Seahawks 2022 NFL Draft Live Tracker
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Following months of speculation, rumors, pro day workouts, and prospect visits, the 2022 NFL Draft has finally arrived and will kick off on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
In the midst of a turbulent offseason in which the franchise moved on from two of their most prominent superstars in quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner, the Seahawks are scheduled to make four picks in the first 72 selections. Among those, they hold the No. 9 overall pick, their first top-10 draft choice in more than a decade.
Overall, Seattle currently has eight total picks, with three of those picks coming as part of a blockbuster trade that sent Wilson to Denver last month. General manager John Schneider should have ample flexibility moving up and down the draft board with his top-10 pick as well as back-to-back selections early in the second round and four first and second round picks in 2023, setting the stage for him to rebuild the roster as he sees fit with a talented incoming draft class.
Among their many needs heading into the draft, the Seahawks obviously need to find a long-term answer at quarterback to replace Wilson, though that may not necessarily come from what has been deemed by most experts as an underwhelming class at the position. Additionally, the team has only three offensive tackles currently on the roster at the moment with veteran Duane Brown unsigned and could use reinforcements in the edge rushing department as well as at cornerback. In secondary needs, running back, center, and linebacker could be targeted as early as the second round on Friday.
Here's a list of the Seahawks 2022 picks, including their overall spot:
- Round 1, Pick 9* - Charles Cross, T, Mississippi State
- Round 2, Pick 40* - Boye Mafe, EDGE, Minnesota
- Round 2, Pick 41 - Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
- Round 3, Pick 72 - Abraham Lucas, T, Washington State
- Round 4, Pick 109** - Coby Bryant, CB, Cincinnati
- Round 5, Pick 153 - Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA
- Round 5, Pick 158* - Tyreke Smith, EDGE, Ohio State
- Round 7, Pick 229 - Bo Melton, WR, Rutgers
- Round 7, Pick 233* - Dareke Young, WR, Lenoir-Rhyne
*Acquired from Broncos
**Acquired from Jets
***Acquired from Chiefs
As the draft unfolds tonight through Saturday, visit this live tracker frequently as we provide the latest updates on Seattle's selections, rumors, and much more.
First Round
5:22 PM: As expected, Georgia's Travon Walker and Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson went in the first two selections, with the Jaguars picking Walker first overall and the Lions rushing their card in to draft Hutchinson and keep him in state.
5:32 PM: The Seahawks won't be adding one of the top two cornerbacks from this year's draft class, as the Texans selected LSU"S Derek Stingley and the Jets selected Cincinnati's Ahmad Gardner with the third and fourth picks respectively. This shouldn't come as a surprise, as both players were receiving plenty of top five buzz going into Thursday night. All three top tackles remain on the board for Seattle to consider as well as defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux.
5:40 PM: Check that - Thibodeaux is now officially off the board, heading to the Giants with the fifth overall selection and eliminating the possibility he will stay in the Pacific Northwest after a stellar college career at Oregon.
5:54 PM: After an early run on cornerbacks and pass rushers, Carolina and New York took the top two offensive tackles with the sixth and seventh picks. First, the Panthers snagged physical run blocker Ikem Ekwonu from North Carolina State. Then the Giants followed up selecting Alabama's Evan Neal, bolstering protection in front of Daniel Jones. If Seattle wants to pick a tackle, Charles Cross and Trevor Penning remain on the board as potential options at No. 9 or after a trade down.
6:07 PM: Addressing arguably their greatest immediate need, the Seahawks land an elite pass protecting tackle in Cross, who allowed only two sacks on over 700 offensive snaps last year at Mississippi State. Coming from an Air Raid offense, it may take him a while to get acclimated to a pro-style scheme and playing with his hand in the dirt, but he's a better run blocker than advertised and offers quality athletic tools to succeed in a zone-heavy system. He should be poised to compete for starting snaps right away at left tackle.
7:20 PM: It took 20 picks, but the first quarterback has officially come off the board with the Steelers keeping Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh. Malik Willis and Desmond Ridder, two other players who received first round hype recently, remain available if the Seahawks want to trade back into the first round.
8:35 PM: With the Vikings selecting Georgia safety Lewis Cine at No. 32 overall, the first round has come to a close with only one quarterback selected. Rather than trade back in to make a second selection in the first round, the Seahawks retained all seven of their remaining picks and will be back on the clock quickly on Friday scheduled to pick back-to-back at 40 and 41.
9:08 PM: According to general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks had an opportunity to trade up in the top-10 as well as a few trade down options that they were discussing, but those possibilities "disappeared" and they were happy to stay at pick No. 9 for Cross.
