Seahawks rookie deemed crucial to success, but not Grey Zabel

The Seattle Seahawks drafted several players who could end up being make-or-break players for their success this year. Elijah Arroyo needs to step up and be the safety net for Sam Darnold. Tory Horton needs to be a capable receiver to add valuable depth.

Grey Zabel has a ton on his shoulders to fix the broken offensive line. What if none of them were the most important rookie the Seahawks have this year? And what if that rookie was actually one of the NFL's most impactful rookies?

Nick Emmanwori named one of NFL's most impactful rookies

CBS Sports insider Josh Edwards listed the 10 most important to their team's success. Among them were Josh Simmons, Mykel Williams, Abdul Carter, Omarion Hampton, Matthew Golden, RJ Harvey, Travis Hunter, Ashton Jeanty, and Cam Ward, with Nick Emmanwori being ranked eighth.

It is clear that coach Mike Macdonald is building his Seahawks defense in the image of Baltimore, albeit with a lower ceiling," Edwards noted.

He believes linebacker Ernest Jones is the lite version of Roquan Smith. "The hope is that Emmanwori, at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, is his version of Kyle Hamilton," the insider continued. "Emmanwori has been moved around the formation this preseason to give the opposition a different look and allow his length to muddy pass windows."

Emmanwori has the defensive versatility to be a version of Kyle Hamilton, which is the archetype of player that genuinely thrives in a Mike Macdonald defense. If Emmanwori can be that, he can take the Seahawks to new heights on defense.

And if that happens, then Seattle might be able to overcome the offensive turnover and perhaps lackluster cohort of talent on that side of the ball. If Emmanwori is just another defensive back, then they might have a similar lack of playoff success to last year.

Nick Emmanwori named one of NFL's most impactful rookies

More Seahawks on SI stories