The Seahawks rookies saw plenty of playing time throughout the 2024 season. How well did they perform?
One year is not enough to determine the future of rookies. Players are still adapting to the NFL, to the new scheme, and there are many changes at once. However, it is possible to get an idea of how these rookies can produce in their second year and beyond.
Let’s go and review how the 2024 Seattle Seahawks draft class performed!
Byron Murphy II, DT
The Seahawks had Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon competing for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award over the past two seasons. When the Seahawks selected Byron Murphy II, given what Mike Macdonald did with the Ravens’ DL, I expected the former Longhorn to be a top candidate for the DROY.
If you think about it with that high expectation, it may sound like a little disappointment for the first round pick. However, Murphy basically missed four games due to an injury early in the game against the Dolphins. But when he returned to the team, he was a fundamental part of the improvement in defending the running game. In addition, he left hope for a much better second year in the pass rush, in numbers.
He was sixth in Defense Grade (58.2) and Rush Defense (54) among DTs. Murphy was additionally fourth in Pass Rush Grade with (64.5), getting 23 pressures, the third best number among rookies. He was behind only his former teammate, T’Vondre Sweat with 23 and Braden Fiske who had an incredible 51 (in addition to 9 sacks).
He was fifth in Run Stops with 17, behind Johnny Newton, Jonah Laulu, and, again, T’Vondre Sweat and Braden Fiske. He only missed 2 tackles, being the rookie DT who made the fewest mistakes behind Evan Anderson and Elijah Chatman who didn’t miss any.
Christian Haynes, OG
As I said in the introduction, one year is too short to give a verdict on a player. However, Haynes’ situation is very complicated. He will need a big change to achieve something different in his career. The former UConn player was chosen for his high floor and not his ceiling. He is a starter with basically six years of college. So, he would arrive older and with a lot of experience. It seemed that with an OL full of problems, it would only be a matter of time for him to become a starter.
Things didn’t quite work out that way. The second-year Anthony Bradford started training camp as a starter. Many head coaches prefer to keep the players who were already in the group, for the sake of “respect.” However, Bradford got injured and what seemed like the perfect time for Haynes to take over the position didn’t happen. McClendon Curtis becomes the starter. If you watched Seattle’s preseason games, you could see the concern that Haynes wouldn’t be able to beat him.
The season starts and Haynes starts sharing snaps with Bradford. Even though Laken Tomlinson and Bradford formed one of the worst guard duos in the league, Haynes didn’t get the starting job. Former offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said that Haynes was missing snaps due to strength and technique issues.
Bradford got injured and placed on IR. Once again, it seemed like the perfect time for him to take over the starting role, but that’s not what happened (again). The team prefered to use Sataoa Laumea, a player who had been inactive all year. This reflects well on what the coaching staff thinks of him and, therefore, is worrying for his future.
He finished his rookie season with 167 snaps, 6 pressures allowed, 5 hurries and 1 sack, in addition to 2 fouls. His Pass Block Grade was 51.9 and his Run Block Grade was 49.8.
Tyrice Knight, LB
One day I was watching Arizona vs. UTEP, focused on the Wildcats’ prospects. However, the Miners’ No. 10 was turning heads, appearing all over the field, a tackling machine. I started following him closely, so when he was selected by Seattle in the fourth round, I had more hope than most fans.
We’ve said a few times that Seattle made a mistake in its LB lineup; from the departure of Jordyn Brooks to the signings of Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker. Knight shared some snaps with Baker in Week 2 in the win against the New England Patriots. Baker was injured and Knight was the starter against the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, sharing snaps this time with Drake Thomas.
The Seahawks traded Baker for Ernest Jones and cut Dodson in the bye week. This finally put Knight as a full-time starter and he shined. He was an important part of the team’s growth in the running game, something that Baker and Dodson were terrible at. The rookie finished with only 6 missed tackles, behind only Omar Speights of the Rams.
Knight also showed that the passing game, which would be his main concern coming from UTEP, would not be such a big problem. He will still need to adapt, but the result was much more positive than expected. He gave up a 76% completion rate, the second-best mark among rookies. Knight was also an important player as a blitzer/pass rusher. He finished the year with 10 pressures (3rd), 2 sacks (2nd), 2 hits and 6 hurries (2nd).
AJ Barner, TE
Barner’s selection was interesting. I had him as a fifth-round prospect, so he didn’t come out much earlier than my projection. The interesting thing is that he was chosen, in theory, for his blocking skills. But that’s not what made him stand out.
