This is where contenders live.
Picks 29 through 32 belong to the final four teams on the board — organizations that didn’t just compete, but controlled the season. The Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks all won at least 12 games and enter 2026 with expectations of doing it again.
The mindset here is different.
There are no panic moves. No desperate reaches. No foundational rebuilds.
This is about sustainability.
Championship windows close faster than teams expect. Veterans age. Coordinators get poached. Depth gets tested. Contracts escalate. And the teams drafting at the end of Round 1 must balance two timelines:
Win now — and win later.
Do you reinforce a strength that carried you to 14 wins?
Do you patch the one weakness exposed in January?
Do you draft a successor before the roster demands it?
These are luxury picks — but they’re also strategic ones.
Late-first selections are often about long-term cap health, premium position succession plans, and maintaining a competitive edge in a conference that’s always hunting the top seed.
In this batch, we break down:
- The biggest roster holes for each franchise
- Contract situations and future cap implications
- Which positions should be prioritized for veterans and rookies
- Potential fantasy football implications
These teams aren’t chasing relevance.
They’re protecting it.
Wrapping up the team needs series with: the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, and Seattle Seahawks.
Salary cap contract information provided by Spotrac.
- Fantasy Football Research & Advice
- Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- 2026 NFL Mock Drafts
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
- NFL Team Needs: Raiders, Jets, Cardinals, Titans (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Giants, Browns, Commanders, Saints (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Chiefs, Bengals, Dolphins, Cowboys (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Falcons, Ravens, Buccaneers, Colts (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Packers (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Steelers, Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Bears, Bills, 49ers, Texans (2026)
- NFL Team Needs: Rams, Broncos, Patriots, Seahawks (2026)
Pick 32: Seattle Seahawks
2026 Free Agents
2027 Free Agents
- QB: Drew Lock
- RB: Zach Charbonnet, Cam Akers, Kenny McIntosh, Jacardia Wright (ERFA)
- WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (CLUB), Velus Jones, Ricky White III (ERFA), Tyrone Broden (ERFA), Montorie Foster (ERFA)
- TE: Eric Saubert
- OL: G Anthony Bradford, C Olu Oluwatimi, OT Amari Kight (ERFA), C Federico Maranges (ERFA), OT Logan Brown (ERFA), C Jalen Sundell (ERFA)
- EDGE: Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, Jalan Gaines (ERFA), Jamie Sheriff (ERFA)
- DL: Leonard Williams, Mike Morris, Wy’Kevious Thomas (ERFA), J.R. Singleton (ERFA)
- LB: Ja’Markis Weston (ERFA), Chris Paul Jr. (ERFA)
- CB: Devon Witherspoon (CLUB), Tyler Hall
- S: Maxen Hook (ERFA)
- ST: Jason Myers
Team Needs: CB, RG, RB, WR, EDGE, S
At the time of this writing, the Seahawks won’t have either of their top two RBs from last season ready for Week 1. Kenneth Walker is a free agent (Seattle won’t use the franchise tag on him, forcing them to sign him long-term or let him walk), and Zach Charbonnet is coming off a very poorly timed ACL injury on January 19th (surgery a month later on February 20th). Although the discourse surrounding Charbonnet’s injury has been generally positive. And they would ‘love’ to have Walker back.
One free agent running back with whom new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury is familiar: Brian Robinson. Fleury was the run-game coordinator for the 49ers in 2025. J.K. Dobbins could be another option, given his Baltimore overlap with Mike Macdonald.
Part of the Seahawks’ offensive identity was running the football. 3rd-lowest pass play rate (50%).
Unless the new offensive coaches view this run game as “broken” with different backs…I’d imagine they want to keep an emphasis on establishing the run (maintaining what worked so well under Kubiak, while adding in 49ers wrinkles).
Fleury also added that running the ball in the “red zone” tends to lead to the most offensive success. I’d also acknowledge that he also served as the 49ers’ TE coach from 2022-2025. George Kittle‘s TDs spiked during this stretch. Before 2022, Kittle had zero seasons with more than 6 TDs. He never had fewer than 6 TDs after the 2022 season.
AJ Barner TE1 szn?
WR Rashid Shaheed is also a free agent. After trading for him last season, I’d imagine they would want to bring him back (unless the Las Vegas Raiders try to reunite him with Klint Kubiak). Second-year WR Tory Horton would likely take on the “Shaheed role” if he doesn’t return to Seattle in 2026.
Across the offensive line, there is still a weakness in the interior at the right guard and potentially the center spots. G Anthony Bradford and C Olu Oluwatimi will be free agents in 2027. Starting center Jalen Sundell missed time last year with a knee injury.
Part of why the Seahawks’ defense was so great in 2025 was their vast depth on the defensive line. Boye Mafe is hitting free agency, and somebody will likely pay him more than his two-sack production from 2025. So just continuing to add to the DL/EDGE will remain a top priority for Seattle (specifically, guys who line up outside the tackle).
The true biggest defensive need is at CB. Josh Jobe and Tariq Woolen are both in need of new deals.
Safety Coby Bryant is also a free agent, but Seattle has strong depth. Ty Okada made the team as an undrafted FA and finished 10th in snaps (second-most at free safety). Might be a cheaper option than bringing back Bryant. Ranked 16th out of 75 safeties per PFF.