Seahawks Among Teams Most Impacted by Limited Rookie Minicamps

With only three picks heading into next week's draft, Seattle is primed to be a top destination for undrafted free agents. But the team won't have near as much flexibility trying out players as it has in the past, which could be especially problematic this year.

If there is a silver lining to the Seahawks having an NFL-low three picks - including just one pick in the first three rounds - in the 2021 NFL Draft, it revolves around the franchise's consistent success signing and developing undrafted free agents.

Since general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll first stepped foot in the Pacific Northwest in 2010, Seattle has been a beacon for undrafted talents. From Doug Baldwin to Jermaine Kearse to Poona Ford, the organization has had tremendous success finding key contributors who didn't hear their name called on draft weekend.

Heading into next weekend's festivities in Cleveland, Schneider should be able to make an elite sales pitch to undrafted talents based on that track record alone. Add in the fact the Seahawks most likely will draft less than five new players and priority free agents should view them as a far more enticing option than most teams.

However, Seattle's ability to fully capitalize on the opportunity may have been hindered to an extent with the NFL putting a strict cap on how many rookies can try out at each team's minicamp this year. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, teams could bring in unlimited tryout players. This year? They will only be allowed to invite a maximum of five players on a tryout basis.

In the past, the Seahawks have typically brought in dozens of unsigned rookies to compete against draft picks and signed undrafted players. While the vast majority of those players aren't signed to a contract, there have been a few examples of tryout players finding success in the league.

Case in point? Back in 2013, Seattle invited unheralded Idaho defensive end Benson Mayowa to rookie minicamp after he had gone undrafted and hadn't received any offers to sign with a team. Impressed by his performance throughout the three-day minicamp, the team promptly signed him and he wound up making the 53-man roster out of training camp.

Seven years later, Mayowa returned to the Seahawks coming off his best season as a pro after he amassed 7.0 sacks for the Raiders during the 2019 campaign. He finished fourth on the team with 6.0 sacks last year, earning himself a new two-year contract to stay with the franchise that gave him his first shot in May 2013.

Now entering his ninth NFL season with 100 career games and 26.0 sacks on his resume, Mayowa isn't the only tryout player success story in the league. Vikings star receiver Adam Thielen, Chargers cornerback Chris Harris Jr., and Cardinals cornerback Malcolm Butler may never have made it in the league without having a chance to show what they could do at rookie minicamps.

Though it's a necessary move given the ongoing health crisis, every team will be impacted negatively by this latest rule change and players will be hurt even worse. NFL hopefuls who could become the next Thielen, Harris Jr., or Mayowa will inevitably slip through the cracks, unable to earn an opportunity to see an NFL field due to limited tryout opportunities.

For a franchise like Seattle that values competition as much as any team in the league, has a bunch of spots to fill on the 90-man roster, and boasts a near-unrivaled track record of success with undrafted free agents, there's no question it's a significant blow. Rookie minicamp has been a staple of the organization's roster-building approach and the team has unearthed several quality players via tryout over the past decade.

But in 2021, that task will be far tougher for Schneider and Carroll. This latest development only reinforces the need for the Seahawks to hit on their limited number of draft picks and make the most of their recruiting opportunities trying to snag priority undrafted talent.