Seattle Seahawks rookies are balling and NFL.com has noticed

12s have known that the Seattle Seahawks rookie class is loaded. But now the national media is beginning to notice just how good the rookies are. Basically, the football-viewing public should get used to Seattle being good for a long time. Again.

Week 10 was rough for everyone. The rookies weren’t awful but also didn’t make nearly the impact they normally do in games. Running back Ken Walker III, for instance, was basically shut down running the ball as he ran 10 times for 17 yards. (Walker did have a pretty good day receiving, though, with 6 catches for 55 yards.) According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), only one of the Seahawks ten highest-graded players against the Buccaneers was a rookie (left tackle Charles Cross at number 3 at 81.0).

Still, Week 10 was completely different from the trend of most of the season. The 2022 version of Seattle football is anchored by an outstanding rookie class. And when NFL.com released its midseason season rankings of all rookies, Seattle had two in the top 6 in the league. Of the top 25 rookies, four play for Seattle.

Seahawks rookie class is really, really good

The highest is cornerback Tariq Woolen at number 3. Woolen, of course, is Seattle’s latest fifth-round steal after players like Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. Woolen had another interception – his fifth of the year – against Tampa Bay and is second in the NFL in picks.

Walker is number 6 on NFL.com’s list. Though he was RB2 behind Rashaad Penny to start the year, Walker has the 15th-most rushing yards among running backs. He’s also tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns with 7.

At number 22 is right tackle Abraham Lucas who was drafted to be a fantastic run-blocker. He has been good at that but he has been surprisingly good in pass protection as well. Along with first-round choice Charles Cross (who didn’t make the list but has still been good), the Seahawks offensive tackles should be set for the foreseeable future.

Number 24 is cornerback Coby Bryant. Bryant had a rough game against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers but he has mostly been as good as Pete Carroll could have hoped and Bryant will only get better with more experience. He might be the slot corner for the Seahawks for 8 years.

Seattle enters the bye week at 6-4 and is in first place in the NFC West. The team overall has exceeded expectations. The rookie class is the best in the NFL and has also been better than advertised. This should mean with more experience the rookies will be even better next year and beyond and will be helping Seattle win a lot of football games.