Seattle Seahawks 2026 Nightmare Mock Draft: Avoiding the Post-Super Bowl Trap

Want to know what draft this week would leave me rather dis-satisfied? Let’s run through something I’d rather not see and break it down.

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

Let’s be abundantly clear here. There’s not really such a thing as a ‘nightmare’ for the Seattle Seahawks right now. The team just won the Super Bowl in a season where many expected they’d fail to have a winning record or make the postseason at all. Nothing they do in the draft over the next several days can change any of that. Perspective matters.

I feel confident saying that, not just because of how good life has been for Seahawks fans over the last year, but also because I’m sure that John Schneider isn’t going to drop the ball in some comical, over-the-top, cartoonish way. We’re not going to see him take a punter in the first round, or trade all his picks for 2027 Day 3 selections.

Not to say that he’s infallible, or incapable of making mistakes. So, in that spirit, let’s talk about a draft scenario that seems at least somewhat plausible, and might have some sort of internal logic to it, but would leave me scratching my head a bit. So, let’s run through a nightmare mock draft scenario that I’d prefer to avoid.

1-32: Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jadarian Price (24) runs the ball. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

I look at Price, and I see a player that would struggle to hold onto a spot in the top 100 in a good draft. Even in this lackluster one, he strikes me as a late second round caliber prospect. You want to trade back to the middle of the second and get him? I’m on board. Even an early second tradeback followed by a Price pick would be digestible. But the first? Not feeling it.

Price just doesn’t bring enough to the table in my mind. If we select him, it will be very hard for me to see it any way other than the team viewing running back as their biggest need and picking the best remaining one when their pick comes up. That mentality played a role in this team drafting Germain Ifedi and L.J. Collier. Let’s try to avoid that.

2-64: Romello Height, ED, Texas Tech

Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Romello Height (9) celebrates during the game. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

One complex issue when discussing draft choices with the Seahawks is compartmentalizing what we think the Seahawks want and what the Seahawks think the Seahawks want. Think about a player like Cashius Howell, for example, a very talented edge rusher who should be a valuable speed guy in this league, but lacks arm length and is weak against the run.

Based on what we know about Mike Macdonald’s defense, this means that a player like Howell doesn’t fit what he does. But if the Seahawks select Cashius Howell in the first round on Thursday, that implies that Macdonald believes that he can utilize him properly. And who would know better what Mike wants better than Mike? I’d be confused by that pick, but it’s not bad.

Romello Height, on the other hand, carries the same basic problems as Howell, except I’m not entirely sold he’ll be effective even as a speed rusher. Height is a lightweight at sub 240 pounds and has short arms, and his ability to engage with his hands in the trenches is lacking. Throw in his advanced age, and even as a pure pass rusher I’m just not a huge fan.

3-96: Will Lee III, CB, Texas A&M

Texas A&M Aggies cornerback Will Lee III (4) reacts after breaking up a pass. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

There are plenty of corners in this draft, and Lee was one that didn’t click with me. He has the length and height to play outside, and his ball skills are legit. He’s experienced, he’s decisive when viewing action from zone. It’s not all bad. But his lack of straight-line speed makes him a mark for vertical shots and speedster receivers.

He’s not a good tackler, although that’s fixable given his size, and he makes a lot of mistakes in his reads when facing the action. I don’t get the sense he’s comfortable the way some of these corners are. He will probably get flagged a lot in the pros if he plays the way he did in college. Overall, Lee is someone I’d rather pass over in favor of many other prospects.

6-188: Max Llewellyn, ED, Iowa

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive end Max Llewellyn (48) pressures Penn State Nittany Lions. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kind of a pointless exercise to even try a nightmare pick at this slot, since it’s virtually impossible to do anything truly bad with a sixth round pick. Llewellyn just stands as one of the players in this draft who I didn’t ‘get’, and it’s feasible that he’s available around pick 188, so we’ll run with him. Just know I wouldn’t actually be that upset if we took him here.

Max has legit size at nearly 260 pounds, and he has a knack for finding his way to splash plays. But despite being big, he still gets pushed around against the run too much. He’s a poor athlete, even for his size, and he looks very uncomfortable moving. I don’t know what he does other than shoot gaps, and I can’t build a foundation out of that in this defense.

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