The 2025 NFL Draft kicks off later this month 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, and today we focus on tight end. Check back tomorrow when we turn our attention to linebacker.

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.

Tight end draft history under John Schneider: Anthony McCoy (No. 185 overall, 2010); Luke Willson (No. 158, 2013); Nick Vannett (No. 94, 2016); Will Dissly (No. 120, 2018); Colby Parkinson (No. 133, 2020); Stephen Sullivan (No. 251, 2020; also played DE), AJ Barner (No. 118, 2024).

Where The Seahawks Stand

With Noah Fant back for his fourth season in Seattle, and with AJ Barner coming off a strong rookie season, the Seahawks have a very strong one-two punch to lead the way at tight end.

"I think (tight ends coach Mack Brown) has done a tremendous job coaching them," Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I thought, to Noah's credit, he has taken his game—the stats, I'm not sure—but as a complete football player and a complete tight end, I think Noah played his best football for us last year. I just feel like that's something he can build off."

Add to that group Brady Russell, a special teams standout who showed a lot of promise on offense in training camp and the preseason last year, as well as free-agent addition Eric Saubert, and the Seahawks have a pretty solid foundation in place at tight end. Fant, an athletic former first-round pick, offers a field-stretching threat with catch-and-run ability, Saubert brings physicality to replace Pharaoh Brown, who left in free agency, and Barner emerged as a solid all-round option at the position last year. If Russell, who battled foot injuries last year, is healthy, those four represent a talented and versatile group at tight end.

But even with a strong group already in place, the Seahawks may very well be looking to add more talent at tight end in this year's draft. And if the Seahawks do feel the need to add more to their tight end group in the draft, it won't be because they don't like what they already have at that spot, but rather a sign of how much they plan to lean on that position group under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Unlike last season when the Seahawks ranked third in the league in 11 personnel usage (three receivers, one back, one tight end) according to NFL Nex Gen Stats, their new scheme will feature more multiple tight end sets. While there are sure to be some tweaks to what Kubiak ran last year in New Orleans, there will also be plenty of similarities, and the 2024 Saints used the seventh most 12 personnel (one back, two tight ends) in the NFL, lining up in that formation 30.3 percent of the time, compared to last year's Seahawks, who ranked 20^th (17.3 percent).

The Saints were also third in the NFL in 22 personnel (two backs, two tight ends) usage at 7.6 percent, a formation the Seahawks used for a total of five snaps last season, and the Saints were fourth in 13 personnel (one back, three tight ends), running 89 plays form that formation, compared to 19 for the 2024 Seahawks.

In all, the Saints ran 480 offensive snaps in 12, 13 and 22 personnel under Kubiak last season, while the Seahawks combined for 202 plays in those multi-tight end sets. All of those multiple tight-end sets mean the Seahawks will need to have not just strong front-line talent at that position, but also plenty of depth, so with several talented tight end options available in this year's class, it would not be a surprise to see the Seahawks add to that group.

Rob Rang's Top 5 Tight Ends

Overview: Klint Kubiak did not specifically cite Seattle's talented tight end room when he was introduced as the Seahawks' new offensive coordinator, but it is a relative strength of the team. Noah Fant would appear to be a perfect fit as a seam-stretcher in his offense and AJ Barner out-performed expectations as a rookie, finishing second to only Pro Bowler Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders) among all first-year tight ends in touchdown grabs (four) as the 121^st overall selection. Bowers, by comparison, was drafted 13^th overall. With Fant entering the final year of his contract, however, and blocking specialist Pharoah Brown having left in free agency, adding reinforcements could still be a priority. This year's tight end class features an elite prospect in Penn State's Tyler Warren. He will not be available to Seattle at No. 18 overall. Barner's former Michigan teammate – Colston Loveland – would be an exciting fit and I like several other Day 2 and 3 developmental prospects, as well. Among my favorites not highlighted below are seam threats like Oronde Gadsden II (Syracuse) and Gunnar Helm (Texas) with Gavin Bartholomew (Pittsburgh) and Jackson Hawes (Georgia Tech) bulkier and better blockers.

1. Tyler Warren, Penn State, 6-6, 256, First Round

In a recent article for FOXSports.com, I compared Warren to Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski, as there are few tight ends I've ever scouted who possess those players' unique combination of size, agility, strength and body control. Warren was the obvious focus of Penn State's offense this past season and they rode him and a talented defense to the playoffs. Warren is one of the few true blue-chip talents in this class and a Top 10 lock.

2. Colston Loveland, Michigan, 6-6, 248, First Round

If Warren is the second coming of Gronk, Loveland might be a young Zach Ertz, projecting as more of a "big receiver," who is better as a pass-catcher than inline blocker. All of the talent in Ann Arbor meant that Loveland wasn't featured as much as some of the other tight ends on this list, but he's been a standout the past three seasons and set the school record for tight ends with 56 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, despite missing time with a shoulder injury. If teams are satisfied with his medical, Loveland will be a first-round pick.

3. Mason Taylor, LSU, 6-5, 251, Second Round

Taylor hasn't generated as much buzz as the top two tight ends, but he is still growing into his frame and offers a terrific upside with Hall of Fame bloodlines. Mason is the son of former NFL star edge rusher Jason Taylor and the nephew of inside linebacker Zach Thomas, and it is easy to see some of the pro-readiness in his game, Taylor may just have the softest hands of any pass-catcher in this class. He moves with a composed grace and fluidity that is rare for a man of his size and set the school record (for TEs) with 55 receptions for 546 yards and two touchdowns this past season.

4. Elijah Arroyo, Miami, 6-5, 250, Third Round

Arroyo is the wildcard of this year's tight end class, as he struggled with durability at Miami. When healthy – as he was in 2024 and at the Senior Bowl – his size/speed combination makes him a difficult matchup for opposing defenses. He only caught 46 passes over his college career but 35 of them came last year and he turned those into seven touchdowns, earning second-team All-ACC honors and proving one of Cam Ward's most trusted big play threats, averaging an eye-popping 16.9 yards per reception, easily the most of this year's top tight end prospects.

5. Terrance Ferguson, Oregon, 6-5, 247, Third-Fourth Round

In terms of pure athleticism, Ferguson ranks among this year's most intriguing tight ends – though at this point he's much better as a pass-catcher than as a run blocker. He certainly was productive at Oregon, leaving with 134 grabs for 1,537 yards and 16 touchdowns – all of which rank either first or second in the program history among tight ends. Ferguson turned heads at the Senior Bowl and then at the Combine, registering a 39-inch vertical jump (best among TEs) as well as a 10-foot, 2-inch broad jump and 4.63-second 40-yard dash.