Two years into his career, Seattle Seahawks receiver Dee Eskridge seems like a huge bust. Eskridge was a bit of a reach when Seattle chose him in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft anyway. And I won't even mention that he is already 26 years old though he has only played those two seasons. To put it more into perspective, Eskridge is nine months older than DK Metcalf and Metcalf has played four years in the league (and been a ton better than Eskridge).
Eskridge has missed 13 games in two years. This is more shocking than it seems because in the 20 games he has participated in, he has been amazingly invisible. Eskridge has caught just 17 passes over two seasons, about half of his 33 targets. He managed to score a touchdown in 2021 but has averaged a paltry 7.2 yards a reception.
One of Eskridge's issues might be he is simply a bad fit in Seattle's system. He isn't truly an outside guy and doesn't really play in the slot well. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seems happy giving the ball to Eskridge on jet sweeps than throwing the ball to him down the field. And the Seahawks could have taken the following three players instead of Eskridge in the 2021 draft and made the team even better.
Seahawks missed on defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa
Maybe the Seahawks felt like their defensive line was OK the way it was in 2021, but drafts are about future success, not just fixing immediate problems. Al Woods was brought back in 2021 before the draft happened and while Woods wasn't bad, he was also 34 years old. Seattle needed younger and more versatile defensive lineman moving forward.
Two seasons into his career with the Dallas Cowboys, Osa Odighizuwa has racked up a combined 6 sacks, 22 quarterback hits, 14 tackles for loss, and in 2022 he missed just 2,3 percent of his tackle attempts. Odighizuwa does still need to get better as a run stopper, but his ability to supply interior pass rush is so good it might have meant Seattle didn't need to chase players of his ilk, like Jarran Reed, in free agency this offseason.
Seahawks missed on wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown
This one really hurts. Eskridge went 56th overall in the draft while St. Brown went in the fourth round at 112th overall. Sure, a lot of teams whiffed on St. Brown, but Seattle clearly wanted to try to add WR3 as Seattle only had three picks in the 2021 draft and chose a receiver with their first choice.
It's also a bit surprising that St. Brown didn't end up with the Seahawks because he played at USC and head coach Pete Carroll loves his SC guys. St. Brown is bigger than Eskridge and an even better route-runner so I am not sure what Seattle saw in Eskridge that they didn't in St. Brown. But St. Brown has had a monumentally better NFL career so far than Eskridge.
As a rookie, St. Brown had 90 catches for 912 yards and had a total of 6 touchdowns. So basically, if St. Brown hadn't played another season past his rookie one, he would still have 790 more receiving yards, 5 more touchdowns, and 73 more catches. Heck, if Eskridge even had one year with 73 catches and 790 yards receiving it would seem like a miracle at this point.
But St. Brown has played two years and in 2022 he was even better than 2021. Last year, Brown finished with 106 catches for 1,161 yards and 6 touchdowns and added another 95 yards rushing. Besides the rushing yards, that kind of season is even slightly better than what the Seahawks' Tyler Lockett produces in a good year. The difference between St. Brown and Eskridge at this point is sadly laughable.
Seahawks missed on center Creed Humphrey
The Seattle Seahawks have seemingly needed an upgrade at center since the team traded away Max Unger for Jimmy Graham before the 2015 season. Creed Humphrey was a highly regarded player entering the draft, but the only knock against him was that he could only player center. The problem is that Humphrey was a very good center prospect and he could have helped solidify the Seahawks offensive line for many years to come.
Other Seahawks news
Humphrey was immediately impactful as a rookie. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie team and was so good he finished third in AP Rookie of the Year voting which normally goes to the glamour positions of quarterback or receiver or something, not interior offensive lineman. Sure, Ma'Marr Chase won the award, but that two people voted for Humphrey tells you how good he was.
In 2022, Humphrey was named second-team Al-Pro by the Associated Press. Last season, Humphrey allowed zero sacks and just 2 quarterback hits, while allowing just 18 total pressures. Two things. One, his run-blocking grade, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) was even higher than his pass-blocking grade. And while his 2022 overall grade of 90.0 was the highest in the NFL, it was actually lower than the grade he received in his rookie season (91.4).
Humphrey went 63rd overall in the 2021 draft, seven spots back of Eskridge. Eskridge might turn his career around and be a decent player, but he will likely never be close to the quality of Creed Humphrey. The Seahawks needed a center in 2021 and could have had Creed Humphrey, but instead they chose D'Wayne Eskridge and that will always be a colossal mistake.