NFL media rank Seahawks' draft class as fourth-best
The Seattle Seahawks walked away with one of the most impressive groups of drafted players compared to the rest of the league.
As the Seattle Seahawks head into offseason workouts, the NFL world is grading all 32 teams' 2023 draft classes.
Recently, NFL.com's Eric Edholm put out his 1-32 draft rankings, where he placed Seattle's draft class as the fourth-best in the NFL only behind Philadelphia, Houston, and Indianapolis.
Not too bad for a team that surprised everyone by selecting cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round.
Driving the high respect for Seattle's draft hall is how the Russell Wilson trade from an offseason ago is the gift that keeps on giving.
Take a look at Edholm's rationale for grading Seattle so high:
"The roster appears to be even better on paper now than it was last season, when the team was a surprise playoff entrant. Devon Witherspoon gives the Seahawks the potential for a new version of the Legion of Boom, bolstering the fine secondary picks made last season. The Illinois product's aggressive, assertive style is a great fit, even if matching elite WR speed and strength will be a test for him early. Jaxon Smith-Njigba figures to be a big upgrade over last year's WR3, Marquise Goodwin, and looks like a perfect fit inside, lining up between DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. JSN was my WR1 in this class, and here he provides Geno Smith the middle-field target he lacked last season. Derick Hall is another Seattle-style pass rusher to add to the till, along with fifth-rounder Mike Morris. I think Hall could eventually start opposite Uchenna Nwosu, perhaps even immediately. On the surface, the Zach Charbonnet pick feels like the latest chapter in Seattle's annual RB overkill. But dig deeper, and you'll realize that beyond Kenneth Walker III and DeeJay Dallas, the cupboard is pretty bare. Arguably the third-best back in the class, Charbonnet has a great chance to earn the third-down role and spell Walker when needed, although seventh-rounder Kenny McIntosh is a better player than athletic tester and catches the ball well, too. The one frustrating element of this group is that Seattle couldn't address the interior D-line depth earlier, but Cameron Young is a decent run-stopper who can help that need. Anthony Bradford and Olu Oluwatimi were smart Day 3 additions who can provide interior depth on the offensive front. Outside of a few minor quibbles, the Seahawks appear to have significantly upgraded the talent level for a second draft in a row."
Seattle is clearly better than it was before the NFL Draft.
Though the Seahawks still have holes to fill, it will come down to players living up to their on-paper potential. That means making sure the run defense is better than it was a year ago and actually creating quarterback pressures.
All in all, being ranked fourth by the NFL media is a good day for Seattle. Now it is just time to see if the players the Seahawks selected live up to the billing.
