Top three players that have stood out at Seahawks camp so far

Seahawks rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen

Surprise! The raw cornerback who has more physical ability than most humans could ever dream of having also appears to be able to catch on to the cover concepts in the NFL faster than many expected. Woolen drew comparisons to former Seahawks great Richard Sherman when he was drafted and for good reasons. But now those comparisons seem like they may be very apt.

Like Sherman, Woolen was a fifth-round choice and a converted receiver in college. Woolen is also about the same size as Sherman. One important difference, though, is that Woolen possesses DK Metcalf-type speed and Sherman mostly was able to use high-end intelligence and technique to become a shutdown corner in the league. If Woolen can develop technique, he has the physical traits to be a top cornerback.

If Woolen was going to be a good NFL CB a lot of people thought it may not happen until 2023. Maybe it still won’t but he has already far exceeded expectations in training camp. He has shown the ability to cover Metcalf one-on-one. Whether he can do that consistently once real games begin, though, is another question completely.

But Woolen will start in preseason game 1 against the Steelers and he will be opposite fellow rookie Coby Bryant. This duo could – and possibly should – be the future outside CB combo for the Seahawks and stay that way for the foreseeable years. Some thought that might start in 2023 but the way Woolen has performed in training camp so far, a Woolen-Bryant combo begin in 2022.