Seattle Seahawks Post-NFL Draft Offensive Unit Rankings

With the NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, the Seattle Seahawks’ roster ahead of the 2024 season is virtually set, minus a minor signing here or there.

Looking back at the 2023 season, there were clear strengths and weaknesses for the team and some positional units needed major upgrades while others are the least of their problems going into the offseason.

With what was addressed during free agency and the draft, which positions are the strongest? Coach Mike Macdonald did not come to Seattle with the cupboards bare. And so far, he has made efforts to improve the team in key locations.

Let’s see where each position unit ranks as far as strength and depth. We split it into 12 units, including splitting offensive line into “tackles” and “interior” as well as defensive line into “EDGE” and “interior.”

We will start with the seven offense and specialist units.

Noah Fant returning to Seattle is not something many people had in the Seahawks’ offseason plans. However, with a new offensive system under Ryan Grubb, it’s quite possible Fant could have a breakout year. He inexplicably was shut out of the endzone all last season and is yet to break the 500-yard plateau in Seahawks uniform.

Will Dissly was a big loss as one of the best run blocking tight ends around. Colby Parkinson turned in a solid season as a blocker as well. Both now have found different teams.

Pharoah Brown comes to Seattle as a solid blocking tight end from the Patriots. However, he is on just a one-year deal and has never had more than 208 receiving yards in a season.

Fourth round pick AJ Barner comes in with a good attitude. However, he was not asked to be a dynamic part of the offense at Michigan and is a fairly unknown quantity as a receiver.

Let’s be clear. Charles Cross has not been bad as left tackle for the Seahawks. There are just extremely high expectations when a team takes a tackle ninth overall in the draft. While Cross has not exactly become a Pro Bowler quite yet, he showed steady improvement from an up-and-down rookie campaign in 2022.

His Pro Football Focus grade improved slightly from 63.7 to 67.6. Granted, he missed some time in 2023, turning in about 200 less snaps than his rookie year. Still, he showed signs of being a first round caliber tackle. Against the Rams in Week 11, he allowed zero pressures to a sparkling 90.7 pass block grade. There is still time for him to be this franchise’s left tackle for years to come.

On the right side, things are less certain. There is no question Abraham Lucas can handle his own when he’s healthy. It’s the “when he’s healthy” part that is concerning. The Washington State alum was never quite right last year, playing just 273 snaps over six games. Chronic knee issues loom over what could be a solid career. He actually graded out better than his partner Cross during their rookie seasons. The question remains- can Lucas ever get back to that point?

Incumbent backup tackle Stone Forsythe had his moments but he’s best suited as a depth option, not one you want to see every Sunday.

Old friend George Fant returns as another depth option after being the New York Jets’ starting right tackle in parts of the last four seasons. If Lucas is unhealthy, it might be Fant’s job to lose.

Mike Jerrell was a surprise pick in the sixth round in April, as a tackle from Findlay. With a strong camp, he could enter the conversation for depth at tackle as well.

Overall, it’s the durability of Lucas on the right side, along with the slow development for Cross, that prevents this unit from ranking higher.

This group would have ranked higher in the previous season. Ken Walker III was coming off of a 1,000-yard rookie campaign that earned him Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up. He followed that up with a slightly less productive, less healthy 2023.

He ran for less than 1,000 yards, with his average dropping from 4.6 yards per carry to 4.1. He averaged 10 yards less per game as well. Some of that, of course, was outside his control. Whether it be that the team was trailing more often and forced to abandon the run or the offensive line unable to sustain run blocks, the run game struggled last year, ranking 28th as a team.

Zach Charbonnet was a savvy second round pick for the Seahawks. He displays a different skillset from Walker to offer a change of pace. When both are healthy, Walker and Charbonnet offer a solid one-two punch.

Kenny McIntosh never got to show off his skills due to injury last year. He could become a factor on third downs.

With all three of these running backs being just 24 or younger, the future is bright. Hopefully 2024 brings a healthier, more productive unit.

“Odd year” Jason Myers struck again in 2023. In five seasons for the Seahawks, 2020 and 2022 were his best, with the latter being a Pro Bowl campaign, while 2021 and 2023 were below that standard. Myers’ 83.3 field goal percentage last season was eight percent worse than his previous Pro Bowl season.

