Seahawks Future is 'Looking Up,' ESPN Analyst Explains Why
After a surprise 9-8 season which saw the Seattle Seahawks surpass expectations with a playoff appearance, there was talk that they needed to "ace" the NFL Draft to take the next step.
Thanks to the Russell Wilson trade, the Seahawks had a rare opportunity off the back of a playoff appearance. After a poor 5-12 season from the Denver Broncos, the Seahawks received the No. 5 pick in the draft to go along with their No. 20 overall pick.
These two picks resulted in Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon at No. 5 and Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 20. But it's the second-round picks of Derick Hall and Zach Charbonnet that are intriguing experts as well.
"Acing" the 2022 draft was something that many felt was pivotal to the Seahawks' success this past season, including ESPN analyst Louis Riddick who recently explained in an interview with Seattle Sports' Brock and Salk why he believes in Seattle's future following this year's draft class.
“You can’t argue against Devon Witherspoon. You can’t argue against Jaxon Smith-Njigba, no matter how hard you try," Riddick said. "You can’t argue against Derick Hall. You can’t argue against Zach Charbonnet and how these guys fit into what Seattle wants to do."
These new rookies along with a solid haul of free agent talent on defense has things "looking up" for the Seahawks from Riddick's point of view.
"I think everything is looking up for this team,” Riddick said. “I’m as excited, if not more excited, this year for this team than I was last year because they got better. They got better, and the [NFC] West is wide open, man. It is wide open. And if you’re Seattle, you’re going, ‘We’re kicking that door down this year’ because they were a year ahead last year.”
The Seahawks boasted arguably the most impactful rookie draft class in the league last season. And with 10 new rookies added this time around, Riddick expects more of the same on-field production.
“I don’t think you can be any happier with the return on investment they got last year out of new players that came in there, and I think 2023 will result in the same. ... I think everyone’s always excited about and intrigued about just how these young guys and how the young blood is going to do as they’re imported into this roster and injected into this roster."
With the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals on shaky ground after losing seasons, it leaves the Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers as the only remaining contenders for the division title. Leaving the question of whether Seattle did enough to close the gap on the Niners?
Time will tell. But for right now, as Riddick said, the future is "looking up" in Seattle after another seemingly strong offseason.
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