John Schneider hasn’t hid his desire to trade back in the 2026 NFL draft and add to the Seattle Seahawks’ paltry collection of just four picks, but could that involve the general manager dealing one of the heroes of the team’s Super Bowl LX win on draft night?
It’s possible, when versatile edge-rusher Uchenna Nwosu has been named a realistic trade candidate once Round 1 gets underway at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium on Thursday, April 23.
That’s according to USA Today’s Jack McKessy. He believes “Derick Hall’s breakout as a rotational pass-rusher could make Nwosu a redundancy for the Seahawks despite coming off of a seven-sack season. Both players are set to hit free agency after 2026, so the draft could be a good time for Seattle to capitalize on Nwosu’s value as a pass-rusher after one of the best seasons of his career. Seahawks GM John Schneider could use the return of picks to keep Seattle’s roster young and in position to contend and simultaneously make his edge rusher free agency decision easier with Hall the one player to extend.”
McKessy makes a compelling argument, but a choice between Hall and Nwosu wouldn’t be an easy one for the Seahawks. Not when the team has already lost a dynamic pass-rusher who’s a favorite of head coach Mike Macdonald in free agency, and when Nwosu has been one of the more productive players on the NFL’s toughest defense.
Uchenna Nwosu Still Has Value
Nwosu’s enduring value to what the Seahawks do defensively was summed up by his 45-yard pick-six to seal the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the expense of the New England Patriots.
The play served as the pinnacle of what this Seahawks defense is all about. Namely, confusing and hammering quarterbacks into mistakes through the smart use of roving disruptors like Nwosu.
His ability to act as a standup rusher or act as a traditional defensive end is invaluable in how the Seahawks show different looks up front. Hall is also part of the mix thanks to his ability to play on the edge or slide inside, but Nwosu remains the more prolific sack artist of the two, although Hall still has great upside.
The best-case scenario for the Seahawks would be to keep both of their dynamic edge-rushers and find another way to stockpile more picks.
Seahawks Likely to Consider All Trade Scenarios
Schneider is open to a deal, but the Seahawks can’t ignore the implications of what trading away the 32nd-overall pick could mean. Namely, how it might lead to the Seahawks missing out on a prime target at a position of need.
There’s also a compelling argument to be made for the Seahawks making a luxury pick to close out the first round. As a means of making an already strong position group even more formidable.
Being armed with so few picks makes trading back an obvious temptation. Yet, Schneider must balance the desire for more picks against the risk of losing another key figure like Nwosu from last season’s great run.
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