Seahawks winning in spite of poor drafts, also hurting because of it

But 2022 class offers hope for the future

In some ways we will always live in a post-pandemic world, but where Covid struck the hardest in terms of football operations, nothing will compare to the period between the 2020 and 2021 NFL Drafts. College football is like a completely different league based on all the changes in the last three years and the 2021 NFL Draft was depleted of depth like no other class in history because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to EVERY college football player.

Many seniors opted to return to school, while many current NFL stars entered the 2021 NFL Draft despite opting out of the previous college season and taking more than a year away from the game. Names like Ja’Marr Chase, Micah Parsons, and Rashawn Slater.

The Seattle Seahawks practically bowed out of the 2021 NFL Draft altogether—largely due to the trade for Jamal Adams—and in some ways that is killing them at a time when their rivals are thriving with second-year pros such as the Lions with Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Chiefs with Creed Humphrey and Nick Bolton, the Dolphins with Jaylen Waddle, Liam Eichenberg, Javon Holland, and Jaelan Phillips, or Thursday’s all-important opponent.

The 49ers have landed a goose egg from Trey Lance so far, but owe plenty of gratitude to Talanoa Hufanga, Elijah Mitchell, Deommodore Lenoir, and Aaron Banks for their place atop the NFC West standings.

So far, the Seahawks 2021 draft class has yielded a total of 651 offensive and defensive snaps between three players. That hurts.

Fortunately, the impact of second-year players around the NFL today hints at great news for the Seahawks in 2023.