Seahawks 2022 Draft Class Superlatives
Unlike when they only had three selections a year ago, the Seahawks solidified multiple areas of concern by selecting nine new players during the Jorge Posada Jersey 2022 NFL Draft, including No. 9 overall pick Charles Cro s out of Mi si sippi State. To help introduce Seattle’s 2022 cla s, which also features a handful of undrafted free agent signings, the All Seahawks writing staff dished out their annual rookie superlatives. Best PickCorbin Smith: Charles Cro sThis may seem pretty self-explanatory with Cro s being a blue-chip talent picked in the top 10, but the Seahawks badly needed a long-term answer protecting the blind side and the First-Team All-American selection emphatically checks off that box. While he will deal with an adjustment period transitioning to a pro-style offense, he’s an elite pa s blocker with light feet who also can hold his own in the ground game with more physicality than advertised and should only improve in that capacity as he gains experience.Ty Gonzalez: Cro s The Seahawks had to get their first top-10 pick in over a decade right – no ifs, ands, or buts about it. They did just that, going chalk with the best pa s protecting tackle in the draft. Cro s wont turn 22 until late November, has all the makings of a longtime franchise cornerstone, and is yet another foundational building block for the next great era of Seattle football.Nick Lee: Cro sHe was the 3-foot gimme Dellin Betances Jersey putt. A layup. The Seahawks decided to go the traditional route and select the best player available. Cro s should be able to be plugged right in as the starting left tackle. Its safe to hope that he is the left tackle for the next half-decade at least with maybe a Pro Bowl or two.Colby Patnode: Cro sWhile this might be the easy answer, it’s also the correct one. The Seahawks didn’t get cute and trade down or take the “nastier” lineman in Trevor Penning. Instead, they identified a need and a player they believed their coaching staff could take to their greatest potential and simply picked him. Cro s should be a solid starter right away and carries tremendous upside, which is exactly what you want from a Top 10 selection.Rishi Rastogi: Tariq WoolenWoolen, a 6-foot-4 cornerback with 4.26 40 yard dash speed is a player Pete Carroll should be salivating over. Rarely in the NFL can you get top-notch athleticism to fall to you all the way into the fifth round. Woolen may not have the instinctual skills or elite positioning that teams would desire in a corner. However, his elite athletic ability and rare length give him an enormous range to grow and flourish into a top corner in the league. Biggest SurpriseCorbin Smith: No curveballs thrown by John SchneiderWhile most experts were shocked by Seattle’s decision to select Kenneth Walker III in the second round, the need for backfield reinforcements given Chris Carson’s uncertain future made it a reasonable, if not wise, move in my opinion. In terms of surprises, the Seahawks didn’t really make any of their patented head scratching picks and they simply went into attack mode upgrading their offensive line, pa s rush, and secondary while using late-round picks to get versatile receivers with special teams potential. The strategy of drafting quality football players to addre s obvious needs at premium positions was almost so by the book that it bordered on boring.Ty Gonzalez: No quarterback being drafted The general premise of Seattle avoiding the top of this quarterback cla s was unsurprising, but the fact it had several opportunities to select one of Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, or Sam Howell and continually chose not to took me aback a little. At a certain point, I figured the upside would have been too good to pa s up on, particularly before the team selected Lucas at pick No. 72 with Willis and Ridder still on the board.Nick Lee: No quarterback being drafted Even Lou Gehrig Jersey with this lackluster draft cla s, the Seahawks are one of the most quarterback-needy teams ahead of this upcoming 2022 season. They pa sed on the top signal callers multiple times without blinking an eye. For better or worse, they truly are going to give Geno Smith and Drew Lock a chance to compete in camp.Colby Patnode: The Seahawks had a boring draft…It was really good, but really boring. There were no dramatic trade ups or downs. Just one trade was made total, which is unheard of for Schneider. They largely took the best player available in areas of need. Most of us had heard of every player they selected on the first two days. It was boring in its predictability, but a nice change of pace.Rishi Rastogi: No quarterback being draftedMany suspected Schneider and the Seahawks would not take a quarterback with their ninth overall pick in the draft. However, as Willis and Ridder continued to slide well into the third round, I wouldve thought Schneider would take a shot at one of the two in hopes Phil Rizzuto Jersey of developing them over the course of their first two seasons in the league. Yet, the Seahawks front office stayed true to their beliefs, and pa sed on the top quarterbacks three times. Most Likely to Start Right AwayCorbin Smith: Charles Cro s/Coby BryantThe Seahawks won’t hand a starting job to any of their rookies, as they’ll have to earn their spot like everyone else. But if Cro s doesn’t beat out Stone Forsythe to start in the season opener, it would be a huge disappointment. As far as le s obvious Week 1 starters, Bryant will enter the league boasting plenty of experience and a refined game as a physical, ball-hawking outside corner, giving him an excellent chance of beating out Artie Burns and Tre Brown for the right to line up acro s from Sidney Jones in the secondary.Ty Gonzalez: Cro s Reinforced by the continued free agency of Brown, Cro s is going to be the Seahawks starting left tackle from day one. Anything that suggests otherwise should not be entertained.Nick Lee: Cro sEven if he wasnt the ninth Greg Bird Jersey overall pick, the tackle situation is dire in Seattle. Cro s walks into that room head and shoulders above the other tackles on the roster and he will undoubtedly be starting in the season opener at left tackle.Colby Patnode: Cro s Barring injury, Cro s will be the starting left tackle in Week 1. The Seahawks wouldn’t have taken Cro s if they expected anything le s. He’ll go through some growing pains, but netting as many reps as po sible should be the goal in 2022.Rishi Rastogi: Cro sCro s headlines the Seahawks draft cla s as by far the most pro-ready player and the expectations are high. Cro s only allowed one sack in over 650 pa s blocking snaps, and many expect his transition to the NFL to be a succe sful one coming from an Air Raid offense at the college level. Most Pre sure to Reach CeilingCorbin Sm