Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Rang's opinions and evaluations are his own and do not reflect those of the Seahawks. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.

For many, mock drafts are purely entertainment. Even the most accurate projections get plenty of picks wrong. But it is fun to imagine your favorite NFL team with different prospects. It truly is "fantasy football."

When projecting a team's entire draft, however, it can be educational, as well.

And make no mistake, it isn't just the media playing the role of football forecaster. In the weeks leading up to the draft, every one of the NFL's 32 teams are analyzing team needs and pairing up prospects. When one understands their opponents' strategy, after all, it is much easier to combat it.

So that's the premise behind this article. No one thinks that John Schneider and Mike Macdonald will actually use all 10 draft picks on defense. But the exercise is hopefully both entertaining and educational, spotlighting schematic fits and the depth at certain positions that could intrigue the Seahawks through all seven rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Round One - No. 18 overall – Will Johnson, CB, Michigan

A year ago the Seahawks were stunned when their top-ranked defensive prospect, Byron Murphy II, fell into their laps at No. 16 overall. A similar scenario would have to unfold for Johnson – a top 10 talent – to still be available at No. 18 this season. However, while the Seahawks boast one of the league's best overall cornerbacks in Devon Witherspoon, depth behind him is a concern with Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe each under contract for just one more season.

Macdonald knows Johnson well. He was in Ann Arbor when the former 5-star recruit joined the Wolverines. Even with missing much of the 2024 season due to injury, the prototypically-built 6-foot-2, 194-pound Johnson left Michigan as one of the most accomplished cornerbacks in school history, taking a program-record three interceptions back for touchdowns and earning Defensive MVP honors in the national championship victory over the University of Washington to cap the 2023 season.

If the Seahawks were to use their top pick on a defender in the actual 2025 NFL Draft, my money is on a defensive lineman. But that position may just be the deepest in this class, with several future starters likely available much later. Before exploiting the depth along the defensive line a bit later, the Seahawks would be wise to snatch up a future All-Pro candidate in Johnson, if available to them.

Round Two – No. 50 overall – JT Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State

The Seahawks wouldn't have to work hard in evaluating Tuimoloau, who, of course, starred with Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Ohio State and grew up in Seattle, playing his prep football and basketball at nearby Eastside Catholic High School.

There are a number of highly-rated college prospects this year out of the state of Washington with Tuimoloau one of a handful of exciting fits for the Seahawks. But don't make the mistake of thinking his pairing here is just regional bias. The 6-foot-4, 265 pound Tuimoloau offers a plug-and-play combination of size, physicality and technique, projecting as an ideal fit in Macdonald's defense. He earned all-conference accolades each of the past three seasons for the Buckeyes after signing with Ohio State as a 5-star recruit. He was especially dominant this past season for the national champion Buckeyes, ranking fifth in the nation in sacks (12.5) and third in tackles for loss (21.5).

Frankly, I think Tuimoloau should be long off the board at No. 50 overall, but I'm apparently in the minority among the media, who question whether he possesses the initial burst and bend to duplicate his success in the NFL. While perhaps lacking elite "twitch," Tuimoloau offers plenty of toughness, boasting the blue-collar game and dependability that might intrigue Schneider and Macdonald, especially with Boye Mafe entering the final year of his rookie contact.

Round Two – No. 52 overall (from Pittsburgh) – Joshua Farmer, DT, Florida State

In Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Byron Murphy II and newly signed free agent DeMarcus Lawrence, the Seahawks boast one of the better foursomes in all of the NFL. That said, with the notable exception of Murphy, each of Seattle's top defensive linemen is at least 30-years-old, which could have Schneider and Macdonald looking to take advantage of an extraordinary class at the position.

Aptly-named, Farmer lacks the flash of some of this year's top defensive linemen, but his steady, blue-collar style would fit in beautifully with Macdonald. Farmer plays bigger and more physical than his 6-foot-3, 305 pound frame suggests, as he has tree trunks for thighs and exceptional upper body strength, projecting as the kind of no-nonsense run-stuffer who can play up and down the line of scrimmage. Forgive me for descending into a scout nerd for a moment but Farmer's power warrants it. He has some of the biggest hands (10 ¼") and longest arms (35") of this year's defensive tackle class and yet still proved one of the year's best in the bench press (27 repetitions), exhibiting the kind of raw power that suggests he'll be a long-time NFL run-stuffer, well worth the 52^nd overall selection.

Round Three – No. 82 overall – Andrew Mukuba, S, Texas

The Seahawks wisely extended Julian Love and watched Coby Bryant emerge as a legitimate playmaker in 2024 but that may not keep the club from investing a Top 100 pick in a safety, especially given how often Macdonald and defensive passing game coordinator Karl Scott like to use three safety looks. And the Seahawks have a lot of experience with former Texas safeties, with former Longhorns Earl Thomas and Quandre Diggs proving true ballhawks while roaming centerfield in Seattle's deep patrol.

