Don’t be surprised if Seahawks go “best player available” at No. 32

The 2026 NFL draft starts three weeks from today, but who the Seattle Seahawks will target in the draft is as up-in-the-air as it’s ever been.

The team’s needs are relatively mild coming off their Super Bowl LX win. They only hold four picks total, but they get to choose the best player available without worrying as much as the majority of other teams about plugging holes in certain positions.

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There are definite vacancies to fill. Free agency saw them lose four key starters- running back Kenneth Walker, cornerback Tariq Woolen, safety Coby Bryant, and edge Boye Mafe. Almost every single mock draft you see will replace one of these four positions in the first round.

Seahawks.com put out an article this morning showing the plethora of options John Schneider and the team’s brass have from a roster construction standpoint. They include nine different analysts’ opinions on who the Seahawks should take at No. 32. Seven of the nine have them taking a cornerback- four for Clemson’s Avieon Terrell, two for Tennessee’s Colton Hood, and one for South Carolina’s Brandon Cisse. Pete Prisco has them taking Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, and Josh Edwards has them taking Clemson edge T.J. Parker.

But not everything needs to be an eye for an eye.

Ty Okada could plausibly step into Coby Bryant’s role, and Rodney Thomas II could fill Okada’s backup spot. Zach Charbonnet, Emanuel Wilson, George Holani and Kenny McIntosh could be the running backs they go with. Witherspoon and Woolen were the main starters at cornerback last year and don’t need a replacement desperately. As one of their many current mottos goes, the Seahawks have the flexibility to chase edges anywhere they find one in this draft.

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When they took Jaxon Smith-Njigba 20th overall in 2023, some questioned the decision to take a “number 3 receiver” when they had other needs to fill. Look how that turned out.

There will always be roster needs in a sport with 22 starting players (and more if you include substitution packages), but the Seahawks will find the best way to improve the team, no matter how it looks on paper.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks flexibility in 2026 NFL Draft allows open, not needy approach