Seahawks 2022 Draft Grades: Fortifying the Offensive Line

Seahawks 2022 Draft Grades

The Seattle Seahawks signaled commitment for their rebuild by trading away their best player, Russell Wilson. In addition to their best defensive player, Bobby Wagner.

Receiving more ammunition in the draft to add talent and speed up the rebuilding process. I will breakdown each pick before giving my Seahawks 2022 draft grades.

Seahawks 2022 Draft Grades:

Round 1 (No. 9 overall): Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State

In addition to losing Wilson, the Seahawks lost veteran left tackle Duane Brown. The offensive line allowed a total 46.0 sacks of both Wilson and Geno Smith together. As a result, there was a clear need to upgrade their pass protection.

Cross is the best pure pass-protecting tackle in this draft class. Coming from the air raid offense, he has ample experience in pass pro with over 1,200 snaps since 2020. His fit is somewhat uneven due to having less than 400 run blocking snaps in the same timeframe. His ability to protect the quarterback will be the biggest value as he gains more run blocking reps.

Round 2 (No. 40 overall): Boye Mafe, ED, Minnesota

Head Coach Pete Carroll decided to address the trenches early on both sides of the ball. In a division that has quarterback Kyler Murray, Matthew Stafford, and Trey Lance, reliable athletic edge defenders are a must.

Boye Mafe is an explosive and agile edge defender. He offers a reliable backside option on read options. His first-step quickness threatens the outside shoulder of opposing tackles. As a result of his weight/frame, Mafe can be aligned as a down-end or stand-up rusher. Carroll is rebuilding his pass rush and selecting Mafe is a good start.

Round 2 (No. 41 overall): Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State

This selection screams Seattle Seahawks. This pick was unexpected to say the least. Running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny have expiring contracts at the end of the season. Carroll loves to pound the rock and control the line of scrimmage. Walker is arguably the most scheme diverse running back in the class.

He is a physical runner with sudden footwork and explosive speed. Walker adds a layer of dynamism to this backfield as a rookie. He should not have to carry the offense on his shoulders with both veterans in the room. Whether they decide to attack between the tackles or on the edges, Walker can create big plays.

Round 3 (No. 72 overall): Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State

Another pick that does not mesh with tendencies and principles of a Carroll-led offense. Lucas comes from an air raid offense, like Charles Cross but Lucas has limited experience as a run blocker throughout his career.

A reason for hope and optimism stems from Lucas’ nearly 34-inch arms and good play strength. Improving his hand placement and technique will help his transition to the NFL. His light and quick feet allow him to mirror opposing rushers. Paired with Cross, the Seahawks have two young tackles to develop and protect their future QB, whomever that may be.

Round 4 (No. 109 overall): Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati

The Seahawks love their mid-round cornerbacks to develop. Seattle has four cornerbacks with expiring contracts. This defense has prioritized height and length at the cornerback position – especially for their Cover-3 tendencies. We have seen the likes of cornerbacks Brandon Browner, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane excel under Carroll. That being said, they have struggled to replicate that level of coverage success.

Coby Bryant is a legit 6-foot-1 cornerback with near 31-inch arms. His instincts and ball skills fit this scheme well. Bryant is experienced in man and zone coverage, is competitive at the catch point and triggers downhill from a half-turn alignment. His lack of long speed can be hidden with Cover-3 responsibilities and is a good start to retooling this secondary.

Round 5 (No. 153 overall): Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA

Speaking of retooling the secondary, the Seahawks dipped into the cornerback pool in consecutive rounds. Woolen has unteachable size/length to pair with his sub 4.3 speed. He is raw in every sense of the word as a former receiver converted to cornerback. But while Woolen has played the position for only two years, he has not scratched the surface yet.

His outstanding physical and athletic tools can create difficult throwing windows for opposing quarterbacks. His toughness and willingness to be a force defender against the run will ingratiate himself with the coaches. Woolen has some developing to do, but his ceiling is as high as any cornerback in the class.

Round 5 (No. 158 overall): Tyreke Smith, ED, Ohio State

The Seattle Seahawks continued to build their defensive line and pass rush. After selecting Mafe to provide a boost to their pass rush, they elected to add Smith. Smith has a high motor and plays hard. His long arms and elusiveness will create sub-package opportunities and he can benefit from adding some weight to his lower half to anchor and set harder edges against the run. Even in a designated pass rusher capacity, Smith can add some valuable reps.

Round 7 (No. 229 overall): Bo Melton, WR, Rutgers

Melton is an explosive and dynamic space player. Late round selections are typically special teamers, camp bodies or practice squad candidates.

Melton can check each of those boxes.

After a solid final season at Rutgers, he performed well at the Senior Bowl. As a receiver, he can fill the bottom of the depth chart and his experience as a kick and punt returner can be valuable.

Round 7 (No. 233 overall): Dareke Young, WR, Lenoir Rhyne

Dareke Young is a raw and explosive athlete and has a rocked up frame, carrying 220 pounds well. Physical tools are enticing but he probably lands on the practice squad to develop. His overall game is unrefined to translate early to the NFL.

This draft class was kind of scattered abroad. The offensive line prospects are not a true fit to Carroll’s power run mentality. They had multiple chances to draft a quarterback to compete with Drew Lock and passed. Some questionable decisions were made with their selections but overall, they found good talent to add to their roster.

Overall Grade: C+