Tariq Woolen Sidelined By Sore Hamstring at Seahawks Rookie Minicamp

Though the injury doesn't sound serious, Seattle isn't forcing the issue with its athletic fifth-round pick with the offseason program just getting started.

While most of the Seahawks incoming nine-player draft class took the field sporting a helmet for the first time in Friday's rookie minicamp session, cornerback Tariq Woolen played the role of spectator.

According to coach Pete Carroll, Woolen had a minor hamstring issue that cropped up during his initial physical upon arriving in Seattle. While the uber-athletic corner wasn't able to partake in practice, he did participate in the walkthrough earlier, so he's still getting meaningful mental reps this weekend. Though he likely won't do anything over the next two days beyond walkthroughs, the team will reevaluate where he's at physically when organized team activities begin next week with hopes he can practice.

"We just don’t want to push it until we know better," Carroll said of Woolen's condition. "He was able to get through the walkthrough, which was really good early in the day. He was breaking the huddle, getting lined up, and moving around enough. He’s not hurt, hurt, but he has a little bit of soreness in his hammy that we don’t want to push right now."

Woolen, a fifth-round pick out of UTSA, starred at the NFL scouting combine in March by becoming the first player 6-foot-4 or taller to run the 40-yard dash in 4.26 seconds and post a 42-inch vertical jump. Formerly a receiver, he converted to cornerback for the Roadrunners midway through his college career and earned Honorable Mention All-Conference USA honors in 2021.

While Woolen remains a raw talent in the secondary, when asked to compare him to former starter Tre Flowers, Carroll indicated the Fort Worth, Texas native was ahead of the curve compared to his predecessor. Flowers faced the difficult challenge of moving from safety to cornerback coming out of Oklahoma State and didn't have two years worth of football on the outside like Woolen does entering the league.

"Tariq is as fast as you can get, he’s really fast, so that’s such a benefit when you are out there racing with best in the world. Remember also that it was a big transition for Tre because he was coming from safety. This is not a long-term corner because he has only been there for a couple of years, but he’s ahead coming in, in that regard. He’s been out there on the edge and has played a lot of football, so we will see how it goes."

Though Carroll will have to wait a bit longer to see what Woolen brings to the table, he did get his first look at fourth-round pick Coby Bryant, who joins the Seahawks as a former three-year starter and Jim Thorpe Award winner at Cincinnati. It's tough to assess cornerbacks in a minicamp setting without any contact or one-on-one drills against receivers, but he was impressed by what he saw on day one nonetheless.

Sporting No. 8 in honor of the basketball legend his parents named him after, Kobe Bryant, Bryant will have a chance to compete right away for snaps in Seattle's secondary. It remains unclear for now which side he will line up on.

"Coby Bryant made a really nice first day of it and is really an accomplished college kid coming out. He just seems like he is comfortable, he understands it, he gets it, so that’s probably why he was recognized for a couple of years of being a leader in that program. He made his first impression, but a really good first impression.”