Thunder-Suns takeaways: Phoenix is proving to be no match for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Oklahoma City
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shines as Thunder beat Suns 121-109, leading series 3-0
The Seahawks have their depth option at interior offensive line to push Anthony Bradford.
How much did they want Beau Stephens?
The Super Bowl champions surprisingly got into the fifth round Saturday morning by tapping into their haul of a dozen picks in the stronger 2027 NFL draft with a trade to select Iowa All-America guard Beau Stephens with the 148th-overall selection of this draft.
The 6-foot-5 1/2, 315-pound Stephensâ mode?
âIâve always had an edge to me,â the 23-year-old from Blue Spring, Missouri, said Saturday morning on the phone from his home in Iowa City.
âI try to go hit people as hard as possible.
âYou are going to get a mauler in the run game, technical in the pass game. One who loves to hit.â
It was surprising not just to general manager John Schneider. He was wondering through Seahawksâ headquarters an hour or so earlier Saturday morning idling seemingly without a pick until two in the sixth round after noon.
It was a surprise to Stephens, too.
âI was actually scrolling on my phone...and I was, like, âWow, I donât see Seattle or I donât see anybody thatâs been really high on me coming soon. So I was honestly not expecting it,â Stephens said.
âI was scrolling on my phone saying, âWhy am I getting a call from Washington right now?ââ
Seattle traded one of their 12 picks in next yearâs draft, a fourth-round choice in 2027, to Cleveland for the Brownsâ 148th-overall pick eight spots in Saturdayâs round five.
But Stephens didnât know that when the Seahawks called him Saturday morning, early Saturday afternoon where he was at his home in Iowa City.
âI was unaware of that â until they told me on the phone,â he said.
âI was like, âAre you serious right now? That you guys are going to trade up for me right now?â
âThey said, âYeah, you were staring at us on the board, so we had to do something.â
âThat must mean they believe in me. And thatâs all I could ever ask for, just to believe in me and give me an opportunity to show what I can do, and the kind of person that I can be.
âAnd Iâm going to be forever grateful for that.â
Seahawks fifth-round draft choice Beau Stephens of the Iowa Hawkeyes participates in a drill during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 1, 2026, in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
(Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Stephens started his 2022 college season at right guard, then the last two seasons at left guard on Iowaâs Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line as major college footballâs best.
âI think itâs just preference in blocks, honestly,â he said. âIf Iâm on the left side I have a preference for backside blocks. If I am on the right, I have a preference for frontside blocks.
âOverall, itâs not too much of a difference.â
He said the Seahawks havenât told him which side guard spot he will begin playing for them. They have Grey Zabel, their rookie stud first-round pick from last year, entrenched for years as the starting left guard.
Right guard Bradford is entering the final year of his rookie contract. The three-year starter has been a lightning rod for fans who post video cut-ups online of his missed blocks at right guard.
Coach Mike Macdonald has said this offseason he and his staff are pleased with Bradfordâs overall play. The coach says anyone can cherry-pick certain and amplify plays a well-paid defender beats an offensive lineman.
Yet the factâs been the Seahawks havenât had what coaches see as a worthy option to challenge Bradford for his job. They drafted Christian Haynes in the third round in 2024 from Connecticut to do that. But Haynes has failed multiple times to win the right-guard job, including last summer in training camp. Seattleâs coaches have tried backup center Olu Oluwatimi at right guard in practices. That hasnât impressed them, either.
Jalen Sundell was challenging Bradford in training camp last year â until Sundell proved better than Oluwatimi and won the starting-center job for good.
Also last year, the Seahawks drafted guard Bryce Cabledue in the sixth round out of Kansas. He played just 5% of the offensive snaps last season as a backup.
Seahawks coaches apparently like Stephens to be the next potential challenger, or successor, to Bradford.
Stephens said his pre-draft visit with the Seahawks was outstanding because of one man: John Benton, the teamâs transformational offensive line coach who refocused that unit from a liability into the Super Bowl in his first season with Seattle this past year.
He calls Benton âa person coachâ who cares about the player far beyond the field.
This is the second consecutive year Seattle has drafted an offensive lineman from Iowa, a factory for NFL blue-collar blockers under long-time head coach Kirk Ferentz. The Seahawks selected Mason Richman, primarily a tackle, in the seventh round in 2025.
Stephens calls Richman a âbig brotherâ and a âfriend for life.â Richman is going to be in Stephensâ wedding July 4, when the newest Seahawks offensive lineman marries his college sweetheart Emily Kuba.
Seattle Seahawks guard Anthony Bradford (75) runs out before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lumen Field, on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Seattle.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander shines as Thunder beat Suns 121-109, leading series 3-0

Neville says Arsenal will need a wheelbarrow to win the PL title after edging past Newcastle.
Spencer Torkelson hits three home runs in three games, showing power after a slow start.
Raiders' 2026 draft highlights trades and player movements.
New England Patriots select QB Behren Morton from Texas Tech in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Hurricanes eliminate Senators with 4-2 win, move to second round!
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.