Even still, Myers did not miss a single extra point attempt in 33 tries. The hope is that “even year” Myers returns to Pro Bowl form. If he does, this special teams unit might be one of the best in the NFL.

Even without just one Pro Bowl nod in six seasons, Dickson is one of the best punters in the NFL. He ranked sixth in yards per punt last season. Over the last four seasons, he ranked in the top 10 three times in yards per punt. He also ranked third in net yards per punt.

Chris Stoll was solid in his first year as long snapper and didn't make any mistakes, which is obviously a good thing at a position that usually only draws attention if the player isn't doing his job.

Had we done this exercise before the draft, this might have ranked towards the bottom. Not only did Seattle struggle along the interior at times in 2023, but the top two interior linemen in regard to number of snaps are now elsewhere (Evan Brown, Damien Lewis). Plus, Phil Haynes was not retained as the main backup guard.

Laken Tomlinson arrives in Seattle hoping to compete for the left guard spot after starting for the Jets and will be looking for a bounce-back season.

Where this unit really turned a corner was in the draft, however. Christian Haynes has all of the tools to be an instant starter and perhaps Pro Bowl-caliber guard. Seattle’s third round pick allowed just one sack in two full seasons at UConn. It’s not far-fetched to say he could be starting Week 1 as a rookie.

Sataoa Laumea was listed as a tackle in the draft but Seattle views him as a guard, as shown by his rookie minicamp snaps. Utah’s coaching staff holds Laumea in high esteem. He also has experience at tackle.

Don’t forget about Olu Oluwatimi at center either. He left college as one of the most decorated centers in college football, winning the Remington and Outland Trophies in 2022 and was a consensus All-American. He basically got a redshirt year in Seattle with Brown handling center duties last year after being their fifth round pick. 

In limited action, Oluwatimi graded out positively, especially in pass protection. It appears he will get every chance to earn the starting job in 2024. While this unit might lack in experience, they are not wanting for youth, athletic big men, and a high ceiling.

Seattle has one of the most dynamic trios of receivers in the entire NFL. They might not get the same publicity as other star receiver groups, but this unit is as deep as it is talented.

The unit starts with the mega-talent of DK Metcalf. At times, he does not seem to play like a top 10 receiver in the league, but when he’s at his best, there are few pass-catchers who are better. He just turned in his second straight season of at least 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. He holds the single season receiving yards record in franchise history, set in 2020. He's a touchdown threat no matter where Seattle is on the field. He’s the all-around athlete every team covets at receiver.

Not to be outdone is perhaps the steadiest veteran on the whole team in Tyler Lockett. 2023 was a “down” year for him with 894 yards and five scores. He now sits alone in second place on Seattle’s all-time receiving yards list. He doesn’t get the national recognition he deserves, but Seahawks fans know what they have in him.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba had an up-and-down rookie year. He finished with just over 600 yards and four touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were game winners for Seattle. He seems to have a knack for making big plays when needed. The moments don’t appear too big for him and that’s an absolute luxury as a third receiver.

Jake Bobo, Laviska Shenault Jr., and Dee Eskridge round out a very deep receiving corps and all three could be in the mix for reps, while Dareke Young also remains in the picture.

Some might be surprised to see quarterbacks so high, but Geno Smith has been one of the more reliable quarterbacks in the NFL in the last two seasons. He led the NFL in completion percentage in 2022 and fourth quarter comebacks in 2023. Even with a slow start last year, he finished strong, ranking in the top 10 in most quarterback categories over the final six weeks of the season.

Then you have the big trade of Seattle’s offseason bringing in Sam Howell. Last year, he threw for 3,946 yards with an NFL-leading 612 passing attempts for the Commanders. It’s possible that the Seahawks coaching staff views Howell as the quarterback of the future.

The fact that Seattle has two quarterbacks on their roster who both started at least 15 games last season is unique. Depth is unquestionable.. The development of Howell and the trend of Smith’s late-career rise gives Seattle one of the more intriguing signal caller duos on any roster.