The Seattle Seahawks are basking in the glory of their Super Bowl LX triumph, a commanding 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots that capped off a remarkable season under head coach Mike Macdonald. As the confetti settles and the championship parade becomes a cherished memory, the organization faces an entirely different challenge: constructing a roster capable of sustaining this success. The path to building a dynasty runs directly through the upcoming NFL free agency period and the 2026 NFL Draft, where general manager John Schneider will need to work his magic with severely limited resources.
Schneider, the architect behind Seattle's championship roster, has built this team primarily through the draft, unearthing gems in unexpected places and consistently finding value where others see question marks. However, the 2026 draft presents a unique obstacle—Seattle enters with just four total selections, the fewest in Schneider's tenure. This scarcity of capital means there's virtually no margin for error. Every pick must hit, every decision carries amplified weight, and the front office's evaluation process will be tested like never before.
The Cornerback Conundrum: Resetting the Secondary
Perhaps no position group faces more uncertainty than the cornerback room. The Seahawks have several pending free agents at this critical spot, most notably Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe. While Schneider has the financial flexibility to retain both players thanks to smart cap management, the on-field fit raises serious questions about whether that investment makes sense.
Woolen's 2025 season was particularly perplexing. The lanky cornerback who burst onto the scene as a rookie seemed miscast in Macdonald's sophisticated defensive scheme, which demands not just physical tools but also nuanced technique and mental processing. The coaching staff's confidence wavered significantly—Woolen found himself temporarily benched midseason, a stunning development for a player many considered a rising star. He eventually worked his way back into the lineup, but the damage to his standing was evident.
The NFC Championship Game encapsulated Woolen's struggles perfectly. He drew a costly taunting penalty that shifted momentum, then compounded the error by surrendering a long touchdown pass in the second half. These mental lapses in high-leverage moments are precisely what Macdonald's detail-oriented system cannot tolerate. Even if Schneider chooses to re-sign Woolen, the coaching staff will need a contingency plan.
Enter Colton Hood from Tennessee. The Volunteers' physical cornerback has emerged as an ideal schematic fit for what Seattle seeks. Hood's game is built on aggression and competitiveness—traits that align perfectly with Macdonald's press-heavy, man-coverage concepts. His performance at the Panini Senior Bowl turned heads, as he consistently disrupted receivers at the line of scrimmage and showed the fluid hips necessary to mirror routes downfield. For a team that values Senior Bowl evaluations as much as Seattle does, Hood represents a ready-made replacement who could compete for snaps immediately while providing long-term stability.
Offensive Line Reinforcements: Finding the Next Guard
While the defense carried Seattle to the championship, the offensive line remains a work in progress. Right guard Anthony Bradford is entering a contract year, and despite being a starter on a Super Bowl-winning team, he's widely regarded as the unit's weakest link. His pass protection inconsistencies and occasional lapses in run blocking have forced the coaching staff to scheme around his limitations.
The Seahawks attempted to address this need previously by drafting Christian Haynes, but that investment has yet to yield returns, leaving the position in a state of flux. With Bradford's future uncertain and no clear in-house successor, targeting an interior lineman in the draft becomes not just logical but essential.
Oregon's Emmanuel Pregnon has positioned himself as one of the premier interior prospects in this draft class. What separates Pregnon is his nasty demeanor and physical playing style—he's the type of blocker who finishes plays through the whistle and seeks to impose his will on defenders. This mentality would be music to the ears of offensive line coach John Benton, who has cultivated a tough, cohesive unit despite talent limitations.
Pairing Pregnon with emerging star Grey Zabel could give Seattle its guard tandem of the future, bookending center with two maulers who can anchor against power rushers while creating push in the running game. In a division featuring formidable interior pass rushers, this investment would provide quarterback Geno Smith—or his eventual successor—with the pocket stability necessary for sustained success.
Pass Rush Depth: Reloading the Edge
John Schneider operates under a simple philosophy: you can never have enough pass rushers. This belief has shaped Seattle's roster construction for years, resulting in a deep rotation that wore down opponents throughout the championship run. Recent draft investments in Derick Hall, Byron Murphy II, and Boye Mafe have paid dividends, while free agent addition DeMarcus Lawrence provided veteran leadership and clutch performances.
The retention of Uchenna Nwosu, despite his contract being a potential cap casualty, demonstrated Schneider's commitment to keeping his pass rush cupboard stocked. However, the landscape is shifting. Mafe is now a pending free agent who will command significant money on the open market, and the 33-year-old Lawrence is entering the twilight of his career, likely needing replacement by 2027.
This creates a perfect scenario for selecting a developmental edge rusher who can contribute on special teams while learning behind established veterans. Auburn's Keyron Crawford fits this profile precisely. An athletic pass rusher with exceptional first-step quickness, Crawford possesses the raw tools that Seattle's coaching staff has proven adept at refining. His college production was solid but not spectacular, suggesting he'll be available in the later rounds where the Seahawks can maximize value.
The strategy here is clear: draft a high-upside athlete, let him acclimate to the NFL behind proven commodities, and have him ready to step into a larger role when Lawrence inevitably moves on. It's a patient approach that has served Seattle well, allowing them to maintain a consistent pass rush without paying premium prices for veteran free agents.
Safety Depth and Special Teams Value
The safety position presents a different challenge. With Coby Bryant, Ty Okada, and A.J. Finley all hitting free agency—plus veteran practice squad member Quandre Diggs also unsigned—Seattle faces potential turnover in its secondary depth. While Bryant's solid play makes him a likely re-signing target, the team still needs bodies for training camp competition and, more importantly, special teams contributions.
This is where Arizona's Dalton Johnson enters the conversation. While not a flashy prospect who will excite casual fans, Johnson represents the type of value selection that championship teams make in the draft's later stages. His five-year career with the Wildcats was remarkably productive—285 tackles demonstrate his reliability and football IQ. More importantly for Seattle's purposes, Johnson projects as an immediate special teams contributor, potentially filling multiple coverage units from day one.
His participation in the East-West Shrine Bowl gave Seattle's scouting department an up-close evaluation opportunity, and his performance there reportedly reinforced his reputation as a sound tackler with positional versatility. In an era where special teams can swing playoff games, finding a reliable contributor in the seventh round would be a victory for Schneider's staff.
The Championship Blueprint: Precision Over Volume
With only four selections at their disposal, the Seahawks cannot afford misses. Every pick must address a specific need while fitting the team's culture and schematic requirements. The proposed strategy—cornerback, offensive guard, edge rusher, safety—follows a logical progression that balances immediate competition with long-term development.
Schneider's draft history suggests he'll trust his board and potentially trade back to accumulate more picks, but the current capital constraints make that difficult. Instead, he must identify four players who can contribute in defined roles, whether as starters, rotational pieces, or special teams aces.
The margin for error is razor-thin, but Seattle's championship window is wide open. Macdonald's defensive system is proven, the offensive core is solid, and the organizational philosophy is sound. If Schneider can nail these four selections—finding a starting cornerback, a future guard, a developmental pass rusher, and a special teams standout—the Seahawks will be well-positioned to defend their title and potentially establish the dynasty that Seattle fans have dreamed about since the Legion of Boom era.
The 2026 draft won't be about quantity; it will be about surgical precision. And in John Schneider, the Seahawks have a surgeon who has performed under pressure before.