TOP STORIES
Draft
The Mock Draft Tracker Hit 8.0 and Nobody Can Agree on Anything at Pick 32
Seahawks.com dropped version 8.0 of the mock draft tracker on Wednesday, and the only thing fourteen experts can agree on is that Seattle needs to make every pick count. Beyond that, it’s a free-for-all. Mel Kiper flipped from his previous cornerback picks and now has Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price going to the Seahawks at 32. Dane Brugler says this spot is “a prime candidate to be dealt.” CBS Sports’ Mike Renner wants Colton Hood at corner. Nate Tice at Yahoo wants edge rusher Zion Young. The Seahawks have four picks and three gaping holes and the experts can’t even agree on which hole to fill first.
4
Total draft picks for the Seahawks. Fewest in the NFL.
Kiper’s reasoning is straightforward: Kenneth Walker III is in Kansas City, Zach Charbonnet is rehabbing a torn ACL, and this running back class is shallow. Price averaged 6.0 yards per carry and scored 11 touchdowns at Notre Dame. Field Gulls’ Mookie Alexander isn’t bothered by the pick, writing that “Seattle doesn’t have a shambolic offensive line,” which was the problem when they took Rashaad Penny in the first round. But he’d still rather see the Seahawks invest pick 32 elsewhere.
The interesting wrinkle in 8.0 is a new trade scenario: Kiper considered projecting Arizona to trade up into pick 32 for a quarterback but backed off because an in-division trade involving a QB felt too implausible. Meanwhile, Brugler points out that Schneider has made at least eight picks in each of the last four drafts. This year he has four. The math practically demands a trade.
“
Fourteen experts have taken their shot at pick 32. The only consensus is that there is no consensus.
One week to Pittsburgh. The board is locked. The experts are guessing. Schneider isn’t talking. That’s exactly how he likes it.
SOURCES →
League
The NFL Is Officially Onboarding Replacement Officials. Training Starts May 1.
Keep Reading ↓
This is no longer a contingency plan gathering dust in a filing cabinet. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reported that the NFL has offered the NFLRA a six-year deal averaging 6.45% annual raises, with the average official earning $385,000 in 2025. The union wants more and has resisted structural changes to job terms. A bargaining session last week that included Jerry Jones produced what a source called “progress,” but not enough to delay the league’s backup plan.
$385K
Average NFL official salary in 2025. The union wants more.
The CBA expires May 31. If you’re a Seahawks fan who lived through September 2012, you already feel the scar tissue tightening. The Fail Mary wasn’t just a bad call. It was the call that broke the replacement experiment the first time. Fourteen years later, the league is walking the same path, only this time they’ve pre-approved rule changes letting New York correct “clear and obvious mistakes” via video feed. That’s reassuring in the way that a parachute with an asterisk is reassuring.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
The NFL is shopping a five-game broadcast package for 2026 to YouTube, Netflix, and Fox. The Seahawks could land on one of those windows when the schedule drops May 14. Hard Knocks plus a Netflix game would make Seattle the most-filmed team in football. Field Gulls
The Seattle Times’ annual position group rankings slot interior D-line at No. 1, quarterback at No. 2, and running back dead last at No. 11. Rush end is 10th. The rankings are basically a grocery list for Pittsburgh. Seattle Times
SI on Seahawks laid out a ‘dream scenario’ draft: UCF edge Malachi Lawrence at 32, Jadarian Price later. Lawrence impressed at the combine and could be there when Seattle is on the clock. The dream requires both players falling. So, a dream. SI on Seahawks
Seahawks.com released its safety draft preview, with Rob Rang naming Ohio State’s Caleb Downs his favorite overall prospect in the class. Pairing second-year star Nick Emmanwori with former college teammate Jalon Kilgore “could be fun.” The Seahawks have already hosted Kilgore at the VMAC. Seahawks.com
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
The Rams are reportedly unveiling new logos and uniforms today, ditching the gradient everyone hated since day one. Turf Show Times reports the changes will be “more corrective than new,” which is corporate-speak for “we admit the rebrand was bad.” Stafford turns 39 in February, Nacua’s extension remains unsigned, and the franchise’s most urgent Thursday project is apparently fixing a color scheme. Priorities.
NINERS
ESPN’s 49ers tracker shows San Francisco signed a 32-year-old wideout coming off an eight-game season to a $60.4 million deal, brought back Dre Greenlaw (10 games since tearing his Achilles in the Super Bowl), and traded a third-round pick for a defensive tackle. The 49ers’ offseason strategy is paying premium prices for players whose medical files are thicker than their highlight reels. Lynch called it “juice worth the squeeze.” The squeeze is $60 million. The juice is eight games of Mike Evans.
CARDINALS
ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss reports that the Cardinals didn’t address their most important need, right tackle, in free agency and the decision at No. 3 reportedly comes down to owner Michael Bidwill. They went 3-14. They released their franchise quarterback. And now the biggest draft pick in franchise history is being made by the guy who signs the checks, not the guys who scout the players. Monti Ossenfort might need to win to save his job. Bidwill might not let him try.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Jacob Green holds the Seattle Seahawks’ all-time franchise record for career sacks. The defensive end was drafted 10th overall in the 1980 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, played 12 seasons in Seattle, and was inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor in 1995. When Green retired, he ranked third on the NFL’s all-time sack leaderboard behind two legendary pass rushers. How many official career sacks did Green record with the Seahawks (counting only from 1982, when sacks became an official NFL statistic)?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
97.5 official sacks (with an unofficial total of 115.5 including his first two seasons before sacks were an official stat). When Green retired, only Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor had more career sacks.
THIS DAY IN SEAHAWKS HISTORY
2019
April 16, 2019
Russell Wilson Signs Record $140M Extension
Seven years ago today, Russell Wilson signed a four-year, $140 million extension with the Seahawks, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL. Wilson famously broke the news himself in a video from bed with wife Ciara at 12:44 a.m. Pacific: ‘Hey Seattle, we got a deal.’ The extension included a $65 million signing bonus and a no-trade clause. Three years later, the Seahawks traded him to Denver.
Got a Question for The Rooster?
Draft takes, cap math, roster complaints, existential dread about the running back room — send it all to the mailbag. The best questions get answered in a future issue. The worst ones get read aloud in a mocking voice. Submit yours now.
Seven days to Pittsburgh. Four days to the VMAC. Fourteen experts, three positions, zero consensus. Schneider's not sweating. You shouldn't either. Go Hawks. — The Rooster