A Looks at the Rooks. We have 15 on the roster!

[D-train]

NFL rosters change so quickly during the regular season that what is true about a 53-man active roster’s makeup one week might not be the next.

The Seahawks entered the fourth week of the NFL season with the most rookies on their 53-man roster — 15. That’s tied with Green Bay for the most and two more than any other team.

Of those 15, all but one was active and played on at least special teams in Sunday’s 37-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers, with a handful making the biggest contribution of their young careers.

That makes it a good time to review Seattle’s 2023 draft class and its crop of undrafted rookie free agents. (Seattle has 17 rookies on its overall roster when including those on injured reserve.)

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon
Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick in the draft out of Illinois, appears entrenched as the starter at left cornerback, long considered the more challenging of the two outside corner spots because most quarterbacks are right-handed. (Richard Sherman typically lined up at left corner in his Seattle career). Witherspoon has shown the physicality and tackling ability that impressed the team coming out of the draft — he is fourth on the team in tackles with 10. He also has three passes defensed, tied with safety Julian Love — who has played in all three games — for the most on the team. True, Witherspoon has been targeted a whopping 18 times in two games. But he has allowed just eight completions, per Pro Football Focus, for 95 yards (which includes the 36-yard flea-flicker against Detroit) for a passer rating of 79.6. Wrote Pro Football Focus this week, “Witherspoon showed he can be half of what should be a fearsome duo once [Riq] Woolen is healthy.” Said coach Pete Carroll: “Two really good games now. … Active, aggressive he’s working hard to make his plays and cover his guys up. Every time you throw the ball near him, he’s close. He’s done a really nice job.”

Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Smith-Njigba, the 20th overall pick out of Ohio State, has emerged as expected as the team’s third receiver, with 107 snaps and nine receptions, which is third on the team. However, those have gone for only 57 yards — Pro Football Focus noted that six of his nine receptions have come behind the line of scrimmage — as he has yet to show the big-play ability the team thinks will become routine. He also had a pass thrown his way intercepted against Carolina, a game in which he had one catch for 10 yards and played a season-low 44% of the snaps. That seemed due in part to the emphasis on the running game and two-tight end sets as the game wore on. If Carroll is worried, he didn’t indicate it Monday, saying: “He’s doing everything fine. He’s doing just fine. He hasn’t got the ball a lot yet, but there’s no reason for that other than we’re just mixing it up.”

Outside linebacker Derick Hall
The 37th overall pick out of Auburn, Hall is emerging as a consistent part of Seattle’s rush-end rotation. Due partly to an injury to Darrell Taylor, Hall played a career-high 33 snaps against the Panthers, turning in a quarterback hit and a pass defensed when he batted down an Andy Dalton throw. Hall also has 57 special-teams snaps, second on the team.

Running back Zach Charbonnet
The 52nd overall pick out of UCLA, Charbonnet played a career-high 32 snaps against the Panthers and finished with a career-high 46 yards on nine carries, 12 coming on a late run in which he ran over Carolina safety Sam Franklin Jr. He has 73 yards on 16 carries.

Guard Anthony Bradford
Bradford, the 108th overall pick out of LSU, played all 75 snaps at right guard in place of Phil Haynes, the first offensive action of his career. He earned a stellar 76.4 pass blocking grade from PFF. Said Carroll: “He played really tough. You might’ve thought in a situation like that he’d be jumping offsides, and I thought about it, ‘He’s played down there at LSU in front of as big of a crowd as you can see in college football, and the noise and all of that.’ It didn’t bother him. He played really well.”

Nose tackle Cameron Young
The 123rd overall pick out of Mississippi State, Young played 21 snaps against the Panthers after getting 19 the first two games. He had a QB hit and earned the fifth-highest defensive grade for the Seahawks from PFF.

Defensive end Mike Morris
The 151st overall pick out of Michigan, Morris played the opener against the Rams before it was decided he needed season-ending shoulder surgery.

Center Olu Oluwatimi
The 154th overall pick from Michigan has played just six snaps, in relief of starter Evan Brown when Brown was briefly treated for an injury. He has also played seven snaps on special teams.

Safety Jerrick Reed II
The 198th overall pick out of New Mexico, Reed got the first defensive snaps of his career, playing 12 on the final series of Sunday’s game and making one tackle. But he also has 52 special-teams snaps and has four tackles on special teams, which leads the Seahawks.

Running back Kenny McIntosh
A seventh-round pick out of Miami, McIntosh has yet to play after going on injured reserve due to knee and hamstring injuries. He is eligible to return after the Giants game.

Seattle also had six undrafted free agent rookies see action Sunday.

They are:

Receiver Jake Bobo
You might have heard that Bobo, an undrafted free agent from UCLA, scored his first career touchdown Sunday on a five-yard pass from Smith in the fourth quarter. Bobo has two receptions for eight yards in playing 61 offensive snaps. He also has 31 special-teams snaps. Almost half of Bobo’s offensive snaps — 29 — have come on running plays, according to Pro Football Focus. And Bobo has the best run-blocking grade of any receiver in the NFL this week at 92.3.

Snapper Chris Stoll
Judging by the fact that there have been no mishaps in the kicking game, Stoll has appeared to do his job well enough, with 27 snaps overall.

Tight end Brady Russell
Russell, an undrafted free agent from Colorado, was signed off the Eagles’ practice squad last week and immediately thrown into action Sunday as the third tight end. Russell had five offensive snaps and 21 on special teams, making two tackles.

Linebacker Drake Thomas
Thomas, an undrafted free agent from North Carolina State claimed off waivers in August, has been a fixture on mostly special teams with 52 snaps, making one tackle.

Cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly
Kelly, a fifth-round pick of the Ravens who was claimed off waivers by Seattle in August, has played in two games on special teams and had nine snaps Sunday.

Offensive tackle Raiqwon O’Neal
O’Neal was signed off Tampa Bay’s practice squad two weeks ago to bolster depth at the injury-riddled tackle spot. He’s been active for both games, has 14 snaps on special teams and got four snaps on offense against Carolina, including in the game as an eligible tackle on Bobo’s touchdown.

Offensive tackle McClendon Curtis,
Curtis, picked up two weeks ago off waivers from the Raiders, is on the 53 but has yet to play.

[Sibelius Hindemith]

With McIntosh and Oluwatimi due to make contributions down the road and hopefully JSN playing a bigger role, this draft could end up being even more impactful than last year's. Good stuff.

[D-train]

Witherspoon starting to looks the part.

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1767240/ ... stood-out/

[Sibelius Hindemith]

Gametime should read that, might lower his stress level a bit.

[Cascade Kid]

Witherspoon starting to looks the part.

https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1767240/ ... stood-out/

The secondary is a 'communications mess'. I think he's going to be even more impactful once everyone gets their heads on straight. He's certainly getting in rhythm though.

[Donn Beach]

His physical ability was considered at a next level

[SeattleAddict]

Gametime should read that, might lower his stress level a bit.

I wouldn't bet on it. The sky is always falling.

[D-train]

Gametime should read that, might lower his stress level a bit.

Just don't let him look at Carter's PFF rating.