PFF projects Seattle Seahawks draft ACC pass rusher in first round

Most of the world expects the Seattle Seahawks to target an offensive lineman in the first round of this weekend's 2025 NFL draft. There are some who are holding out for other scenarios, such as a trade down from No. 18 overall, a wide receiver pick, or sometimes another long-and-lanky cornerback prospect.

If you look closely at who Seattle brought in for top-30 visits, it might suggest a different path entirely, though. The Seahawks met with Shemar Stewart from Texas A&M, Mykel Williams from Georgia, Jihaad Campbell from Alabama and Princely Umanmielen from Ole Miss. In addition to pass rush chops they all have one thing in common: they're expected to come off the board no later than early in Round 2.

That means the Seahawks either want other teams to think they're targeting an edge in the first round, or that's what they're really doing. With the latter scenario in mind, Pro Football Focus has a fresh connection for Seattle's No. 18 overall pick in their latest seven-round mock draft. PFF has them taking Boston College edge Donovan Ezeiruaku.

PFF on Seahawks' first pick

"The Seahawks likely hoped Jihaad Campbell would fall here, but it wasn't in the cards. They take the best edge rusher available in Ezeiruaku, who had a dominant season as a pass rusher in 2024. He earned an elite 90.5 pass-rushing grade to go with 14 sacks, 20 quarterback hits and 26 hurries."

Ezeiruaku (6-foot-2, 247 pounds) fits the smaller, more-athletic type of edge rusher the Seahawks have preferred over the years under GM John Schneider and former head coach Pete Carroll. He showed off explosiveness and agility at the NFL Combine, posting a 35.5" vertical, a 119" broad jump and a 4.19 20-yard shuttle time. The RAS score for Ezeiruaku gives him very poor marks for size but he's great everywhere else.

Donovan Ezeiruaku is a DE prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored an unofficial 8.28 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 311 out of 1802 DE from 1987 to 2025. https://t.co/fJVNaeny2w pic.twitter.com/0KWOJ4lwsE
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) February 28, 2025

This pick would probably come as a surprise to most fans - and some analysts would call this a reach, as Ezeiruaka isn't expected to get drafted until late in the second round by some.

From Seattle's perspective, the argument to take Ezeiruaku is that their pass rush is the one thing this team does best right now - and doubling down on that strength is a good strategy to keep it going at a high level for a long time the way teams like the Eagles have.

Then again, this is a deep class of edge rushers - and Dane Brugler has 18 of them ranked in his top 100 overall. So, the Seahawks might be wiser to go in a different direction with their first pick and targeting an edge later on.

If he does get drafted, by Seattle Ezeiruaku would likely have to compete with Boye Mafe and Derick Hall for backup snaps behind projected starters Uchenna Nwosu and DeMarcus Lawrence.

PFF on Seahawks' first pick

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