The NFL has a funny way of upending your expectations. Every season there are surprise teams that were supposed to be bottom-feeders who end up in the playoffs, and there are some teams who we think will be dark horse contenders who turn out to be duds. If that's the case for first-year head coach Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks, it could land them a top-10 pick in next year's draft.
That would give them a chance to reset at the quarterback position, if that's something they're interested in doing, if for example Geno Smith gets seriously injured or if he regresses as he enters a season when he'll turn 34 years old around Week 6. In a new mock 2025 NFL mock draft, Kyle Crabbs at the 33rd team has Seattle picking at number seven overall, and they use the pick on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Here's what Crabbs wrote about the idea of pairing Sanders with the Seahawks.
"I love this fit for Sanders. Projecting Shedeur into an offense with three prolific wide receiver options... gives this hypothetical passing game a lot of juice. Throw in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb's vision from college, where the Washington Huskies pushed the ball vertically down the field to three-star receivers. Sanders has a big arm and is fearless when facing pressure in the pocket. I can't think of a better QB-needy fit for Sanders from an X's & O's standpoint."
Shedeur Sanders offers smooth transition for Seahawks
Switching from one franchise quarterback to another can be a dicey proposition - the Carolina Panthers for example are still trying to find their next long-term QB1 in the absence of former NFL MVP Cam Newton, who's been out of the league since 2021 and past his prime since 2018.
Last year we identified Ohio State's C.J. Stroud as the most-polished and pro-ready looking quarterback in the class of 2023. Seattle didn't have a high enough pick to get him, but Stroud would have offered a smooth transition away from the Geno Smith era, as they do many of the same things well on the field. The same rule applies for Sanders, who shares Smith's accuracy, aggressiveness, poise against pressure and high football IQ. Sanders can also run when he needs to and his legs are far younger than Geno's.
All that being said, we find the idea that the Seahawks will finish so low in the standings that they'll pick seventh overall off base. Unless they get absolutely ravaged by injuries, we expect Mike Macdonald and Ryan Grubb to take this team to the playoffs in Year 1.
If the Seahawks do end up picking this high, you can make a case for Sanders' two-way teammate Travis Hunter. However, there will be no better use of draft capital than landing a promising young quarterback on a rookie contract - and Sanders is indeed an excellent fit.
