The Seattle Seahawks ended up making eight selections during the 2026 NFL draft. General manager John Schneider used three of those picks on cornerbacks. It highlights how badly Schneider wanted to improve the cornerback depth on his roster .
The first corner selected by the Seahawks was former Arkansas Razorbacks defender Julian Neal . That indicates of all the rookie cornerbacks on the Seahawks' defense, Neal possesses the best opportunity to make the fastest impact. Neal could be more involved in Mike Macdonald's defense than the average fan realizes.
The Seahawks will start Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe outside. Safety Nick Emmanwori will play the big nickel role , so the Seahawks won't need three cornerbacks on the field with regularity. It's more about backing up Witherspoon and Jobe on the boundary.
Nehemiah Pritchett is expected to earn the No. 3 cornerback job . Neal is realistically the fourth cornerback on the depth chart. Pritchett shouldn't be handed the role, however, and Neal should receive opportunities at training camp to compete for reps.
Neal is a big and long cornerback who thrived at Arkansas in 2025 after transferring from Fresno State. He registered 55 tackles, 12 passes defensed, 10 pass breakups, and two interceptions. The San Francisco, California native leaped a 40-inch vertical and 11-foot-2 broad jump at the NFL Combine. Neal also ran the 40 in 4.49 seconds, an excellent time at 6-2, 203 pounds.
Neal could make his mark on the Seahawks defense as a rookie.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks rookie CB Julian Neal may play a bigger role than you realize
