ESPN claims Seahawks have the second-best compilation of young talent

The Seahawks are poised for sustained success.

Oct 20, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) runs off the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Because the Seattle Seahawks are not a rebuilding team and they're coming off a 10-win season (and because they don't have a young QB), one might not think of them as a young team. They are, however, filled with young players on both sides of the ball.

Having young talent isn't always the most important thing in the NFL, because good veterans are valuable, but having good young players either means you'll get better or will have sustained success during those players' primes. That's great, because according to ESPN's Aaron Schatz, the Seahawks have the second-best unit of young talent.

The Seahawks are stacked under 25

The Seattle Seahawks might not have made the playoffs in 2024, but the future is bright. They have a new head coach, and they apparently have the NFL's second-best compilation of under-25 talent. Devon Witherspoon, Byron Murphy, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba lead the way there.

Aaron Schatz began, "The Seahawks climb eight spots on our list for a few reasons. First, 23-year-old Smith-Njigba had a breakout 2024 season, catching 100 passes for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns. Second, they drafted a young quarterback in Jalen Milroe -- and even young quarterbacks from the third round have value here. And third, they added a whole year of draft picks without having any important players age out of consideration for this list."

Witherspoon is only 24 and is the best young player not named Smith-Njigba on the entire roster. Through just two seasons, he has 177 tackles, four sacks, and 25 passes defensed. Byron Murphy is still only 22, edge rusher Derick Hall is 24, and Nick Emmanwori joins as a 21-year-old star in the making.

"The Seahawks also have more youth on offense with 24-year-old running backs Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, plus the left side of the offensive line, where both left tackle Charles Cross and left guard rookie Grey Zabel are both under age 25," Schatz said.

This gives Seattle an enviable amount of good, young talent. According to ESPN, the Hawks are beaten out only by the Houston Texans, who are brought up by young star QB C.J. Stroud.

More Seahawks on SI stories

Seahawks playmaker among NFL rookies who’ll make biggest impact

Jarran Reed’s colorful take on Byron Murphy was worth repeating 3 times

Mike Macdonald doesn’t want to rush settling on starting offensive line

Seahawks share look at rookie QB Jalen Milroe’s awesome arm power