Seahawks Rookie Sensation Tariq Woolen Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Continuing a historic start, Tariq Woolen starred in a dominant defensive performance as the Seattle Seahawks thwarted Kyler Murray and the Cardinals in a 19-9 win, earning himself his first-ever NFL Player of the Week award.

Thriving ever since his arrival at the VMAC for the start of Seahawks rookie minicamp and never looking back, the immediate ascendance of cornerback Tariq Woolen towards stardom has been one of the franchise's most surprising developments.

A fifth-round pick out of UTSA, Woolen wasted little time impressing coach Pete Carroll, who specifically cited individual reps covering speedy veteran Marquise Goodwin during the team's offseason program as the first indicator he may be ready to play quicker than expected. After Artie Burns injured his groin in the third week of training camp, the uber-athletic rookie vaulted into the starting lineup and continued to make plays on the practice field and preseason, winning the right cornerback job for the season opener.

Since then, "Riq the Freak" has aced every test thrown his way, putting together a remarkable first six games to begin his NFL career. In each of the past four games, including picking off quarterback Kyler Murray in Sunday's 19-9 win over the Cardinals, Woolen has intercepted a pass, becoming only the seventh player in franchise history to accomplish the feat and the first to do so since Brandon Browner in 2011. He also recovered a fumble on Sunday, making history as the first rookie since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger to produce an interception and fumble recovery in consecutive weeks.

"I don't remember feeling like this about a young corner out there that goes week after week after week, coming from where he came from and all that, and to be this far along and having this much fun and success and all that," Carroll gushed after Sunday's win. "It's really fun to watch."

Achieving historic milestones from a league and franchise perspective while helping his team stay in the NFC West hunt, Woolen's immense success as a rookie hasn't gone unnoticed by the rest of the NFL, as the former Roadrunners star earned himself NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 6 for his efforts.

After shining at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, the 6-foot-4 Woolen put on a show at the NFL Scouting Combine in March, becoming the first player of his height to run a sub-4.30-second 40-yard dash at 4.26 seconds and post a vertical jump of more than 40 inches. But with only two years under his belt at cornerback after transitioning from receiver midway through his career at UTSA, teams had concerns about his pro readiness, leading to him falling into day three of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Intrigued by his never-before-seen blend of size, length, and athleticism, Carroll and general manager John Schneider finally ended Woolen's free fall at pick No. 153, doubling up at cornerback one round after picking Cincinnati's Coby Bryant. At the time, the Seahawks viewed him as a project given his lack of experience at the position.

However, Woolen has turned those expectations on their head and then some. He not only became a day one starter, but he has quickly surfaced as one of the league's premier young stars generating game-changing clutch plays every week for Seattle. In addition to four interceptions and two fumble recoveries, he blocked a field goal in a Week 2 loss at San Francisco, which led to a touchdown return for teammate Mike Jackson. Anytime the defense makes something positive happen, to the delight of Carroll and his staff, he seems to be in the center of the chaos.

“I’ve just been trying to gain a lot of knowledge about the game. Just situations, and the different little things that go into it that help you better as a player. I feel like I’ve been doing that from the time I got here until now," Woolen said of his unexpected early success. "I was blessed with the athletic ability, so when those two come together, and you know what you can do, it slows the game down a lot for you, and it’s been slowing down week after week.”

While he still has much to learn - teammates such as safety Quandre Diggs have remarked how he keeps making plays despite being "oblivious" to what is going on and still being a novice in terms of understanding the game and his position - Woolen has already transformed himself into a household name picking off passes and shutting down opposing receivers week after week. With less than three years as a cornerback under his belt, he should continue to rapidly improve, which is scary news for opposing quarterbacks moving forward.

Along with winning NFC Player of the Week honors, Woolen was nominated for the Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Week award. Seahawks running back Ken Walker III also received one of six nominations after rushing for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals. A winner will be announced on Thursday and fans can vote via NFL.com.

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