The Seattle Seahawks made one of the biggest free-agent signings of the offseason by inking former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract. Prior to signing the younger Darnold, Seattle had sent Geno Smith to the Raiders to reunite with former Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.
Other moves made by the Seahawks have been the release of Tyler Lockett and the trading of D.K. Metcalf to the Steelers. To help mitigate those losses at receiver, they also signed the aging Cooper Kupp. He’ll now pair with third-year standout Jaxon Smith-Njigba to lead their pass-catchers.
The thing is, Darnold came from a really good situation in Minnesota where he had a wealth of skill players around him, including all-everything receiver Justin Jefferson. Smith-Njigba is good, but he’s not quite at that level yet. The Seahawks need more talent around Darnold to make sure he looks more like the guy who played the first 16 games for the Vikings and not the one who flailed and spiraled in their final two of the 2024 season.
To help make sure Darnold’s transition is smooth, Mookie Alexander of Field Gulls decided to use the Seahawks first-round pick on a real game-changer.
With the 18th pick in the SB Nation Community Mock Draft, Alexander is selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.
18.) Seattle Seahawks: Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
Alexander: The Seahawks’ biggest need is not a tight end, but they do need talented pass-catchers after moving on from Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf. While Cooper Kupp should be a good addition, his age and injury history don’t project well for a long-term stay. Loveland is an outstanding pass-catching TE who’s extremely athletic for his size (6’6 and 248 pounds) and is an elite route runner with excellent hands. He’s a walking mismatch on the field and should provide Sam Darnold a big-bodied target in new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s offense.
Analysis: I also love this pick in the name of getting Sam Darnold as much help as possible around him as he ventures into the first year following his resurgence in Minnesota. He benefitted from having a wealth of playmakers around him and Seattle has to mitigate the losses of both Lockett and Metcalf. Loveland is a matchup nightmare for second and third-level defenders who possesses the ball skills and catch radius to make up for Darnold’s occasional erratic ball placement. Loveland paired with Noah Fant could give the Seahawks one of the most athletic tight-end duos in the league.
Top five remaining players:
- Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
- Malaki Starks, S Georgia
- James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
- Luther Burden, WR, Missouri
- Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
Our top five remaining players has stayed the same for several picks now. Like the real NFL draft, this is how it goes sometimes. Players may fall far past their consensus rankings while others go a number of picks before.
Welcome to the chaos of the draft!