You didn’t think that John Schneider would be able to sit out multiple rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft did you? He managed to make it through the fourth round, but had to jump back into the fifth round by trading away a 2027 fourth-round pick. At No. 148, the Seattle Seahawks added to their offensive line with guard Beau Stephens from Iowa. Stephens played left guard on the nation’s top college offensive line in 2025, and will throw his hat into the ring for the Seahawks right guard competition in 2026.
Athletic Profile/Comps
Relative Athletic Score (RAS)
Mockdraftable
The biggest thing that stands out on Stephens’ RAS is that nothing really stands out. There’s a lot of Hawkeye yellow, meaning that Stephens is generally in the “Okay” to “Good” athletic range. There are a few oddities here to bring up. Stephens has a “Good” size score in RAS, yet is in the first percentile (yes, you read that right) in arm length at just over 31 inches. That may not matter as much as an interior offensive lineman, but will still likely result in Stephens not being able to get his hands on longer-armed defenders or have trouble executing reach blocks. The other peculiarity comes in his agility with a below-average shuttle and a good 3-cone. Stephens will need lateral quickness to deal with stunts and games as a guard, so the disparity between those scores bears acknowledging.
Between the RAS and Mockdraftable comps, the only one that stands out to me is Graham Barton, who was a favorite of many a Seahawks fan a few years ago in the draft. He’s currently at center for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but let’s see how he and Stephens stack up at guard.
Yeah, it’s not really that close at all outside of the size similarity. Barton is a MUCH better athlete with more arm length. There’s a reason he was a first-round pick and Beau Stephens waited until the fifth round.
I found one more non-Seahawks comp that’s quite close in terms of overall RAS; longtime NFL stalwart Kevin Zeitler.
Weight, speed, vertical, and broad are all very close. Kevin Zeitler was a name that many Seahawks fans have been talking about for years as a possible free agent addition that never transpired. At least on an overall athletic level, Stephens is a good match with Zeitler. Another fun connection is that Zeitler is also a Big Ten alum from another school known for producing good offensive lineman; the University of Wisconsin.
Now, onto how Stephens matches up athletically with some current Seahawks. Stephens was playing right guard in rookie mini camp, and will likely have his chance to prove he belongs there in a competition with incumbent starter Anthony Bradford. I know a lot of you are just waiting for Bradford to be replaced, but you do realize that he has a considerable athletic advantage while weighing an additional (at least) 15 lbs, right?
Is Bradford perfect? No. Should there be a competition? Absolutely. Do I think Anthony Bradford will be unseated as the starting RG for 2026? Nope.
Bradford has started 38 games in the past three seasons for three different OL coaches and offensive coordinators. He’s played 2,277 snaps as a Seahawk, cut down on his penalties, is part of a Super Bowl winning OL, and just turned 25 years old. Stephens will have his work cut out for him if he wants to be the starting RG in 2026.
As a backup though?
I think Christian Haynes is gone. Even though he’s a better athlete, these traits have never shown up on the field. In contrast with Bradford, Haynes has been given opportunities with multiple OL coaches and hasn’t cracked the lineup. Unless there’s a shocking turn of events, I expect Stephens to be ahead of Haynes in the pecking order from the jump.
This is a fun one because Stephens and Richman were Iowa teammates just a few seasons ago. They’re also similar athletes, with Richman having an edge in the agility category. Richman is probably Stephens’ biggest competition this season as a backup guard, and will make for some fun conversation in the locker room I’m sure.
Here are a few other Seahawks comps to dial in the athletic prowess we’re looking at with Stephens.
Stephens is a better overall athlete than Moffitt and Iupati, but still within range. Obviously, Oluwatimi is a center, but looking at him here as a guard is still instructive since they compare favorably in RAS. We’re not talking about a Grey Zabel or even Bryce Cabeldue level of athlete with Stephens which is likely part of the reason he was still there in the fifth round for Seattle to pounce on.
Gut reaction to the pick
This is one of those “trust JS” picks for me. The fact that he was willing to part with a future draft pick – albeit a day three choice in a draft with a boatload of potential picks – to jump into the fifth round to get Stephens is encouraging. At the very least, he will add young depth to both guard positions. In an offense where running the ball still matters very much, depth is important. Seattle was quite lucky last year in that they suffered relatively few sustained injuries on the line. Hopefully that happens again in 2026. Adding young, talented clay for offensive line coach John Benton to mold is a positive.
Rookie season prediction
Stephens will make the 53-man roster, specifically taking Christian Haynes’ position. Haynes has had plenty of time to establish himself and hasn’t been able to do it. Stephens is younger, cheaper, and has more years of club control. He’ll be thrown in the battle for RG in training camp, but will quickly be relegated to third-string and play the majority of the second halves of the preseason games. This shouldn’t be taken as a failure, however, since Stephens will still offer quality depth along with Mason Richman and Bryce Cabeldue. With the likelihood that Anthony Bradford will leave in free agency in 2027, Stephens will get his shot at the starting line next season.
