The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off later this month in Pittsburgh, and for the Seahawks, this year's draft represents a chance to add to a roster mostly made up of the players who were part of the team that won Super Bowl LX in February.

Because of the talent, depth and youth on Seattle's roster, players added in this year's draft will have to come in willing to compete for playing time, something Seahawks general manager and president of football operations John Schneider saw young players struggle with last decade during the peak of the Legion of Boom era. That eventually led to an adjustment in Seattle's evaluation process to make sure they were bringing in the type of players who had the right mindset to compete with established stars, and that trait will again be key for the 2026 draft class.

"Yeah, we'll be way more cognizant of it," Schneider said last month at the NFL Annual Meeting. "How do they feel about (Devon Witherspoon), how do they feel about Leonard (Williams), (Byron) Murphy? There's got to be a level of confidence, self-efficacy that we have to dig deeper into… Not just being fans of these guys, but like, 'I want to take their jobs.' The competition just rises to the top."

Things could change before or during the draft, but as things currently stand, the Seahawks hold only four picks, having traded their fourth and fifth-round selections to the Saints in exchange for receiver and return specialist Rashid Shaheed, and having sent their sixth-rounder to Jacksonville in a 2024 trade for defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris. But even with limited draft capital, the Seahawks head into this year's draft looking to add tough, smart and reliable players who can help the team in 2026 and beyond.

And with the draft coming up soon, Seahawks.com is taking a position-by-position look at where things currently stand for the Seahawks, as well as draft analyst Rob Rang's top draft prospects at each position. We'll also look at Seattle's draft history at each position over the past 16 drafts under Schneider.

So far we've covered quarterback, running back and receiver, and today we take a look at where things stand at tight end. Check back tomorrow when we turn our attention to the offensive line.

Seattle's 2026 Draft Picks: Round 1, No. 32 overall; Round 2, No. 64 overall; Round 3, No. 96 overall; Round 6, No. 188 overall (from Cleveland).

Tight end draft history under John Schneider: Anthony McCoy (No. 185 overall, 2010); Luke Willson (No. 158, 2013); Nick Vannett (No. 94, 2016); Will Dissly (No. 120, 2018); Colby Parkinson (No. 133, 2020); Stephen Sullivan (No. 251, 2020; also played DE), AJ Barner (No. 118, 2024); Elijah Arroyo (No. 50, 2025).

Where The Seahawks Stand

The Seahawks relied heavily on their tight ends last year under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, and figure to do so again in 2026 with former 49ers tight ends coach and run game coordinator Brian Fleury taking over as OC. Not only does Fleury come from the Shanahan/west coast offense coaching tree like Kubiak, making him plenty familiar with the benefits of deploying multiple tight-end looks, he's also taking over an offense that has a lot of talent and versatility at tight end.

Leading the way, once again, is AJ Barner, who has quickly gone from being a fourth-round pick in 2024 who was considered a blocking tight end, to emerging as one of the league's top young tight ends. Barner has been a strong blocker, as expected, but is also a big threat in the passing game, and in the red zone in particular, catching 52 passes for 519 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, as well as a 16-yard score in Super Bowl LX for the Seahawks' only offensive touchdown.

In addition to Barner, the Seahawks also have veteran Eric Saubert, who brings physicality and leadership to the offense—not to mention one of the most important 2-point conversions in franchise history—2025 second-round pick Elijah Arroyo, and Nick Kallerup, another physical presence who made the team last year as an undrafted rookie, appearing in nine regular season games and two postseason games.

Even if the Seahawks don't add to that position group in the draft, they'll head into 2026 feeling very good about the players they have at tight end, both because of what that group showed last year, and also because of the room for growth for last year's rookies, Arroyo and Kallerup. Arroyo in particular could be poised for a bigger role thanks to his rare athletic traits at that position. He showed flashes in the first half of last season, including a 26-yard touchdown in a win over the Commanders, but missed the second half of the season and two postseason games before returning to play in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks will be looking for Arroyo to be a bigger part of their offense and passing game in his second season.

Rob Rang's Top 5 Tight Ends

Overview: Along with quarterback and cornerback, tight end is one of the few positional groups in this year's draft in which there is a wide, wide gulf between the top prospect and everyone else. Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq is one of the exceptional athletes of this class and he's both powerful and aggressive, making him a true matchup nightmare – at least for teams that don't boast a similarly freakish talent on defense like the Seahawks' Nick Emmanwori. I like the potential of several of this year's tight ends but many of them are better pass-catchers than blockers who could struggle with the greater physicality of the pro game. It isn't often that prospects from blue-blood programs like Notre Dame and Georgia can be characterized as truly underrated, but I think that Eli Raridon and Oscar Delp, respectively, are going to be selected earlier than their relatively little pre-draft hype suggests.

1. Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon, 6-3, 241, First Round

One of the freakier athletes of this draft class, Sadiq posted a ridiculous 4.39 second time in the 40-yard dash with a 43.5" vertical jump and 26 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press. He lacks ideal height but he's a bully as a blocker and is difficult to tackle in the open field. He still needs to iron out some wrinkles to his game to reach his full potential, but he offers an All-Pro ceiling.

2. Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt, 6-4, 239, Second Round

A former quarterback who, along with Heisman Trophy finalist Diego Pavila, helped Vanderbilt become one of the darlings of the 2025 season, Stowers looks more like a big receiver than a traditional tight end. He shattered misconceptions of his athleticism in Indianapolis, clocking a 4.51-second 40-yard dash and setting a new Combine record for tight ends with a 45.5" vertical jump that led all participants this year. His soft hands and knack for creating after the catch warrant comparisons to the Seahawks' Elijah Arroyo, as each seem to be just scratching the surface of their potential.

3. Sam Roush, Stanford, 6-6, 267, Third Round

In a draft class full of receiver specialists, Roush is one of the true and traditional "Y" tight ends, capable of becoming a quarterback's best friend as a short and intermediate target or fulfilling the role as a 6th offensive lineman. He's powerful and technically-sound as a blocker and turned heads with his underrated athleticism at the Combine. If the aforementioned Stowers reminds me of Arroyo, don't be surprised if Roush outplays his draft slot, ala Seattle's AJ Barner.

4. Max Klare, Ohio State, 6-4, 246, Third Round

In a case of the rich getting richer, Klare left Purdue to sign with Ohio State and feasted upon the loose coverage he saw there with defenses understandably focusing their attention on the Buckeyes' star receivers. He's a smooth athlete with soft hands, possessing the acceleration and change-of-direction to quickly become a favorite target in the NFL.

5. Michael Trigg, Baylor, 6-4, 240, Third Round

The NFL is all about projecting what a player could be and Trigg's combination of athleticism and long arms (34 ¼") suggest that - with some fine-tuning – he could develop into quite the weapon at the next level. He has some "make you sit up and take notice" moments on tape with some remarkable grabs.