Jordyn Brooks, Seattle Seahawks (photo by All-Pro Reels via Flickr).
In this week, leading up to Game 1 of the 2022 NFL season, we take a look at the top young talent assembled by General Manager John Schnieder and the Seattle Seahawks front office. 2022, in the Emerald City, will be different from years past as the team underwent a youth movement of sorts in the offseason.
The Seahawks start this year with19 players on their 53-man roster who are under 25 years of age. So with that in mind, Pacific Northwest Sports upped last year’s Top 5 list to a Top 10 under 25 for this season. Here is the 2022 list:
Under consideration for the Top 10 but just missed the cut were: edge rusher Alton Robinson, running backs Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas, and second-year offensive linemen Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan. They are all good rotational players and will definitely contribute depth to this year’s team.
Defensive tackle Myles Adams kicks off the Top 10. He’s the exact type of player the practice squad was perfect for. Not every prospect is NFL-ready right out of college. Adams was a member of the Seattle Seahawks practice squad last season, cracking the lineup for two games. With a year in Seattle under his belt, he was ready to compete for a main roster spot.
Adams had an outstanding camp and made an immediate impact during the preseason. He really stood out in the final preseason game against the Cowboys with 6 total tackles, a half sack, and 2 QB hits. That performance earned the Rice University product a place on the roster as well as the defensive line rotation.
Abraham Lucas is a local kid from Everett, WA, and Washington State University. This year’s third round pick is a sturdy 6’6″, 322-pounds, and very strong.
Lucas had a very good camp this summer, and it carried onto the field. The Seattle Seahawks new starting right tackle allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and only 1 hurry on 52 snaps in his first game. That performance set the tone for the rest of his camp,
Coming from an Air Raid/Run and Shoot background, many questioned how he would fare in the ground game. As it turned out, Lucas has been a delightful surprise with his run blocking. It looks like the local kid is going to make good with his childhood team for a long time to come.
Next is newcomer Noah Fant who came to Seattle in the infamous Russell Wilson trade. Fant seems like he has been in the NFL too long to make this list, but at only 24 years old, he qualifies.
Fant is coming off a career season. He had 68 catches and 4 touchdowns with Denver in 2021. In Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron’s system, Fant has a good chance of improving those totals.
Look for the Seattle Seahawks tight end to control the seams and underneath routes. Those are things that were overlooked in recent years. If Geno Smith and/or Drew Lock need a reliable safety valve, Fant is their guy.
Number seven on the list is edge rusher Boye Mafe. At 6’4″, 261-pounds, Seattle’s 2022 second round pick from the University of Minnesota has the build for an edge rusher extraordinaire. Throw in 4.53, 40-yard dash speed, and Mafe has the building blocks for NFL success.
Last season he led the Golden Gophers in tackles for loss despite playing only 9 games. His strong performance also earned Third-Team All-Big Ten honors.
Mafe provides outside speed and has the bend to put opposing quarterbacks on their backs. The Seattle Seahawks are counting on him to help improve 2021’s lackluster pass rush.
Rounding out the first five on our list is the Seattle Seahawks’ other 2022 second round draft pick running back, Kenneth Walker III. The 5’9″, 211-pound rusher was electric for Michigan State last year.
Walker produced 1,636 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back and was also the Walter Camp Player of the year.
Numbers are great, but Walker didn’t just pile up stats against also-rans; he saved his best performances for the biggest games. He gave “the business” to in-state rival Michigan with 23 carries for 197 yards (8.6 yards per carry) and 5, count’em, FIVE TDs.
KW3 is a highlight reel waiting to happen on any given play. He currently has a hernia issue which sidelined him for most of the preseason, or he would be further up this list.
Here we go with the Top 5. Cornerback Coby Bryant might wear number 8 in honor of his namesake, but he’s number 5 on our list.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Bryant in the fourth round. Although he was drafted much later than University of Cincinnati teammate Sauce Gardner, it was Bryant who won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top collegiate defensive back.
He has good size for a defensive back at 6’1”, 198-pounds. While Bryant might not be as fast as Gardner, his coverage skills are outstanding.
Bryant has adapted very quickly in camp and earned himself the starting nickel spot to begin his career. He has a great nose for the ball and always seems to make the big play in the big spots, something the Seahawks lacked in recent seasons.
Coming in at number four this year is a fellow 2022 draft choice and fellow defensive back, Tariq Woolen. Those who read my articles on this player going into April’s draft know how highly I thought of him.
A physical specimen standing 6’4”, 205-pounds, the University of Texas-San Antonio product is blessed with incredible speed (4.26 second, 40-yard dash). Players with Woolen’s size and speed don’t come along often. Head Coach Pete Carroll is very good at developing natural talent, which is good because Woolen has only played defensive back for two years in college.
In camp, he had to deal with real competition, going against speedy receivers like D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Marquise Goodwin day after day. And the rookie held his own. Woolen just might be the steal of the entire 2022 NFL Draft.
The first name in our Top 3 is none other than the Seattle Seahawks’ number one draft pick this year Charles Cross.
Selected ninth overall from Mississippi State Bulldogs, he stands 6”5”, 307-pounds. Cross was the ninth overall pick and third tackle selected. Some draft experts thought he was the best or second-best offensive tackle prospect in the class.
On the field, he’s certainly looked worthy of a top ten selection. Cross didn’t allow a sack or even a quarterback hit in the preseason. And much like his counterpart Lucas, he should be a part of the Seahawks’ bookend tackles for a decade to come.
He comes from a very pass-heavy scheme under Coach Mike Leach, who ironically also coached Lucas at Washington State, installing the same pass-heavy scheme at MSU. With veteran Duane Brown gone, Cross is the new anchor of Seattle’s offensive line.
Inside linebacker Jordyn Brooks (the Seahawks switched to 3-4) Jordan Brooks checks in at number. The Seattle Seahawks’ 2020 first round pick needs no real introduction. Last season, Brooks had the difficult task of stepping in for team stalwart and fan favorite KJ Wright.
All he did in response was finish second in the entire NFL with 184 total tackles. That was also a new team record. For an encore, the Seahawks are giving him an even more challenging task. He steps into the shoes of bonafide first ballot Hall of Famer Bobby Wagner.
With all due respect to Jamal Adams, Brooks is now the defensive shot caller and leader. Let’s see how he responds this time. I bet he gets some votes for Defensive Player of the Year.
And finally, we come to number one. Was there any doubt about who it is?
The top player under 25 on this year’s Seattle Seahawks roster is wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. At only 24 years old this season, Metcalf is already among the top wideouts in the league.
To their credit, the Seahawks also recognized this and got his signature on the dotted line of a new contract extension last month. The Start wideout inked a new deal for three years, worth $72M with $58M guaranteed, including a $30M signing bonus.
I don’t want to post his numbers here.
Seattle knows what Metcalf has done in his first three NFL seasons. Assuming no major injuries, they also know what they can expect from him going forward. D.K. is an All-Pro quality player.
His numbers may take a slight dip this year, depending on the team’s questionable quarterbacks and their play. But don’t get it twisted. Metcalf will lead this team going forward, and he should continue to be among the top offensive producers in the NFL.
There you have it, the Top 10 Seattle Seahawks under 25 for the 2022 season. What do you think? Is the future brighter than it seems, or are there dark days ahead for the foreseeable future? Let us know in the comments section below.