Seahawks GM John Schneider credits crucial Seahawks scout at Combine

Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke publicly about their 2026 plans for the first time at the NFL Scouting Combine today.

You can watch his entire 19-minute press conference on seahawks.com. Here’s the link.

Advertisement

He gave rare in-depth insight into the team’s process for evaluating players and making personnel decisions. Most of the chatter you’ll find on the internet thus far is around him mentioning Kenneth Walker III, but there’s much more interesting quotes on team-building strategy that describes the “why” behind their recent success.

He mentions Walker once, saying he’d love to have him back, Zach Charbonnet once, praising his work ethic, and Sam Darnold by saying he matched up as a better choice for the organization than any college quarterbacks last offseason. But perhaps the most interesting thing Schneider mentions is the single name he refers to twice in the press conference- which isn’t a player at all, but is possibly the single most important person he’ll work with at the Combine each year.

That name is Aaron Hineline, the Seahawks’ Director of College Scouting. There’s less information on scouts than any member of the coaching staff, but they play as vital a role as any in shaping the roster. He’s a Woodinville High School and Central Washington University graduate who’s been with the Seahawks for 20 years, working his way up from intern to assistant director of college scouting before being promoted to his current position in 2023.

While the coaches have been working to win games the entire season, Hineline has headed Seattle’s mission to scout the 1,000s of eligible players for the 2026 NFL Draft, managing the area scouts and collecting intel at a clip fans can only imagine. Despite being relatively unknown to the masses, he’s as good of a person to thank as any for the Seahawks finding gems in the draft, from Grey Zabel to Ty Okada and in between. When thinking of the NFL Combine this week, imagine Hineline as Schneider’s right-hand man as they watch 319 prospects test and interview, knowing more than any media member could dream of.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks’ John Schneider credits crucial Seahawks scout at NFL Combine