All Seahawks

Aided By Strong Draft, Louis Riddick Thinks Seahawks Could Make Noise Quickly

Unlike many analysts, ESPN broadcaster Louis Riddick is optimistic about the Seahawks roster and believes they can turn things around quickly and get back into contention – given the young players develop.

Ted Zahn

In this story:

After trading away Russell Wilson and releasing Bobby Wagner, most experts don't expect the Seahawks to be competitive in the rugged NFC West in 2022. But there's at least one exception to that rule.

Making an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 AM last week, Riddick told host Mike Salk the Seahawks should be "all over" signing veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo if the 49ers wind up releasing him. With Drew Lock and Geno Smith currently competing to replace Wilson, those comments drew a great deal of attention from the national and local media.

But the argument for pursuing Garoppolo if he becomes available was built around Riddick's admiration for the roster general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have began to build this offseason. And based on his previous history, his positive feelings towards the state of the roster may carry more weight than other analysts who are far more removed from the game.

Before becoming a broadcaster, Riddick manned the safety position in the NFL for eight seasons and worked in various front offices as a talent evaluator from 2001 to 2013, including with Schneider in Washington. He interviewed for the Steelers vacant general manager position earlier this offseason and also played a key role in ESPN's draft coverage this spring.

While acknowledging the loss of Wilson still hangs a cloud over the franchise, Riddick believes the Seahawks already have a roster that’s a quarterback away from truly competing, carrying a far more optimistic view than most by calling them a "sleeping giant."

“I think they have quietly gone about doing their work to the point that this team – as long as young players are able to step up and fulfill on their promise that they showed in college – this team can make a lot of noise and can make a lot of noise very quickly," Riddick told Salk.

There are plenty of questions about this Seahawks roster heading into the 2022 season, including whether rookie tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas will be prepared to block premier talents like Nick Bosa.

But while Riddick reiterated both draft picks needed to develop, he thinks Seattle has set its offensive line up for success as long as the interior threesome of Damien Lewis, Austin Blythe, and Gabe Jackson play to their potential.

“Why couldn’t they?” Riddick asked when speaking of Cross and Lucas being prepared to play on day one. “They absolutely could.”

Getting the first crack out of the backfield behind that line will likely be Rashaad Penny, who rushed for 706 yards over the final six weeks of last season. That breakout proved he could “run the rock” according to Riddick – given he stays healthy. He’s also bullish about Ken Walker III, describing him as “one of the most explosive running backs in college football last year." The stats bear that out as Walker gained 1,636 yards on 263 carries – a ridiculous 6.2 yard per carry average – and added 18 rushing touchdowns for Michigan State.

Looking at Seattle's weapons in the passing game, Riddick mentioned a few specific receiving options to watch out for besides stalwarts Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf as well.

“They have one of the best pass catching tight ends in the NFL in Noah Fant, who’s still young. A tremendous athlete,” Riddick added. He also called second-year wide receiver Dee Eskridge an “absolute nightmare in college football” and hopes he can stay healthy to provide another dynamic weapon for Seattle’s offense.

There’s a lot to get excited about with Riddick’s comments about the Seahawks' offense, but he might have been even more effusive in his praise of some of the young members added to the defense in this year's draft haul.

Starting with the pass rush, Riddick brought up the comment Pete Carroll made comparing Boye Mafe to Cliff Avril. Though Mafe wasn’t overly productive as a Golden Gopher in college, his stats and athletic testing were eerily similar to Avril – another Big Ten product. Mafe will also have the advantage of rushing the passer across from Darrell Taylor, who is poised to explode in 2022 after his first NFL season where he finished with 36 pressures per Pro Football Focus and tied for second on the Seahawks with 6.5 sacks.

Count Riddick as a believer in the potential pairing of Mafe and Taylor screaming off the edge with Uchenna Nwosu also in the mix.

“He [Mafe] and Darrell Taylor could be as good of a pass rushing duo in the NFC West as any other team has," Riddick stated.

As a former NFL defensive back, Riddick really likes the Seahawks two mid-round cornerback draft picks Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen.

Bryant won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2021 as the best college defensive back despite being regularly tested playing opposite New York Jets first-round pick Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. High level performance in the face of adversity could serve Bryant well as he fights for playing time as a rookie this season.

“Coby Bryant is gonna be a stud,” Riddick said of Seattle’s fourth-round draft pick out of Cincinnati.

That’s a pretty ringing endorsement, but it’s got nothing on Riddick's thoughts about Tariq Woolen, who he said the Seahawks "may have struck absolute platinum" drafting in the fifth round out of UTSA.

Woolen jumps out as an exact opposite to Bryant in many ways. While Bryant’s athletic testing wasn’t top-of-the-class, he more than makes up for it with experience, ball skills, and savvy. Woolen is a former wide receiver who only played cornerback for two seasons but is a true freak athlete, running a 4.26 second 40-yard dash at the combine while standing 6-foot-4 with 33 5/8-inch arms. He’s raw, but his sky-high potential has caused many – including Riddick – to take notice.

For the Seahawks to exceed the low expectations understandably placed on them from outsiders in 2022, they will need to rely on the performance of many of these young players Riddick highlighted right away. It remains to be seen whether or not that will actually happen, but the long-time NFL executive is betting on the upside and development of the next wave of young Seahawks for this team to take the next step back towards contention in quick fashion.

“This is a team, at one time, that was considered to be one of the bosses out there. I think it could turn very quickly in their favor again based off of some of the work that they did in the draft if it all hits properly.”

Published
Ted Zahn
TED ZAHN

Home/Seahawks News