Reading Seattle's Draft Board: What the Top 30 Visits Tell Us

The Seahawks have hosted at least 21 top-30 visits and several local workouts ahead of the April 23 draft. Every team gets a maximum of 30 formal in-person meetings with non-local prospects at their facility. These aren't casual conversations — they include coaching interviews, scheme fit evaluations, and full medical exams.

Last year, Seattle used top-30 visits on Nick Emmanwori, Jalen Milroe, and Bryce Cabeldue. All three were drafted. The correlation between visits and picks is real under Schneider, even if not every visitor ends up in Seattle.

We ran every visitor through the Mitchell Analytics composite model — PFF grades, athletic testing, and Seahawks scheme fit scoring. Here's the full list, what the data says about each prospect, and a pattern in Seattle's CB visits that nobody else has reported.

The CB Visitors — And What They Have in Common

Five confirmed cornerback visits. We pulled PFF run defense grades for each and compared them to the full FBS CB class (439 corners with 300+ snaps in 2025).

† Chris Johnson did not visit Seattle (Tony Pauline correction). Shown as control comparison only.

For context, Devon Witherspoon graded 90.1 in run defense on 902 REGPO snaps in 2025 — first or second among all qualified NFL corners, ahead of Christian Benford (89.5), Sauce Gardner (84.5), and Kenny Moore II (84.4). That 90.1 mark placed against the 2025 college class would rank 7th out of 439 qualified corners, 98th percentile.

Three of Seattle's CB visitors grade within two points of their NFL-best starter: Everette (90.1), Fuller (89.8), Cisse (89.2). Seattle isn't visiting corners who can merely support the run. They're visiting corners who grade at Witherspoon's level in run defense, then evaluating whether the coverage skills are there too.

Three of five (Cisse, Fuller, Everette) grade in the 98th–99th percentile for run defense among all FBS corners. That's not a coincidence. Macdonald's Dark Side defense asks corners to play physical at the point of attack and fit the gap when the ball bounces outside. Seattle is filtering for corners who hit.

Stukes clears the bar at 66th percentile with a different calling card — 4.33 speed, 9.95 RAS, and a 90.1 overall defensive grade that leads all visitors. He's the coverage ceiling pick. Hood at 36th percentile is the other outlier — a press-zone tools prospect (4.44, 40.5" vertical) whose run defense is the clear development area. He's the bet on athletic upside.

The composite model ranks Stukes first among CB visitors at 92.2. That may surprise readers who've seen Hood and Cisse mocked to Seattle at 32 — Stukes has been flying under the radar in most Seahawks draft coverage, but the combination of PFF grade, athletic testing, and slot/outside versatility in Arizona's zone-match scheme gives him the highest score in the group.

A note on Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State). Johnson was initially reported as a Seahawks visitor by multiple outlets. Tony Pauline later corrected this — Johnson has not visited Seattle. He's included here as a control comparison. Johnson's 91.6 PFF defensive grade is the highest of any corner in this analysis, and his coverage production (41.9% completion rate allowed, zero touchdowns in 2025) is elite. But his run defense grade of 67.1 puts him right at the class average — 47th percentile. That's exactly the profile Seattle's visit list appears to be filtering against. Johnson is a coverage-first corner. Seattle is visiting run-and-cover corners. If he ends up in Seattle anyway, it'll mean Schneider valued the coverage ceiling over the scheme fit. Worth watching on draft night.

The EDGE Visitors

R Mason Thomas leads the EDGE composite at 85.8. Daniel Jeremiah has mocked him to Seattle at 32, and the data supports it — 90.4 PFF pass rush grade at Oklahoma with SEC competition reps. At 6'2" 245, he's a tweener body who fits Macdonald's sub-package Leo role, where bend and hand quickness matter more than size.

Howell (82.4) and Young (82.3) are nearly identical in composite score but different players. Howell is the pass rush specialist — 90.3 PFF rush grade, 12 sacks, SEC DPOY. Young is the run defender — 86.6 PFF run defense, 6'6" 262 with 33" arms, the prototype body for a Lawrence/Williams successor. One is a Day 1 pass rush contributor. The other is a developmental edge who could sit behind the veterans for a year.

James-Newby's 93.0 PFF pass rush grade and 74 pressures at New Mexico are eye-popping, but MWC competition keeps his composite at 84.1 despite the production. He's the classic late-round gamble — the numbers say he can rush, the question is whether it translates. Priority UDFA if he's not drafted.

The Rest of the Board

Safeties: AJ Haulcy (LSU, 86.6 PFF def, 83.0 composite) is the clear Day 2 target. Three interceptions, box/deep versatility, transfer development arc from Houston to LSU. Fits the Macdonald chess-piece model as Emmanwori's backup archetype. Jalon Kilgore (South Carolina, 69.7 PFF def, 73.4 composite) is developmental — another Emmanwori teammate with box/slot flex and something to prove.

