The Seattle Seahawks chose 10 players in the 2023 NFL draft. By most accounts, the draft was a good one and helped fill some needs. Seattle needed a nose tackle? Check. They got one, and more on that in a minute.
Seattle probably also could have used an inside linebacker but they didn't choose one of those players. Probably because the team is hoping Bobby Wagner and Devin Bush will stay healthy and be better tacklers than the players Seattle had in 2022. Let's hope that happens.
But overall, the Seahawks chose quality players who should improve the offense and defense. And well, yeah, special teams as well. But longer snapper Chris Stoll was picked up as an undrafted free agent so maybe that doesn't count. Still, Seattle didn't have a long snapper before the draft and now they have one afterward. But which three Seattle rookies might make the biggest immediate impacts?
Seahawks impact player No. 1: Defensive tackle Cameron Young
I am not completely understanding why so many 12s are still upset that general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll did "so little" to address the concerns among the defensive line group. They certainly did try to remedy the problem of 2022 by adding Dre'Mont Jones and Jarran Reed in free agency. Jones and Reed should be an upgrade over the players who were in their spots last year.
But Young is no slouch. He is a beast of a player at 6'3" and 305 pounds and is bottom-heavy so he is tough to move out of position. This is exactly what teams want in a nose tackle: Someone who can take up blockers and not give ground. That is Young's strength.
While Young might not start Week 1, he will definitely get reps and likely earn more playing time. He can rotate in with someone like Myles Adams. But Young is bigger than Adams, and certainly stronger than 2022 starter Poona Ford. Young's job is to allow linebackers to make tackles and there is no reason to think Young won't do that very well early in his career.
Seahawks impact player No. 2: Running back Zach Charbonnet
Seattle entered the draft with two running backs: Kenneth Walker III and DeeJay Dallas. They came out of the draft with two more RBs in Charbonnet and seventh-round choice Kenny McIntosh. Walker should still be expected to be the starter and he was very good in 2022, but in the NFL teams need multiple good running backs as they get banged up so easily.
12s are no strangers to seeing the top two (or sometimes three) running backs get hurt at one time and some random RB4 has to start. This happened in 2022 when Tony Jones actually had to play meaningful snaps for Seattle. My point is that while Walker is good and Dallas is a decent backup, Seattle needed more quality RBs.
Charbonnet is a back that doesn't mind contact and can run through tackles. He is worthy of being a number-one back on many teams. There should be little doubt that he is going to get lots of reps as part of a rotation with Walker but not only in 2023 but in 2024 as well. Having Charbonnet on the team keeps Walker fresh and vice versa.
I saw one person tweet that he was upset that the Seahawks took Charbonnet because of how it might make Walker feel. Here's the thing: Teams don't avoid taking players because they think one of their current players might get their feelings hurt. The 6-foot and 220-pound Charbonnet is only going to help extend Walker's career because Walker won't take such a beating. Plus, Charbonnet is a beast near the goal line with 39 rushing touchdowns in his college career.
Seahawks impact player No. 3: Cornerback Devon Witherspoon
I have to go with the most obvious player here, right? I don't have receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on this list because it takes most receivers a bit more time to acclimate to the NFL. Plus, while Smith-Njigba might immediately be WR3 he would not, of course, be WR1 or WR2 and will likely see fewer targets. Smith-Njigba might eventually replace Tyler Lockett one day, but not in 2023.
Witherspoon on the other hand should immediately be pressed into playing one outside corner spot. And he has the ability to completely change the way the Seahawks play defense. Seattle has been much more of a zone defense than they were in the early 2010s. Then, with players like Richard Sherman, the Seahawks could press and this allowed players like Kam Chancellor to help with run support even more.
Seattle probably will start 2023 by playing a regular zone base. But as Witherspoon adjusts to the speed of the NFL, they will likely move to more of press coverage with Witherspoon on one side and Tariq Woolen on the other. The signing of safety Julian Love cannot be undervalued, especially with Seattle taking Witherspoon. Love is an excellent tackler and good in run support and if Woolen and Witherspoon do their jobs well in press coverage, Love can feast on running backs and tight ends.
But Witherspoon has to be as good as advertised. If he isn't, Seattle wasted a number 5 pick. But assuming Witherspoon is very good, Seattle is about to embark on the Legion of Boom 2.0 and the NFL better be ready.