Draft week is upon us, which means it's time for a pre-draft Seahawks mailbag. Once again, we branched out Twitter/X and also got questions on Instagram stories, and the response was great, so thanks to everyone who submitted questions that way.

As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

@zone_lopez asks, "What are we going to do with our first pick?"

A: Trade it, or select a player, those would be my guesses. In all seriousness, it seems like there's a good chance the Seahawks will move back if they are able to, allowing them to acquire more picks in a draft in which they currently have only four picks. Seahawks general manager and president of football operations John Schneider admitted that it was "no secret" that he'd like to do just that, but for a trade to happen, there has to be a willing partner offering enough compensation to make it worthwhile. Based on Schneider's history with picks late in the first round, as well as his own words this week, my guess as of Wednesday is that the Seahawks will trade back into the second round, but I've covered enough drafts to know that you can't rule anything out, so stay tuned.

@maddcash127 asks, "What do the Seahawks want if they trade out of the first round? Players or more picks?"

A: Again, you never know, if the right player were available maybe the Seahawks would trade for that player, but the far more likely scenario would be that the Seahawks would trade back with a team that has a pick relatively early in the second round that is looking to jump up to grab a particular player.

And on a related note…

@danielbed12 asks, "If we trade out of the first round, how many picks would we get?"

A: The compensation for moving back would be determined largely by how far back the Seahawks were moving. If, for example, a team with a pick early in the second round were to come up for No. 32, the Seahawks would want that second-rounder and another pick or two, likely from the middle rounds. For comparison, the last time the Seahawks had No. 32 after winning Super Bowl XLVIII, they traded it to Minnesota, who selected quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, receiving No. 40 overall as well as No. 108 in the fourth round. Draft pick trade values have evolved a bit over the last decade, and of course it always helps if multiple teams are bidding for that pick, so perhaps the Seahawks could get a bit more for a move back, but that at least gives you a rough idea of what a move back could look like.

@george_mcvay22 asks, "Can we get a cornerback please?" While @jakebx1 208.revenge.jj asks, "Will we draft a running back?"

A: Given that two of Seattle's higher-profile free-agency losses were running back Kenneth Walker III and cornerback Riq Woolen, it's not a surprise that there were a lot of questions about running back and cornerback options.

The good news for the Seahawks is that they like the players they have at both of those positions even after losing Walker and Woolen, so they won't feel forced to add to those spots, but as we get into in the next answer, need does factor into the Seahawks' draft board so if they see those positions as places they want to add more competition, I could certainly see either of those positions being one the Seahawks address, and perhaps early on.

@parthh.c asks, "How do you differentiate between drafting the best available player vs. best fit for the Seahawks?"

A: As Schneider often explains, the Seahawks grade for their team, not for the league. In other words, they're looking at how a player will fit on their roster and aren't concerned about what 31 other teams might think of a prospect. Because of that, need is essentially baked into the evaluation, because they're asking themselves, how is this player going to come in and compete with the players currently on the roster at that position? I've been fortunate enough to be in the draft room in recent years to do an “Inside the Seahawks Draft Room” story, and I can honestly tell you the Seahawks really are almost always taking the top player on their board, especially early on, be it Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori last year or Byron Murphy II in 2024 or Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Derick Hall—all of who whom had first round grades, by the way—in 2023. But what I can't tell you, because I'm not in draft meetings (shocking, I know), is how much positional need factors into those players being where they are on the draft board. Was Zabel's grade high both because of his talent but also because he had a shot to come in and compete for a starting job? Perhaps. Was it a homerun of a pick? Absolutely.

@yourboy_turroanderson_ asks, "What is the goal for this draft since we have so little picks?"

A: Having only four picks makes things a little tougher, as does picking at the ends of Rounds 1-3 thanks to winning the Super Bowl, but the goal doesn't change. Whether they have 10 picks or four, the Seahawks' goal is to draft, to borrow a phrase from Schneider, "Tough, smart and reliable" players who are not just physically talented, but the right kind of competitors and people to come in and help the team.

"No matter what draft you're in what year, it's our responsibility to the organization to be able to find true Seahawks all the way through it," Schneider said Monday. "So that means if we did have that fourth, fifth, and we're moving around and we acquire more draft picks, we're still going to be focused on making those guys true Seahawks. When you say nailing it, no matter if you have the three (picks in 2021), or last year having a bunch of draft picks, it doesn't matter. You still feel that same level of pressure to be able to bring the best people you can and for the organization and for the coaching staff."

@gavin_e_ asks, "Is there anyone that could realistically fall to pick 32 that the Seahawks couldn't pass up?"

A: Sure there is. Do I know who that player is? Nope.

But I will say this, the Seahawks won't move back just to move back if they love a player sitting there at No. 32, and especially if there's a big drop on their board after that player. The ideal situation for trading back happens when a team has, say, five players with similar grades all left on their board, and a team four or five picks behind them wants to move up. In that scenario, a team can move back knowing they'll still get one of the players they liked. But again, if one player is really sticking out all alone on Seattle's board when the 32nd pick rolls around, I could definitely see them turning in the card and making that pick.

