It didn't take long to realize that the Seahawks' 2022 draft class was going to be a special one.
Tackles Abraham Lucas and Charles Cross helped anchor the offensive line, while running back Kenneth Walker III and cornerback Riq Woolen emerged as rookie of the year candidates, while Coby Bryant was a playmaker at nickel corner.
And while that draft class, bolstered by extra picks acquired in the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver, has continued to be a foundational one for the organization, what is becoming more and more clear this season is the next two classes picked by general manager John Schneider and his player personnel department are also proving to be big parts of the team's present and future.
Last week coming out of the bye, the Seahawks elected to make rookie Tyrice Knight their starting weakside linebacker, moving him ahead of free-agent signing Tyrel Dodson, who was waived. And with center Connor Williams unexpectedly retiring, 2023 fifth-round pick Olu Oluwatimi took over the starting role, one he held throughout offseason workouts and the start of camp before Williams' signing, and the former Outland and Rimmington Trophy winner played well in his first start of the season, helping the Seahawks to a win over the 49ers.
With Knight and Oluwatimi joining the starting lineup, the Seahawks had 14 players selected in the last three draft classes either start or play significant roles on offense or defense: Cross, Lucas, Oluwatimi, Anthony Bradford, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Walker, and AJ Barner on offense, and Woolen, Bryant, Devon Witherspoon, Byron Murphy II, Derick Hall, Boye Mafe and Knight on defense.
Additionally, rookie tackle Michael Jerrell has also started multiple games this season at right tackle, while 2023 pick Zach Charbonnet plays a key role as Seattle's No. 2 back, and several other players drafted in recent years are also standouts on special teams, including Jerrick Reed II and Dareke Young.
In all, the top six picks from 2022 are starting and playing at a high level, while last year's top three picks, Witherspoon, Smith-Njigba and Hall all look like emerging stars, and this year's class is also providing valuable contributions.
"It brings juice, it brings energy, but also, it requires some patience," safety Julian Love said of having so many young players in big roles. "You can't hand-hold guys when they're Year 1, Year 2, it's kind of like a trial by fire type of thing. Just let them go play fast, play free. If I'm out there with some guys, I try to limit thinking and just go do. That's what it requires, the confidence and ability to let these young guys just go and play football… Playing fast, playing free, it's freeing when you don't have to think."
Veteran guard Laken Tomlinson, the elder statesman on an otherwise young line, has been impressed with what players like Oluwatimi and Bradford, as well as Cross and Lucas, who are still only 23 and 26, respectively, are bringing to the offense.
"A lot of energy," Tomlinson said. "Those guys bring a ton of energy. When those guys go out there and work, just watching them work, sometimes I kind of think, I've got to communicate with the young guys now. But the awesome thing is, I've been working with these guys since April, so the communication is fluid with Olu coming in, because we've been working with him since spring."
While a few good draft classes doesn't guarantee success, it's a great place to start for an NFL team. As much as free agency and trades generate headlines, long-term success is almost always built through drafts, and Schneider and company have been on a roll in recent years.
And if building a foundation with three strong draft classes sounds familiar, that's because the best teams in franchise history were put together largely through the work Schneider and Pete Carroll did in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 drafts, adding the likes of Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, Russell Okung, and Golden Tate in 2010, K.J. Wright, Richard Sherman, Byron Maxwell and Malcolm Smith in 2011, and Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Bruce Irvin, Jeremy Lane and J.R. Sweezy in 2012.
Players in the past few classes are yet to reach the first-team All-Pro level of success obtained by players like Thomas, Sherman and Wagner—though it can be argued that a few of them are flirting with that level of play—but the 2022-2024 classes do match up well to that 2010-2012 group in terms of the number of players starting or playing significant roles.
It will take several more years to fully measure the impact of the past three drafts, but what has become increasingly evident as more and more young players step into bigger roles this season, is that the Seahawks have a strong young foundation built through the draft that should help them stay competitive going forward.
"A ton energy, a ton of talent too," Tomlinson said of the team's youth. "It's really good having those guys out there, because once you get those guys rolling, the sky's the limit for them."
