3 Seahawks veterans who could lose their starting job to a rookie

The Seattle Seahawks took eight players in the 2024 NFL draft. Not all of the players are expected to start, or even play, right away. Many of Seattle's picks came on Day 3 of the draft.

That does not mean that general manager John Schneider is not hoping to find another gem in the later rounds. He has made a habit of that since 2010. Some players taken in the fifth round alone were Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, and Riq Woolen.

One of the rookies that follow is a Day 3 player. Seattle might have found several steals then. But only one might fight for an immediate starting spot.

Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed could lose his spot to Byron Murphy II

New head coach Mike Macdonald is going to be the real defensive coordinator in 2024. The team hired Aden Durde in the role of DC, but he is going to be more of a mouthpiece for Macdonald and tasked with making sure Macdonald's weekly plan is implemented. Macdonald will also mix and match fronts a bit, but in his base defense, the Seahawks will play a 3-4.

This means Leonard Williams on one side and Dre'Mont Jones on the other. Murphy should play in the middle. Reed can also bounce outside if Jones plays more snaps as an edge rusher, as has been rumored. Still, Murphy should get more reps than Reed in the middle because while Reed proved he can still chase down quarterbacks in 2023, he is not good against the run.

Murphy should provide the kind of strength and quickness in the interior of the Seattle defensive line that the Seahawks simply did not have last year. Murphy might not get a ton of sacks early in his career, but he is going to help fix Seattle's run defense.

Right guard Anthony Bradford should lose his job to Christian Haynes

Sure, Bradford is not a long-time veteran, but he would normally be the front-runner to fully take over right guard entering his second season, and as Phil Haynes is no longer with the team. Bradford just did not show much as a rookie and he was atrocious in pass protection. Haynes has the size and college experience to play right away and he also has the tenacity that coaches love.

This has nothing to do with what round the players were taken either. Haynes was the higher pick, but he wasn't a first-round choice and the team feels pressure to play him immediately. Instead, Haynes is likely more technically sound than Bradford and will fight more on every snap. Haynes might be a rookie but he will not believe he is inferior to whomever he is lined up across. Bradford appeared to play scared at times in 2023.

Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett could steal Tre Brown and Mike Jackson's jobs

This one is a bit of a two-for just as Seattle taking two cornerbacks in the 2024 NFL draft from Auburn was. Pritchett is a better fit on the outside than his Auburn teammate D.J. James. Pritchett is longer and slightly faster. At the combine, Pritchett ran a 4.36 40 which is plenty fast for the NFL. Pritchett should also be a better matchup for bigger receivers than Tre Brown has been. Brown is solid in coverage but struggles against tall receivers.

Pritchett did struggle against the run with the Tigers (as did James), but that might have been more of a coaching issue than something Pritchett is not capable of doing. He needs to add some weight, but he should have better speed than Jackson and Brown, and his ability to press in man coverage, due to his length, should also translate well to a Mike Macdonald-led defense.

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