John Schneider‘s GM tenure has seen loads of trades involving first-round picks. Although the GM has stayed in his first-round draft slot(s) in each of the past three years, the two-time Super Bowl winner has a history of trading out of his top draft position.
Seattle has traded 4 first-round picks for veterans during Schneider’s 16-draft GM run, acquiring Percy Harvin (2013), Jimmy Graham (2015) and Jamal Adams (2020). Schneider has traded down from his first-round position in six other drafts. In three of those drafts, Schneider has traded down a minimum of twice from his first-round draft slot. Although the outcomes of this process haven’t all the time panned out — with some unremarkable returns forming in Rounds 1 and a pair of in several Seattle drafts — Schneider has a pattern. Back on the mountaintop, the Seahawks are aiming to return to their Round 1 M.O.
Schneider said it’s “no secret” (via The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar) the team is seeking to trade down from No. 32. The Seahawks hold just 4 selections on this draft — Nos. 32, 64, 96 and 188. Two of Seattle’s picks went to Recent Orleans for the since-re-signed Rashid Shaheed. No team enters this draft with fewer selections than the defending champions.
The Seahawks will probably be willing to trade the No. 32 pick to an NFC West rival, Schneider added (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). The Seahawks have done so up to now, moving down in 2017 to permit the 49ers to pick out linebacker Reuben Foster. There have been 35 intra-divisional draft trades since 2002, per Henderson. That Foster-based swap was the one Schneider-era Seattle pick flip contained in the NFC West.
“We’ve talked inside our division,” Schneider said. “That was type of frowned upon for some time, such as you don’t trade inside your division. Everybody in our division, we’d trade with. We’ve good relationships with all three of those teams. You’re maneuvering across the board to attempt to help your team irrespective of what. So, once you take a look at it through that lens, you’re mainly not concerned about [helping another team].”
Seattle’s decisions to remain in its draft slot recently have paid dividends. The team held onto its Broncos-obtained No. 9 pick in 2022, choosing Charles Cross. Denver’s other pick sent within the Russell Wilson trade — No. 5 overall in 2023 — gave Seattle Devon Witherspoon. The Seahawks’ own 2023 selection became Jaxon Smith-Njigba, they usually didn’t move right down to select either Byron Murphy or Grey Zabel over the past two years.
The Seahawks’ No. 32 pick could conceivably be a gateway for the Cardinals to climb up for Ty Simpson and pick up a fifth-year option on the polarizing QB prospect, though it’s definitely possible Arizona would want to maneuver higher than 32 for the Alabama passer. Other teams might be calling by then, perhaps if considered one of the tackles falls to the top of Round 1, but this just isn’t viewed as a very strong draft. That may lead Seattle to remain at No. 32 and maybe trade down in Rounds 2 or 3 so as to add to its four-pick total.