By Mazvita Maraire Posted on

Seahawks 2025 draft was about need and want

 A day after Seahawks General Manager and President of Football Operations John Schneider said, “It’s a cool day in Seahawks history,” the team went back to business. The business of wheeling and dealing. The Seahawks traded down with the Patriots. The  Patriots swapped the Seahawks’ 4TH  round ( 137th ) and moved down to the  5th round (144). The  Hawks then traded Sam Howell to Minnesota for their 5th-round (142nd )pick. The wheeling and dealing continued.  Cleveland grabbed the Seahawks’ 144th pick in the round, and the Hawks agreed to move down to the 166th spot in the round.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

After all the wheeling and dealing, Schneider and Macdonald reaped their benefits.  The Seahawks drafted defensive tackle Riley Mills out of Notre Dame with pick number 142. The second of the team’s three picks in the fifth round, number 166, was used on wide receiver Tory Horton from Colorado State. The team’s final  pick in the fifth round was spent on Alabama fullback  Robbie Outzts.

MORE OFFENSIVE DEPTH

 The offensive trend continued in the last two rounds for the  Seahawks. The team used its only pick in the sixth round ( 192)  on  Kansas Guard  Bryce Cabeldue. Miami running back  Damien Martine was the first of the Seahawks’ three picks in the seventh and final round. Martinez was selected at no.223, Iowa guard  Mason Richman was selected at 234, and the Seahawks’ final selection of the 2025  draft was wide receiver   Rick White of  UNLV, who was drafted at number 238.

DAY THREE PLAYER PROFILES

 5th   ROUND    142  Round RYLIE  MILES DT  NOTRE DAME

PFF  DRAFT PROSPECTUS

At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, Mills is lean but long. This makes him aneasier projection to a 3-4 defensive end spot due to his versatility in his build (length to play more of a defensive end spot, weight tohold up well enough on the inside). He is a better pass-rusher than he is a run defender. He has a quick first step and active, violent hands to stay clean when shooting gaps. He does struggle to get off blocks if he doesn’t win early. He can play with a high pad level, which limits his efficacy when anchoring against the run. His pass-rush win percentage will be one of the higher marks of the interior defensive line class thanks to a well- executed long arm, club-rip and bull rush (though his leg drive can die out quickly). He has long arms to bat down passes in throwing windows. He also has good lateral quickness for stunts as a crasher or looper. As a whole, he plays with a good motor for all four quarters.

STRENGHTS

• Shows good strength and instinct to stack and shed blocks

• Hands are strong and violent

• Good lateral quickness for stunts

• Has the length to play almost any defensive line spot

• Long arms to get in passing lanes for PBUs

WEAKNESS

• Hands are violent but out of control at times

• Naturally high pad level

• Must play more in control/balanced

• Struggles to get off blocks in a timely manner

 6th  ROUND   166 TORY HORTON  WR  COLORADO STATE

PFF  DRAFT PROSPECTUS

Horton comes from an athletic family: His sister plays volleyball, advanced stats you won’t find professionally, and his brother was a cornerback at Boise State. anywhere else. Alongside that, He looks like a natural, even with a slender build. As a true possession receiver, his hands are legitimate. He has a long catch radius, helping him record an 86th-percentile contested- catch rate and a catch percentage above 92.0% in each of the information, in-depth scouting past two seasons. Despite limited flexibility. Horton is a nuanced player. He has quick feet out of his releases with active hands to be an effective receiver .He knows how to set up defenders with shoulder much more fakes. Essentially, he creates separation in more subtle ways. He takes pride in all facets and is a clearly competitive player. That includes taking on defenders as a blocker. Horton’s strides are long, helping him cover more ground despite what seems like subpar explosiveness.

STRENGHTS

• Great route runner for his size

• Strong hands and big catch radius

PFF’s lead draft analyst

• Hands are up and ready to fight to get off press/contact

• Long strides help him cover ground, even without great speed

• Nuanced in his releases versus press

WEAKNESS

• Slender build means he can get moved off his routes easier

• Average to below-average top speed for the NFL

• Takes him a handful of steps to reach top speed

• Lack of mass impacts blocking efficacyIncludes regular season + postseaso

 5th Round  175 ROBBIE OUZTS FULLBACK

 NFL.COM

Ouzts is built like an ironworker who has a squat rack in the garage. He’s compact and muscular but surprisingly athletic in routes and on move blocks. He can align as a wing and fits up blocks with good technique and balance, but he gets discarded by longer opponents. As a lead blocker he sees the run lane like a running back and adjusts well to strike moving targets. He can run routes if needed and should play on kick return, punt cover and field goal teams. A move to fullback will give him a chance to compete for a roster spot.

Strengths

  • Excellent lean mass and muscular limbs.
  • Fits up his block with leveraged hands and balanced base.
  • Athletic ability to adjust and land as a move blocker.
  • Makes good reads and decisions as a lead blocker.
  • Seldom used as a pass catcher but capable of running routes.
  • Sinks low to cradle and rescue low throws.

