The Seattle Seahawks received high marks for their 2025 NFL Draft class last month, with numerous analysts praising their mix of need-filling picks, high-upside swings and overall value.

But there’s also another area where Seattle’s draft class stands out.

Why Schlereth differs from national perception of Seahawks

According to Pro Football Focus, the Seahawks compiled the most experienced draft class in terms of total college snaps. Seattle’s 11-player draft class logged a combined 22,970 snaps over the course of their college careers, which was the most of any team in the league.

And it wasn’t just because the Seahawks were tied with four other teams for the most players drafted. Seattle’s class had an average of 2,088 college snaps per player, which ranked fifth-most in the league.

The Seahawks drafted six players with at least 2,300 snaps: first-round offensive lineman Grey Zabel (2,776), second-round safety Nick Emmanwori (2,341), fifth-round wide receiver Tory Horton (2,370), sixth-round offensive lineman Bryce Cabeldue (3,060), seventh-round offensive lineman Mason Richman (3,050) and seventh-round wide receiver Ricky White III (2,447).

Does all of that cumulative experience mean anything for the Seahawks going forward?

Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard thinks so. During Friday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Huard said it can help the Seahawks’ rookies acclimate to the schemes of head coach Mike Macdonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

“I do think when it comes to Mike Macdonald’s defensive system, when it comes to Klint Kubiak’s offensive system, do you know what is very beneficial in teaching all of the intricacies, all of the calls, all of the steps, all of the details?” Huard said. “Experiences.

“When you’ve been there and you’ve done it, there is no substitute for it. So I love it. I’ve clamored for that for a lot of years. … And the Seahawks checked those boxes many times over in this draft class.”

Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player at the bottom 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.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Salk: Seattle Seahawks’ defense isn’t elite, but a trade could change that
• An early Seattle Seahawks 53-man roster projection for 2025

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SEATTLE — Fans at T-Mobile Park could only watch as the Seattle Mariners allowed seven runs in the 10th inning en route to a 9-3 loss to the Washington Nationals on Thursday. The loss dropped the Mariners to 30-25 on the season and kept their lead in the American League West at just half a game.

“Always tough to lose in the extra innings,” Seattle manager Dan Wilson said in a postgame interview. “Good ball game. Our guys really, really fought to the end. … They were just able to break it open late and that was the difference.”

At the start of the 10th, the Mariners and Nationals were tied 2-2. Seattle had used high-leverage relievers Gabe Speier, Carlos Vargas, Matt Brash and Andres Munoz across the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth innings, respectively. In extras, the Mariners relied on Collin Snider.

Automatic runner Jose Tena moved to third during the first plate appearance of the 10th after a wild pitch. The errant offering set Tena up to score on an RBI sacrifice fly hit by Daylen Lile, which gave Washington a 3-2 lead. CJ Abrams hit a double the next at-bat and James Wood was intentionally walked to set the Nationals up with runners on first and second with one out.

Nathaniel Lowe hit a single to score Abrams. The snowball continued to roll down the hill after that.

Snider committed a throwing error to second on a fielder’s choice that loaded the bases for Washington. Luis Garcia Jr. brought home two with a double to bolster the Nationals lead to 6-2. Josh Bell capped the inning with a three-run home run to right field. His knock gave Washington a 9-2 lead.

“It looked to me like there were just some balls that caught a lot of plate,” Wilson said. “And give some credit to them, that’s a team like we’ve said that’s aggressive. They can make things happen quickly and that’s what they were able to do in the 10th.”

In the bottom of the 10th, Leo Rivas hit an RBI single to lead off the inning and for the eventual final of 9-3.

The 10th inning was an almost appropriate end to a game that featured various missed opportunities and chaotic moments that led to Seattle’s loss.

Mariners starting pitcher Emerson Hancock was pulled in the top of the sixth after he walked two of the first three hitters he faced in the inning. The game was tied 0-0 at that point. Speier relieved Hancock and allowed a two-run double the first pitch he threw to Wood. Hancock was dinged with the earned runs and had a final stat line of four strikeouts, three walks and two earned runs on two hits in 5.1 innings.

