The 2022 NFL draft is officially in the books, and it was perhaps the strangest draft we’ve seen in the Pete Carroll regime to date. In that, I don’t mean that the Seattle Seahawks‘ front office did everything possible to swerve from popular opinion and wholly disregarded every other talent evaluator under the sun — that would be orthodox for Carroll and GM John Schneider.
Rather, the Seahawks largely stuck to their projected picks, rarely moving from their draft position and drafted for obvious positions of need. That being the case, the effects this draft class could have on the team Seattle fields this coming season may be easier to predict than usual.
With such a projected coup of a draft class under Seattle’s belts, there stand to be a lot more people that benefit than those who will find themselves worse off, it seems. That said, it would be prudent to describe these changes in more detail.
Some current Seahawks should be happy – and some not so happy – with what Seattle did in the 2022 NFL draft
And in case you missed the draft because of life/work, the players the Seahawks chose are as follows:
1st round, pick number 9: Offensive tackle Charles Cross
2nd round, pick 40: Edge rusher Boye Mafe
2nd round, pick 41: Running back Kenneth Walker III
3rd round, pick 72, Right tackle Abe Lucas
4th round, pick 109: Cornerback Coby Bryant
5th round, pick 153: Cornerback Tariq Woolen
5th round, pick 158: Edge rusher Tyreke Smith
7th round, pick 229: Wide receiver Bo Melton
7th round, pick 233: Wide receiver Dareke Young
Winner — Drew Lock
Has any quarterback improved their prospects over the last few months more profoundly than Drew Lock?
Lock went from a draft-and-stash prospect hung out to dry by Denver’s offensive coaching staff to a reclamation project in Seattle, then Seattle went out and got Lock almost all the offensive personnel he could have asked for — new tackles to keep the rushers at bay, a new halfback so he doesn’t have to be the offense’s metronome, and even a few more receivers to choose from, as if having DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett wasn’t already as good a 1-2 combo as exists in the NFL.
Geno Smith may appear to be the front-runner for the Seahawks’ starting QB job, but Lock has infinitely higher upside, and those who remember when Carroll first took the reins will also remember that he jettisoned veteran Matt Hasselbeck to take a chance on the less-polished, arguably more talented Tarvaris Jackson.
Seattle addressed their trenches early and got their safety valve at HB, just like they did in the early 2010s with Russell Okung, James Carpenter, and Marshawn Lynch. If the new plan is the old plan, as seems to be the case, Lock should, at this point, be considered the clear favorite to be Seattle’s starter this season.
Loser — Chris Carson
What a turbulent career it’s been for running back Chris Carson. After exploding onto the scene after being a 7th-round choice in 2017, he’s consistently been one of the most effective HBs in the league — when he’s been able to stay on the field.
But as the old adage goes, the best ability is availability, and Carson has missed half of the Seahawks’ games in the last two years. Furthermore, Rashaad Penny gave Seattle’s running game new life in the back half of last season, adding an element of speed the Seahawks haven’t seen since the halcyon days of Shaun Alexander.
Adding onto that, Seattle’s selection of Kenneth Walker trails only Penny, Alexander, and Curt Warner for the highest pick the Seahawks have ever used on a running back. Of course, that high of pick makes sense after Walker ran for 1,636 yards at Michigan State in 2021. His average carry was 6.2 yards and scored a total of 19 touchdowns.
Pete Carroll has remained abnormally tight-lipped about Chris Carson’s neck injury, leading many to speculate an early (and possibly forced) retirement for Carson. With two highly-touted halfbacks in the locker room, that possibility looms much larger.
Winner — Cody Barton
The Seahawks have never been shy about drafting linebackers highly; in the Carroll regime, LBs have been among the most consistently successful draft picks they have made. That they chose not to pursue a single one in this draft potentially speaks volumes about the faith they have in former third-round selection Cody Barton.
Barton, to this point in his career, has not lived up to expectation, to the point that Seattle was willing to waltz with Mychal Kendricks amidst a heap of insider trading charges to avoid starting him. In fairness to Barton, though, his natural position is middle linebacker, and Bobby Wagner was not about to give that spot up.
Barton may have earned his chance to be the starter in 2022 with his play in Seattle’s final game of 2021. With Wagner out due to injury, Barton stepped in and had 11 tackles, The week before, after Wagner had to leave the game, Barton played 62 snaps, had a tackle-for-loss and 7 tackles.
It’s possible that new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt likes Barton’s fit better in the 3-4 scheme Seattle appears to be switching to — Barton is, after all, smaller than Wagner and was touted for his coverage prowess coming out of Utah, both of which would serve him well in a 3-4.
Loser — Alton Robinson
Jeez, what does this guy have to do to get on the field? Robinson appeared in just 31 percent of Seattle’s defensive snaps last season, down from 34 percent his rookie year. And just when it looked like he might get a chance in the regular rotation, with Carlos Dunlap and Benson Mayowa leaving town, the Seahawks went and signed Uchenna Nwosu, drafted Boye Mafe, and took a flier on Ohio State’s Tyreke Smith.
Does this mean Robinson is destined to be a designated third-down edge once again this year? Well, no, not strictly, at least. But it seems to be pretty clear that the Seahawks don’t yet value Robinson the same way they value Darrell Taylor, and Robinson is going to have to work for every snap this season.
Robinson and Taylor have been linked at the hip ever since they were drafted in 2020, and many pundits drew similarities between the two. Taylor and Mafe should be Seattle’s tandem of starting edge defenders this season, and Robinson might not be fading as of yet, but the way the Seahawks seem to be evaluating the roster, he doesn’t appear to be a major part of their plan.
Winner — Pete Carroll
Hindsight is always 20/20. That said, many front office decisions the Seahawks have made in the last decade have prompted reactions ranging from “I don’t agree, but I understand the logic,” to “No amount of rationalization could make this even close to okay.”
This year, the Seahawks went with a true throwback strategy, not chasing big names that didn’t fit Carroll’s philosophy, like Jimmy Graham, not giving out big money to aging free agents with major regression concerns, like Greg Olsen, and instead largely choosing to buy low on breakout candidates and reclamation projects like Uchenna Nwosu and Quinton Jefferson.
Seattle’s offseason is becoming very reminiscent of the way Carroll built the team prior to drafting Russell Wilson, and at this point, it may be fair to question just how much leeway Carroll was actually ceding to Wilson, even if Wilson didn’t necessarily agree.
Furthermore, this offseason has lent credence to the idea that Pete Carroll is willing to adapt to the modern game, even if many people still disagree with the value he places on the running game. The Seahawks are going to be a brand-new team this coming year — one that will likely look very different from the Seahawks of old, schematically speaking, but one that will almost certainly retain the spirit of Pete Carroll-led teams of yore.