One Seahawks second-year player seems set to make the biggest leap in year two

Here is something that is not breaking news: Being a rookie in the NFL is very difficult. Few players leave college and suddenly become alphas in the league. Of the Seattle Seahawks rookies in 2023, perhaps only cornerback Devon Witherspoon came close to immediately meeting his high expectations.

Still, Witherspoon should be even better in the coming seasons. He had one interception in 2023 and that number seems too low. He did have three sacks, though, a number that might be the highest he ever has.

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba appeared to get better as the season grew old, but he finished with only 628 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Those could be his lowest numbers for the next decade. Again, being a rookie is hard.

Seahawks edge rusher Derick Hall appears ready to make a significant jump in production in year two

The rookie that struggled the most, especially based on where he was chosen by Seattle in 2023, was edge rusher Derick Hall. Hall was expected to be stout against the run and supply some occasional pass rush, at least to begin with. Instead, Hall was overmatched physically and was abhorrent in all phases of the game.

That appears to be changing in training camp this year, however (though he was kicked out of practice for fighting on Wednesday). Hall has had a strong camp, especially in terms of how well he is holding up against the run. There have been numerous times when he has found himself in the backfield and able to stuff a run. He has flashed some ability to chase down quarterbacks, too.

Stopping the run is going to be most important for Hall to earn reps. Fellow backup edge rusher Darrell Taylor has shown he can inconsistently pressure quarterbacks, but he is awful against the run. Taylor doesn't look much better, if at all, in that facet in camp. Head coach Mike Macdonald needs his players to be positionally flexible and versatile and Taylor is not that.

The starters on the edge will be Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe. Nwosu has been excellent in his two seasons with Seattle, but his 2023 season ended early as he tore a pec in Week 7. Seattle's defense was not the same without him. Mafe was highly productive early last year, but that production dropped greatly once Nwosu was hurt.

Hall would be a great backup option, especially on early downs, if he can play well against the run once the Seahawks are facing teams wearing different jerseys than the Seahawks. Run defense has been a disaster in the last two years for Seattle, Hall's jump from year one awfulness to year two goodness would help the defense fix its run issue. Hall appears ready to be quite good in 2024 based on his performance in training camp so far.

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