NFL Draft Grades 2023: Re-grading the Seattle Seahawks' draft one year later

The Seattle Seahawks seemed to have another good draft class in 2023. The team had four picks in the first two rounds so there was potential to add talent in which to improve on a surprisingly good 2022 team. Unfortunately, Seattle finished with the same 9-8 record this past season and missed the playoffs.

Some of the 2023 draft class proved to be worth their draft status, though. Some others never had a chance to show what they could do due to injuries. Others might have done decently but might have been over-drafted.

The negative part is that only a couple of rookies truly helped the team a great deal in 2023. The positive part is that rookie seasons can be difficult anyway and the players might still be good. Here is how all the rookies graded based on draft status and production.

Two Seattle Seahawks rookies took home a grade of Incomplete

Kenny McIntosh - Running back

McIntosh flashed three-down potential in training camp but then he hurt his leg in early August and had trouble coming back. He did appear in three games, but he did not see much playing time even in those games. As McIntosh was a versatile back in college at the University of Georgia and looked like he could be in practice with the Seahawks before getting injured, one might hope he can start 2024 healthy and be the third back in a rotation of McIntosh, Kenneth Walker III, and Zach Charbonnet.

Mike Morris - Defensive lineman

Morris only appeared in Week 1 before injuring his shoulder. He was expected to get a lot of playing time as Seattle was set on having a 3-4 base, but at least Morris would have worked his way into the rotation and earned valuable experience. Now he will almost be like a rookie again in 2024. The good part is that he played under Mike Macdonald for a year at Michigan so Macdonald should know how to get the best from Morris.

Two Seahawks rookies were an F in 2023

Derick Hall - Edge rusher (Second round, pick 37)

There may have been a reason that Hall fell to the second round even though his pre-draft drills were impressive. That reason is that while Hall has great athleticism, maybe that might not translate to the NFL. Sure, Hall hopefully has a long time left to play and his rookie season will not be an indication of just how bad he will be, but there is little doubt his first year was a failure.

Hall appeared in all 17 games, but he played in only 26 percent of the snaps. Still, he totaled only 11 pressures and zero sacks. The unfortunate part was that his pass-rush efficiency was better than his run defense. He seemed completely lost, thinking before acting, and failed to set a hard edge. Pro Football Focus gave him the worst grade in the league last year against the run, and he wasn't close to next-to-last. The hope is that Hall just had rookie nerves instead of simply being a bust of a pick.

Anthony Bradford - Right guard (Fourth round, pick 108)

Bradford was a lot like Hall in that he just did not seem prepared to play much as a rookie. The starter at right guard was supposed to be Phil Haynes, but as Haynes often does, he got hurt. This meant Bradford had to play more than the Seahawks were likely comfortable with. He is big enough and strong enough to get some push against the run, but he was a mess in pass protection.

In 419 pass-block snaps, he allowed 28 pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, his pass-block grade was eighth-worst in the league. The hope is that Bradford learned enough in his rookie season that he can quickly put his new knowledge to work in his second year. He appears to be the presumptive starter at right guard, for better or worse.

Three Seattle rookies graded as a C

Zach Charbonnet - Running back (Second round, pick 52)

Charbonnet wasn't truly bad in his rookie season, and it is not his fault that the Seahawks took him in the second round, but second-round running backs need to be immediately impactful in today's NFL. Part of the problem was in the moments when Seattle needed Charbonnet the most, he had some of his worst statistical games. Between Weeks 10 and 12 after starter Kenneth Walker III had suffered an injury, Charbonnet got 48 of his rushing attempts for the season (44.4 percent of total attempts) but ran for 154 yards and an average carry of only 3.2 yards.

In all other games, when Walker was able to play most of the game, Charbonnet had 308 yards on 60 carries, 5.1 yards per rush. Let's hope that all those statistics are an anomaly and Charbonnet didn't play smaller when the pressure was higher on him specifically. He will be needed moving forward so let's hope he is ready.

Olu Oluwatimi - center (Fifth round, pick 154)

It would be easy to give Oluwatimi a lower grade because he failed to earn more snaps as the season went on even though the starter at center, Evan Brown, was not playing very well. This could simply have been a coaching decision and not wanting to rely on the rookie. The Michigan product graded higher in pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus, than did Brown, however. Oluwatimi is the presumed starter heading into 2024.

Cameron Young - Defensive tackle (Fourth round, pick 123)

Young was much like Oluwatimi in that he did not get many reps to show what he could do. In limited snaps - Young played 201 defensive snaps overall - he had about the same amount of efficiency as Dre'Mont Jones did. Young graded much higher, according to PFF, than recently signed Johnathan Hankins, for what that is worth.

Two Seahawks rookies took home a B

Jerrick Reed II - Safety/special teamer (Sixth round, pick 198)

Most people who watch the NFL might not have any clue who Jerrick Reed II is, but he easily exceeded his sixth-round draft status in the sneakiest of ways. Instead of getting a ton of defensive reps, the rookie stood out as a special teamer. Not only was he third on the Seahawks in special teams tackles with 9, but he was also named to the Professional Football Writers of America's All-Rookie team. This even though he suffered a torn ACL in November.

Reed may or may not get many snaps on defense in 2024 either; much depends on his recovery. He certainly has the tenacity to want to be on the field and then hit receivers as hard as possible once they catch the ball. Maybe new head coach Mike Macdonald can get the most out of Reed and turn him into a serviceable safety who sees a lot of reps in Macdonald's three-safety sets. Something about Reed screams to not underestimate him.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba - Wide receiver (First round, pick 20)

At the very beginning of last season, Smith-Njigba, likely though little fault of his own, might have been heading to a D grade or worse. He was ill-used in Seattle's scheme. Former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seemed to think that Smith-Njigba was the second coming of Dee Eskridge and that meant sending JSN out on short routes only. Thankfully, over the course of the season that changed.

In fact, Smith-Njigba became so trusted by Seattle's quarterbacks that he was given chances to change the outcomes of games in the fourth quarter. Perhaps Smith-Njigba's best and most important play came late against the Philadelphia Eagles when he ran a post route for a 29-yard touchdown. After having just 62 yards receiving through the first four games, Smith-Njigba had four games later in the year with at least 60. He should explode in 2024.

The one A

Devon Witherspoon - Cornerback (First round, pick 5)

Perhaps the only thing that Witherspoon did not do as much as expected was create turnovers in his rookie season. He only had one interception and one forced fumble. The interception was extremely memorable, though, as it came in a game that is arguably among the best that any rookie has ever played.

In Week 4 against the New York Giants, and in Witherspoon's third in the league (he missed Week 1 with an injury), the rookie returned his interception 97 yards for a touchdown, had 2 sacks (the only player ever with a pick-six and multiple sacks in a game), had another pass defended, was in on 7 tackles, and had 2 tackles for loss. Witherspoon proved in one game he was worthy of being taken a pick 5.

For much of 2023, the cornerback was graded in the top five at his position, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He missed two games late in the season and seems to lose a bit of his efficiency, but hitting the proverbial wall in his first season happens to most rookies. He will likely understand how to avoid a letdown late in seasons as his career continues.

Witherspoon made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and was named to the Professional Football Writers of America's All-Rookie team. He allowed a solid 87.3 passer rating when targeted, a number that will probably improve even more as he gains more experience. The cornerback still finished with the sixth-highest grade among all corners, according to PFF.

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