Seattle, WA
A dream trade-up target for Seattle Seahawks in NFL Draft
To be clear, this is not a likely scenario.
But crazy things can happen in the NFL Draft. And in the countdown to next Thursday’s first round, this is a time for football fans to dream.
Latest Seahawks Mock Draft Roundup: Who will Seattle take at No. 18?
With that as the backdrop, NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah‘s weekly appearance Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk included a conversation about the top edge rushers in year’s draft class. And during that conversation, co-host Mike Salk posed a question: Is there any chance the Seattle Seahawks could trade up to get star Georgia edge rusher Jalon Walker?
Most mock drafts predict Walker to be selected by the Carolina Panthers with the No. 8 overall pick, so he’ll likely be off the board long before Seattle’s first-round pick at No. 18. But with 10 overall picks and five in the first three rounds, is there any way the Seahawks could use their extra draft capital to move up and snag Walker if he slips outside the the top 10?
“I wouldn’t totally punt on the Jalon thing,” Jeremiah said. “Put it this way: I’ve talked to teams in the 20s that say, ‘Do you think he gets to us?’ Like, so that tells me that there are teams out there that don’t view him (as a surefire top-10 pick).
“I mean, I do not envision it’s likely (that’s he’s available at 18). But he could be one of those deals where you’ve got some extra ammunition, so if he starts to drift in range, that would be a fun piece to add to the mix.”
In that scenario, Jeremiah said a trade up would be worth it – especially given the relatively tame cost of doing so.
“To move up a couple spots, you can dump a fourth-round pick,” Jeremiah said. “In this draft, you’re not gonna be a missing a ton there.”
The scoop on Walker
With explosive athleticism and a 6-foot-1, 243-pound frame, Walker played both on the edge and at linebacker for Georgia. He racked up 6.5 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss this past season – including three sacks and three tackles for loss in a spectacular performance against Texas – en route to winning the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker.
Could @JalonWlaker be the next great defender out of @GeorgiaFootball? 🐶 @MoveTheSticks
📺: 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Ex66uhSdCd— NFL (@NFL) March 30, 2025
Walker is widely considered the second-best edge rusher in this year’s draft behind likely top-three pick Abdul Carter from Penn State. But with his linebacking experience, he also brings plenty of versatility for modern defensive schemes that emphasize positional flexibility.
“He’s an undersized guy who plays off the ball and on the ball, so they move him around,” Jeremiah said. “He wins from a lot of different entry points with how they blitz him and rush him. But off the edge, he is ultra-explosive. … He’s a big-time fastball off the edge who jolts guys. He dominated the Texas game. He just took the game over.
“You can play him off the ball and spy him and he just sucks people up on the perimeter. (Texas quarterback) Arch Manning in that game tried to escape – Arch can really run – (and Walker) sucked him up, easy. … I think he is a really, really fun chess piece in a league that’s kind of trending toward some position-less, amoeba-type stuff to keep people guessing. This guy’s a chess piece.”
The Seahawks currently have a solid core of edge rushers in Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and free-agent signee DeMarcus Lawrence. But with Nwosu and Lawrence both coming off injury-plagued seasons, Seattle certainly could look to add more firepower to the group.
And if somehow, some way, the Seahawks turned that dream into a reality? Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, summed it up succintly.
“He’s different,” Jeremiah said. “He’s a different cat.”
Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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