The Seattle Seahawks, after missing the playoffs on a tiebreaker, decided to rebuild their offense from the ground up. Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, and Geno Smith are all gone, and Sam Darnold is now the starting quarterback.
By moving on from Metcalf and Lockett, Seattle lost one of the league’s best receivers over the last decade and a franchise icon. However, they still have Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a top-10 defense from last season. The next step is adding to the wide receiver room, and one analyst believes that starts in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Seattle Seahawks Predicted to Rebuild Offense
Outside of Smith-Njigba, the Seahawks don’t have a consistent receiving threat. The next wide receiver with the highest receiving yards last season, not named Metcalf or Lockett, was Jake Bobo, who had just 107 yards.
That highlights Seattle’s struggles, as they finished ranked 20th in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. However, the latest mock draft from PFSN has them adding depth at wide receiver.
With their second-round pick (No. 50), analyst Ian Cummings projects the Seahawks to select Jaylin Noel out of Iowa State. His reasoning? Finding a Tyler Lockett replacement.
“If the Seahawks want a Tyler Lockett replacement, they can’t do better than Jaylin Noel in the 2025 NFL Draft. Noel has the burst, speed, twitch, separation instincts, ball skills, and RAC to deliver.”
In his four-year career at Iowa State, Noel’s role steadily grew. By his sophomore season, he became a bigger part of the offense, and last year, he emerged as the primary pass catcher.
That led to a 1,194-yard season, while his career touchdown total reached 18. Building chemistry early will be key with a new quarterback in Seattle, and Noel would have the chance to do that right away.
Fixing Offensive Line Should Be Seahawks’ Biggest Priority
Still, Seattle’s biggest priority is fixing the offensive line, which ranked among the league’s bottom three in PFSN’s OL+ metric. Because of that, Cummings has them targeting one of the best guard prospects in the draft, Tyler Booker, in the first round.
“Tyler Booker’s non-elite athletic testing casts a cloud on his ultimate ceiling, but he’s a rock-solid prospect despite the numbers. It’s nearly impossible to generate push against him in the passing game, and he’s a force on the ground with his power and length.”
For Darnold, who played in Minnesota last year behind a top-10 pass-blocking unit, offensive line help will be crucial. The Seahawks have made several bold moves this offseason. Now, it’s just a matter of seeing how they play out.