Tag: boye mafe

Seahawks second-round draft pick OLB Derick Hall signs rookie deal

The Seahawks are almost done signing their 2023 draft class.

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The Seahawks are almost done signing their 2023 draft class. Yesterday another box was checked as one of the team’s two second-round draft picks signed his rookie contract.

According to Tom Pelissero at NFL Network, former Auburn outside linebacker Derick Hall is getting 85% of his signing bonus before training camp and has $100,000 guaranteed in the fourth year of his deal.

During his time in college, Hall (6-foot-3, 254 pounds) totaled 19.5 sacks, 29.5 tackles for a loss and five forced fumbles. He’ll be competing for playing time with Boye Mafe and several other young edge rushers that have yet to prove themselves at this level.

Now the only Seattle rookies that still remain unsigned are Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet.

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Seahawks rookie class receives high marks in 2022 season grades

Following an impressive first year, the Seattle Seahawks rookies received high marks in Eric Edholm’s end-of-the-season grades.

The Seattle Seahawks rookie class came out on top in the NFC West rookie grades, receiving an A- from Eric Edholm of NFL.com.

“It’s not a stretch to say that the Seahawks might not have returned to the postseason without the contributions of their rookie class,” Edholm writes. “They received notable playing time from six first-year players — three on offense, three on defense — and replenished some of the depth issues that plagued Seattle down the stretch in recent seasons.”

Seattle selected two offensive tackles last April, Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, who both earned starting roles in their first season. The Seahawks also picked up running back Kenneth Walker III, who actually received more first-place votes for Offensive Rookie of the Year than the winner Garrett Wilson.

The Seahawks rookies shined on the defensive side of the ball as well.

“Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant might be the Seahawks’ starting corners for the next few years,” Edholm continued. “How Woolen fell to Round 5 is anyone’s guess, but he’s a Seattle-style corner if there ever was one, tying for the league lead in picks with six (one pick-six) and flashing outstanding playmaking ability. Bryant opened eyes with four forced fumbles and has the makings of a quality slot corner if he can clean up his tackling and tighten his coverage a shade.

“Boye Mafe brought energy as a subpackage rusher and figures to reprise that role — or even start — in 2023.”

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Seahawks take Arnold Ebiketie over Boye Mafe in this ESPN 2022 re-draft

There’s still time for Mafe to catch up, but for now Ebiketie appears to have the higher ceiling in the NFL.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it. That’s the energy that Brady Henderson brought into ESPN’s 2022 NFL re-draft. In the first round, he had the Seahawks going the same route they did last year, selecting Mississippi State left tackle Charles Cross with the No. 9 overall pick.

In the second round of ESPN’s re-draft, Henderson picked Michigan State running back Ken Walker in the spot (No. 40 overall) that had gone to Minnesota outside linebacker Boye Mafe.

With the very next pick, Henderson went in a different direction. Instead of taking Mafe, he went with a different edge defender: Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie:

“The Seahawks loved Ebiketie but never got a chance to take him in the actual draft, ending up with Boye Mafe instead. With Mafe off the board in this scenario, they could take Ebiketie, who had similar production during his rookie season but a much better pass rush win rate — 17.6% compared to Mafe’s 10.2%.”

You’ll hear no argument from us. There’s still time for Mafe to catch up, but for now Ebiketie appears to have the higher ceiling in the NFL.

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Seahawks GM John Schneider should be Executive of the Year

For the past decade the Seattle Seahawks have been an absolute force in the NFL.

For the past decade the Seattle Seahawks have been an absolute force in the NFL. Since 2012 the Seahawks are third in the entire league in total wins. Despite a lofty win total, they do not have much hardware to show for it. I am not talking about Lombardi or George Halas Trophies. No, I am talking yearly awards.

Russell Wilson (in)famously never received an MVP vote, let alone win the award outright, and no elite Legion of Boom-er ever won Defensive Player of the Year. However, perhaps the most egregious of all is the fact general manager John Schneider has still yet to win Executive of the Year.

With the benefit of hindsight, Schneider has had one of the best calendar years of any general manager in recent memory. I am judging this on three categories:

No. 1: Draft Skills

Schneider and Pete Carroll made their name in the NFL by finding stars throughout the NFL draft. It defined their early career success. In the last few seasons, the drafts haven’t been as memorable… until 2022 when he drafted perhaps the best rookie class in the NFL.

Corner Tariq Woolen is tied for first in the NFL with four interceptions. Tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas appear to be franchise bookends for the better part of the next decade. Corner Coby Bryant is seemingly in on every forced fumble. Running back Kenneth Walker III is making a case he should be in the conversation for among the best in the league. Linebacker Boye Mafe is coming on strong as a pass rusher.

No. 2: Player Acquisition

The Seahawks were not splashy in free agency, but they made their moves count. They signed linebacker Uchenna Nwosu from the Los Angeles Chargers, who has lead a resurgent Seattle pass rush. In the last three weeks the Seahawks have recorded 14 sacks, when they had eight total as a team prior.

The Seahawks also signed center Austin Blythe. It does not take an expert to analyze the fact this offensive line has been a weak spot over the last few years. With Blythe, Seattle’s interior line has been solidified. In addition to the two rookie tackles, Cross and Lucas, quarterback Geno Smith has plenty of time to cook in the pocket.

