Seahawks 2022 Scouting Combine Preview

While 300-plus prospects show off their athletic skills in Indianapolis, the real business will take place behind the scenes for general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll as Seattle begins executing its offseason plans with the goal of building a contender.

More than seven weeks since a disappointing campaign came to a close in Glendale, the Seahawks will kick offseason festivities into overdrive as general manager John Schneider, coach Pete Carroll, and team scouts will descend upon Indianapolis for the much-anticipated return of the NFL Scouting Combine.

After winning only seven games in 2021 and finishing in last place in the vaunted NFC West, Carroll shook up his coaching staff, firing defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. and offensive line coach Mike Solari and replacing them with Clint Hurtt and Andy Dickerson respectively. Other staff changes were made as well with former Bears defensive coordinator Sean Desai and Vikings secondary coach Karl Scott added to the mix. Personnel-wise, the team hasn't made any significant changes to this point in what has been an otherwise quiet offseason thus far.

With the combine returning after a one-year hiatus to kick off the month of March, however, activity will soon heat up league-wide. While more than 300 prospects will be aiming to improve their draft stock through various drills at Lucas Oil Stadium, though what plays out behind the scenes may be different than prior years, Schneider and his staff will be conducting important player interviews, meeting with agents, and gathering invaluable intel about other teams through a variety of avenues.

Armed with nearly $35 million in cap space, the Seahawks have several decisions to make heading into the new league year. Will they bring back key free agents such as safety Quandre Diggs and tackle Duane Brown? Will they reward receiver DK Metcalf with a massive contract extension? Could they buck past trends and aggressively pursue a star player or two in free agency? May a trade be in the works?

Those questions remain unanswered for the time being, but this week will be critical as the franchise’s offseason game plan begins to take shape in the Circle City, setting in motion what Seattle will do in free agency as well as the draft as they aim to get back in contention in the NFC West in 2022.

2021 in Review

Coming off a division title and a third straight playoff appearance, little went according to plan for the Seahawks last season, including losing quarterback Russell Wilson to a significant finger injury. Without their star signal caller for three games, the team limped to a 3-5 start and continued to struggle upon his return, dropping each of their next three contests to put them on the brink of playoff elimination before the calendar turned to December.

In uncharted territory with little left to play for during the final six weeks of the regular season, Seattle didn't pack it in and finished strong winning four of its last six games, scoring 30 points or more in each of those victories. Nonetheless, the late surge proved to be too little, too late as the team was officially eliminated from the playoffs with a Week 16 loss to Chicago at home and finished with a 7-10 record, the franchise's worst mark since 2009.

2022 Draft Position

Due to their blockbuster deal with the Jets to acquire safety Jamal Adams prior to the 2020 season, Schneider and the Seahawks will once again be without a first round pick for the second consecutive draft. Instead, while New York benefits from now having two top-10 selections, Seattle won't be on the clock until pick No. 41, or nine picks into the second round. Per Drafttek.com, the team's six total picks amount to an 891.6 draft capital score, which ranks 31st ahead of only the Los Angeles Rams.

However, if there's a silver lining, Schneider has twice as many picks to work with as he did a year ago and four of the Seahawks' six draft choices come in the first four rounds. After having only two such picks in last year's draft, he will have more options to potentially trade down and recoup a pick or two. It's also possible with a higher second round selection than they are accustomed to having that if the right player falls in the first round or into the second, he could go into aggressive mode to trade up as he has done several times in the past.

Help Wanted, Help Needed

After finishing three games below the .500 mark, the Seahawks have plenty of roster needs to address heading into a pivotal offseason for the organization. As has been the case for most of the past half decade, the team desperately needs reinforcements in the pass rushing department after finishing 29th in the NFL in pressure percentage and 22nd in sacks last season. While the team may look to free agency to fix that issue, drafting a pass rusher or two easily could be in the cards with the goal to overhaul that group moving forward.

Other needs could emerge once free agency opens, as Seattle currently has Diggs, Brown, cornerback D.J. Reed, running back Rashaad Penny, tight end Gerald Everett, and center Ethan Pocic among others set to hit the market on March 16. Losing any of those players to another team would create a significant hole to fill in the starting lineup either with another outside free agent or a draft pick.

Long-term, even if Brown comes back, tackle may be the most pressing need with the team still lacking an eventual successor and also seeking competition for Jake Curhan on the right side. In the event Reed and Sidney Jones both somehow depart, the team will be back to the drawing board at cornerback as well and the position would take on far higher priority in the draft. Regardless of what happens with Penny, given his injury history as well as veteran Chris Carson's durability concerns, they should draft a back at some point.

Players Seahawks Must Watch

Without a first round pick for the second straight draft barring an unexpected trade, the Seahawks won't be able to pick from the cream of the crop. Still, after struggling to a last place finish, Schneider will have an early second round selection at his disposal and plenty of talent at a number of areas of need should remain on the board for him to choose from.

To address their chronic pass rush woes, Minnesota defensive end Boye Mafe and Penn State defensive end Arnold Ebiketie could be exciting options to team up with Carlos Dunlap and Darrell Taylor rushing off the edge if available. Both players starred in the Big Ten last season, with Mafe producing a career-high 7.0 sacks and 10 tackles for loss and Ebiketie amassing 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. Each player also has legitimate size for an NFL defensive end at 250-plus pounds.

Strong combine showings could push both players into the first round, with the uber-athletic Mafe previously posting a 40 1/2-inch vertical and Ebiketie also expected to test well in Indianapolis. But those two rushers as well as Oklahoma's Nik Bonnito and South Carolina's Kingsley Enagbare should be on Schneider's radar this week and other rushers may emerge during testing that capture his attention.

Along the offensive line, the Seahawks will be seeking a possible heir apparent for Brown protecting Wilson's blind side and this year's class has some intriguing prospects who could be available on day two. With more emphasis on zone blocking likely to be coming with Andy Dickerson taking over as offensive line coach, Penn State's Rasheed Walker and Washington State's Abraham Lucas stand out as viable alternatives in the second round and how they test/interview could impact their draft positioning significantly.

Outside of the tackle position, Seattle should also be keeping a close eye on center prospects. While Iowa's Tyler Linderbaum will be long gone by pick No. 41 and Boston College's Zion Johnson is receiving first round buzz, Arizona State's Dohnovan West and Kentucky's Luke Fortner could be late day two, early day three options capable of starting at the pivot position right away. Chattanooga's Cole Strange also has met with the team per reports and coming off a strong Senior Bowl, the Seahawks may be monitoring him closely in testing as well.

In the past, Seattle put great emphasis on height and length when evaluating cornerbacks. While Schneider and Carroll would prefer longer corners, they have shifted their approach over the past two years with D.J. Reed and Tre Brown excelling on the outside despite lacking prototypical size. With the defense expected to play more man coverage under new coordinator Clint Hurtt, quicker corners such as Auburn's Roger McCreary - who PFF credited with 13 pass breakups last year - will be under the microscope in Indy.