The 2025 NFL Draft kicks off next week in Green Bay, giving the Seahawks and 31 other NFL teams a chance to add talent to their roster. And with five picks in the first three rounds of this year's draft, the Seahawks find themselves in a particularly strong position to improve their roster.

"Every year is totally different," Seahawks general manager and president of football operations John Schneider said. "Having those five picks in the first 92, it allows you to maneuver a little bit depending on how other people see it. That's one of the things that I'm trying to do down here."

If the Seahawks use those five picks in the first three rounds—they have five more on Day 3 of the draft—they obviously hope to add five impact players, but another benefit of that kind of draft capital is it gives Schneider and company a lot of flexibility to make trades should the right opportunity arise.

"Initially, you're like, 'Yeah, we're going to take five really good players,'" Schneider said. "But then you get in a situation where it's like, 'All right, that guy's a starter, we should probably move to go get him,' if you can. It depends on how other people see these guys. But yeah, it allows us the ability to just be more free throughout our draft process."

So 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 15 drafts under Schneider.

So far we've covered the offensive line, defensive line and outside linebacker, tight end, and linebacker, running back, safety, receiver, and cornerback, and today we wrap things up with a look at quarterback.

Seattle's 2025 Draft Picks: Round 1, No. 18 overall; Round 2, No. 50 overall; Round 2, No. 52 overall (from Pittsburgh); Round 3, No. 82 overall; Round 3, No. 92 overall (from Las Vegas); Round 4, No. 137 overall (compensatory pick); Round 5, No. 172 overall (compensatory pick); Round 5, No. 175 overall (compensatory pick); Round 7, No. 223 overall (from Pittsburgh); Round 7, No. 234 overall.

Quarterback draft history under John Schneider: Russell Wilson (No. 75 overall, 2012), Alex McGough (No. 220, 2018).

Where The Seahawks Stand

Any time Schneider is asked about quarterbacks heading into a draft, he'll tell whoever is asking that, yes, in fact, he'd love to select one. Quarterback is, after all, the most important position in the game, so even if it doesn't seem like a position of need in any particular year, it can never hurt to add talent to that position group, either because that player could help the team in the future, or because he could become a valuable trade chip down the road.

Yet in 13 of Schneider's 15 drafts in Seattle, he has not selected a quarterback. Not because he hasn't been interested in adding one, but because the board just hasn't fallen in a way that he and the rest of the front office saw the right value and fit when the Seahawks have been on the clock. And sure, it was a big factor that the first quarterback Schneider selected, Russell Wilson in 2012, went on to become a 10-year starter and nine-time Pro-Bowler for Seattle, but regardless of who is currently on the roster in any given year, Schneider knows it's a position worth addressing if the right player is available for the right value in the draft.

As for this year's roster, the Seahawks have made some significant changes at quarterback leading up to the draft. Geno Smith, the starter the past three seasons, was traded to Las Vegas last month, and almost immediately the Seahawks were able to pivot, signing Sam Darnold fresh off a Pro-Bowl season in which he led the Vikings to a 14-3 record. The Seahawks also brought back Drew Lock, who was Smith's backup for two seasons before signing with the Giants last year, meaning Seattle now has Darnold, Lock, Sam Howell, who backed up Smith last season, and Jaren Hall, a 2023 fifth-round pick who signed to Seattle's practice squad last fall before earning a late-season promotion to the 53-man roster.

Given Darnold's breakout 2024 season, as well as Lock and Howell's starting experience—Lock has 28 career starts under his belt, and Howell started all 17 games for Washington in 2023—quarterback is hardly a glaring need for the Seahawks. But again, if the draft falls the right way, Schneider would still love to add a rookie to that group.

"Well, hopefully the board talks to us, and maybe we draft a quarterback," Schneider said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "It just hasn't gone that way."

Rob Rang's Top 5 Quarterbacks

Overview: This year's class of quarterbacks may lack the "surefire" stars of recent years but there are several candidates that I see as future NFL starters, many of whom I expect to be available well into Day Two of the draft. A year ago, an NFL-record six quarterbacks went among the first 12 picks – but the seventh one wasn't selected until 150^th overall. There will not be as many first round picks used on quarterbacks this year but there will be a handful or more picked in Rounds 2-4. My favorites are listed below but there are several other candidates who didn't make my personal Top 5 cut that I see as quality fits in Klint Kubiak's offense, namely Brady Cook (Missouri), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Kyle McCord (Syracuse), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Kurtis Rourke (Indiana). With three young quarterbacks already on Seattle's roster in Sam Darnold (27), Drew Lock (28) and Sam Howell (24), John Schneider and his scouts shouldn't feel pressured to take another one in this draft, but there are some intriguing developmental candidates to consider should the board fall the right way and Seattle's general manager opts to follow the strategy he used back in 2012, signing Matt Flynn in free agency and then using a third round pick on Russell Wilson a few months later.