Additionally, who you don’t sign/keep can be just as important as who you do. Many called for the Seahawks to make a move for quarterbacks Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo, since they did not select a rookie in the 2022 NFL draft. Instead the Seahawks opted for in-house candidate Geno Smith, who has handsomely rewarded the organization’s faith.

No. 3 Player Retention

Speaking of quarterbacks… let’s address the Mile High elephant in the room. The Seahawks made waves this offseason when they willingly traded away franchise icon Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos. Many called Schneider a mad man, including yours truly.

However, given Wilson’s atrocious play to start the season – and the astronomical extension gifted to him by the Broncos – it appears the Seahawks have avoided a franchise-crippling bullet by moving on from their former quarterback.

Realistically speaking, Schneider should have received this award in either 2012 or 2013 when he crafted the greatest defense in NFL history. But if there were ever a time to make up for such egregious oversight, now would be it.

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Mina Kimes focused on development for young Seahawks

She specifically mentioned three important rookies to watch.

Reasonable expectations is the name of the game for Seahawks fans heading into the 2022 season. In the absence of Russell Wilson, it’s difficult to see the team competing for a playoff spot come January. However, there are reasons to be hopeful about the future of this team.

ESPN analyst and Seahawks fan Mina Kimes was a guest on Bump and Stacy earlier this week and talked about what she’s focused on for this coming season.

Instead of hoping for a high win total or a playoff run, she’s interested in seeing how certain pieces develop as the year goes on. She specifically mentioned three important rookies to watch.

“Nobody has any delusions, I think, that this is a team that’s going to make a deep playoff run, but you want to see the pieces in place so that next year if they draft a quarterback or go after one in free agency, it feels like the foundation is set for you for the next playoff team… You’re focusing on players and their development, and watching Seattle, there’s things to be encouraged by, there’s things to be frustrated by. I mentioned the two offensive tackles, aside from the false starts by Charles Cross, obviously really encouraging signs from both him and Abe Lucas both in pass protection and run blocking… On the other side of the ball, defensively I think Boye Mafe, who’s their second-round pick this year, has definitely flashed some of that explosiveness and motor you saw in college.”

It’s still too early to tell, but it appears Seattle set a strong foundation at three key positions in the 2022 NFL draft; namely offensive tackle, EDGE and cornerback. If the rookies at those three spots show improvement throughout the year it will be a good indicator for future success.

The missing ingredient of course is a franchise quarterback – all other progress will be moot if they can’t find a quality starter in 2023, either in the draft or via free agency or a trade.

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Seahawks 2022 training camp: 6 takeaways from the weekend

The team returned to practice today after making some roster moves and hosting a free agent on Saturday.

The Seahawks are coming off a short week, having played two preseason games in five days as they round the corner towards the regular season. The team returned to practice today after making some roster moves and hosting a free agent on Saturday.

Here are six takeaways from this weekend.

Seahawks PFF grades: Best and worst performers from preseason Week 2

Here are the top and bottom five graded players on offense and defense for Seattle this week from Pro Football Focus.

The Seahawks lost another ugly preseason game against the Bears on Thursday night. While it’s never great to see your team struggle like that, the important thing is that we’re learning more about this roster.

Here are the top and bottom five graded players on offense and defense for Seattle this week from Pro Football Focus.

Seahawks 2022 rookie watch: Breaking down Game 2 for Boye Mafe, Abe Lucas

For now, the most exciting rookies on the roster appear to be Abe Lucas and Boye Mafe.

There’s still a lot of time for the rest of the field to catch up. For now, the most exciting rookies on the 2022 Seattle Seahawks roster appear to be right tackle Abe Lucas and outside linebacker Boye Mafe.

Lucas has been the star of the preseason so far, making a habit of knockdown blocks and being a mauler in the run game. Here’s Geoff Schwartz breaking down another promising performance from No. 72.

Mafe was the biggest first-year standout against Pittsburgh. While he didn’t make quite the same splash last night against Chicago, he still caught the eye of some people.

Here’s Brian Baldinger examining the different ways Mafe was put to use by Seattle’s defense.

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Seahawks 2022 Rookie Watch: Power ranking all 9 draft picks after preseason debut

While there’s plenty of room for improvement, the team got some promising performances from what will be a critical 2022 NFL draft class

The Seahawks played their first preseason game of the year over the weekend against the Steelers.

While there’s plenty of room for improvement, the team did get some promising performances from what will be a critical 2022 NFL draft class. Here’s how we rank all nine picks after their preseason debut.

Secret Superstars for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has scoured preseason tape, and here are his Secret Superstars for Week 1 of this NFL preseason.

Those party-poopers who tell you that “It’s only the preseason” have never tried to make an NFL team, or grab a starting role, by the skin of their teeth. For more players than not, the three-game stretch before the regular season begins is their best way to prove that they belong on an NFL roster once things get “real.”

Now that Week 1 of the 2022 preseason is in the books, here are the players we think have done the most to create — or enhance — those favorable impressions when they matter the most.

The players on this list are not the obvious names — there are no first-rounders, or players who came into the new season with advanced amounts of hype based on their collegiate or previous NFL exploits. These guys are either trying to stake their claims, or save their careers.

So, let’s take a look at the Secret Superstars of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason.

(All metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise indicated).