The Seahawks are focusing on draft prospects that fit their culture and scheme, according to GM John Schneider. The article identifies nine players who align with the team's philosophies for the 2026 draft.
Key points
Seahawks prioritize cultural fit in draft picks
John Schneider discusses team philosophy at the 2026 scouting combine
Nine prospects identified as fitting the Seahawks' needs
Focus on relationships and integration into the team
Not all prospects are expected to be first-round picks
Mentioned in this story
Seattle SeahawksJohn SchneiderMike MacdonaldVMAC
2026 NFL Draft
San Diego, California - November 22: Chris Johnson #1 of San Diego State celebrates after the Aztecs defeated San Jose State during their game at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
Do the Seahawks have “types” for their draft picks? Every NFL team has preferences based on what they want to run schematically, but when Seahawks general manager John Schneider was asked at the 2026 scouting combine about the best practices regarding getting guys in the building who fit the culture, he had this to say.
“It depends on whether it’s a coach, or a trainer, or somebody in sports science, or the player, it’s all about relationships and how are they going to fit into our building? And are we going to be able to take care of this person? Are they going to be able to buy into our culture, and what we have going on in the building? It’s just continuing to interview people, all your background work, all our connections, all our relationships [in] college football [and] pro football.“
So, that covers the intangibles. As far as the tangibles and what they may mean on the field, I attempted to zero in on specific 2026 draft prospects who would best fit what Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald want to accomplish. Not the “best” players per se, but based on the tape, who would be the best overall and immediate fits at the VMAC and on the field. Not all of these guys are estimated to be first-round picks, or potential Rookies of the Year, but I think they’d all be able to forward the franchise philosophies in their own ways.
Here’s why.
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
If you review Schneider’s history of quarterback evaluation, he has a type to a point – bigger, mobile quarterbacks who balance explosive ability with a predilection for relative inconsistency. This goes back to his professed love for Andy Dalton and Ryan Tannehill, and the Matt Flynn deal that was scuttled by the Russell Wilson draft pick, which was only an outlier from a height perspective. This takes us all the way to Geno Smith and Sam Darnold in the modern day.
With Nussmeier, who is a coach’s son and thinks like one, there are two seasons to consider. There’s the 2024 season, when a healthy Nussmeier completed 336 of 525 passes for 4,043 yards, 29 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.4 in his first year as a starter for the Tigers after three seasons as a backup. In 2024, Nussmeier also ran the ball 25 times for 93 yards and three touchdowns. Then, there’s the 2025 season. Injuries to his core (imagine throwing the ball while somebody’s punching you hard in the stomach) limited Nussmeier in all ways all season, and he completed 194 of 288 passes for 1,922 yards, 12 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 92.7. His completion rate actually went up from 64.0% to 67.4% in 2025, but his yards per attempt dropped a full yard from 7.7 to 6.7, and he was far less prolific as a deep passer. The injuries affected his mechanics as well as his ability to play off-script, and it showed all over his tape.
Q&A
What are the key factors for Seahawks draft picks according to John Schneider?
John Schneider emphasizes the importance of relationships and cultural fit when selecting draft picks for the Seahawks.
Who are the top draft prospects for the Seahawks in 2026?
The article highlights nine specific prospects that are considered to best fit the Seahawks' culture and on-field needs.
How does the Seahawks' draft strategy differ from other NFL teams?
Unlike focusing solely on talent, the Seahawks prioritize how well players will integrate into their culture and team dynamics.
What is the significance of the 2026 scouting combine for the Seahawks?
The 2026 scouting combine provides insights into player fit and relationships, guiding the Seahawks' draft decisions.
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But a healthy Nussmeier would fit very well with Seattle – he could be a Sam Darnold/Brock Purdy offshoot with all the attributes that implies.
You can see the effects of Garrett Nussmeier's ab/oblique/torso injury on 2025 when you watch his 2024 season. In 2024, he was a chaos/big-play generator at an absolutely stupid level. 2025 saw him working around it — reducing his motion and big play ability.
Heidenreich is one of the most fun and fascinating evaluations I’ve had throughout this draft process. He’s listed as a fullback at 6-foot-0 and about 200 pounds, but there’s a lot more to him than that. Last season, he gained 499 yards and scored three touchdowns on 77 carries, but where he really shows up is as a receiver – he caught 51 passes on 79 targets last season for 941 yards and six touchdowns, and this guy wasn’t just catching screens and swing passes. He was only in the backfield as a receiver on 13% of his snaps in 2025 – the rest of the time, he was tight to the formation, in the slot, or outside. He runs a fully conversant route tree, and when you factor in his blocking, I could see him utilized in the right offense as kind of a smaller Kyle Juszczyk. Given Brian Fleury’s time with Kyle Shanahan, I wonder if the Seahawks could easily see the same thing. Because it’s easy to see how offensive coordinators from that lineage would LOVE this guy.
Navy's Eli Heidenreich is one of the most fascinating prospects in this class, because his toolkit is soooo unique. Sweep runner, zone big-play guy in the backfield, insert blocker, and can create explosives as an outside receiver. McVay/Shanahan/Kubiak would have field days. pic.twitter.com/QXOrbRNch9
I’ve heard buzz about Rutledge sneaking into the bottom of the first round, and if the Seahawks wanted to solve their Anthony Bradford problem at 32, I wouldn’t blink an eye. Rutledge is right up there with Texas A&M’s Chase Bisontis and Oregon’s Emmanuel Pregnon on my list of guards behind Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane, and he’s particularly good, as a right guard, at smashing dudes at the line of scrimmage and then hunting on the move. He would be an ideal fit in the continuation of the run game, and he allowed no sacks and six total pressures in 440 pass-blocking reps.
