Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks rookies combined for 141 snaps in the NFC Divisional Round romp of the San Francisco 49ers. That number was inflated by garbage-time reps in the fourth quarter. It’s also important to remember that the Seahawks currently have two rookies on Injured Reserve and had four rookies inactive for this game as healthy scratches.
Let’s break down some of the key snaps from the All-22.
Coming off the best game of his young career, Zabel followed it up with another strong performance in both phases, playing a key role in the overall efficiency of the offense. According to PFF, he allowed just one pressure and finished seventh among blockers in both run blocking and pass blocking, with grades of 62.6 and 77.7, respectively.
Zabel continues to show good variety in his pass sets. On this rep, he uses a jump set to disrupt the defensive tackle’s timing. The DL responds by trying to win with pure power against the left guard. Zabel initially gets displaced but quickly re-anchors, resets his base, and re-fits his hands to prevent further push, keeping the quarterback clean. This is a clear area of growth, especially considering he had struggled earlier in the season against power rushers and strength-based moves.
Another noticeable improvement is his hand placement. He engages in a prolonged hand fight with the defensive lineman, but his initial hand positioning allows him to stay square and maintain leverage throughout the rep.
Once again, he mirrors the DL’s movements extremely well and wins the hand battle (amazing footwork), essentially eliminating any counter and keeping the pocket intact.
The Seahawks’ offense leaned heavily on outside and wide zone concepts. For those runs to work, the execution of reach blocks is critical, requiring both explosiveness and athleticism — areas where Zabel consistently delivered.
Speaking of athleticism, this snap is outstanding. Watch how many yards he covers blocking downfield on a 30-yard gain (alongside center Jalen Sundell). An excellent play call by Klint Kubiak.
Thank you for this pick, John Schneider. Zabel starts from a clearly unfavorable angle to block #53 Eric Kendricks — who had been the standout defender for the 49ers against the Eagles — yet he quickly closes space on the linebacker and completely eliminates any chance of a tackle.
After a string of strong performances, Emmanwori turned in a below-average game. Nothing overly concerning, especially given the defense’s overall success, but he was manipulated at times, with his aggressiveness used against him. He recorded one pressure, three tackles, and one run stop, while allowing four receptions on five targets for 41 yards.
Snap alignment breakdown:
His primary responsibility on several reps appeared to be flat coverage/checkdown. When Brock Purdy shows his shoulders...
