Perfect Picks 2026 – Seattle Seahawks
By Rhys Knott
Replacing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III with Emanuel Wilson should alarm Seahawks fans.
Walker averaged 5.2 yards per touch in 2025 and he touched the ball 252 times. Wilson on the other hand averaged 4.3 yards and only recorded 140 touches.
Signing running backs in free agency is like buying a house. Some people swear it’s the way forward, while others are happy to spend their whole life renting one. But signing Wilson and hoping Zach Charbonnet can start 17 games when he hasn’t started more than six games in a season since they drafted him is a huge red flag.
Even more red flag-y, the Seahawks only have four picks in this draft! And any running back who is available when they pick at 64 (or later) will be a huge gamble.
Not re-signing Walker III is all the more stranger when you consider only five teams had more cap space than the Seahawks headed into free agency.
Tariq Woolen, Coby Bryant, Boye Mafe and Dareke Young all left in free agency as the Seahawks decided to invest $51 million in Shaheed Rashid.
With the 2027 draft class already being called one of the most talented ever, the Seahawks may decide that trading 2026 picks for future picks is the way forward.
However, if Schneider does actually use the picks, he can add more depth to an already strong roster.
Round 1 – Dillon Thieneman (S, Oregon)
If he winds up in Philadelphia, Thieneman will be the newest member of their “exciting whites” backfield. And he is really exciting!
The 21-year-old moves very quickly, but diagnoses plays even quicker. Thieneman’s 4.35-second 40-yard dash was the fourth fastest by a safety at the combine!
In a 39-game college career, the 2025 First Team All-American made a whopping 306 tackles! 10 of them were tackles for a loss. The former Purdue Boilermaker’s speed also allowed him to defend 14 passes and nab eight interceptions.
Before the combine, Thieneman was projected as one of the first picks in the second round, but his athleticism has him flying up big boards.
The Seahawks could decide to retain all of their current defensive backs, but Mike Macdonald wouldn’t turn his nose up at the chance to add another Nick Emmanwori.
Round 2 – Brian Parker II (OT, Duke)
Parker II is projected as a third-round pick, but a right tackle who only allowed three sacks on 830 snaps last year shouldn’t fall that low.
The 94.6 PFF grade Parker received in Week 4 is impressive, even though Duke plays in the ACC. However, Parker II is a classic high-ceiling, low-floor prospect. He gave the best performance of his career just six games before one of the worst games of his career! Cincinnati native Parker II only garnered a 54.5 grade against Virginia back in November.
Despite the erratic nature of his performances in 2025, Parker II is definitely worth a second-round pick. He’s a very strong, athletic lineman who may well end up playing at guard. 6-foot-5 Parker II has excellent foot movement, but even when he isn’t in the perfect position to block, he still has the strength to reroute defenders.
The Seahawks don’t need any more offensive linemen, but make hay while the sun shines and all that.
Mid Round Gem – Justin Jefferson (LB, Alabama)
The new Justin Jefferson is one of the smaller linebackers in this class of monstrous specimens. Eric Gentry is 6-foot-7! They do say that the best things come in small packages.
Jefferson lined up as an off-ball linebacker for the Crimson Tide, but Mike Macdonald could utilise him as a hybrid box safety/ nickel corner in his 4-2-5 scheme.
The Tennessee native has the wheels to become a “tweener”; he clocked a 4.57-second 40-yard time at the combine. That ranks seventh in this class of athletic freaks. But his 1.6-second 10-yard split time is just 0.04 seconds behind the headline-grabbing Sonny Styles!
Even if Jefferson doesn’t feature on many defensive snaps, he will become a mainstay on special teams.
The unanimous four-star recruit currently projects as a seventh-round pick, but someone should take a risk on him on the second day of the draft, if not before.
Late Round Sleeper – Desmond Reid (RB, Pittsburgh)
21-year-old Reid is an interesting pass-catching back. He could be the smallest running back in the class, so he’s not going to take Zach Charbonnet’s place as a pass-blocking back on third-downs.
During his 18-game career in Pittsburgh, the Florida native averaged 6.7 yards per touch and 11.9 yards per reception!
Reid’s 4.38-second 40-yard time and his ability to return punts make him well worth a sixth-round pick. He only returned 18 punts at college, but averaged 14.7 yards per return, and he took two to the house!
Full draft
32 (R1) – Dillon Theineman (S, Oregon)
64 (R2) – Brian Parker (OT, Duke)
96 (R3) – Justin Jefferson (LB, Alabama)
212 (R6) – Desmond Reid (RB, Pittsburgh)
RHYS KNOTT
NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST
Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes