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Draft Intel
The Mock Draft Consensus Just Shifted. A New Name Is Rising at 32.
Bleacher Report’s scouting department dropped its latest first-round mock this week, and the pick at 32 has a new name: San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson. The B/R team called Johnson “a technician at corner” whose “pre-draft process has been excellent,” noting his scheme versatility fits what Macdonald’s defense demands.
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Days until the Seahawks are on the clock in Pittsburgh.
Johnson isn’t the flashiest name on most boards. But he’s the one the Seahawks keep circling. He visited the VMAC as part of Seattle’s pre-draft process, and Brock Huard flagged him on Seattle Sports as a player who fits the Seahawks’ cornerback formula. At the combine, Johnson ran a 4.40 forty (third-fastest among corners) and tied for the most bench reps at his position.
He joins a crowded mock consensus that has fractured in April. Tennessee’s Colton Hood still leads the tracker, with Mel Kiper, Chad Reuter, and PFF’s Jordan Plocher all sending him to Seattle. Edge rushers T.J. Parker and Keldric Faulk keep appearing. Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price shows up in several mocks, including NFL.com’s Eric Edholm, who wrote the pick “looks ripe for a trade.” And The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar made the boldest call, selecting Johnson at 32 over Hood and Brandon Cisse, both of whom were still on the board.
Twenty-one days. Four picks. The board isn’t set yet, but the names are starting to repeat themselves in the right order.
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Schedule
The Chiefs Are Out for Week 1. The Field Is Down to Six.
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The NFL isn’t building its biggest night around a maybe, even a well-informed one.
With the Rams and 49ers already booked for Melbourne and the Chiefs now eliminated, Seattle’s banner-raising opponent comes from a shrinking list: the Cowboys, Bears, Patriots, Giants, Chargers, or Cardinals. Awful Announcing noted the Bears are the current favorite, with Caleb Williams providing the star power the league wants on a Wednesday night. A Super Bowl rematch with New England makes narrative sense, but Dallas and its gravitational pull on TV ratings can never be counted out.
The schedule drops May 14. Until then, enjoy the speculation. It’s the only game we get to play right now.
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AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
Richard Sherman says Devon Witherspoon could command $32–35 million per year on his next deal, calling Spoon one of the most efficient lockdown corners in the league. He’s not wrong, but hearing Sherman predict big money for a Seahawks CB is the kind of full-circle content I didn’t know I needed. SI on Seahawks
Rob Rang’s latest Seahawks draft preview names Illinois edge rusher Gabe Jacas as a Trey Hendrickson comp who could be available on Day 2. Led the Big Ten in sacks with 27 career takedowns. The kind of player Schneider finds while everyone else is still arguing about the first round. Seahawks.com
SI on Seahawks published a seven-round mock that has Seattle taking edge rusher Keldric Faulk at 32, calling him a raw pass rusher who could learn behind DeMarcus Lawrence. If Lawrence retires after 2026, the position is Faulk’s to lose. Bold assumption that D-Law stays one more year and then peaces out. SI on Seahawks
The NFL schedule drops May 14, per Arrowhead Pride. Mark your calendars. That’s the day we find out who gets to watch their banner go up on a Wednesday night in September. Arrowhead Pride
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
The Nacua extension remains the Rams’ self-described “big-time priority” that nobody can actually get done. Mike Garafolo said the deal could drag into summer because the Rams have too many other contracts to sort out first. Meanwhile, the civil lawsuit hearing is set for April 14, and Kirk Cousins is reportedly being considered as the backup QB behind Stafford. Paying clipboard money to Kirk Cousins while you can’t close Nacua is a special kind of resource allocation.
NINERS
The Trent Williams standoff has now reached the “both sides are talking but nobody is listening” phase. Jason La Canfora reports a “huge divide” remains, and one source said Williams has no incentive to take less than $33M in cash. Kyle Shanahan’s contribution to the negotiation: “I actually stay pretty much out of that.” The cap hit is $46.3 million. The guaranteed money is zero. And the head coach is washing his hands of it publicly. An inspiring display of organizational alignment from Santa Clara.
CARDINALS
Multiple teams have called Arizona about Marvin Harrison Jr.’s availability, including the Browns. GM Monti Ossenfort is reportedly “more open to having a conversation” about a trade than he was at the combine. Harrison caught 41 passes for 608 yards in 12 games last season and lost his WR1 job to Michael Wilson. The No. 4 overall pick in 2024, entering Year 3 under his third coaching staff, has become the NFL’s most expensive cautionary tale about context mattering more than talent.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Shaun Alexander’s 2005 MVP season remains one of the greatest individual campaigns in Seahawks history. He set a then-NFL record with 28 total touchdowns that year, a mark that stood until LaDainian Tomlinson broke it the following season. Alexander was selected by the Seahawks out of Alabama with the 19th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. How many rushing touchdowns did Alexander score during that record-setting 2005 season?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
27. Alexander scored 27 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown for 28 total, both setting NFL records at the time. LaDainian Tomlinson broke both marks in 2006 with 28 rushing TDs and 31 total TDs.
THIS DAY IN SEAHAWKS HISTORY
2024
April 2, 2024
Seahawks Sign Laviska Shenault Jr.
Two years ago today, the Seahawks signed wide receiver and kick returner Laviska Shenault Jr., a former second-round pick of the Jaguars. With the NFL’s revamped kickoff rules taking effect that season, Shenault was brought in primarily for the return game. He appeared in 11 games for Seattle in 2024, totaling 459 return yards on 16 kick returns and catching 5 passes for 36 yards.
Got a question for The Rooster?
Draft takes? Cap space conspiracies? Opinions on who should open the season at Lumen Field? Send it to the mailbag and I’ll answer the best ones in a future issue.
Twenty-one days to Pittsburgh. The cones are out at the VMAC. Schneider is squinting at his clipboard. Trust the process, or at least trust the squint. Go Hawks. — The Rooster