Seattle Seahawks are reaping benefits from the 2022 draft
Clint Prasky
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Six games into what many thought was a lost season, the Seattle Seahawks are 3-3. Part of their success is due to an outstanding rookie class.
It’s late April in 2022, General Manager John Schneider and Head Coach Pete Carroll are huddled up in the Seattle Seahawks‘ executive offices with their scouts putting the final touches on their NFL Draft game plan. The national media thinks Seattle is in a full rebuild. But Carroll said, “No, we are not in a rebuild; we are retooling.”
Nobody believed him; the consensus was the Seahawks couldn’t win with Geno Smith as their starting quarterback. And his backup, Drew Lock, is an even worse option.
Fill up an arena with 12s and ask them if they thought that after six games, the Seahawks would be 3-3. Maybe a handful would agree. More likely, 2-4 or 1-5 would receive the most support.
And Geno as a top 5 passer in the league? Crickets.
But the Seahawks brain trust had a plan. Let’s take a look at how their draft picks are doing through the first six weeks.
Day 1 Pick
Round 1 was Thursday, April 28. The Seahawks owned the 9th pick, which was part of the return from Denver for Russell Wilson.
They began the post-Russell era by taking offensive tackle Charles Cross from Mississippi State. A veteran of Mike Leach‘s “Air Raid,” Cross was the highest-graded pass-blocking tackle available.
There were concerns about his run blocking because Mississippi State didn’t run much. His run blocking wasn’t a problem, as Cross was a starter from Day 1.
As it looks six games into his rookie season, this was a great pick. Cross has held his own against the best the league can throw at him. Bookend number 1 obtained.
Grade: A-, due to some holding calls, but those are rookie mistakes and will get cleaned up.