Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks rookies combined for 181 snaps in Week 14 against the Atlanta Falcons. Elijah Arroyo exited early with fewer than 10 offensive snaps, while the undrafted Nick Kallerup logged his second-highest workload of the season. Grey Zabel played every offensive snap, and Nick Emmanwori finished second on the team in defensive snaps.
Let’s dive into some of the most important rookie moments from Sunday.
I haven’t agreed much with PFF’s grading this year — including their grades on Zabel — but this was the rookie’s best pass-blocking grade (82.5) and his second-best run-blocking mark (66.5). With this performance, he now has five games without allowing a single pressure.
The start of the rep isn’t ideal. Zabel gets driven back early, but he shows strong technique to absorb the power move. He resets with short, controlled hops to re-establish his base.
Even from a poor angle view, you can see his hand placement anchoring the rep and keeping the pocket clean.
His stunt recognition is textbook. Great lateral mobility, smooth pass-off to the tackle, and immediate pickup of the looper — no wasted steps, no wasted movement.
A monster outing: 6 tackles, 3 run stops, 1 sack, and a blocked field goal. In coverage, he allowed 2 catches on 3 targets for 51 yards and grabbed his first career interception.
Alignment breakdown:
This was essentially his only bad rep of the day. He’s still adjusting to situations where he can’t get hands on the receiver at the line, making his transition slightly slower. Even then, he stays tight, but loses some contact when looking back for the ball. Credit to the TE and QB for a well-executed throw.
Emmanwori came close to blocking a kick earlier this year — this time he got it. The timing was massive: it happened in the drive immediately after Sam Darnold’s interception, essentially erasing the turnover’s impact.
His first interception comes from keeping his eyes locked on the quarterback. He processes the route passing into the safety’s zone and is ready when Devon Witherspoon tips the ball — a fantastic play by the corner.
The sack highlights his burst. With fewer false steps now showing up in his game, he’s exploding into the pocket faster. Tyrice Knight deserves an unofficial “assist” here, forcing the guard inside and occupying the RB to free Emmanwori’s lane.
Another snap showcases his feel and processing growth. He recognizes the block on the NT (#95) and adjusts his path to make the tackle.
On the motion play, his alignment shifts and the Falcons’ offensive line fails to adjust — allowing his athleticism to take over again.
Arroyo ran six routes, saw one target, and it resulted in an interception. His production is far below what...
