Three Seattle Seahawks rookies who could make an instant impact
With several holes on the Seahawks roster going into the 2024 NFL Draft, GM John Schneider did a solid job of finding players in the draft to fill those positions of need. The Seahawks needed to add to their defensive line, offensive line, secondary, and special teams. John Schneider did a good job of addressing each of those areas of need and was effective at adding depth, as he went about filling each of those positions.
John Schneider came into the 2024 NFL Draft without a second-round selection or a fifth-round selection but was still able to put together a nice draft. Instead of trading back in the first round of the draft, Schneider decided to hold on to the 16th overall pick. Using the 16th pick on arguably the best defensive player in the 2024 NFL Draft. Although not trading back prevented Seattle from having a second-round selection, the Seahawks came away with a solid defensive tackle in Byron Murphy II.
The Seahawks did not make another pick until round three on day two of the draft. Seattle ended up with one of the best interior offensive line prospects in guard Christian Haynes at pick 81. John Schneider was able to make a nice trade with the Broncos to acquire a fifth-round pick and a late sixth-round pick by trading back from pick 102. By trading back, Schneider acquired more draft capital, and eventually selected defensive back Nehemiah Pritchett at pick 136.
How these rookies will fit into the Seattle Seahawks' plans this upcoming season
Rookie impact player No. 1 - Guard Christian Haynes
The Seahawks lost guard Damien Lewis in free agency this off-season, as Lewis signed with the Carolina Panthers on a four-year deal for $53 million. Also, the Seahawks lost starting center Evan Brown to free agency, opening up another interior O-line spot. After both of these departures, the Seahawks needed to add depth to the interior of their offensive line. The Seahawks not only added guard Laken Tomlinson in free agency but also added Christian Haynes in this year's draft out of UCONN.
Christian Haynes was good both on and off the field for the UCONN Huskies. He had an academic award named after him at UCONN and earned a master's degree from the university. That was on top of being a two-time All-American guard during his college career. Haynes was also a team captain for two seasons at UCONN. The Seahawks not only selected a talented young guard but also an amazing person, with strong leadership qualities.
Seattle will likely have quite a competition ahead during training camp this year with Christian Haynes, Laken Tomlinson, and Anthony Bradford competing for the starting guard positions. Haynes is in a unique position where has a chance to earn the starting guard position out of camp this summer. Even if Haynes does not earn the starting position out of training camp, given his talent, there is no question he will have a chance to earn the starting role at some point in 2024.