Seahawks 2025 draft class projections: Determining Ricky White’s path to the roster

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

With their final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected WR Ricky White III from UNLV at No. 238 overall. White faces an uphill battle to make the roster and must show out on special teams to secure his spot.

Athletic Profile/Comps

Relative Athletic Score (RAS)

Mockdraftable

Most of the Seahawks 2025 draft class was quite athletic. Ricky White III was not…at least at the combine. The RAS and Mockdraftable 40-yard dash times show the combine value of 4.61. However, White ran a 4.44 at his pro day…a marked improvement.. Just keep that in mind as we look

at the comps. Seahawks top 50 player Darrell Jackson appears on the Mockdraftable comps, which is neat, but let’s focus on a few guys that show up on both Mockdraftable and RAS. First up is former NFC West foe Brandon Lloyd.

Ok, this one is crazy close. White is one inch taller, but weighs the same and had an identical vertical jump. His combine 40-yard dash was ever so slightly faster as well. Lloyd had a long NFL career and would be a high-water mark for White.

Up next is another NFC West foe - and former Seahawks training camp legend - Antonio Bryant.

Yeah, this one is damn close too! We’re talking within an inch on the vertical jump and 100th of a second on the 40-yard dash. Just for fun, let’s look at the career comparison for both Lloyd and Bryant.

Pretty, pretty close if I say so myself. Again, these present the best-case scenario for White. It’s still nice to see that there are prior examples of receivers with his build and athleticism that have been highly effective NFL players. And don’t forget the fact that White ran much faster at his pro day.

Gut reaction to the pick

Seventh-round picks are fun. They’re complete shots in the dark who could turn out to be the next gem in Chris Carson or the other side of the coin like Lazarius Levingston. White at least brings some legit special teams experience that could set him apart from other WRs vying for the final roster spots.

UNLV's Ricky White III is the Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. The standout wide receiver has used his offensive skillset as an advantage. White has blocked a total of four punts, the most in all of college football. Karlie Drew shares that as one of the team… pic.twitter.com/bYLx2f12gH

— Mountain West (@MountainWest) December 5, 2024

FOUR blocked punts?? Yeah, that’s pretty neat. Anyone who takes special teams that seriously at least gives himself a chance.

And guess what, he’s also a pretty darn good WR too with over 3,000 yards and 24 TDs in his three years at UNLV.

VIDEO - Another Ricky White TD reception. His third of the quarter.

It's #UNLVFB 28-7 with 2:42 in the first.

Watch - pic.twitter.com/XHPjOhOPj2

— COFIELD (@stevecofield) September 7, 2024

White has a long road ahead of him to earn a spot on the Seahawks, but his special teams experience and WR production make his selection in the seventh round a solid use of John Schneider’s final 2025 draft pick.

Rookie season prediction

Here’s where the balloon deflates. I like White, but I don’t think he’ll make the roster in 2025. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton and Jake Bobo are locks in my opinion. Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Dareke Young, and Cody White will be fighting with Ricky White III for maybe one spot given Klint Kubiak’s commitment to the run and the TE position. White III will make the practice squad and possibly be a late-season call-up due to injury. Maybe he will crack the roster in 2026, given his special teams prowess.

More from fieldgulls.com:

• Greg Olsen got weird about Russell Wilson and the offense
• Pre-Snap Reads 9/9: Jamal Adams talks about new scheme
• Whose house?! BILLS HOUSE!
• Matthew Stafford is going through some stuff
• Boye Mafe limited, Ken Walker does not practice for Seahawks Thursday
• Pete Carroll thinks Seahawks crowd will ‘know exactly what to do’ when Russell Wilson returns
• Field Gulls predicts the 2022 Seahawks season