He was fifth and fourth among rookies in pass block and run block grade, respectively. However, he was quite inconsistent from game to game, uncharacteristically missing some of the blocks he used to make masterfully at Michigan. Going into the numbers as a receiver, he received the second-best grade behind only the incredible Brock Bowers. He also trailed the Raiders rookie in TDs by a count of 5-4. The difference is that Barner did it with 37 targets and 30 receptions and Bowers with 148 and 112, respectively.
Barner had three drops, so that’s another point to improve thinking about Year 2. If he can fix his blocking flaws and keep improving in the passing game, he could become the TE1 sooner than we thought.
Nehemiah Pritchett, CB
I remember when the former Auburn player was selected, many claimed he was a possible steal of the Draft. Well, his first year lived up to that expectation. He was quite inconsistent in the preseason, but he managed to stay on the roster.
He was the sixth option after Spoon, Riq Woolen, Tre Brown, Josh Jobe (who started the year on the practice squad) and Artie Burns (who spent most of the year on the practice squad). Pritchett played 151 snaps, receiving the lowest grade of ALL rookies in the class, as well as the second-lowest grade in coverage. Even though he played just over 151 snaps, he was 14th in missed tackles with 6, and second in missed tackle percentage.
His numbers weren’t worse because he played fewer snaps. On 20 targets, he gave up 13 receptions, 205 yards, 1 TD, no INTs and only 1 pass deflection.
Sataoa Laumea, OG
Perhaps when Laumea took over as the starter, due to the circumstances explained in the Haynes thread, the unsuspecting fan might not have even known who he was. This is natural since Laumea was on the third and fourth teams during training camp. There was a greater chance of him being cut before the regular season than of him having a snap in his first year.
Laumea was inactive until Week 13 (before Bradford’s injury). I can’t understand how someone who didn’t train well enough to be active in games could be better than Haynes in practice. If that was true, why wasn’t Haynes inactive?
Anyway…
The former Utah player took over as the starter and was responsible for Seattle’s best moments in the running game in this final stretch (Weeks 13 – 17). In fact, our OC could have explored running the ball to the right side of the OL much more.
However, Laumea had a lot of problems in pass protection. The worst grade among the rookies was his, 17.8, the second worst was 41.9, just for comparison. He surrendered 23 pressures, 17 of which came against the Packers (10) and Vikings (7). He surrendered 2 against the Jets, 1 against the Cards, 0 against the Bears and 3 against the Rams.
The RG position is currently open, and probably the LG position as well. Laumea will need to show that he is capable of protecting the QB if he wants to remain as the starter in 2025.
DJ James, CB
The only one from the rookie class who did not make the roster. He was also not brought onto Seattle’s practice squad. James earned a spot on the New England Patriots’ practice squad, where he stayed the entire season.
Michael Jerrell, OT
Jerrell was a gamble coming from the unknown Findlay. A very athletic player, but he would need some refinement, something Seattle was not able to offer. Abe Lucas didn’t recover for the start of the regular season, which gave Jerrell a chance to make the roster.
After other injuries, such as those to George Fant and Stone Forsythe, Jerrell became a starter against the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills. He played most of the snaps against the Los Angeles Rams, a few against the San Francisco 49ers, and was a starter again, this time against the Rams, after Lucas was injured again.
He played 250 snaps, 15 pressures allowed, 3 sacks, 2 hits, and 10 hurries. He received the third-worst run-block grade and the second-worst pass-block grade. However, he was the lowest pick on the rookie list. You can’t ask for much more from a sixth-rounder who played in the FBS last year. I think he was very productive, and if we can get a competent OL and OC, Jerrell could be a great asset in the future.
UDFA class
The UDFA class doesn’t have a lot of potential. The athletic Jalen Sundell managed to make the roster, surprising many people. He had a few snaps as an additional OL and FB, until he took over as the starter midway through the game against the Packers after Olu Oluwatimi was injured.
The only other UDFA who deserves some mention is George Holani. He was the standout in the preseason and caused some “revolt” when he didn’t make the roster. Maybe the reason for this was his health; he even went on IR during the season while on the practice squad. Holani ended up being promoted and finally promoted to the 53 at the end of the season, but he produced little, once again leaving only expectations.
Final Thoughts
I think it was a satisfactory first year. As much as we expected a little more from Byron Murphy, the only disappointment was Haynes. The balance was very positive on Day 3. Laumea and Jerrell did more than you’d expect from sixth-round picks. In addition, Knight became a solid starter and Barner was an important part of the offense, especially in the final stretch of the season.