Seahawks 4th in early ESPN NFL power rankings
By Dan Viens
The Seahawks are ESPN’s #4 ranked team in their post-draft power rankings.
Power Ranking Season has already begun!!!! As if there aren’t enough of them during the season (and let’s not kid ourselves, we can’t ever get enough!), ESPN has released their first post-draft list of what they feel are the NFL’s best teams, courtesy of Dan Graziano.
Here’s a quick look at his Top 5:
- New England Patriots
- Carolina Panthers
- Green Bay Packers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Arizona Cardinals
A few thoughts on this list:
- It’s incredible what the Patriots have done. Year in and year out, no matter who they lost to free agency, or how old Tom Brady gets, or how they always seem to come out of the draft without any big names, they stay on top. Amazing organization.
More from Seattle Seahawks News
- 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
- Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency
- Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
- 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
- 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson
- Green Bay ahead of Seattle? What did they do to improve this off season? Graziano seems to be basing this on the return of a healthy Jordy Nelson, but what about that middle-of-the-road defense?
- Seattle inching ahead of the Cardinals is interesting. Arizona added some intriguing pieces to their defense (Chandler Jones, Robert Nkemdiche) and have a load of explosive receivers, but have all their eggs in the basket of aging QB Carson Palmer. Even Graziano admits they may be ranked a little lower than they should be, which is kind of weird, honestly.
Here’s what Graziano had to say about the Seahawks: Using three of your 10 draft picks on running backs doesn’t scream, “We’re sold on Thomas Rawls!” and it’s hard to see how Russell Wilson can thrive behind this offensive line. But they didn’t have Marshawn Lynch or a line last year, either, and Wilson led the league in passer rating because he’s the NFL’s Harry Potter.
If it were me, I would move the Cardinals up to third, with the Seahawks right behind them and Green Bay 5th. I think Seattle has a higher ceiling, and once that revamped offensive line gels they could rocket to the top of the list. But today, for how the teams are constructed right now, that’s how I’d rank them.
Next: Is Paul Richardson poised for a breakout year?
How did the rest of the NFC West fare? Not very well. Graziano has the Rams at 26th and the 49ers at 31st, just ahead of the Cleveland Browns. Ouch.