Georgia Tech RG Keylan Rutledge wrecking dudes at the second level. This is the range with edge you want. pic.twitter.com/KKnzsCiSln
New Seahawks offensive coordinator Brian Fleury was with the San Francisco 49ers from 2019-2025, and he was the team’s tight ends coach those last three years, so I’ll bring up a name here that he’s familiar with – George Kittle. Remember that when he was at Iowa, Kittle never had more than 36 targets in a season, which is why he was available in the fifth round of the 2017 draft, and then he just blew the hell up? I can see Georgia’s Oscar Delp doing the same thing. Delp never had more than 30 targets in a season over four years with the Bulldogs, and I do not understand why… because this dude looks like an NFL receiving tight end right now. He had 20 catches on 28 targets last season for 261 yards and a touchdown last season, but he’s capable of much, much more.
can we please see georgia te oscar delp in an nfl offense where he gets more than 30 targets in a season pic.twitter.com/XNs0wEE6hl
In projecting Seahawk-y interior defensive linemen, I’m looking for guys who can take up a gap and a half (because that’s what Mike Macdonald requires with all those light boxes), and can win with stunts (because the Seahawks stunt their linemen far more than they blitz). Lee Hunter stood out to me right away when I started watching his tape, and I think he could be a first-round talent. Hunter is so much quicker than you’d expect from a 6-foot-3 ½, 319-pound lineman, and that gap movement ability plays right into the stunt game. And then, you get the power and leverage from a guy who played more in the 330 range. I would love him as a rotational force in Seattle’s fronts.
For a guy in the 6-foot-4, 330-pound range, Texas Tech's Lee Hunter moves abnormally quickly. He can also take his two hands and move your blockers several steps in directions they did not anticipate pre-snap. pic.twitter.com/lACbU0Xejd
Everybody loves speed rushers, but just as the Seahawks have specific needs with their interior guys, they also need their edge guys to defend the run to a point. It’s why Demarcus Lawrence was so valuable last season. T.J. Parker is an interesting hybrid at 6-foot-3 ½ and 263 pounds at the combine – he played more in the 270 range, and he wins as much with power as with quickness. He had six sacks and 35 total pressures last season in an off year for Clemson’s defense, one year after he put up 12 sacks and 51 pressures.
T.J. Parker is a big EDGE with bad intentions. Leaving a running back in to block him is particularly cute. Might as well get the guy out quickly. pic.twitter.com/brtF7QIeXA
Louis is a different type of linebacker in that he plays all over the place – box, slot, and overhang. Mike Macdonald values players whose skill sets tie the defense together, and Louis has that all day. He can help with those light boxes against the run, because he had five tackles for loss last season as a run defender, and he can also come down and nuke screen passes with his quickness. Louis also has great chops as a pass-rusher blitzing from the edge or at the second level. Built like a safety at 6-foot-0 and 220 pounds, but he definitely brings the hit stick like a guy 20 pounds heavier. Any Macdonald/Fangio-style hybrid defense would love to fit this guy in.
If you're looking for a nickel base linebacker who will help you get away with light boxes and two-high against the run, Pitt's Kyle Louis should have your attention. Dude brings the hit stick with regularity, and he's got it in coverage, too. pic.twitter.com/f0wZD9LJ5S
This is the most underrated player in this class, even though he’s a smaller-school guy who is projected as a late first-round pick by a lot of people. LSU’s Mansoor Delane and Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy are thought to be CBs 1 and 2 in this class, but I’d put Johnson right up there as far as NFL-transitive skills. He has top-10 talent. Last season, Johnson gave up 18 catches on 43 targets for 185 yards, 79 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, four interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 16.1 – by far the lowest in the FBS among cornerbacks who played at least 50% of their snaps. He has the size you want at 6-foot-0 and 193 pounds, he was just as good against Cal and Washington State as he was against smaller schools, and he can play the coverage-agnostic style that the Seahawks prefer. If he’s there at 32, this would be an easy pick for me.
San Diego State CB Chris Johnson is a gonzo enveloper with match feet and change of direction to all areas of the field. If you can catch the ball against him, he's likely to suplex your ass on the way down. pic.twitter.com/l82aI7PKsk
Scott is one of those guys who just had me falling for his playing personality right away when I watched the tape. He is often categorized as a “small” safety at 5-foot-11 and 191 pounds, but the Seahawks are fine with smaller safeties. Julian Love is 5-foot-10 ¾ and about 195. The Hurricanes used Keionte Scott primarily as a slot and overhang player, but he can also play the deep third and the box, so he does have multi-positional juice.
Where the Seahawks would adore Scott is as a run defender. Last season, he had 51 tackles, 36 stops, eight tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. He’s a feisty guy with contact who is built more like a smaller linebacker than the safeties we’re used to seeing – more bulk in his lower body than you might expect. And when it’s time to tackle, he wants to leave a mark. That aggression can lead to mistakes – he had 15 missed tackles last season – but there’s so much here on the ball for a Seahawk-y defensive back. And in coverage, he allowed 39 catches on 56 targets for 332 yards, 214 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 69.9.
Where does Miami CB Keionte Scott's 4.33 speed show up? Everywhere. Closing to the ball on a blitz or for a TFL, at the top of the route stem when he's recovering, and from sideline to sideline. Love his playing personality. This guy is feisty as hell. pic.twitter.com/1Cb5vyQIbB
