Seahawks 2023 positional rankings: Mike Clay
Where ESPN's Mike Clay has Seattle ranked among their NFL counterparts as we enter the sickest part of the offseason: Seaside Joe 1533
Everything in sports and competition is relative, so I have no problem with league-wide positional rankings, even in May. Certainly there is some argument to be made for how each team stacks up against one another based on all the variables that we could possibly be aware of today, even though we know that trillions of unpredictable variables will pop up between now and the Super Bowl.
Trillions!
What there is argument for is how any of us, using our own paradigm of the NFL, view the strengths and weaknesses and value of each player, team, coach, unit, etc. There’s always room for debate. I like to personally go through each unit on my own to see how I feel about each position group in the NFL, something I did this week with running backs, but it’s not bad to sometimes use others as a frame of reference.
That’s what I’ll be sharing today with charts and rankings created by ESPN’s Mike Clay. Where do the Seahawks rank by unit based on a standard 53-man roster projection?
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Check out my initial 53-man roster projection and how I decided to fill “the final 10 spots” on the depth chart right here, posted Saturday during rookie minicamp!
Mike Clay posts his entire chart for FREE, so I have no qualms or hesitation to share it in full here.
The Strengths - RB, WR, LB, S
Not sure how I feel about these choices in particular. Relatively speaking, the receivers unit does seem undeniable. “If you’re undeniable, you can’t be denied.”
Running backs have that top-five potential, as I wrote in my earlier post. I am curioius how Clay came to this conclusion with Bobby Wagner and Devin Bush. I know Wagner had some outstanding numbers in 2022 with the Rams, but the Seahawks really need their defensive linemen to clean up the trenches so that Seattle isn’t leaning too heavily on him and Bush.
Quandre Diggs came on strong at the end of the season. How will the Seahawks start next season between him, Jamal Adams, and Julian Love?
The Weaknesses - EDGE, DT, OL
Clay sees the Uchenna Nwosu, Derick Hall, Boye Mafe, Darrell Taylor unit as Seattle’s worst group relative to the NFL. I mean, relative to the NFL, maybe there’s some validity to that because there’s no Nick Bosa here and it’s not the Eagles. It’s also nowhere near as bad as the Falcons or Bears. Perhaps a wide range of outcomes, at least.
His “interior” must include Dre’Mont Jones, which may give the Seahawks a higher ceiling than assumed. But I think every fan understands the reasons behind a ranking like this one. The offensive line also has a wide range of outcomes, so that’s what makes May predictions so difficult.
The Average - TE, QB, CB
Perhaps. Of course, the big outlier here is having Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon next season. Maybe by 2024, that group is #1 in the NFL.
It’s fair for Geno Smith at QB; relative to the other NFC quarterbacks, he could be a Pro Bowl player again.
Where do you differ?
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I feel like Clay is overestimating our LBs, and seriously underestimating our CBs.
Depth at LB is problematic. And while I love Bobby Wagner and am glad to have him back, he’s not getting any younger.
Does Clay not consider Witherspoon to be a dynamic player? I’ve yet to see an informed opinion by anyone that Witherspoon just isn’t that good. I see the CB position as being as strong as the RB position.
His overall ranking looks just about right to me though.
I see a bias in his evaluations toward older players with an established track record. He doesn't really account for how fast players age and how rookies and 2nd year guys, particularly at some positions, often come on quickly.
I know that there are 32 fan bases for which hope springs eternal. I know there's a natural bias toward assuming the best, at least by most. I honestly have no strong sense of how this year will go. We seem to have way more offensive tools. Woolen and Witherspoon holding down two sides of the field could be almost unfair. But we won't really know what we have until the first games are played. Then we'll begin to get a sense.
I'd not be surprised by a deeper playoff run than last year. I'd not be shocked if we missed the playoffs with a defense still a step slow. I could imagine Geno reverting to an earlier version of himself and winding up well out of the running, with a top ten draft pick. We'll see.