2022 NFL Draft: Grading Every Team’s 2022 NFL Draft Haul
By Hunter Haas
Seahawks (9 picks):
1:09 – Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
2:08 – Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
2:09 – Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
3:08 – Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington St.
4:04 – Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
5:10 – Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA
5:15 – Tyreke Smith, EDGE, Ohio State
7:08 – Bo Melton, WR, Nebraska
7:12 – Dareke Young, WR, Lenoir-Rhyne
Arguably the most surprising thing about the Seahawks draft in 2022 is that they didn’t trade down in the first two days. John Schneider is a general manager that loves to stockpile picks in the middle of the draft, but he wisely chose to stand pat in the 2022 NFL Draft and take the best available players at positions of need.
Charles Cross is a franchise left tackle, and as solid as Duane Brown was, that’s something Seattle hasn’t had in awhile. Not only that, they added Abraham Lucas to serve as the right tackle of the future. They landed a bookend of tackles and didn’t even have to maneuver the board to do so, bravo. Boye Mafe was an interesting pick with Arnold Ebikietie and Drake Jackson still on the board, but Mafe had a great offseason and will be a good player in the Seattle system.
Kenneth Walker III wasn’t a flashy pick but given Chris Carson’s injury history, it was a necessary pick. And now on to my favorite part of a stacked class, the double-dip at cornerback. First, they chose Coby Bryant, the partner-in-crime to Sauce Gardner at Cincinnati. Then, they got the steal of the entire draft. Tariq Woolen fell way farther than he should have, and Seattle is the optimal place for him to refine his craft. I expect him to be a full-time starter on the Seahawks by 2024. If you can’t tell, I love this class.
Grade: A-