Three first-year Seahawks who didn't earn a second season in 2024

Edge rusher Derick Hall

Now we come to the problem child of the group. Yes, it's a bit unfair to judge any rookie on their first season, I get it. Not everyone is going to explode out of the gate like Devon Witherspoon. Then again, Spoon was the fifth overall pick. He pretty much had to produce. Hall was the third player drafted by Seattle, with the 37th overall pick. Happily, we have a much fairer comparison in Boye Mafe.

Like Hall, Mafe was a second-round pick, the 40th overall. Both were targeted as edge rushers for a that needed a serious boost in that department. Mafe got into all 17 games as a rookie and made three starts. He tallied three sacks with 10 pressures in all, and added 41 total tackles, three for a loss. That wasn't exactly a spectacular debut season, but we all know what he did last year.

Thankfully, Mafe's sophomore breakthrough season gives us hope for a similar leap for Hall. Although in Hall's case, it would be the equivalent of moving from jumping a Lego to clearing the high jump at the Olympics. Yes, that's how inconsequential Hall was as a rookie. While he did manage to record 10 pressures, he had zero sacks, and was just as bad at stopping the run as Darrell Taylor.

The good news is that the Seahawks have to give him another shot. It would cost Seattle almost $1.7 million to cut him at this point. Frankly, they'd be idiots to cut him, even if it saved them $1.7 million. He did make 38 tackles and only whiffed on three. Considering how awful the Hawks tackling was last year, that was one of the better performances by far. With Coach Macdonald's new defensive scheme, Hall could make that big leap forward this season. I'm not saying he shouldn't get the chance, simply that he didn't come close to earning it.

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