Analysis: How rookie class can be key to Seahawks turnaround
SEATTLE – Halftime of Sunday’s critical NFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field also marks the halfway point of the 17-game NFL season.
As the Seahawks look to improve on their past month – four losses in five games, all by nine points or more – one of focus for potential improvement is the rookie class.
A trademark of the early years of the Pete Carroll era was the Seahawks peaking in November and December. Many years, one of the biggest reasons why was rookie classes that often hit their stride in the second half of the season.
Can the seven draft picks remaining on the Seahawks’ roster, and two other undrafted rookie free agents who are on the 53-man roster this week, make some similar leaps?
Let’s look at the Seahawks’ rookies and their progress .
DT Byron Murphy II
Drafted: First round, 16th overall
Snaps played: 174 (18 on special teams)
Comment: Murphy missed three full games and half of another with a hamstring injury, muting his impact. He played the last two weeks and had a solid game against Atlanta before almost everyone on the roster seemed to regress in last Sunday’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo. Murphy has 14 tackles, two tackles for loss, half a sack and one quarterback hit in five games.
Pro Football Focus rates Murphy 39th overall out of 121 interior defensive linemen, giving him a better pass rush grade (69.8) than run defense (58.3).
Wrote PFF this week of Murphy in its assessment of all first-round picks: “Murphy was Seattle’s highest-graded defensive lineman this week, albeit with a decent 65.7 PFF overall grade. He occasionally made his presence felt, with three tackles and two stops in run defense. He generated just one pressure on Josh Allen, who stepped up through the pocket and threw a touchdown on the play. Murphy continues to play consistent, if unspectacular, football, which should still be commended, given his increasing workload.”
G Christian Haynes
Drafted: Third round, 81st overall
Snaps played: 104
Comment: Haynes has played in all but one game in a rotation with second-year player Anthony Bradford at right guard.
That rotation appears to be ending as coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday Bradford will start against the Rams and that “we’ll roll with AB,” implying that for now, Bradford will get all the snaps.
Bradford is ranked 69th of 77 guards by Pro Football Focus of those who have enough snaps to qualify with a grade of 51.1.
Haynes doesn’t have enough snaps to qualify but has a grade of 48.0 that would rank 74th if he did. Via PFF he has given up one sack and three hurries in 76 pass-block snaps.
LB Tyrice Knight
Drafted: Fourth round, 118th overall
Snaps played: 125
Comment: Knight has played in seven of eight games (he did not see action against the Giants), starting against Miami and Detroit when Jerome Baker was out because of injury. He has played only seven defensive snaps since (all in the 20-point win over Atlanta).
The trade last week of Baker to Tennessee for Ernest Jones IV and moving Tyrel Dodson to the weakside spot that Baker and Knight played seems a signal that the team views Knight as a backup.
He has 15 tackles, one for a loss, and no sacks or QB hits.
TE AJ Barner
Drafted: Fourth round, 121st overall):
Snaps played: 192
Comment: Barner has emerged as the team’s third tight end and is seventh on the team in receptions with 10 for 105 yards and a touchdown. He also 74 special teams snaps.
Barner’s role figures to continue as is for the rest of the season, barring injuries.
CB Nehemiah Pritchett
Drafted: Fifth round, 136th overall
Snaps played: 108
Comment: Pritchett has served as a backup outside cornerback all season and started and played 69 snaps against Atlanta due to injuries, and saw action in three other games. Of his snaps, all but six have come playing on the outside.
He sat out the Buffalo game with an ankle injury.
With Tre Brown appearing back this week, Pritchett figures to return to a backup role if he gets healthy as Macdonald said Wednesday either Brown or Josh Jobe is likely to be the third corner on Sunday alongside Devon Witherspoon and Riq Woolen.
Pritchett has a 30.4 grade from PFF including 26.5 against the run. He’s allowed eight receptions on 13 targets for 105 yards, via PFF, with one pass breakup.
G Sataoa Laumea
Drafted: Sixth round, 179th overall
Snaps played: 0.
Comment: Laumea has been on the 53-man roster all season but has not played, having been inactive for every game. He’s listed as a backup left guard to Laken Tomlinson. An injury to Tomlinson would likely mean one of Bradford or Haynes moving over and the other staying on the right side, with Laumea appearing to effectively be the fourth guard on gameday.
OL Michael Jerrell
Drafted: Sixth round, 207th overall):
Snaps played: 111
Comment: Jerrell didn’t play before starting the past two games at right tackle with injuries sidelining Abe Lucas, George Fant and Stone Forsythe.
Jerrell has an overall PFF grade of 44.6, including 52.6 pass blocking and 47.9 run blocking. He’s allowed four pressures in each game and also had a penalty.
Fant likely returns to the starting lineup if he gets healthy this week.
Final thought
The Seahawks’ other draft pick was cornerback D.J. James (sixth round, 192nd overall), who was released in the cutdown to 53. He is on New England’s practice squad.
They got some snaps from two other rookies who remain on the 53-man roster – cornerback/returner Dee Williams and backup offensive lineman Jalen Sundell.
Williams has played four snaps at cornerback but has been the team’s primary punt returner – he has all 11 punt returns this year for 83 yards – and one of the two main kickoff returners with eight returns for 228 yards.
Sundell has been active for three games but has played only on special teams.
The Seahawks have 818 offensive or defensive snaps out of its rookies, or an average of 102.25 per game.
That number pales in comparison to the last two years, though that’s not a surprise given that the Seahawks had four of the top 72 picks in 2022 and four of the top 52 in 2023.
Due in large part to those high picks, the Seahawks were at or near the top of rookie snaps in the NFL.
In 2022 they led the league with 5,074 rookie snaps, or 298.4 per game.
Last year the Seahawks had 3,719 snaps from rookies, or 218.7 per game.
The Seahawks won’t reach those marks with this class, and with Haynes and Knight again relegated mostly to backup roles and Jerrell possibly back on the bench this week, only Murphy and Barner appeared assured of consistent regular playing time the rest of the way.