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Rob Rang's 2026 Draft Preview: 12 Prospects Who Might Have Caught the Seahawks' Attention at the NFL Scouting Combine

NFL draft analyst Rob Rang looks at some prospects from the NFL scouting combine who might be good fits for the Seahawks.

Rob Rangs Draft Preview Thumbnail-16x9-rang

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports and is returning for his fifth year of contributing to Seahawks.com's draft coverage. He began covering the NFL draft in 2000, with work published at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang. Rang's opinions and evaluations are his own and do not reflect those of the Seahawks. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.

No NFL team received more immediate impact from their rookie class a year ago than the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

First round pick Grey Zabel helped solidify an offensive line that went from allowing 54 sacks in 2024, tied for third most in the NFL, to 27 last season, tied for fifth fewest, and Nick Emmanwori certainly justified Seattle's bold trade up to No. 35 overall, emerging as a true difference-maker for a defense that led the league in points allowed.

And while John Schneider's first two selections of the 2026 NFL draft were certainly the flashiest, the club is also understandably excited about the flashes shown by wide receiver Tory Horton, defensive lineman Rylie Mills and tight end Elijah Arroyo, among others.

It is a draft class that may ultimately rank among the very best in the Seahawks' 50-year history – and certainly helped Schneider win the NFL's Executive of the Year for the first time.

Duplicating this kind of success in the 2026 NFL draft will be difficult.

The talent available this year simply isn't as rich or deep as 2025 – something Schneider acknowledged played a role in his decision to trade a pair of Day 3 selections to New Orleans for Rashid Shaheed.

While Shaheed more than justified the bold in-season swap with three scintillating touchdowns returns on his way to Pro Bowl honors, the trade leaves Seattle with a league-low four selections in April's draft.

Last week's Scouting Combine showcased many of this year's top prospects. In Seattle, it is all about the 12s, So, here are a dozen who shined in Indianapolis, flashing the athleticism and attitude Schneider and Mike Macdonald might see as the next wave of star rookies for the Seahawks.

Players are listed alphabetically.

WR Deion Burks, Oklahoma

What the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Burks may lack in stature he makes up with sheer explosiveness. Burks put up some of the most eye-popping results of this year's Combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.3 seconds flat with a 1.49 10-yard split. Unlike some of the other speedsters of this class, Burks is already a savvy route-runner, and I love the improvement he's shown in contested grab situations, showing not only grit but explosive leaping ability and rare strength (26 repetitions of 225 pounds) for a receiver, as well.

WR Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee

While the first letter of their last name and general position suggest that Brazzell and the aforementioned Burks are similar, in reality the two wideouts couldn't be much different. Brazzell is a long-striding 6-foot-4, 198-pound split end at his best tracking deep balls over the top. He showed impressive suddenness out of his stance for such a big receiver, generating a 1.52-second 10-yard split on his way to a 4.37-second 40-yard dash. Even better, Brazzell turned that unique size and speed combination into scores in 2025, leading the SEC with nine touchdown receptions.

CB Tacario Davis, Washington

An injury-plagued senior season may have Davis ranking lower in the media, but I see plenty of similarities between him and Riq Woolen, who Schneider and the Seahawks stole in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. Like Woolen, Davis offers an exceptional combination of size (6-foot-4, 194 pounds), arm length (33 3/8") and straight-line speed (4.41 seconds in the 40-yard dash). Don't let the fact that Davis only recorded three interceptions over his college career fool you – he broke up 25 passes in 37 career games at the college level.

Edge Cashius Howell, Texas A&M

At a shade under 6-foot-3 and just 253 pounds, Howell lacks elite size for an edge rusher and his 30 ¼" arms fall well below the standard for most teams. However, few prioritize versatility among their defenders like Mike Macdonald and Howell offers plenty of that, showing not only elite burst and bend off the edge as a pass rusher but impressive change-of-direction and awareness in coverage. Howell tied with Ohio State's Arvell Reese (currently the odds-on-favorite to be the first defender drafted this year) for the fastest 10-yard split (1.58 seconds) at the Combine. He was named an All-American after registering 11.5 sacks this season for the Aggies but began his college career at Bowling Green because recruiters didn't think he was big enough to succeed in college. Should the NFL make the same mistake and allow Howell to slip to No. 32 overall, the Seahawks would seemingly be an ideal match.

CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State

Another exciting first round possibility for the Seahawks would be Johnson, a silky-smooth cover-corner who followed winning the Mountain West Conference's Defensive Player of the Year in 2025 by starring in Indianapolis. Johnson isn't the biggest cornerback in this class at six-foot and 193 pounds, but he proved himself to be among the fastest, clocking in at 4.40 in the 40-yard dash (tied for third among CBs) with a 1.54 second 10-yard split (tied for fourth at the position). Better yet, Johnson plays fast, showing excellent route awareness, balance and tracking skills to make opponents pay for throwing his direction. Frankly, Johnson should be off the board by the time Seattle is on the board, but no one need tell Seahawks fans that the east coast bias is real.

RB Emmett Johnson, Nebraska

Since taking over as general manager of the Seahawks in 2010, John Schneider has made 143 NFL draft selections and not a single one of them came from the University of Nebraska. Johnson would be an intriguing candidate to stop this noteworthy trend. Technically-speaking, Johnson finished last among the running backs tested this year in the 40-yard dash (4.56 seconds) but I think his vision and lateral agility would make him an exciting fit in the wide-zone offense that new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury promises to maintain in Seattle. Johnson was the quickest of the running backs tested this year in the 3-cone drill (7.32) and short shuttle (4.29). Should Seattle need a true bell-cow to carry the load, Johnson has proven more durable than his 5-foot-10, 202-pound frame might suggest, leading the Big Ten in both rushing yards (1,451) and touches (297) this past season, scoring 15 touchdowns in just 12 games.

S Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina

The Seahawks got arguably the steal of the 2025 NFL draft with their second-round selection of Nick Emmanwori, so why not reunite with his prototypically-built former teammate? Like Emmanwori, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Kilgore is a ball magnet, collecting eight interceptions in just three years of SEC play. His long arms, physicality and excellent body control make him a reliable open-field tackler and Kilgore possesses the speed (4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash), agility (4.32 seconds in the short shuttle) and route awareness to handle deep coverage duties, as well.

DT Chris McClellan, Missouri

McClellan didn't wow during the testing portion of the Combine in the traditional way that many of the prospects in this article did but he certainly turned heads during the weigh-in process, checking in at a prototypical 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds with some of the longest arms (34") and biggest hands (11") of this year's stout defensive tackle class. I thought McClellan played some of his best ball against the bigger, more physical teams on Missouri's schedule this year, just as he previously did in his first two seasons at Florida. McClellan was overshadowed by edge rushers for much of his career, but that was the case with the similarly-built Jarran Reed back in 2016, as well.

Edge T.J. Parker, Clemson

In some ways, Parker is quite similar to the aforementioned McClellan, playing a physical brand of football that scouts for the Seahawks (and every other NFL team) will appreciate. Parker might be the victim of his own success. He posted extraordinary numbers in 2024, ranking fifth in the entire NCAA as a true sophomore with 19.5 tackles for loss, as well as 11 sacks and six forced fumbles. Parker's numbers slipped in 2025 but that work in Seattle's favor with a talented player falling down the board. The 6-foot-4, 263-pound Parker enjoyed one of the more underrated workouts at this year's Combine, in my opinion, with his 1.61-second 10-yard split showing better initial quickness than some of this year's flashiest speed rushers much lighter.

DT Kaleb Proctor, Southeastern Louisiana

Schneider has typically drafted players from blue-blood programs but after winning big with Grey Zabel out of North Dakota State a year ago, he might be more willing to roll the dice on a relatively small school prospect. Like Zabel, Proctor dominated at the FCS level, earning All-American honors after leading the Southland Conference with nine sacks a year ago. Any talk of him just feasting on lower level competition ended with a scintillating performance at the Combine, where the 6-foot-2, 291-pound Proctor finished among the top five defensive tackles in each of the events in which he participated, namely the 40-yard dash (4.79 seconds), vertical jump (33"), broad jump (9'5") and short shuttle (4.71 seconds). Proctor's initial quickness and lateral agility could make him quite a weapon in the twists Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde like to employ.

RB Mike Washington, Jr., Arkansas

Washington's last name puts him last on this list but, frankly, his workout might have been the flashiest of anyone tested at this year's Combine. The 6-foot-1, 223-pound Washington not only led all running backs with a blistering 4.33-second 40-yard dash, he was the fastest of all this year's participants who weighed in over 220 pounds. Washington's elite speed is all the more impressive given that he's such a hard-charging runner, barreling through would-be tacklers with impressive leg drive and desire.

Take a look at some of the best photos from the 2025 season in which the Seahawks won their second World Championship in franchise history.

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