Seahawks GM Schneider explains how draft position impacts his strategy

Under John Schneider, the Seattle Seahawks frequently trade back in the first round of the NFL Draft. Since he became general manager in 2010, Seattle has traded back six times in 14 drafts.

Seahawks GM Schneider discusses ‘photo gate’ at team headquarters.

The Seahawks presently possess the 16th overall pick in next week’s draft, but they do not have a second-round selection. They traded their second-round pick to the New York Giants last October in exchange for defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

With no second-round pick, many believe this is simply another occasion in which Seattle trades their first-round pick to get additional draft capital.

However, four of the Seahawks’ six first-round trades were picks in the 21-32 area.

During Thursday’s episode of The John Schneider Show on Seattle Sports, the Seahawks’ general manager/president of football operations was asked how draft position influences a team’s approach to their first-round pick.

“On average, there’s probably 15 to 20 – depending on the year – true first-round-graded players,” he said. “So, when you’re (drafting) in your late twenties, you’re actually picking in the second round. So why not get another pick? That’s how we’ve approached it.”

Schneider explained that a similar concept applies to the second round, which can influence how far a team chooses to trade back.

“How far back are you planning to go? “Where is your cutoff?” Schneider stated. “Because … you might only have 15 guys or 18 (second-round-caliber) guys in the second round.”

The Schneider-era Seahawks are not used to drafting in the middle of the first round.

Over the last 14 drafts, Seattle has made only three first-round picks in the 11-20 range. Two of those situations occurred more than a decade ago, when they drafted safety Earl Thomas at No. 14 overall in 2010 and defensive end Bruce Irvin at No. 15 in 2012. The other was last year, when they drafted wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba at number 20 overall.

Seattle also gave up the No. 18 overall pick in 2018 to go back and get more picks.