Field Gulls
The division rival Rams double dipped into the pool of older prospects early in the 2024 draft with great success, while the Seahawks have historically struggled when drafting players who would be 24 years old during their rookie season. What gives?
It’s been no secret that in the years since the Malik McDowell debacle the Seattle Seahawks have built their draft board in order to focus on more mature prospects. It’s a strategy that has produced mixed returns, and one could question its effectiveness given that some of the highest performing draft picks in recent team history have been those selected very young.
The players who were drafted young and performed at a very high level in the NFL include the likes of:
The reason age at the time of being drafted is once again suddenly relevant is that on Thursday evening Jared Verse of the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams took home Defensive Rookie of the Year hardware.
Now, Verse is, of course, not what one would describe as a young player who performed at a high level at a young age for a rookie in the NFL. In fact, Verse turned 24 during the season, making him one of the older members of the 2024 rookie group. Further, it’s almost as if the Rams caught lightning in a bottle with their rookie class, with fellow 24 year old rookie Braden Fiske racking up 8.5 sacks and 44 tackles playing next to Verse.
So, is there something specific about Verse and Fiske that could lead one to believe they might outperform other 24 year old rookies, or is it just randomness? Well, it appears Los Angeles may have targeted a specific area of inefficiency when it comes to drafting older players, but before getting to that, here’s a quick review of some of the older Seahawks drafted on Day 1 or Day 2 in recent seasons:
If the criteria are expanded to include fourth round picks Tyrice Knight and Phil Haynes get included as well, and there’s a reason why it’s relevant to include those two in the analysis. Getting back to the listed players, the rundown on them is that Collier and Eskridge produced next to nothing for the Seahawks, while Haynes might be on that path, but just a single season into his career it’s too early to write him off. That said, there are certainly questions after...