Like Thomas and Diggs, Mukuba is battling questions about his size. At just 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds, he is significantly smaller than teams would prefer at safety and transferred to Texas, after struggling with injuries a bit at Clemson, where he was recognized as the ACC's Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2021.

Round Three – No. 92 overall (from Las Vegas) – Jeffrey Bassa, ILB, Oregon

On paper, the Seahawks seem set at inside linebacker following the emergence of Ernest Jones IV and rookie Tyrice Knight. With some concerns about the depth behind them, however, it should surprise no one if Seattle invests a mid-round selection at the position. Bassa, a former safety who offers both instincts and athleticism, might be the perfect fit.

The 6-foot-1, 232 pound Bassa is slightly undersized for the position, but he doesn't lack for physicality and toughness, playing in all 55 games of his college career and emerging as one of the team leaders for an Oregon squad that finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the country.

Round Four – No. 137 overall – Denzel Burke, CB, Ohio State

If the Seahawks believe in the philosophy over "iron sharpening iron," Burke is sure to be high on their board as he practiced every day against a handful of first round NFL receivers in Columbus, including Seahawks' star Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Even if taking his practice sessions out of the equation, Burke is among the most battle-tested cornerbacks in this class, starting 51 games for the Buckeyes, showing off the agility and acceleration to handle man coverage, as well as the route anticipation and reliable open-field tackling skills to excel in zone.

Round Five – No. 172 overall – Collin Oliver, Edge, Oklahoma State

As noted earlier, the Seahawks seem set at rush linebacker, but Oliver offers too much upside to ignore, if available at this point in the draft. His production suggests that Oliver will be long gone at this point. After all, he was a three-time All-Big 12 selection who burst onto the college football scene as a true freshman with 11.5 sacks back in 2021 and further showed his explosiveness by leading the conference with four forced fumbles in 2023.

This past year was a nightmare for Oliver, however, as he suffered a season-ending injury to his right foot just two games into the campaign, resulting in surgery. Further, scouts aren't sure where he fits best in the NFL, as he measured in at just 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds at the Combine, with the short arms (30 ¾") that some believe may force him to play off-ball linebacker. What Oliver lacks in height and length, however, he makes up with awareness and closing speed.

It should be noted that Schneider has won big drafting out of Oklahoma State in the past, nailing picks on Russell Okung, Tre Flowers and Chris Carson.

Round Five – No. 175 overall – Tyler Batty, DL, BYU

Two years ago the Seahawks invested a fifth round selection in the imposing 6-foot-5, 275-pound Mike Morris and I believe they'll see similar value in Batty, who offers a nearly identical frame (6-foot-6, 271 pounds) with even more athleticism.

Whereas Morris turned heads with his production at Michigan, Batty is a relatively unheralded prospect from BYU, who enters the NFL older than most prospects due to the fact that he served a two-year LDS mission. He is surprisingly agile for a man of his size, however, operating out of both the two and three-point stances during his college career. He can rush the quarterback out of a standup alignment but I like him best at the line of scrimmage, using his underrated combination of power, agility and awareness as a changeup to beat would-be blockers in various ways.

Round Seven – No. 223 overall (from Pittsburgh) – Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon

Many Seahawks fans would welcome the addition of Muhammad, who helped Oregon (and previously the University of Washington) qualify for the College Football Playoffs with his gritty, opportunistic play the past two seasons. He certainly has enjoyed success, registering an eye-popping 28 pass breakups since moving out west after beginning his college career at Oklahoma State.

At just 5-foot-9 and 183 pounds, Muhammad is far below most NFL teams thresholds from a size perspective and his relatively pedestrian 29.5" vertical jump at the Combine showed an alarming lack of explosiveness. He is cat-quick, however, and plays even faster, showing instincts, ball-skills and a love of the game that I think is going to help him "surprise" as a late Day Three selection. Witherspoon is obviously Seattle's primary nickelback but depth behind him is a concern and Muhammad is a gamer with a knack for stepping up when the lights are shining brightest.

Round Seven – No. 234 overall – Jay Toia, NG, UCLA

Traditional nose guards simply lack the value in today's pass-happy NFL that they once did, but that just makes them the perfect position to focus on late. The 6-foot-2, 342 pound Toia has the girth, power and NFL bloodlines to project as a long-time NFL contributor, following in the footsteps of his older brother, Siaka Ika, a third round selection by Cleveland back in 2022.

Toia started 36 games the past three seasons at UCLA, registering a combined 58 tackles with nine tackles for loss and three sacks during that time. For a club seeking a cheap, young replacement for Johnathan Hankins at nose guard, Toia could prove a steal.