Seahawks Named Among Teams That Should Be Most Aggressive in 2026 NFL Draft

The Seattle Seahawks enter this season as the defending Super Bowl champions, but their roster took a hit in free agency. While general manager John Schneider should be applauded for refusing to overpay for players, the Seahawks still saw multiple contributors leave in free agency.

Their biggest move wasn’t to replace any of those players, however, but instead they locked up a key piece of their offense. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba signed a four-year, $168.6 million contract extension. That keeps their core intact, but Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes they could aggressively attack the 2026 NFL draft to fill out the rest of the roster.

Knox doesn’t believe that means they’ll look to trade up for one impact player, though. Instead, he sees them trading back from No. 32 to acquire more picks in the later rounds.

“Seattle has a good, young core, and even after extending wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, it has $33.6 million in effective cap space. At this stage of the offseason, though, the Seahawks should be looking to add multiple contributors through the draft. Most of the big names are off the free-agent market, and Seattle lost the likes of Boye Mafe, Coby Bryant, Riq Woolen and reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III,” Knox wrote.

“The problem is that the Seahawks are picking last in the draft order and only own four total selections. This is part of the reason why they should aggressively try to trade out of the first round and acquire additional draft capital. It should have the opportunity to do so because of the fifth-year option.”

Seattle Seahawks could use more picks in the 2026 NFL draft

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Knox adds that Seattle is unlikely to get a first-round talent at No. 32, citing just 22 players earning a first-round grade with Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department. Still, he sees the fifth-year option, which only applies to first-round picks, as enticing for a team in Round 2 that is sold on a specific player.

This would be a wise strategy, given the limited picks Seattle has at the moment. With only four selections in the draft, it would make more sense to get more darts to throw while hoping head coach Mike Macdonald can coach up the players added later in Day 2 and Day 3.

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