The Seattle Seahawks began day two of the NFL draft with a splash Friday, pulling off a trade with the Tennessee Titans to move up to No. 35 and take South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori.
The Seahawks dealt picks 52 and 82 to the Titans to move up.
Emmanwori, who turned 21 in February, was a popular player to mock to the Seahawks at 18 in the first round because of his unique size — he’s listed at 6-foot-3, 220 pounds — and versatility.
The Seahawks have Julian Love and Coby Bryant at safety. Bryant is entering the final season of his rookie contract, and coach Mike Macdonald is known for employing three-safety sets when he has three safeties to utilize.
With their third selection in the 2025 NFL draft the Seahawks turned back to their offense, taking tight end Elijah Arroyo of Miami on Friday.
Arroyo, a 6-foot-5, 254-pounder, caught 35 passes for 590 yards and seven touchdowns last year playing with QB Cam Ward, the former Washington State star who was the first overall pick of the draft on Thursday.
Arroyo battled injuries in 2022 and 2023 when he had just six receptions for 77 yards in eight games played before breaking out last season. Those injuries included a torn ACL that ended his 2022 season after four games. That injury lingered through the 2023 season.
The Seahawks then selected Jalen Milroe in the third round of Friday’s NFL draft.
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound quarterback started two seasons at Alabama, racking up 45 passing touchdowns and another 33 on the ground over his collegiate career.
“He’s an incredible athlete,” general manager John Schneider said. “Very, very fast. I think literally it’s 21.2 (mph) or something like that, his GPS speed.”
The dual-threat QB completed 64% of his passes in college, but there are some questions about whether Milroe’s throwing abilities will adequately translate to the next level. Coach Mike MacDonald said the Seahawks won’t exactly be patient with Milroe, but acknowledged that offseason signee Sam Darnold is still the projected starter under center.
“Sam’s going to take by far and away over 90% of our snaps this year,” MacDonald said. “However, Jalen deserves and earns the right to go out there, then we’ll do that. If it’s going to help the team, it’s best for us to move the ball, give these defensive coordinators some headaches, which I’m really happy it’s not going to be us.”
There is certainly nothing to quibble about when it comes to Milroe’s athleticism, as he rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns in 2024. He is also a proven winner, having gone 21-6 at Alabama while never losing consecutive games.
Milroe is adamant he’s now in the right spot in joining the reigning NFC West champions. He’s eager to learn from Darnold.
“The best thing for any rookie quarterback is to have a veteran in the room,” Milroe said. “So, that’s awesome, just to have that going into this quarterback room and also just all the knowledge that’s behind us. So, I’m just so super excited for just the new journey, new chapter of my life to be in Seattle.”