“I think, as a competitor, you always want to stay in those situations,” Hancock said after the game. “But you also understand we got a really, really good bullpen. That’s a great matchup there (with Speier and Wood), it just didn’t work out. More times than not, it’s going to. It’s just, for me, I put us in a tough position there in the sixth. And they were able to capitalize on it.”

Seattle had an opportunity to immediately respond in the bottom of the sixth. Leody Taveras and Ben Williamson hit back-to-back singles to give the Mariners runners on the corners with no outs.

J.P. Crawford got the first crack at bringing home at least one, but struck out looking on a pitch outside of the plate. He took issue with the call and was ejected after an argument with home plate umpire Andy Fletcher. Rivas took over his spot in the lineup. Cal Raleigh was hit by a pitch two plate appearances later to load the bases for Seattle with two out, but Randy Arozarena struck out swinging to leave the trio of runners stranded.

The Mariners tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on back-to-back two-out RBI singles by Taveras and Williamson. The latter of the two was left on second to end the inning. Seattle stranded two more in scoring position to end the eighth.

The Mariners finished 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left eight on base.

Seattle will have a chance to bounce back with the first of three games against the Minnesota Twins at 7:10 p.m. PT on Friday. Bryan Woo will start for the Mariners and Zebby Matthews will start for the Twins.

MARINERS MANAGER CONFIRMS RETURN DATE FOR PITCHER BRYCE MILLER: The third-year Mariners starting pitcher has struggled this season due to right elbow inflammation. CLICK HERE

MARINERS MANAGER GIVES POSITIVE UPDATE ON DESIGNATED HITTER JORGE POLANCO: The Mariners switch-hitting designated hitter has been limited to hitting the left side of the plate for most of the season, but he has the green light to bat from both sides for now. CLICK HERE

MARINERS GRADES THROUGH FIRST THIRD OF THE SEASON: The Mariners are a third of the way through the season and have exceeded expectations in some areas, while falling short in others. CLICK HERE

Continue to follow our Inside the Mariners coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following Teren Kowatsch and Brady Farkas on “X” @Teren_Kowatsch and @RefuseToLosePod. You can subscribe to the “Refuse to Lose” podcast by clicking HERE.

SEATTLE (AP) — Robert Hassell III had three hits and two RBIs, including his first major league home run, and James Wood also went deep as the Washington Nationals routed the Seattle Mariners 9-0 on Wednesday night.

Washington Nationals 9, Seattle Mariners 0: Box Score

Luis García Jr. and Josh Bell launched consecutive homers to help back Trevor Williams (3-5), who tossed six splendid innings. Bell finished with three hits and Wood drove in three runs.

Playing his sixth major league game, Hassell hit a solo homer in the eighth to make it 7-0. The touted rookie began the night batting .118 (2 for 17) with one RBI since making his debut last Thursday.

The 23-year-old Hassell was drafted eighth overall by San Diego in 2020 and traded to Washington — along with Wood, CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore — for Juan Soto and Bell in a blockbuster deal at the August 2022 deadline.

Williams, who had a career-low 2.03 ERA in 2024, has struggled this season and owned a 7.45 ERA in May entering this one. But the veteran right-hander needed just 77 pitches to make it through six innings while yielding only three hits — all singles — and striking out two in his best start of the year.

Seattle right-hander George Kirby (0-2) encountered early trouble in his second start of the season. He gave up consecutive solo homers to García and Bell in the second. Wood connected in the fifth to make it 6-0.

Key moment

Kirby got seven straight outs before unraveling in the fourth. A two-out walk to García preceded an RBI single by Hassell and José Tena’s two-run double.

Key stat

Wood is tied for fourth in the National League with 15 homers.

Up next

Gore (2-5, 3.47 ERA) starts Thursday against Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (2-2, 5.95) to close the three-game series.

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• One Seattle Mariners outfielder nears return, another still a ways out