Defensive Tackles: Kayden McDonald (Ohio State, 86.7 PFF def, 91.2 run defense, 83.7 composite) is the highest-ranked visitor on consensus boards at #32 overall. A 325-lb nose tackle who profiles as a direct Jarran Reed replacement. Brandon Cleveland (NC State, 72.1 PFF def, 72.9 composite) is a Day 3 run-stuffer — does the dirty work, doesn't create splash plays.

Linebacker: Josiah Trotter (Missouri, 72.7 PFF def, 89.2 run defense, 79.7 composite) is 20 years old with first-team All-SEC production in his only season as a full-time starter. Son of former All-Pro Jeremiah Trotter Sr. A league evaluator compared him to Nick Bolton and called him a potential steal of the draft. LB isn't a premium need, but this is classic Schneider — following the talent, not the needs chart. His 8.40 RAS and coverage athleticism project well as Ernest Jones insurance or heir.

Running Backs: Four visits despite RB being listed as SET. Walker's departure to Kansas City and Charbonnet's knee rehab appear to be creating more urgency than the public depth chart suggests.

The pass blocking grades are the hidden filter — similar to how Seattle's CB visits skew toward run defense. Bennett's 80.4 pass block grade is exceptional for a late-round prospect and explains why a Kennesaw State FCS back earned a top-30 visit. Seattle's offense requires backs to handle blitz pickup, and Bennett can do that at an NFL level right now. Johnson has the best rushing grade in the group (88.1) with 4.48 speed, but his 42.6 pass block is a development area. Washington's 84.3 rushing grade is strong, though his 28.4 pass block grade is a concern for any team that asks backs to contribute in protection.

Local visits (don't count against 30): Jonah Coleman (RB, Washington), Skyler Thomas (S, Oregon State), Colby Humphrey (CB, Washington State).

What the Pattern Says

The position breakdown: 5 CBs, 6 EDGEs, 4 RBs, 2 safeties, 2 DTs, 1 LB. That's 13 defensive backs and edge rushers out of 21 visits — nearly two-thirds. The visit board validates the secondary audit and edge rush analysis almost exactly.

Zero offensive linemen in top-30 visits despite OL being rated HIGH in the draft blueprint. The coaching staff appears confident in Bradford and Sundell entering contract years. Pregnon's pro day attendance is the only OL signal.

The South Carolina pipeline is real. Cisse and Kilgore are both former Emmanwori teammates. Cisse visited Emmanwori during the NFC Championship game. Seattle values the personal connections and culture fit that come from players who already know each other.

McDonald at #32 consensus is the most interesting signal. A nose tackle visit when Murphy anchors the interior suggests Seattle sees rotational DT as more of a need than the outside perception. Or it's a smokescreen. With Schneider, you never know.

The Pick 32 Decision

Nine visitors have composite scores that project as Day 1 targets:

The visit pattern suggests Seattle is preparing for CB at 32 and EDGE at 64 — or vice versa. The volume of visits at both positions means they're covering every scenario. The composite model says Stukes and Thomas are the top values if they're there. The mocks say Hood and Cisse. Schneider will do whatever Schneider does.

What the Visits Don't Tell Us

Schneider threw a curveball with Jalen Milroe last year after a top-30 visit that most observers treated as a smokescreen. The visits confirm interest, not commitment. Nine of the 30 visit slots remain unused with the draft nine days away. More names could surface this week.

Seattle has only four picks (32, 64, 96, 211). They can't draft all 21 visitors. The UDFA class is where several of these names — Fuller, James-Newby, Bennett, Trayanum, Cleveland — become relevant. Schneider's UDFA track record (Bobo in 2023, among others) means the late-visit names matter even if they don't hear their names called in Pittsburgh.

The visit board is the clearest signal we have about where Schneider's head is at. The composite model adds a layer nobody else is running on these visitors. And right now, both point at CB and EDGE — with a run defense filter on the corners that tells you exactly what kind of defender Macdonald wants.

Data: PFF 2025 REGPO (regular season + playoffs) via PFF Premium. Composite model: position-specific weights (see methodology). RAS via combine/pro day measurables. CB run defense class comparison: all FBS CBs with 300+ defensive snaps in 2025 REGPO (n=439), mean=67.1, median=68.4. Visit confirmations via Field Gulls, Emerald City Spectrum, Seahawks Draft Blog, WalterFootball, SI Seahawks, ESPN, PFSN, Arye Pulli, Tony Pauline. Chris Johnson correction per Tony Pauline. Article current as of April 14, 2026.