The Seattle Seahawks spent the first two days of the 2026 NFL Draft addressing the remaining holes on their Super Bowl roster. But then early on Day 3, the Seahawks added an offensive lineman.
Seattle will return all five offensive line starters from its Super Bowl lineup. So, it’s not clear fifth-round guard Beau Stephens will have an opportunity to compete for a starting job as a rookie.
The Seahawks, though, traded up to ensure landing Stephens. After the 2026 NFL Draft, head coach Mike Macdonald made it clear to reporters the guard could have a chance to play on either side of the line to begin this career.
“We’ll figure all that out later,” Macdonald told the media when asked about Stephens’s position.
The Seahawks selected Stephens at No. 148 overall in the fifth round Saturday. The team sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns to move up the board to land him.
“It was too big of a gap and too much talent there,” said Seahawks general manager John Schneider on the reason behind trading up. “Beau came on a 30 visit. Really cool, right? Just the process of [him] coming in.”
2027 Compensatory Picks Help Seahawks Land Guard Beau Stephens
The Seahawks didn’t have a lot of draft capital to work with for trades in 2026. But it was so crucial for the organization to land Stephens that Schneider dipped into the team’s draft capital for 2027.
The general manager explained to reporters Saturday the organization couldn’t believe Stephens was available to them — even if it ultimately took a trade up scenario to get him.
“We were pretty surprised,” said Schneider. “But when the guy lasts that long, you’re like, ‘Okay, how do we figure this out?’
“We did have a plan to play the compensatory game, if you will. We were like, ‘We have the 12th pick next year. What does it look like?’
“The coaches, we got a lot of buy-in from the coaches. They’re really excited about it.”
Seahawks.com’s Ari Horton and John Boyle added to Schneider’s remarks on the trade.
“To acquire the pick they used on Stephens, the Seahawks sent a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns, a decision that likely was easier to make given that Seattle is expected to have multiple compensatory picks next year,” wrote the Seahawks.com staff.
Mike Macdonald Leaves Door Open for Fifth-Round Guard
Even though the Seahawks raved about Stephens, he was still a fifth-round prospect. It wouldn’t be shocking if he doesn’t make an immediate NFL impact in 2026.
In a way, Macdonald’s comment confirmed that likelihood. If Stephens is going to fill a reserve role, he should have familiarity with both the left and right side.
But it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Seahawks begin grooming Stephens to be the team’s next starting right guard. That role belongs to Anthony Bradford at the moment. However, Bradford posted the lowest Pro Football Focus grade in the league among guards who played at least 80% of the team’s offensive snaps last season.
Bradford will be an unrestricted free agent next spring. Unless he plays significantly better, it’s very likely the Seahawks will allow Bradford to depart in free agency.
Grey Zabel is set to return as Seattle’s starting left guard next season. Stephens will compete with Christian Haynes and Bryce Cabeldue for depth snaps at guard.
Mike Macdonald Fires 1 Sentence on Initial Plans for Must-Have Prospect