4 things we learned from the Seahawks Week 4 shootout

This Seahawks rookie class is probably the best we’ve seen in years.

It’s not just Charles Cross and Abe Lucas, as vindicated as I feel about both of those picks. Cross and Lucas have allowed the Seahawks to run the offense they’ve wanted to run for years now, but they’re just one part of what has, to this point, been John Schneider’s version of Rachmaninoff’s third concerto — an elegant composition of draft picks that draws from everything Schneider has previously built, deftly performed, and a perfect expression of just what is possible within the constraints of a 7-round draft.

Boye Mafe already looks like he could be a mainstay on the edge for years to come. Much has been made of his athleticism, but his instincts in chasing down the ball have caught my attention. There could be some Terrell Suggs in his game, and that spells bad news for anyone in an NFC West backfield.

Tariq Woolen has had the biggest glow-up of any Seahawks draft pick since Tyler Lockett. Just four games into his professional career, he’s already one of the toughest defensive backs to make a play against in all of football, allowing a passer rating of less than 50 on targets in his direction.

His combination of speed and length is beyond anything we’ve ever seen on the defensive side of the ball, and with Richard Sherman tutoring him, there’s no limit to his upside.

Even players that haven’t started their careers with marquee roles, like Ken Walker and Coby Bryant, are flashing as role players who could grow into more as they mature.