RENTON, Wash — One of the most highly-anticipated events on the National Football League (NFL) calendar annually is just a few days away, as the 2024 NFL Draft will get underway on Thursday night from Detroit.
Each of the NFL's 32 teams, including the Seahawks, will have the chance to select from a deep pool of prospects, most of whom come from the collegiate ranks.
Outside of the Seahawks, there is added local excitement around the 2024 draft due to the plethora of University of Washington products who are expected to be selected in this year's event. The Huskies could have as many as a dozen players from the 2023 squad either selected or picked up as an undrafted free agent by the end of the weekend.
Here's everything Seahawks and other local football fans should know about the 2024 NFL Draft.
Where is the 2024 NFL Draft being held?
The league has rotated the draft across different cities since 2015, with all of the drafts prior being held in New York City. The 2024 edition will be held in Detroit near the downtown area.
When will the Seahawks pick?
The Seahawks have a total of seven picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, with the first coming at No. 16 overall. The draft is broken up into three days, so the first round on Thursday night will only have one selection for Seattle barring a major trade. The second and third rounds will be on Friday and Saturday will be rounds 4-7. Here is a chronological list of the Seahawks' picks from the team's website.
- Round 1, No. 16 overall
- Round 3, No. 81 overall (from New Orleans via Denver)
- Round 4, No. 102 overall (from Washington)
- Round 4, No. 118 overall
- Round 6, No. 179 overall (from Washington)
- Round 6, No. 192 overall
- Round 7, No. 235 overall
What are the Seahawks' draft needs?
Many pundits across the NFL landscape believe the Seahawks will target an offensive lineman with its first-round draft pick. Seattle struggled to run the ball effectively in 2023 and had its depth exposed through injuries across the unit. UW product Troy Fautanu led college football's highest-rated offensive line last season and has been consistently linked to the Seahawks. Former UW offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb is now the Seahawks' offensive coordinator, too.
Other commonly mentioned positions of need are linebacker and safety. The Seahawks had a lot of turnover at those spots this offseason, with Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, and Jordyn Brooks all being let go. Seattle has signed some veteran free agents to fill those spots for 2024, but the team is expected to target at least one prospect at each of those spots during the draft.
Will the Seahawks draft a QB?
Seattle has only drafted two quarterbacks since 2010, taking Russell Wilson in 2012 and Alex McGough in 2018. The possibility of the team selecting a signal-caller in 2024 was diminished after the Seahawks made a trade in March to acquire Sam Howell from the Washington Commanders. Howell started all 17 games for Washington in 2023, throwing 21 touchdowns along with an NFL-high 21 interceptions.
This year's draft class offers quite a few quarterbacks who are expected to be strong NFL players. Among them are a couple of prospects well-known in the Pacific Northwest. UW's Michael Penix Jr. and University of Oregon product Bo Nix were Heisman Trophy finalists in 2023. Penix played for Grubb over his last two prolific seasons in college.
The Seahawks might opt instead to focus on other positions of greater need and then go after a quarterback in the later rounds of the draft. The team reportedly met with the University of South Carolina's Spencer Rattler and the University of Central Florida's John Rhys Plumlee. Rattler and Plumlee are expected to be late-round selections.
How can I watch the 2024 NFL Draft?
The draft will be televised by ESPN and NFL Network for the duration of the three-day event. Here is the coverage timing information from the NFL.
- April 25 (Thursday): 5 p.m. PT – NFL Network, ESPN
- April 26 (Friday): 4 p.m. PT – NFL Network, ESPN
- April 27 (Saturday): 9 a.m. PT – NFL Network, ESPN