INDIANAPOLIS — The confetti from Super Bowl LX barely stopped falling at Levi’s Stadium, but John Schneider is already back on the clock. When the Seattle Seahawks battered Drake Maye and the Patriots 29-13 just two weeks ago, they proved one absolute truth: defense still wins championships. Mike Macdonald’s state-of-the-art “Dark Side” scheme smothered New England, racking up six sacks while Kenneth Walker III ran away with MVP honors. Now, as the front office maps out the Seattle Seahawks 2026 NFL Draft, they face a brutal salary cap reality. Starting cornerbacks Riq Woolen and Josh Jobe are slated to hit free agency. Schneider needs affordable, moldable talent to pair with Devon Witherspoon. He might just find it in Nacogdoches, Texas.
The Small-School Secret: Charles Demmings
Only a handful of non-FBS athletes received invites to this week’s NFL Scouting Combine. Stephen F. Austin standout Charles Demmings easily crashes that exclusive party. At 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds, he brings the exact physical profile Macdonald craves on the perimeter. Scouts report Demmings flashes a blazing 4.40-second 40-yard dash, allowing him to run stride-for-stride with elite NFL wideouts.
You can almost feel the tension in the air when the stopwatches click inside Lucas Oil Stadium for small-school prospects. Demmings wrapped up his collegiate career under head coach Colby Carthel with 35 passes defended and nine interceptions over four years. He isn’t just a track star in cleats; he attacks the catch point with pure hostility. Macdonald’s hybrid coverages lean heavily on zone principles, requiring instinctual defenders who trigger fast and tackle securely in open space. Demmings fits that mold perfectly. He reads the quarterback’s eyes, plants his foot, and closes the gap in a blink.
Last spring, Schneider struck gold by drafting safety Nick Emmanwori 35th overall. Emmanwori instantly became a defensive cornerstone. While Demmings projects more as a Day 3 developmental piece—perhaps utilizing Seattle’s lone sixth-round pick acquired from Cleveland—his ceiling is undeniable.
“I had opportunities to leave, chase the NIL money at a Power Five program. But I stayed because of the brotherhood. We built something real at SFA. I want to leave a legacy, not just cash a check.”
— Charles Demmings, Cornerback
What’s Next for the Champs
The Seahawks simply cannot afford to pay everyone. With Walker due for a massive payday after his 135-yard Super Bowl performance, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba eligible for a market-resetting extension, defensive depth must come cheap. Letting Woolen or Jobe walk stings. Replacing them with hungry, scheme-versatile rookies keeps the championship window wide open.
Expect Schneider to target interior offensive line help and a backup running back early in the draft. When Day 3 rolls around, pay close attention to the defensive backs. Demmings taking reps next to Witherspoon in training camp isn’t just a fun thought experiment. It is a highly calculated move for a front office that refuses to rest on its laurels.
