The Seattle Seahawks enter the 2022 NFL draft with needs at important positions like cornerback, edge rusher and left tackle. But Seattle started their run of success by finding diamonds in the rough in the early 2010s drafts, like Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman.
Seattle might not find the next Chancellor or Sherman in 2022 but there is also no reason they cannot.
The three players that follow could end up being very good players who help the Seahawks win a lot of games in the futrure.
3 under-the-radar players the Seattle Seahawks should take in the 2022 NFL draft
Kicker Cade York, LSU
What? Take a kicker in the draft? Well, yes. For several reasons. And I will start with the first one and the most obvious one: York is really good and that includes being great from long range. At LSU, York made 15 of 19 field goal attempts from beyond 50 yards. Read that again. That is incredibly precise from so far away. And kicks from beyond 50 can be the difference between a victory and a defeat.
The next reason for taking York, maybe with a fifth-round selection (of which Seattle has two) is that York should be good and inexpensive. Jason Myers was fantastic in 2020 and not quite as good in 2021 but still solid, yet releasing Myers would save Seattle $4 million in cap space. Myers is due to make $5 million in 2022 but only $1 million must be paid if Myers isn’t on the team.
The third reason is that while York didn’t handle kick-off duties in college, he clearly has the leg strength to drive the ball. So does Myers but Myers has seemingly struggled with driving the ball on kick-offs. Seattle, and therefore Myers, ranked 31st in the league last year in touchback percentage (37.35 percent).
Maybe this was partly by design but Myers wasn’t great at it in 2020 (21st in the NFL) and continuously kicking off to another team will eventually cause a team to give up a long return at the wrong time. York, besides his accuracy overall (he was 54 for 66 in his college), should be able to help after Seattle scores too with long kick-offs.
Offensive lineman Cole Strange, Chattanooga
Strange was a guard in college and started a ton of games. He won’t be fooled too much by what a defender wants to do against him with all his experience. He also seems really smart and that intelligence will him adapt relatively quickly to NFL defenders. The question about Strange is his overall strength.
But I think this concern will be diminished a bit because I think Seattle is seeing Strange as a future center and not a guard. Center might be a near-perfect fit for Strange, too, especially in a system like the Seahawks. Strange may not have superior muscle but he has excellent quickness. In a zone-blocking scheme, Strange’s nimble feet and ability to change angles will be extremely useful.
But Strange’s intelligence are also going to work well at center. Strange would have to call the line alignments. Understanding what a defense is trying to do is needed to protect the quarterback or open holes for a running back. Strange should excel at this once he gets his feet wet as a pro.
Seattle signed Austin Blythe this offseason but only to a one-year deal. Drafting Strange would make sense in this draft because he would be able to learn Seattle’s system for a year and get some reps in while taking over full-time from Blythe in 2023. Strange could be a very good and long-term center for the Seahawks.
Receiver Bo Melton, Rutgers
Bo Melton was ill-used in the Rutgers offense for five years. Of course, that doesn’t say all that much as Rutgers has spent most of a century ill-using players. But Melton has the skills to be a productive player in the NFL, likely more productive as a pro than in college.
At the NFL combine, the 5’11” and 200=pound Melton ran a 4.34 40-yard dash so he is plenty fast enough to get by defensive backs at the next level. He also has the ability to high point the ball and has a 38-inch vertical. There is no reason based on raw athleticism Melton can’t succeed at the next level.
Melton could be an immediate boost on special teams as well as he was the gunner in college and his speed fits for that role in the NFL, too. He also was elected as captain on his special teams at Rutgers so he clearly has the respect of the other players around him.
Melton is unlikely to help much in the passing game for the Seahawks in 2022 but that is OK as Seattle has two excellent receivers already in Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf and D’Wayne Eskridge will be entering his second season. But by 2023, Melton could be a contributor. But he will help on special teams immediately.