Weaknesses

  • Lack of length makes it tough to sustain blocks in-line.
  • Shoddy angles allow edge defenders to escape blocks.
  • Needs to approach blocks with a better feel for leverage.
  • Limited catch radius to extend and grab tall throws.

6th  Round  192 BRYCE CABELDUE G KANSAS

PFF  DRAFT PROSPECTUS

Collegiate right tackle who is built like a guard and should make the move inside as a pro. Cabeldue is not much of a knee-bender but he’s low-cut, which helps him maximize his balance. He has good pop on contact and can maul his way to wins. He’s more athletic than expected inside the box, but his range as a blocker will trail off. He plays with an attacking mindset and takes the action to opponents, but he needs to play with inside hands to minimize his lack of length in pass pro. He projects as a backup guard and his toughness plays in his favor.

Strengths

  • Four-year starter.
  • Good quickness off the ball with agile feet in small spaces.
  • Adequate pop on contact with torque power in his hips.
  • Keeps chopping his feet through contact on drive blocks.
  • Alters pass-set strategy to keep rushers off-balance.
  • Nimble feet to mirror and cut off inside moves.

Weaknesses

  • Not much of a knee-bender as a run blocker or in pass protection.
  • More mauler than technician at the point of attack.
  • Below-average pad level fitting up his run blocks.
  • Will have a tougher time sustaining blocks due to length.
  • Punches with wide hands, giving away access to his chest.

  7TH  223 DAMIEN  MARTINEZ  RB MIAMI

Martinez was a three-star running back out of Lewisville, Texas. Advanced stats you won’t find In addition to being a standout football player, he was a sprinter anywhere else. Alongside that, who competed in the 100m and 4×100 relay. He committed to Oregon State and amassed over 2,100 yards in his first two each player also has career seasons before transferring to Miami in 2024, where he once again eclipsed 1,000 yards.

At 6 feet tall and 235 pounds, Martinez has legitimate NFL size and a play style to match. He profiles, player comps, athletic refuses to go down on first contact, generating yards after contact and pushing the pile. He does his best work running behind the testing, strengths/weaknesses and man- and gap-blocking concepts between the tackles. His sprinter background gives him impressive explosiveness and top speed. His high forced missed tackle rate is more due to breaking tackles than making defenders miss. While he has the frame for pass protection, he is not as aggressive as desired and lacks discipline in his fundamentals. He has some experience as a receiver but does not have natural hands.

STRENGTHS

• Massive build with a powerful frame

• Strong enough to hold up in pass protection

• Light feet allow him to move well behind man/gap schemes

• Impressive balance for a player of his size

• Good long speed for his frame, aided by a track background

WEAKNESS

• Needs to play with more aggression in pass protection

• Drops his head and lacks proper discipline in pass protection

• Not a natural receiver out of the backfield

• Stiff when changing direction once he gains momentum

7th Round  234  MASON RICHMAN  OT  G  IOWA

Richman started 52 games at left tackle for Iowa. He fires off the ball, gets his hands inside and drives defenders in the running game. He moves well, rarely takes false steps and takes sound angles working up to the second level as a zone blocker. He doesn’t waste a lot of motion getting set and delivers a powerful punch as a pass blocker. Richman can mirror once he latches on with his hands. 

SEAHAWKS  7TH  234    RICKY WHITE WR UNLV

PFF  DRAFT PROSPECTUS

White was a highly productive receiver in UNLV’s offense over the advanced stats you won’t find past two seasons. His threat rate (target rate on routes run) was anywhere else. Alongside that, above 35% in 2023 and 2024. He’s on the smaller side for an NFL receiver, but he makes up for it. White is very competitive as a each player also has career blocker despite his size, and he has decent nuance to his game. However, he could be even more precise in his movements to set information, in-depth scouting up defenders and make up for a lack of explosiveness and long profiles, player comps, athletic speed. His movements are smooth, which is both good and bad when it comes to separating; he just has to know that and use it testing, strengths/weaknesses and correctly. White’s catch percentage dipped in 2024 but is generally fine. The 23-year-old’s effort on certain plays seemed to fluctuate in 2024, as did his overall play speed. He didn’t line up a ton in the slot at UNLV, but that might be his best position in the NFL due to his strengths being short-area separation and after- the-catch playmaking.

STRENGTHS

• Natural playmaker’s mentality to make defenders miss

• Manages his routes well to create separation

PFF’s lead draft analyst

• Competitive blocker against DBs

• Good base of releases off press

WEAKNESS

• Limited long speed to threaten vertically off the press

• Slender size makes it tough to create a catch point through contact

• Down-to-down play speed is slower than you’d like

• Effort runs hot and concludes regular season + postseason

BIG TAKE

Give the Seahawks an A+ grade for drafting to their needs. Schneider and Macdonald made a decent attempt at addressing the interior offensive line by drafting three guards Richman could end being moved to tackle. Of the team’s eleven picks only two were defensive players. The two, safety Nick Emmanwori and DT Rylie Mills, were both need and want selections. Both will see plenty of action in September. The one missing is the center position. Schneider and Macdonald did say that they are not finished adding to their roster .

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