RENTON — The Seahawks have rightly received ample praise for the contributions of their 2022 draft class through the first three weeks of the season, with three emerging as starters and looking like foundational pieces at key positions for years to come — left tackle Charles Cross, right tackle Abraham Lucas and cornerback Tariq Woolen.
Several others have showed promising signs — running back Kenneth Walker III, edge rusher Boye Mafe and cornerback Coby Bryant, in particular.
But as the Seahawks have fallen to 1-2, also hard to ignore is the paucity of contribution from the 2021 draft, both in the players selected — they had just picks — and maybe just as critically, in the players acquired in trades using picks from that draft.
Much of it has been because of the unfortunate reality of injuries, for which a team can hardly be blamed.
Regardless of the reason, the reality is that the Seahawks are getting a significant contribution from just one player either taken in that draft or acquired with a pick in that draft (only one undrafted free agent from that year remains on the roster as well, backup offensive lineman Jake Curhan).
Here’s a look at the picks/players acquired with the picks in the 2021 draft.
First round: The Seahawks traded their first- and third-round picks in the draft to the Jets for safety Jamal Adams in July 2020. Part of the thinking was that the 2021 draft loomed as more of an unknown then ever because of COVID-19 and that players had an option to stay in college longer if they wanted. Many around the league felt that would impact the depth of the draft. The Seahawks gambled that they’d be good in 2020, and even better with Adams, and the pick wouldn’t be overly high. Indeed, it turned out to be 23d overall, a pick the Jets traded to the Vikings who used it on left tackle Christian Darrisaw of Virginia Tech. After a late start to his rookie season because of injuries, Darrisaw is playing well it in year two, starting all three games for the Vikings and rated 14th among all tackles by Pro Football Focus.
As for Adams, he helped the Seahawks to a 12-4 record and division title in 2020. But he has played just 13 games since, suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in December last year, and then a knee/quad injury in the first game of 2022.
Second round: The Seahawks selected receiver Dee Eskridge with its first pick in the draft at 56th overall. Eskridge played just 10 games last year because of injury. He’s healthy now, but is the fourth receiver on the depth chart, playing just 23 snaps and with just two catches for six yards.
Third round: As noted, this pick also went for Adams. And it also ended up in the hands of the Vikings (via a trade with the Jets) who used it on guard Wyatt Davis of Ohio State at 86 overall. After playing in six games solely on special teams last year, he was waived by the Vikings and is with the Saints, though he has seen no action this year.
Fourth round: They used this pick on cornerback Tre Brown of Oklahoma. Brown started three games at midseason last year, showing signs of the potential the team felt he had, before suffering a knee injury against Arizona and having surgery, He remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He is eligible to return next week but coach Pete Carroll said this week it’s unclear when he’ll be back.
Fifth round: The Seahawks dealt this pick in March 2021 to Oakland for veteran guard Gabe Jackson. Jackson has started 20 of 21 games for the Seahawks, including all three this year, serving for now as the one every-down player they have in either a pick or trade from this class.
Sixth round: They used this pick on Florida offensive tackle Stone Forsythe. Forsythe has been active for all three games this year as a backup tackle but has not played on offense. He has nine special-teams snaps. He played 14 snaps on offense last year. The Seahawks initially dealt this pick to Miami late in the 2020 draft for a sixth-rounder in 2020 that the Seahawks used on tight end/defensive end Stephen Sullivan. Sullivan played in two games for the Seahawks in 2020 before becoming a free agent and signing with Carolina, where he is a backup tight end. Seattle got the pick back when it traded two picks to Chicago to move up to take Forsythe.
Seventh round: The Seahawks used this pick in October 2020 to get Carlos Dunlap from the Bengals, also dealing center B.J. Finney. An unquestionably good trade for Seattle, even if Dunlap’s playing time and impact decreased during the 2021 season, leading to him being released in March and signing with Kansas City, for whom he has two sacks this season.
OK, so it’s not news that the legacy of this draft was always going to rest heavily on the Adams trade, and no one could have foreseen the injuries he has suffered. He missed only two games in three years with the Jets.
But the hope that the Seahawks would find some production with the picks they did have has yet to come to real fruition, but there is still time for that to happen (Eskridge being the key there).
As was acknowledged by everyone at the time, the Adams trade was made in large part to take advantage of a window of opportunity the Seahawks felt was still open to get to a Super Bowl. But that’s a philosophy that doesn’t come without risk, which they may be feeling some now.