1. Shedeur Sanders, Colorado, 6-2, 212, First Round

As the son of Deion "Prime Time" Sanders, Shedeur has earned more than his share of hype and, frankly, a bit of stereotyping as an athlete. In reality, he is a traditional pocket passer whose game translates well to the NFL because he reads defenses quickly and is the most accurate passer in this class, including when on the move. Sanders won't be a fit for everyone as he has a flashy personality and lacks elite arm strength, but he's an effective distributor who excelled in Colorado's pro-style offense – one taught by Pat Shurmur, a three-time NFL head coach. Going back to his days at Jacksonville State (an FCS program), Sanders completed 70% of his passes for 1,4327 yards and 134 touchdowns against 27 interceptions over four seasons. He also rushed for 17 scores.

2. Cam Ward, Miami, 6-2, 219, First Round

While I'm higher on Sanders, Ward is the quarterback I expect to be drafted first – perhaps even at No. 1 overall. The former WSU (and Incarnate Wood) standout took his game to an entirely different level at Miami this past season, showing more arm strength and elusiveness to emerge as a Heisman Trophy finalist. The highlights with Ward are exciting. There are Patrick Mahomes-like plays on his tape. But there are plenty of warts in his game, as well, including a maddening tendency to throw the ball late down the middle into coverage. There are plenty of critics of Sanders' leadership flaws, but Ward deserves some as well after opting out of Miami's bowl game at halftime because he'd accomplished his personal goal of setting the all-time touchdown passing record (178) in college football. Miami would go on to lose the game with his head coach Mario Cristobal refusing to answer questions after the game about his quarterback's decision. Including Ward's stops at Incarnate Wood (an FCS program), Washington State and Miami he completed 65% of his passes over five seasons, throwing for 18,187 yards and 178 touchdowns against just 37 interceptions. He also ran for 20 scores.

3. Tyler Shough, Louisville, 6-5, 219, Second Round

While no quarterback boosted their stock more in 2024 than the aforementioned Ward, Shough is the biggest winner since the season ended, turning heads at the Senior Bowl and Combine with his prototypical size, arm, athleticism and maturity. Shough, whose last name is pronounced "Shook," is a considerably older prospect (he'll turn 26 in September) than the other quarterbacks on this list and has spent time at three different programs (Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville). Shough literally backed up Justin Herbert at Oregon and was in the same recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence. Two different bone breaks (collarbone and left fibula) ruined a couple of seasons, and his lanky frame leaves some worrying that his durability issues will continue in the NFL. When healthy, however, he's shown all of the traits of a franchise quarterback. Playing in 42 games over seven seasons of college football, Shough completed 63% of his passes for 59 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. Averaging just 3 yards per carry with 11 rushing touchdowns over his career, Shough isn't perceived as a true dual-threat quarterback, but he turned heads at the Combine by clocking in at an impressive 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

4. Jaxson Dart, Mississippi, 6-2, 223, Second Round

At just 21-years-old, Dart is at the opposite end of the spectrum than the aforementioned Shough, offering as much potential as any quarterback in this class. He is aptly-named, using a quick release and strong arm to sling darts all over the field. He is among this year's better deep ball throwers, showing great touch to lead receivers to big plays. The concern with Dart is that he excelled in a relatively simple offense that allowed him to read just half the field while taking virtually every snap out of shotgun. The traits are there to project Dart as a future NFL starter – and perhaps even a star – but he might need a year or two to develop. Dart began his college career at USC, playing in six games as a freshman before transferring to Mississippi, where he played three seasons. He completed 65.2% of his passes over that time for 11,970 yards and 81 touchdowns against 27 interceptions. He's a good athlete who is a scrambling threat, averaging 34.9 rushing yards a game and scoring 14 touchdowns on the ground.

5. Will Howard, Ohio State, 6-4, 236, Second-Third Round

Like Shough, Howard has made a steady ascent up draft boards this season after initially entering the year as middle or late round prospect. Winning a national championship can do that to a player's stock, of course. Howard, who began his college career at Kansas State, has a little bit of Jalen Hurts to him – showing improved accuracy, legitimate rushing skills (26 rushing touchdowns) and poise. He transferred to Ohio State for his final year of eligibility and helped guide them to a title, slowly shedding the perception along the way that his success was mostly due to the talent around him. Over 50 college games, Howard completed 63.8% of his passes for 9,796 yards and 83 touchdowns with 35 interceptions.