Day Two - Second/Third Round
3:05 PM: Per Josina Anderson of CBS, the Seahawks have made "exploratory calls" about moving up from one of their two second round picks, likely pursuing a quarterback prospect such as Willis or Ridder. Based on her report, however, a deal doesn't sound imminent at this point.
4:30 PM: Leapfrogging Seattle via trade with the New York Giants, Atlanta jumped up to pick No. 38 and selected Penn State pass rusher Arnold Ebiketie. The former Nittany Lions standout enjoyed a breakout senior season and may have been on the Seahawks' radar with one of their two second round selections.
4:44 PM: Staying put at No. 40 overall, the Seahawks landed a pass rusher of their own and stayed in the Big Ten conference selecting Minnesota linebacker Boye Mafe. An uber-athletic hybrid defender with prior experience rushing off the edge and dropping into coverage, he posted 7.0 sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a senior and will compete for snaps with Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu right away.
4:47 PM: With the picks coming in rapid succession, the Seahawks turned in one of the bigger surprises of the second round by drafting Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Doak Walker Award Winner and a First-Team All-American selection. Built with an athletic 5-foot-9, 211-pound frame, he possesses sub-4.40 speed and ripped off north of 1,600 yards with 18 rushing touchdowns in his lone season with the Spartans. Though he isn't a bulldozing back necessarily, per Sports Info Solutions, he rushed for 1,001 yards after contact and broke 85 tackles in 2021.
6:49 PM: Continuing to build their offensive line, the Seahawks doubled down on the tackle position at pick No. 72 in the third round and stayed in state selecting Washington State standout Abraham Lucas. Like first round pick Charles Cross, Lucas comes from an Air Raid offense in Pullman and hasn't played with his hand in the dirt. But he looked good doing so at the Senior Bowl and plays with the nastiness and toughness Seattle prefers up front. He should compete with Jake Curhan and Stone Forsythe for the starting right tackle job on day one.
Day Three - Fourth-Seventh Rounds
9:17 AM: Addressing another significant need on the defensive side of the football, the Seahawks improved their secondary by snagging hyper-competitive cornerback Coby Bryant with the 109th selection. Possessing good size at 6-foot-1, 193 pounds, he was overshadowed by Ahmad Gardner in the pre-draft process, but it's worth noting he was the Bearcats corner who won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's top defensive back in 2021. He's a physical, aggressive player with plus-ball skills (nine career interceptions) and should vie for snaps against Artie Burns and Tre Brown from day one.
10:55 AM: For the first time in this draft, Schneider has traded down, sending pick No. 145 to the Chiefs in exchange for pick No. 158 and pick No. 233. With the deal, Seattle adds a second seventh-round selection to its arsenal and now has nine total picks.
11:23 AM: After agreeing to trade down 14 spots in the fifth round, the Seahawks once again added to their secondary with one of the most intriguing prospects in this year's draft class in UTSA cornerback Tariq Woolen. Boasting rare size and speed at 6-foot-4 with 33 5/8-inch arms and 4.26 40-yard dash speed, he transitioned from receiver to corner midway through his college career and rapidly improved, earning Honorable Mention All-Conference USA honors as a senior. Raw from a technique standpoint and still learning the fine details of his new position, Woolen likely will need some seasoning as a multi-year project before he's ready to play extensive snaps on defense, but he has an incredibly high ceiling if developed properly.
11:38 AM: Continuing a running trend, Seattle doubled up on a position for the third time, this time drafting a second EDGE rusher in Ohio State's Tyreke Smith. While his pass rushing productivity wasn't great with 8.0 sacks in four seasons for the Buckeyes and he ran a slow 4.84 40-yard dash at the combine, the 254-pound defender plays with a relentless motor that allows him to consistently make hustle plays and has shown flashes of being a quality edge setter in the run game. Early on, he will vie for a roster spot as a reserve behind Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu against the likes of incoming second-round pick Boye Mafe and Alton Robinson.
2:40 PM: Following a long gap with nearly 70 picks between their selections, the Seahawks shifted their focus to the skill positions on offense using a pair of seventh round picks on receivers Rutgers' Bo Melton and Lenoir-Rhyne's Dareke Young. An outstanding athlete, Melton ran a 4.34 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process and played a Swiss army knife role for the Scarlet Knights seeing snaps all over the formation out wide and in the slot. He also offers kick and punt return capabilities. As for Young, he started his college career as a running back and the 6-foot-3, 220-pound wideout possesses enticing athletic tools. At his pro day workout, he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and a quick 6.88 3-cone drill. Both players will battle for a roster spot as fifth/sixth receivers and will enhance their chances with special teams contributions.
