The 2026 War Room is now in the rear-view mirror. Four picks entered, eight rookies emerged for the Seattle Seahawks. While it’s amazing how ready the NFL is to move on from the Seahawks, we here at Field Gulls do not have that option. We remain in the fight, determined to tell the stories of the team Pete Prisco has already written off yet again.
As rookie minicamp approaches, and OTAs after that, here are my top 5 storylines coming out of Seattle’s draft.
1. Is Jadarian Price the one to rewrite the narrative?
Running backs fell on hard times about eight
years ago, and are still struggling to make ends meet. One of the lowest-paid positions in the NFL suffers at the hand of modern-day analytics. Not least of which is the proposition that RBs should virtually never be taken in the first round. There’s only one Saquon Barkley, Bijan Robinson, potentially Jeremiyah Love every couple years.
But John Schneider couldn’t help himself. Greatest need met reasonable value at 32, and thus Jadarian Price wears the green and blue.
This is actually a two-part narrative. Pete Carroll was thought to be the one driving the running back obsession. In his absence, Schneider had taken one 7th-round back until this weekend. But now Schneider has done what some say by rule to never do in taking Price at 32. The last time they did this was Rashaad Penny, and that experiment met with very mixed results.
So, it’s a unique opportunity for Price to make a statement. His road to Day 1 starter is wide open until Zach Charbonnet returns. In a draft that apparently had only two good running backs. Can the one that’s not Barkley/Bijan level talent still be taken at the end of Round 1, and be an impact player? Can the Seahawks draft running backs in the first or second round three out of five years and remain a top-tier competitor?
2. We getting Kayvon Thibodeaux or what?
No pass rushers. Yes, Macdonald spoke glowingly of the current players on the roster, but that’s just the job. Additionally, Schneider left the door wide open to an upcoming roster addition.
The primary name that’s floated around lately is New York Giants’ Kayvon Thibodeaux. News then came that they plan to use first pick Arvell Reese as an inside linebacker. Meanwhile, reports that the Giants are not open to a trade are overblown.
Still, if not Thibodeaux specifically, I have no doubts whatsoever that Schneider is at least looking, listening, maybe calling. They’ve been in on Maxx Crosby for ages. One more guy here would be good. It’s the last true need on this roster, and one where Schneider has routinely turned a 30+ year-old into a competitive option. (Whether he takes the route of Carlos Dunlap or Ziggy Ansah is the real test)
3. Ty Okada or Bud Clark?
Okada will not simply be given the job, it seems. To be fair, snap counts after a Mike Macdonald game can be so weird. How he gets three safeties, three linebackers, and three corners into a game as often as he does can boggle the mind, but this versatility of defensive back thing he’s got going on is a sight to behold. But at the end of the day, there are often two primary slots for safety. Though Okada played part-time savior with all the early season injuries, Bud Clark is a legitimate threat to start. This will be one of the best battles for starter on a mostly established roster this summer.
The other one could be…
4. Is this the end of the Anthony Bradford era?
I’m sure the comments will remember, but I don’t recall a time Schneider has ever outright traded next year’s fourth just to buy into the draft. This Beau Stephens kid looks like he had fallen far enough that Seattle literally couldn’t help themselves.
Could we finally have a true competitor at right guard? Still not sure what the heck ever happened to Christian Haynes.
This one is fun because regardless of how good Stephens is or how legitimate this battle is, it will be one of the more fan-favorite discussions. Because in four years, there have been few topics more discussed on this site than Germain Ifedi, Charbonnet vs. Walker, and Anthony Bradford.
Oh goodie.
5. Rylie Mills.
This is my personal addition. He has been under the radar, and he will remain under the radar until the ‘26 regular season.
Except in August in Seattle. I genuinely believe Mills type of arrival as Year Two Darell Taylor, but far greater. Taylor also missed his rookie season due to injury, showed up with a bit of splash and a healthy number of sacks, but then proved to have a screw loose. This remains one of my favorite football plays of all time.
Mills, though – Mills is going to make announcers do some research next season. The Seahawks defensive line is one player deeper than non-followers are aware.
The coaching staff has been ridiculously high on Mills, all before he made it on to the field with no training camp as a rookie and got a sack in the Super Bowl. A defense that the media knows a little will receive a serious injection in the middle with Mills, who has largely been forgotten since being drafted over a year ago. But come September, maybe October, more than just the 12s will be talking about him.
