The Seattle Seahawks look bound to have another stacked rookie class this upcoming season after another impressive draft. The Seahawks have put together an outstanding amount of young talent in the last two seasons. With training camp opening up on July 26th, the excitement for Seahawks fans remains unmatched. To increase the excitement, let’s take a preview into some of the top projected rookies the Seahawks will feature this season.
Devon Witherspoon, 5th overall pick (Round 1)
Seahawks DB Devon Witherspoon (1) – Aaron Doster/NFL
First up is the player the Seahawks took fifth overall in this past April’s NFL Draft, the cornerback out of Illinois Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon brings exceptional toughness and aggression to a Seahawks defense that desperately needs it. Witherspoon at Illinois played fearless, which is incredibly important while playing arguably the toughest position in football.
Not only can Witherspoon pack a punch, but he is an outstanding coverage corner too. In 2022 Witherspoon led FBS cornerbacks in coverage at 92.5 according to PFF https://www.pff.com/news/draft-ranking-2023-cbs-passer-rating-allowed-devon-witherspoon-trevius-hodges-tomlinson-emmanuel-forbes. Witherspoon’s skills will be put to the test likely often in his first season as he will be playing opposite of stud cornerback, Tariq Woolen. Woolen was tied for the most interceptions in the NFL last season, so offenses will likely take their chances with the rookie.
With a lot projected of targets coming his way this season, here are his stat predictions for his rookie season:
58 tackles, two interceptions, nine passes defended
If Witherspoon can bring to the Seahawks what he put on display at Illinois, some flashes of Legion of Boom in the team’s secondary could return.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, 20th overall pick (Round 1)
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (11)- Ben Liebenberg/NFL
Next up when looking at some of the top rookies for the Seahawks is the player they spent the 20th pick on this past April, and that would be wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State. “JSN” looks on par to be the next great Ohio State receiver to enter the league. JSN put together 95 receptions, 1,606 yards, and nine touchdowns in his sophomore season in 2021. The former Buckeye plays mainly in the slot, which is perfect to complement the two-star receivers already in Seattle with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
JSN has been impressing the team already this offseason, and even his new teammate who shares the same position as Smith-Njigba. DK Metcalf told Taylor Bisciotti at NFL Network last week that having JSN around will open up the offense even more, per Kevin Patra at NFL.com. “He’s a great dude. And on the field, he’s a great route runner with excellent hands. So, I think he’s going to open the offense even more.” Smith-Njigba most likely won’t dominate a high volume targets given the talent already on the offense, but he will certainly do damage with what he will be given.
Here are JSN’s stat projections for 2023:
65 receptions, 750 yards, and five touchdowns.
This wide receiver trio, now formed with the addition of JSN, should heighten this team’s potential and Geno Smith’s potential for even more success the season.
Zach Charbonnet, 52nd overall pick (Round 2)
Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet (26)- Ben Liebenberg/NFL
The last rookie we will be previewing is a player who had almost 40 rushing touchdowns in his four seasons in college, and that is running back Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet spent his first two seasons at Michigan before transferring to UCLA for the past two seasons, which is where his production started to turn up. At UCLA in 2021, Charbonnet had 202 carries, 1,137 rushing yards, and 13 rushing touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry while adding 24 receptions. In his final season at UCLA in 2022, Charbonnet had 195 carries, 1,359 rushing yards, and 14 rushing yards on 7.0 yards per carry while adding 37 receptions.
Now most Seahawks fans are most likely still asking themselves, why did we draft another running back in round two after drafting Kenneth Walker last season in round two? Well, the honest answer is, I do not know if the Seahawks believe Walker can be consistent enough on his own for a full season. Bringing in Charbonnet creates an awesome one-two punch that can feature the best parts of both players’ games.
While Walker brings the breakaway speed, Charbonnet can be a wrecking ball with some pass-catching upside. The way I look at it is, why not give Geno Smith as much talent around him on offense as possible? The Seahawks have to create whatever they can on offense to dethrone the 49ers in the NFC West.
Here are Charbonnet’s stat projections for 2023:
135 carries, 550 yards, four rushing touchdowns, and 27 receptions.
Embrace the Youth Seattle
This Seahawks rookie class has the potential to be very impressive and valuable for 2023 and beyond. The presence will certainly be felt from Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Zach Charbonnet, but there still will be other names to watch, including edge Derick Hall and defensive tackle Cameron Young to name a few. The more young talent the Seahawks gather, the better for 2023 and the future of competing in the NFL.
