Seahawks 90-Man Roster Rundown: Tariq Woolen

After testing out as a freak athlete at this year's NFL Combine, Woolen scores a perfect 10 in Relative Athletic Score. Having fallen to the fifth round, can he make a major impact for the Seahawks as a rookie?

Tyler Forness | Jul 6, 2022

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason programs wrapped up across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the NFL in less than a month's time. To celebrate the new incoming season, the All Seahawks staff will be breaking down the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst-case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2022 campaign.

Tariq Woolen, Cornerback

Height/Weight: 6-foot-4, 208 pounds

2021 Stats*: 22 tackles, five pass breakups, one interception

*College stats at UTSA

One of the most polarizing prospects at the cornerback position in recent memory, Woolen combines both elite size with rare speed and explosiveness. After spending his first three years at UTSA as a receiver, Woolen was moved to the cornerback position after not finding success on the offensive side of the football. Once he started playing cornerback, he started showing flashes of dominance. His combination of size and speed are incredibly rare and lead to flash plays that are reminiscent of the great cornerbacks. The main issue with Woolen resides with his technique. His inexperience shows too often when it comes to anticipating routes, especially with double moves, which could delay his readiness to play on Sundays.

Best Case Scenario: Asked to play in a half-turn in either quarters or Cover 2, Woolen thrives in the preseason and earns playing time on defense at some point in the regular season. Doing so early on will help limit and mask his deficiency regarding change of direction. It will also let him use his frame to his advantage.

Worst Case Scenario: Woolen has the skills to help in certain situations, but he needs a lot of technique work to be a reliable player on the outside with any form of consistency and simply isn't ready, leading to a rookie "redshirt" on special teams.

What to Expect In 2022: The Seahawks needed cornerback help going into the draft, but put themselves into a position where they don't need to rely on Woolen right away. With his size and speed, Woolen likely will be a star punt gunner from the outset while being afforded the time to learn better technique from a quality coaching staff. There is a decent probability that he won't develop enough to be a long-term starter due to his lack of hip fluidity, but his unique size and athletic profile are worth taking a gamble due to his upside and with adequate coaching, he could come close to reaching his incredibly high ceiling. He's unlikely to see much defensive action as a rookie, but could be a fixture in the secondary in 2023 and beyond.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Roster Profiles

Published Jul 6, 2022

TYLER FORNESS