Seahawks trade QB Howell, add seven to draft class

Seattle Seahawks trade QB Sam Howell, add seven picks on Day Three of NFL Draft

The Seattle Seahawks made a trio of trades on Saturday, including a move of quarterback Sam Howell to the Minnesota Vikings, and added seven more picks to their roster on the final day of the NFL Draft.

RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks made a trio of trades on Saturday, including a move of quarterback Sam Howell to the Minnesota Vikings, and added seven more picks to their roster on the final day of the NFL Draft.

Seattle finished the draft with 11 total draft choices as they added a couple more late-round selections through deals on Saturday. Notre Dame defensive lineman Rylie Mills and Colorado State wide receiver Tory Horton led the haul for Seattle on the final day of the draft.

"Very grateful, very proud of everybody and how everybody worked together, completing our 16th draft. It's a blessing," general manager John Schneider said. "We're very excited about what we've added to this team, the depth and the toughness, the competitors, the reliability."

Seattle ended with nine players on the offensive side of the ball and only two on defense out of the 11 players selected. Schneider said the offensive skew of the class was just the way the draft happened to fall for them.

"The offensive guys ended up standing out on our board," Schneider said.

The trade of Howell was an early shake-up as Seattle waited to make their first selection of the day toward the end of the fourth round. After moving back seven picks in another trade with the New England Patriots, the Seahawks then completed the deal for Howell. Seattle moved up 30 spots in the fifth round in a pick-swap with Minnesota in the deal.

Schneider said he began speaking with Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and team president Rob Brzezinski at the NFL owners' meetings. Seattle had already been interested in re-signing Drew Lock and knew drafting a quarterback was a possibility as well.

After the Seahawks took Alabama's Jalen Milroe in the third round on Friday night, there was no longer room for Howell on the roster.

"There were several teams that were interested. Minnesota was a team that ended up pulling the trigger," Schneider said.

"We were really pleased with Sam and his time here," assistant general manager Nolan Teasley added. "What happened yesterday [with drafting Jalen Milroe] probably has some impact on that. We wish him the best and we’re really appreciative of the work that he put in while he was here. But just in terms of the opportunity that’s best for him moving forward and what’s best for the organization, it came together."

Seattle then took Mills with the pick acquired from the Vikings for Howell.

Mills tore the ACL in his knee in the College Football Playoff and also had a clean-up procedure on his shoulder. Mills said he's hoping to be back on the field ahead of training camp and said his recovery is ahead of schedule.

"Honestly, my knee is really ahead of schedule," Mills said. "My knee is doing awesome. I walk around really well, and I’m starting to run, and they say I’m way ahead of where a lot of guys would be."

Mills has played both end and tackle on the defensive front for Notre Dame and had a career-high 7.5 sacks last season with the Irish. He's 6-foot-5 and 296 pounds.

"He's got position flexibility for us, (in) base. He can play at least two spots," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "… Going through him and meeting him and talking football with him, seeing how he approaches the game, his approach with the rush, how they orchestrate their pass-rush games, it's really impressive. Sounds like a five-, six-year vet."

Teasley said that Notre Dame plays very similarly to Seattle on their defensive front, which made envisioning his fit in the Seahawks' defense an easy comparison. Additionally, his explosiveness showed up in the data.

"One of the metrics that we look at is his ability to get off at the snap, get off the ball. I think it was 92nd percentile for us. So really high-level stuff there," Teasley said.

"He's a really good player," Schneider added. "If we wouldn't have drafted him, I'm not sure if A.D. (defensive coordinator Aden Durde) would have showed up for work on Monday."

Horton only played in six games last season for the Rams due to an LCL tear in his knee. But in 2023, he had 96 catches for 1,136 yards and eight touchdowns. At 6-foot-2, 196 pounds, Horton ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February, just weeks removed from returning to running in his recovery.

"The knee is only getting better. I feel great where I’m at right now. I feel no setbacks, I’m ready to go forward," he said.

Seattle added two more offensive linemen in Kansas guard Bryce Cabeldue and Iowa tackle Mason Richman in the sixth and seventh rounds, respectively. Richamn had also been listed as a guard, but he'll get his first looks at tackle.

"Bryce (Cabeldue) is a 30-30-30 guy, really athletic. Chip on his shoulder. Very smart," Schneider said. "Projected to play inside. Then Richman, we'll start him at tackle. The buy-in there was awesome. They were so excited. Believe it or not, in the seventh round it does get hairy like that. They were so stoked to be able to get him. J.B. (offensive line coach John Benton) was pretty fired up."

Along with first-round pick Grey Zabel, the Seahawks have added three offensive linemen in this class to follow the three offensive linemen in last year's class (Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea, Mike Jerrell).

"It's an area of need, but it always is," Schneider said. "I can't emphasize that enough. Every team in the National Football League is looking to help their offensive line. It's just an ongoing issue. We'll have these guys in competing. We'll see where it goes with this new group, with these three guys coming in, the free agents that we signed."

Alabama tight end Robbie Ouzts was selected in the fifth round with the Seahawks' intention to make him a fullback in Seattle.

"We got a lot of great players that fit that tight end-fullback mold," Macdonald said. "Special teams is going to be a big part of it, too. I know this. To bet against Brady Russell would be a gigantic mistake. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Ouzts had positive comments about his college teammate, Milroe, and reuniting with him in Seattle.

"Jalen Milroe is going to work his ass off," Ouzts said. "Nobody works harder than that guy. Nobody gets there earlier, nobody leaves later. He’s going to make the most of his opportunity and I’m thrilled to be with my boy. We’re rolling in, we have chemistry already and we’re going to attack this thing and hit the ground running."

In a draft class considered extremely deep at running back, the Seahawks jumped into the mix in the seventh round, taking Miami (FL) running back Damien Martinez. The former Oregon State standout was an All-Pac-12 selection in 2023, rushing for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns with the Beavers.

"You got another Beast Mode 2.0 coming up there so get ready to see it," Martinez said of his running style. "I was definitely a big fan of Beast Mode growing up just always being a bigger back."

Macdonald was thrilled to add Martinez to the roster.

"I think you respect that about him, about guys that can run the ball physically, downhill. Had a lot of great guys come through this building that have ran it like that," Macdonald said.

UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III rounded out the class. White was a first-team All-Mountain West selection as a senior, catching 79 passes for 1,041 yards and 11 touchdowns. He's the first Rebel to have two 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and set a school record with 1,483 receiving yards in 2023.

White also had four blocked punts last season.

"Personally, he kind of reminded me of Donald Driver," Schneider said. "They (Green Bay) drafted him in the sixth round. He was one of the better special teams players in the league before he completely established himself as our number one receiver. That's kind of who he reminded me of. He's tough."