loser of that competition — or Jaren Hall — could either be QB3 or a practice squad player who would be allowed to play as an emergency third option.

What Schneider’s answer means is that if the Seahawks follow their draft board and it so happens that the best available player is a quarterback, they’re not going to completely rule that prospect out based on his position…

But they might try to find a way out of that draft spot because as far as quarterback goes:

How would the Seahawks grade each position based on how “BLOCKED” it is on the depth chart based on:

• Present Talent

• Contract Situation

• Age

• Previous Draft Investments

• Ability to Clear a Spot

This post aims to answer that question with those criteria and this grading system for “How blocked is this position?”:

Walter Jones: Nobody’s getting through! (most blocked)

Max Unger: Barely any wiggle room

Damien Lewis: Passing by is a tossup

Germain Ifedi: Probably gonna need some help

John Moffitt: All Hands On Deck! (least blocked)

Quarterback

BLOCKED GRADE: Walter Jones (most blocked)

Nobody is arguing that Darnold and Lock make them feel great about the position long-term, but those players were signed to get Seattle through the next season, and hopefully the next two. If the Seahawks take a quarterback like Jalen Milroe or Tyler Shough on day two, it could only be because they felt the value was too good to deny.

Running Back

BLOCKED GRADE: Damien Lewis (toss-up)

Most fans would be happy to have Kenneth Walker, Zach Charbonnet, and Kenny McIntosh for another year, at least, so Seattle can get by with what they have right now. But Walker’s future after 2025 is tenuous and the upcoming draft class could have starting-level talent into day three:

Wide Receiver

BLOCKED GRADE: Damien Lewis

If the Seahawks pass the ball 600 times, there won’t be many targets left for a rookie receiver once you account for Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and Seattle’s other presumed weapons in 2025. A first round receiver could get shuffled behind three or four veterans and we’ve seen how that pecking order has hurt the confidence of other highly-touted receivers in the league in the past.

Day two is a sweet spot for a receiver, but if the Seahawks want to take one then they shouldn’t wait too long either.

Tight End

BLOCKED GRADE: Damien Lewis

These last three positions having the same “blocked grade” tells us that the Seahawks are going to be very unpredictable on day two…or very predictable. Though John Schneider could pick a receiver, a tight end, and a running back, that seems like skill player overload.

Noah Fant is a 2026 free agent and Seattle’s depth (A.J. Barner, Eric Saubert, Brady Russell) isn’t guaranteed to have a starter in it. But if the Seahawks take Colston Loveland in the first round, he would be a starter and it could mean the end of the line for Fant.

Offensive Tackle

BLOCKED GRADE: Germain Ifedi (could use some help)

As we saw in 2024, the tackle positions are too important — and Abe Lucas’s health is too tenuous — to merely rely on a backup like George Fant again. With Lucas set to be a 2026 free agent, and Charles Cross due an extension or he could also part ways, tackle is a priority in the draft.

The name Kelvin Banks out of Texas could end up in the top-5 most likely first picks by Seattle because he might be able to start at guard as a rookie and then kick out to tackle in 2026, whereas Grey Zabel and Tyler Booker will always stay inside.

Interior Offensive Line

BLOCKED GRADE: John Moffitt (help!)

If the team didn’t have a kicker on the roster, it wouldn’t mean that the Seahawks have to take a kicker in the first round otherwise this would happen:

If you have a need at guard and center, you prioritize those positions on day two unless there’s an elite “generational” prospect available to you on day one. Since nobody expects Zabel or Booker to be that good, Seattle should be a team to watch for a guard/center on day two. I’d say Jared Wilson out of Georgia in the third round is a center to watch.

Defensive Tackle

BLOCKED GRADE: Max Unger (maybe a little wiggle room)

If the Seahawks have to field a 2025 defense with the players currently signed, they’d still probably have a top-10 defense, if not top-5.

On the other hand, when you have a defense that good, you start to ask yourself, “How much BETTER could it be if we keep investing into it?”

Mike Macdonald comes from a franchise that has drafted a first round defensive player in four of the past five years (Patrick Queen, Odafe Oweh, Kyle Hamilton, Nate Wiggins) and the Ravens consistently have a great defense. The Seahawks took Devon Witherspoon in 2023, then Byron Murphy in 2024, so how fearsome would a third top-20 defensive prospect be when added to this unit?

Ole Miss’s Walter Nolen is a serious consideration in the top-20 because he’s perceived to have one of the highest ceilings in the draft. The Seahawks have a strong defensive line as is, so this is not necessary, but one more piece in the rotation could make Seattle’s defensive line inescapable.

EDGE

BLOCKED GRADE: Damien Lewis

Whereas defensive tackles are signed for multiple seasons, the Seahawks can’t be so certain about Boye Mafe (2026 free agent), DeMarcus Lawrence (33 years old), or Uchenna Nwosu (injury problems). Obviously, Seattle’s edge unit could be great right now, but there are long-term concerns and none of these players are elite.

The name Donovan Ezeiruaku has not left my mind since it entered and he could be an option at 18 or if the Seahawks trade down first.

Linebacker

BLOCKED GRADE: Max Unger

First round prospect Jihaad Campbell is without a doubt a consideration. But he’s about the only one. A day two linebacker pick could happen, but how much more strongly will Schneider feel about that rookie than Tyrice Knight?

Cornerback

BLOCKED GRADE: Germain Ifedi

The one starter on defense who looks “funky” with the first string is cornerback Josh Jobe. Seattle could take a first round cornerback — they met with Michigan’s Will Johnson, expected to go in that range — but it doesn’t feel like a first round position anymore.

• If you can’t win in the trenches, corner is out of luck

• If you can win in the trenches, corner is almost too easy

The Seahawks should want to win in the trenches, then linebacker, then safety — stay strong UP THE MIDDLE — before they start prioritizing those outside roles.

That being said, when Jobe is a starter and Tariq Woolen is entering a contract year, cornerback is on the table as a top-100 pick.

Safety

BLOCKED GRADE: Max Unger

Coby Bryant is a 2026 free agent, but he may not be that hard to extend if the team chooses to do that. Julian Love is going to stick around for at least two more years. The team added some depth with D’Anthony Bell in free agency. There’s a possibility here for a pick (the team has shown interest in Nick Emmanwori, a first round prospect) but the big picture says that the Seahawks won’t have an opening for at least a year.

Seaside Joe 2237