The Seattle Seahawks’ 2022 draft class has quickly turned into a foundational and historic draft class for the team in their future years. The Seahawks were all over the news this past offseason when they traded Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Many thought that the 2022 season would then be a rebuilding year for the team as they use their own draft picks and the ones they acquired from the Broncos to rebuild their team.
However, the 2022 season has gone completely opposite from what many of us thought, and the catalyst for that would be Geno Smith and his career resurgence, and their 2022 draft class, which has turned into the best crop of rookies that we’ve seen in quite a while.
Their draft class features six (!!) players that have heavily contributed to their success in 2022, three on each side of the ball. They appear to have their tackle situation figured out for the long term. Left tackle Charles Cross was their top selection. They then dipped into the right tackle pool and took Abe Lucas in the third round.
Both have been the starters for the entire season and have helped the Seahawks’ offense become one of the best in the NFL. Their third major contributor on offense is Ken Walker from Michigan State.
He has 570 rushing yards on the season and has turned into the clear RB1 ever since Rashaad Penny left the lineup with a season-ending injury. Their defense features two rookie cornerbacks in Tariq Woolen, and athletic specimen, and Coby Bryant, who looks exceptional for a rookie as well.
Boye Maye was one of their second round picks who has helped a bit on defense as well, notching two sacks, 26 total tackles, two tackles for loss and three QB hits. I’m not sure a single soul expected Seattle to have a winning record through nine games, let alone being 6-3 and sitting atop the NFC West, which features the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Seahawks now look like a team that will attract free agents. Russell Wilson struggling in Denver has also gave a bit of a Cinderella vibe to the Seahawks, so they seem to have a ton of outside support.
Going into the 2023 season, they’ll like try and shore up their defense, which makes plays but does allow a lot of yards and points. If they can do that, and if Geno Smith can continue his tear, the Seahawks will be right back where they were during the Wilson era.