3 rookies who impressed in Seahawks preseason win over the Chargers

This is a story entitled “3 rookies who impressed in Seahawks win over the Chargers,” and I will not be including Aaron Donald – oops, I mean Byron Murphy II. To be clear, Byron Murphy was among the most impressive players – rookie or otherwise – on the field against the Chargers in Mike Macdonald’s debut as the Hawks' new head coach.

You don’t typically see rookie linemen being double-teamed three seconds into their NFL careers, but just ask the Chargers' Brenden Jaimes what it's like to tangle with Murphy one-on-one. Even when LA did double-team him, the former Texas Longhorn didn’t have much trouble bullying through both blockers.

Fans have already anointed Murphy the defensive rookie of the year, which seems a tad premature after 19 snaps in one preseason game. But it is already clear that he will be a force from day one. Interior linemen rarely win DROY, but 1) Murphy can and will line up pretty much anywhere along the line, and 2) the last interior lineman who did win the award was...drum roll, please...Aaron Donald.

Three Seahawks rookies who stood out in preseason Week 1 versus the Chargers

So, yes, Byron Murphy II was absolutely a rookie who impressed in Week 1, but let’s look at a few others who stood out. And don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get back to Murphy before the end.

Tyrice Knight, linebacker

With Jerome Baker out, Tyrice Knight got to take a lot of snaps with the first team defense. The former UTEP star never looked out of place. Like the defense as a whole, he was usually around the ball, and he proved to be a sure tackler when he got his hands on an opponent.

Knight reminds me a lot of Kansas City’s Nick Bolton. He’s a solid athlete, but will not wow anyone with overwhelming speed or power. He just looks at home in the chaos of the middle of the field and makes plays. You can expect rookie mistakes, but they will more likely come in the form of overshooting gaps due to aggressiveness. That’s better than seeing a young player slow to react because he is tentative.

Knight has the physical tools to be a force and looked very comfortable against NFL talent. A veteran coach like Kirk Olivadotti will help him learn the nuances of the pro game, and Knight should develop into a quality starting caliber linebacker in short order.

Nehemiah Pritchett, cornerback

We knew the Seahawks had as good a pair of starting corners as any team in the league. The depth that has been emerging throughout training camp has been extraordinary. You can now add Nehemiah Pritchett’s name to that list of very solid backup cornerbacks. With young vets like Tre Brown and Mike Jackson having strong camps, and with Artie Burns adding additional experience and versatility, cracking this roster will be tough.

Pritchett was very active on Saturday. With the exception of guard Christian Haynes, no rookie was on the field for more snaps. Like the entire secondary, he never seemed to be out of position. When the ball was in his area, he was always close by. And he made tackles. The Seahawks have a great history of talented, physical defensive backs, and Pritchett seems to be another in a long line.

Now, he’ll just have to beat out fellow rookies D.J. James and Carlton Johnson for a roster spot. There are more games lost to injury at cornerback than at any position in the NFL, so having an embarrassment of riches is a very good thing.

Jalen Sundell, center

Sure, we could talk about George Holani here. He had an impressive TD run against the Chargers in which he showed the ability to bounce outside and not simply run over people. He had an even more impressive block later, and that could earn him a spot as much as his power running.

Or we could talk about Christian Haynes, who seemed to play virtually the entire game and won some raves from Pro Football Focus. Personally, I’d pump the brakes on Haynes just a bit. He may turn out to be a starting guard before it’s all said and done, but he has a ways to go, particularly as a run blocker, where he can play too high and lose leverage.

But I want to mention Sundell, the undrafted free agent out of FCS school North Dakota State. Sundell played tackle in his final year in college but had been a center for the majority of his career. On Saturday, he came into the game late in the third quarter, taking over for Olu Oluwatimi.

Of course, by that point, he was playing against ninth-teamers, but you can still tell by watching him move that Sundell has a role to play in the NFL. He sets well. He moves well. He looked comfortable in both run and pass blocking. With Connor Williams entering and Nick Harris departing, Sundell’s place deep on the depth chart may not have changed. But he showed he belonged, and earned additional looks. That’s a very good result for a UDFA playing his first pro game.

And, as a bonus, he practices every day against Byron Murphy II. When you do that - to paraphrase Red from The Shawshank Redemption - you either get better, or you get bounced right out of the league. I think Sundell will get better, and I also have to mention Murphy again.

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