@nolimitlasalle asks, "What are we looking for on the intangibles side of things when we draft a player?"

A: This is a topic Schneider and his personnel department have really focused on in recent years, and it has been a factor in the Seahawks having great draft classes dating back to 2022. Yes, having extra draft capital thanks to trades also helps, but the Seahawks personnel department really feels like they have improved on how they develop the right fits for their team. And getting that right is even more important this year when you're going to be bringing in rookies who will be asked to compete with a roster full of young, talented players who just won a Super Bowl.

@yalywally asks, "What's our running back plan for next season?"

A: While Walker will be missed, Schneider and Mike Macdonald have made it clear throughout the offseason that they really like the group of backs they currently have on the roster, led by returning players Zach Charbonnet, who is recovering from offseason knee surgery, George Holani and Kenny McIntosh, as well as free-agent addition Emanuel Wilson.

That being said, the Seahawks very well might add to that group this week, but thanks to the addition of Wilson and the players they have coming back, they won't feel like they absolutely have to select a running back if the right player doesn't come to them at the right time in the draft.

"Signing Wilson really helps us in this year's draft as well," Schneider said. "Kind of gives us some freedom. We've talked about George. Charbs is doing great."

Added Macdonald, "I'm on record, I believe in our guys, and there's a process too where, thankfully we don't have to play for another five or so months. We have a lot of training to do."

@lx.adriann asks, "Who's a player already in the building who you believe is about to break out?"

A: Break out of the building? They're here voluntarily, Adriann, players can leave at their own free will at any time… Oh wait, that's not what you meant.

If you're looking for a more established player who could step into a more prominent role, my pick would be receiver/return specialist Rashid Shaheed, who the Seahawks re-signed to a multi-year deal this offseason. Shaheed made a big difference after arriving in a midseason trade, but his role in the offense was somewhat limited, which should probably be expected for a receiver joining a team midway through the year. With a full offseason to work with Sam Darnold and the rest of the offense, the expectation is that Shaheed will be a bigger part of the offense in 2026, and with his speed and playmaking ability, that could mean big things for the offense.

The Seahawks also have a lot of young players who either had limited roles last year or were injured or on the practice squad that Macdonald and Schneider are excited about.

"I'm thinking of Jamie Sheriff and Connor O'Toole, all of our young linemen, Elijah Arroyo," Macdonald said at the NFL annual Meeting. "All those guys, I think, would take their game to another level. Nehemiah Pritchett is going to have a great opportunity to compete. So, I mean, we have a lot of young guys that are excited about where they can take their game. Now they need to take their game to another level. They know that, but they're going to have an opportunity to do so."

Rylie Mills, who made his first career sack in the Super Bowl played just six games last season, including the playoffs after rehabbing an ACL injury.

"I don't think everybody else saw, the things that we saw from him on a day-to-day basis," Macdonald said. "I think that's why the guys were so excited for him to make the play finally in the Super Bowl. Just find a sweet spot on his role and where he's going to go, but the sky's a limit. We're going to get plenty of reps and plenty of ops for him to develop his game and really, I think it's also like developing chemistry with the rest of the guys on the line. Who he plays well with, what positions, how much, how many pass rush snaps he earns, all those things."

@LeeLaRiviere on Twitter asks, "Why are the Seahawks sitting on so much cap space? What are they holding all that money for."

A: A couple of points to made on this topic. The first and most obvious reason that the Seahawks have a decent amount of cap space heading into 2026 is that they've drafted very, very well in recent years, and players on rookie contracts have lower cap numbers than veterans on big second or third contracts. That also means the Seahawks want to earmark money for said players when they're up for contract extensions, such as the one Jaxon Smith-Njigba signed earlier this offseason, and that Devon Witherspoon will almost certainly get at some point. At some point, all of these good young players will cost more money, and the Seahawks want to have the cap space—which rolls over into the next year if unused, by the way—to keep as many of them as they can without handcuffing themselves when it comes to making other moves in free agency, trades, etc. And as Schneider often likes to point out, the Seahawks want to have cap flexibility to make moves at any point, be it a trade before the season or midway through the season, or signing a veteran player who might be a cap casualty of another team. Schneider always says he wants the Seahawks to be in on everything when it comes to player acquisition, and that's tough to do if you're up against it, salary cap wise.

Lastly, the Seahawks having a healthy amount of cap space should not be equated with them not spending money. Thanks to the good work done by Schneider, vice president of football administration Joey Laine and others in the front office, the Seahawks have the least dead money (salary cap hits for players no longer on the team) of any team in the league. That's a big reason why, according to overthecap.com, only seven teams in the league have more active cap spending than Seattle on the books for 2026, yet the Seahawks are also among the top 10 teams in cap space. In other words, the Seahawks don't have cap space because they're not spending money, they have it because they've spent money very wisely in recent years.