The goal of every front office in the league is to build through the NFL Draft to stockpile young talent on the roster.
Well, one recent ranking of all 32 teams on just their talent under the age of 25 on the roster entering the 2025 NFL season has the Seattle Seahawks among the elite in this exercise.
ESPN Ranks the Seattle Seahawks Second for Team Talent Under 25 Years Old Entering 2025 NFL Season
Aaron Schatz of ESPN did an extensive deep dive into all 32 teams to determine which rosters have the most talent under the age of 25 ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
Fortunately for the Seahawks, they ranked second on the list.
Schatz wrote, “The Seahawks climb eight spots on our list for a few reasons. First, 23-year-old Smith-Njigba had a breakout 2024 season, catching 100 passes for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. Second, they drafted a young quarterback in Jalen Milroe — and even young quarterbacks from the third round have value here. And third, they added a whole year of draft picks without having any important players age out of consideration for this list.”
For some additional context on how Schatz conducted this exercise, he took into consideration things like snaps played, Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections, and player contracts for these players under the age of 25.
Schatz mentioned some of the young talent on the offensive side of the ball with Smith-Njigba and Milroe, but did give some love to other projected contributors in 2025 that are expected to anchor the running game.
Schatz added, “The Seahawks also have more youth on offense with 24-year-old running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, plus the left side of the offensive line, where left tackle Charles Cross and left guard rookie Grey Zabel are both under age 25.”
The offense isn’t the only unit that has young centerpieces expected to have a large role and play at a high level in 2025 with a young budding star in CB Devon Witherspoon.
Schatz concluded, “Other than Smith-Njigba, the best of the Seahawks’ young players is 24-year-old slot cornerback Witherspoon. In his first two seasons, Witherspoon has recorded 177 tackles, 4 sacks and 25 passes defensed. The rest of the young defense includes last year’s first-round pick, 22-year-old Murphy, as well as 24-year-old edge rusher Derick Hall and 21-year-old second-round rookie safety Nick Emmanwori.”
Rookie QB Jalen Milroe Already Turning Heads at Training Camp
Jalen Milroe earned a mention in Schatz’s article, but what is more exciting are the observations of Brian Nemhauser from Hawk Blogger, who had some encouraging things to report about the performance of the Alabama product from the early goings of training camp.
Nemhauser posted on X, “Jalen Milroe had a heck of a practice. He was making so many plays with his arm that he did pushups on the sideline after completing a 20 yard pass to Ricky White because the throw forced White to dive for it.”
Darnold is the undisputed starter entering this year, but the financial details in the three-year deal signed earlier this offseason suggest the Seahawks can part ways with Darnold without significant long-term salary cap damage after the 2025 NFL season.
If Darnold struggles and Milroe has an impressive preseason where he displays growth as a pocket passer, then the Seahawks could pair a dynamic dual threat quarterback with a talented young roster to move into 2026 and beyond.
