This article explores the Seattle Seahawks' recent draft strategy of focusing on more mature prospects. It examines the performance of older draft picks in recent years and compares them to successful rookies who were drafted younger. The article also investigates a potential trend of older players who started at smaller schools before transferring and achieving success in the NFL. It questions whether this strategy could be a viable option for the Seahawks going forward.
It’s been no secret that in the years since the Malik McDowell debacle the Seattle Seahawks have built their draft board in order to focus on more mature prospects. It’s a strategy that has produced mixed returns, and one could question its effectiveness given that some of the highest performing draft picks in recent team history have been those selected very young.
The players who were drafted young and performed at a very high level in the NFL include the likes of: The reason age at the time of being drafted is once again suddenly relevant is that on Thursday evening Jared Verse of the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams took home Defensive Rookie of the Year hardware. Now, Verse is, of course, not what one would describe as a young player who performed at a high level at a young age for a rookie in the NFL. In fact, Verse turned 24 during the season, making him one of the older members of the 2024 rookie group. Further, it’s almost as if the Rams caught lightning in a bottle with their rookie class, with fellow 24 year old rookie Braden Fiske racking up 8.5 sacks and 44 tackles playing next to Verse. So, is there something specific about Verse and Fiske that could lead one to believe they might outperform other 24 year old rookies, or is it just randomness? Well, it appears Los Angeles may have targeted a specific area of inefficiency when it comes to drafting older players, but before getting to that, here’s a quick review of some of the older Seahawks drafted on Day 1 or Day 2 in recent seasons: If the criteria are expanded to include fourth round picks Tyrice Knight and Phil Haynes get included as well, and there’s a reason why it’s relevant to include those two in the analysis. Getting back to the listed players, the rundown on them is that Collier and Eskridge produced next to nothing for the Seahawks, while Haynes might be on that path, but just a single season into his career it’s too early to write him off. That said, there are certainly questions after a season in which he couldn’t see the field over the likes of Laken Tomlinson, Anthony Bradford and Sataoa Laumea. Mafe has performed well, but most fans would admit that hopes were for more production during the 2024 season provided. Not that he’s been a disappointment in any way, just that his 9.0 sack 2023 season likely drove expectations higher than they otherwise would have been. Lastly, coming to the evaluation of Lucas, he’s been good when healthy, but it appears obvious he likely slipped in the draft due to a combination of age and the chronic knee issue that has limited him to just 682 offensive snaps over the past two seasons combined. How his troublesome knee holds up going forward will unquestionably play a larger role in evaluation than his age. Also on the offensive line is the aforementioned Haynes, who flashed at times, but never proved himself dominant and was out of the NFL in 2024 at 29. Meanwhile, Knight found himself on the bench learning during the first half of his rookie season, before taking over a starting spot next to Ernest Jones down the stretch and giving fans a reason to hope for solid play in the years to come. Taking a step back, here’s a quick review of where these older draftees played their college football by season: Now, for comparative purposes, here is a look at where Verse and Fiske played their college football: Now, it’s certainly possible that the fact that three of the top performers in these lists are players who started at a smaller school before transferring and the outcomes are nothing more than randomness. Of course, it’s also entirely possible that there could be something behind the idea that a player who is a force to be reckoned with at a smaller school at a young age and then goes on to immediately be an impact player on a bigger stage might be a better prospect than someone the same age who didn’t dominate until they were older and bigger than their competition. With all that said, before immediately dismissing the idea, it may be worthwhile to look back at whether the Seahawks have ever found success drafting an older prospect who transferred after starting their career playing JUCO ball
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS NFL DRAFT ROOKIE TRANSFER PLAYERS DRAFT STRATEGY JUCOS SUCCESSFUL DRAFT PICKS
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