Veterans won't report for another week, but today Seattle Seahawks rookies are due to report for training camp at the VMAC in Renton, officially kicking off the next phase of the offseason program before the 2024 NFL season begins. Seattle leaned heavily on their rookie class last year, including their two first-round draft picks, cornerback Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State. In the end, only a handful of teams wound up playing roookies for more snaps.
This year Seattle will likely lean on their rookie class a little less, but there are still a few first-year players who might make a significant impact. Here are three questions we have for three key rookies as training camp begins.
How far along is RG Christian Haynes?
The biggest question mark we have regarding this rookie class is the status of third-round pick Christian Haynes out of UConn. While it's not ideal to ask any rookie lineman outside of top-10 picks to start right away, the Seahawks may have no choice but to thrust Haynes into a starting role right out of the gate. Projected starter Anthony Bradford was the team's worst blocker up front last season, and that's saying a lot. 2023 undrafted rookie McClendon Curtis is also in the mix, while Haynes has been working with the second-string offensive line so far. The Seahawks need to hope that Haynes takes some big strides over the next few weeks and during the preseason, because otherwise they may end up with another gaping hole on Geno Smith's right side.
Will LB Tyrice Knight have to start Week 1?
Perhaps the greatest concern for this team at the moment as far as injuries go is the off-ball linebacker positions. Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker were signed to one-year deals to replace Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks, but right now both of them are injured and there's no guarantee they will be 100% once the regular season begins. That means fourth-round pick Tyrice Knight out of UTEP might end up seeing some serious playing time early on. If that ends up being the case, GM John Schneider had better hope he found a diamond in the rough rather than a Day 3 reach, here.
Could DL Byron Murphy II dominate right away?
Of course the rock star of the group is first-round draft pick Byron Murphy ouf of Texas, who some consider to be the greatest defensive prospect in the class of 2024. Murphy couldn't have landed in a better situation than in Seattle, where he's been hooked up with defensive mastermind Mike Macdonald. Last season in Baltimore Macdonald got several pass rushers playing the best ball of their careers, including 13 sacks and 33 quarterback hits from iDL Justin Madubuike. That's a high standard to match, but Murphy has more than enough potential to eventually produce like that. Murphy posted the highest pass-rush grade of any interior lineman in the nation last year, so we know he has it in him - the question is how fast can he become a serious problem for opponents.
