The Seahawks may have lost some of the shine they carried in last year’s under-25 talent rankings, but they’re still sitting in a spot plenty of teams would love to claim.
ESPN’s annual look at every NFL roster’s young talent had Seattle at No. 8 this time around. That’s a drop from last year, when the Seahawks checked in at No. 2 behind only the Houston Texans. Even with the slide, the result still lands Seattle in the top quarter of the league and gives the franchise another reminder of how much young talent it has managed to stockpile.
A year ago, Seattle’s place near the top made sense. The roster was loaded with players under 25, and Houston held the edge largely because of its young franchise quarterback. Seattle had promise all over the field, and the group gave the team a very real long-term foundation.
Since then, though, the age clock has started to chip away at that depth. Zach Charbonnet has turned 25, and Ken Walker has as well, in addition to no longer being a Seahawk.
Charles Cross reached 25 last season, Anthony Bradford did so during the offseason, and Devon Witherspoon and Derick Hall also aged out of the group. That’s a meaningful chunk of the young core gone from the list.
Normally, a team would offset that kind of loss with a strong draft class. Seattle didn’t really get that kind of help in 2026.
The Seahawks were picking near the bottom of rounds after their Super Bowl victory, and the class itself wasn’t especially strong. Jadarian Price, Bud Clark, and Julian Neal are the names worth noting, but none of them are viewed as sure things or likely future stars.
Even with that, Seattle still held firm at No. 8.
That says a lot about the work the organization did from 2022 to 2025, when it built out a young roster that could absorb some natural turnover without falling apart. Cross and Witherspoon aging out would have been a heavy hit on their own.
Together, they barely knock Seattle off course.
The headliners are still there. Jaxon Smith-Njigba remains eligible, as does Grey Zabel.
Byron Murphy and Nick Emmanwori bring the kind of defensive upside that qualifies as superstar potential. ESPN also gave credit to AJ Barner, Elijah Arroyo, and Tory Horton.
It’s a strong mix: proven production in some spots, upside in others.
That’s why the Seahawks can take a hit in the age department and still come out looking strong. The roster’s young-talent base is deep enough that a quieter 2026 class doesn’t derail the whole picture. The future is still in good shape, and it hasn’t come at the expense of the present.
There’s also room to wonder whether Seattle should have been even higher. The New York Jets landed at No. 7, while the Tennessee Titans came in at No.
- Seattle sitting at No. 8 still means second in the NFC behind only the No.
3 Bears, and first in the NFC West by a wide margin. That alone tells you how well the Seahawks have built for what comes next.
In Other News...
Seahawks Could Revisit A Familiar 2016 Pick Before Camp
Nick Vannetts name has surfaced again in Seattle just before veterans are set to report to training camp, a reminder of how the Seahawks sometimes circle back to familiar faces when roster building gets serious. The tight end, a third-round pick by Seattle in 2016, spent his first four seasons with the team before moving on and later landing with several other NFL clubs, including a recent stop with the Rams.
The timing of the visit makes it notable, especially with a new offensive coordinator in place and the tight end room still a spot worth watching. Vannetts experience in a different system could make him a useful piece if Seattle wants more continuity in how that group is used, but even a return would not come with any guarantees about where he fits once the roster starts getting trimmed. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks May Have A Surprising Answer To A Major Pass Rush Debate
Nic Scourtons ACL tear changed the Carolina Panthers edge-rush outlook for 2026, and it also opened a door for a Seahawks team still weighing how to handle its own pass-rush depth. Uchenna Nwosu has become part of that conversation, with the idea of moving him surfacing as a way for Seattle to reshape the position while giving a wounded Panthers front another veteran option.
For the Seahawks, the appeal is not just what they might get back, but what a deal could free up in the bigger roster picture. The cap room created by moving Nwosu could give Seattle flexibility to chase outside help, and names like Jadeveon Clowney and Joey Bosa have already been floated as possible fits, even if those possibilities remain firmly in the speculative stage for now. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Suddenly Face A Tough Olu Oluwatimi Decision At Camp
As training camp opens and the Seahawks get ready to defend their title, one of the quieter roster questions has suddenly become a real one in the middle of the offensive line. ESPNs Brady Henderson has projected center Olu Oluwatimi as a possible trade candidate, a notable turn for a player who started half of the 2024 season and has been part of the teams recent interior-line planning.
The bigger issue is what that means for Seattles depth chart going forward, especially with Oluwatimi not included in Hendersons 2026 roster projection. Jalen Sundell is currently viewed as the player ahead of him at center, which leaves the Seahawks weighing whether to keep Oluwatimi as insurance or explore a market that could form before camp is over or later in the season. [Read more 🡒]