Three Players the Seattle Seahawks Should Be Cautious With In The 2026 NFL Draft

After having a thorough look at the 2026 NFL Draft, here are three players I’d prefer the Seattle Seahawks steer clear of for a myriad of reasons.

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks during the Super Bowl LX trophy celebration. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks just won the Super Bowl in a season where they had a massive amount of dead money on their cap and were being picked as a likely last place squad within their own division, so John Schneider deserves every benefit of the doubt. Whatever he does, no matter how outlandish it may seem, I’m going to get on board with it.

But that doesn’t mean I can’t have preferences or hopes and desires. And as we head into the final week before the draft, here are three players I’d prefer the Seahawks not select, or at least not select at the draft slot that people seem to believe the player should be at. Be it a scheme fit, or just what I view to be the ability of the player.

3) Texas A&M EDGE Cashius Howell

Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) rushes the line. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

I’m just not sure what Mike Macdonald is going to do with an edge rusher who has some of the shortest arms in the history of the position and doesn’t defend the run well. Howell is a pure speedster, with dip and bend to win, but that’s not what Macdonald seems to go in for with this defense. He wouldn’t see the field enough to justify the first round investment.

Granted, if the Seahawks take him, that means Macdonald signed off on it on some level, but with what I know about this defense and what I know about him, I couldn’t make much sense of it. Someone else may have fun with Howell’s quickness, but I don’t think it’s us.

2) Notre Dame RB Jadarian Price

Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price (24), on his way to score a touchdown. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I would have no issue with Price in the later second round, and could talk myself into it in the middle second if need be, but at 32 I’m not sold. He’s a decent enough back who should be a decent fit for what the Seahawks need in replacing Walker, but at the same time he’s a non-factor on passing downs, has some fumble concerns, and isn’t the most athletic.

We need a running back, and I get why there might be a desire to just get one and move on, but I view Price as a flawed prospect that would struggle to be a top 100 pick in a better draft. I don’t see power, speed, or elusiveness here in any truly notable amount, and part of me even feels like I’d rather swing for the fences with a Mike Washington if I had to invest early in a back.

1) Indiana CB D’Angelo Ponds

Indiana Hoosiers defensive back D'Angelo Ponds (5) reacts after a play against the Miami Hurricanes. | James Lang-Imagn Images

This may hurt some feelings, and understand that I’d be fine with Ponds in the third round. Even the back of the second round would be tolerable. But I’m starting to see people suggest he gets picked in the first round, and that’s a bridge too far for me. Ponds has a lot to overcome to make it in the NFL, particularly at outside corner where the Seahawks would need him.

Yes, he’s a fantastic athlete, and he deserves a lot of credit for being able to do what he did in college. But the size discrepancy is so huge, it can’t be ignored. Arms that short aren’t meant to make it as an outside corner, and he’s barely played slot before, so there’s a chance he isn’t able to make it at either spot. Fun? Absolutely. But I can’t be spending my first on him.

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