The 2022-2025 drafts have built this success

[bileever]

John Schneider has had a long stretch of solid drafts from 2022 to 2025 which have built the foundation of this current Seahawks team. It's very reassuring to see so many draft picks become solid contributors. And it's not just one or two players from each draft, most of the picks from the last four drafts are still on the team:

2022: Cross, Mafe, Walker, Lucas, Bryant, Woolen. 2023: Witherspoon, JSN, Hall, Charbonnet, Bradford, Morris, Oluwatimi. 2024: Murphy, Haynes, Knight, Barner, Pritchett. 2025: Zabel, Emmanwori, Arroyo, Horton, Ouzts. That's a solid core of players. There are even more players from these drafts that are still on the roster or practice squad.

Of course, not every draft pick has become a star, and I'm sure everyone has their quibbles, but that's the way to build roster.

Compare that to those disastrous drafts from 2016 to 2019 that doomed the team to mediocrity. 2016 (#1 Germain Ifedi), 2017 (#1 Malik McDowell), 2018 (#1 Rashaad Penny, #2 Rasheem Green), 2019 (#1 LJ Collier, #2 Marquis Blair). The results of those drafts were so laughably bad that I lost faith in John Schneider for a time.

 

[Trackhawk]

Thanks for sharing this. In the shower this morning, I was thinking of this same thing, in relation to the cost of bringing on Shaheed.

As you fill out your team with draft picks, it becomes harder to draft starters, and the value of your draft picks goes down, IMHO.

That, partially, explains the reason we had such a draft lull from 16-19. Now, we should have been churning players, but Pete was too loyal to “his guys.” That made drafting hard.

As we fill out the roster with MM’s guys, we may get more value out of our picks by trading them for players.

 

[Jac]

Thanks for sharing this. In the shower this morning, I was thinking of this same thing, in relation to the cost of bringing on Shaheed.

As you fill out your team with draft picks, it becomes harder to draft starters, and the value of your draft picks goes down, IMHO.

That, partially, explains the reason we had such a draft lull from 16-19. Now, we should have been churning players, but Pete was too loyal to “his guys.” That made drafting hard.

As we fill out the roster with MM’s guys, we may get more value out of our picks by trading them for players.

Our draft lull in 2016-19 doomed this team. It hollowed out depth and destroyed our talent pipeline (i.e., the ability to replace expensive/aging vets with fresh, inexpensive talent). Look at the 49er drafts from 2021-2025 and the state of their roster. I hope Schneider has learned this lesson and plans to continually use the draft to refresh our depth and not just re-sign everybody to expensive contracts that will lead this team to being decrepit has-beens again. We need to 'Ozzie Newsome' this team. I.e., keep most of your picks and when it's your turn to pick, don't overthink it and take the badass staring you in your face.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

Any Patriots fan can tell you that Belichick had a long drafting drought. Just ask them about Chad Jackson. But they got back to it.

 

[chrispy]

To me, Draft is just one piece. Realizing players like DK and Geno (regardless of which side you're on about their previous production) aren't worth the price they're demanding is a tightrope that's difficult to navigate. Add to that: signing FAs that fill holes, align with culture and fit within cap but bring enough production it doesnt upset the locker room... we'll, JS has "hit" on all three of these goals over the past few seasons.

Contrasting: Thin draft results but also questionable FA signings and second or third contracts chasing past production were all relatively commonplace pre-2022.

To me, and it's only my unqualified opinion, I think all 3 variables need to be managed simultaneously. Draft, FAcy and re-signings give and take resources between each other. A great draft is meaningless if you (re-)sign a QB that can't overperform his contract. Landing the top FA QB is limited if the WR room (and TEs and OL) aren't at a functional level.

JS has managed all three while hiring a new HC and 2 OCs. Not everything has been perfect, but It's been a huge change that's paid big dividends in a short period of time. That's a lot to ask but we're seeing it manifest.

 

[MORGULON]

I get a feeling a lot of people on .net think JS was 100% running the show 2016-2019.

I disagree . Respectfully.

I don't think Schneider was truly making the final decisions until one Peter Clay Carroll was sent packing. I'm not saying JS didn't make ANY decisions but PC was the final say.

You want proof? Look at the team before JS had complete control and look at them now. PC tried to "keep the band together" for one more album and Schneider remade the roster .

 

[Trackhawk]

I get a feeling a lot of people on .net think JS was 100% running the show 2016-2019.

I disagree . Respectfully.

I don't think Schneider was truly making the final decisions until one Peter Clay Carroll was sent packing. I'm not saying JS didn't make ANY decisions but PC was the final say.

You want proof? Look at the team before JS had complete control and look at them now. PC tried to "keep the band together" for one more album and Schneider remade the roster .

Completely agree with you, and there was a shift in authority for a couple of years before Pete got fired. We only heard rumors, but the change in the quality of the draft was unmistakable.

 

[NoGain]

Good thread. Nice memory refresher. Yeah, solid drafting, although at the time I was only really familiar with handful of the players, Murphy, Spoon, Walker, Lucas, JSN, Charbonnet... Like "crispy" added, the GM-ship overall has been top of the league these past years, draft, FAcy, cutting bait with certain players/coaches, CAP management, the new coaching staff...and I would add savvy trades to that mix, which added the likes of Ernest Jones, Shaheed, and even Emmanwori as a draft day trade/maneuver.

 

[chris98251]

John has had a notebook in his office drawer for a decade or so on how to build a team, and a list of coaches and players updated reliogiously. He just never had the authority to use it till Pete was gone, he was well trained in Greenbay. It will be interesting how we play things out in how he manages 2nd and 3rd contracts going forward.

 

[Natethegreat]

Any Patriots fan can tell you that Belichick had a long drafting drought. Just ask them about Chad Jackson. But they got back to it.

And it was the coach that was the problem. In my view it was the coach that was the problem here as well. Along with those asinine trades. Pete strayed very very far from a win forever approach to a trade away all draft picks approach.

 

[NoGain]

If there's one thing I think most of us can agree on is that PC was not a good GM.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

And it was the coach that was the problem. In my view it was the coach that was the problem here as well. Along with those asinine trades. Pete strayed very very far from a win forever approach to a trade away all draft picks approach.

Pete was also involved with the 2022 and 2023 drafts.

 

[Shane Falco]

What really catapulted us is getting those extra picks from Denver. Schneider has done a bang up job since 2022. I was dogging him a bit for a while because I was tired of the same issues with the IOL but they addressed it in a big way using that 1st pick on Zabel and have been really turning over depth players on the IOL looking for more talent and not just rolling with what they got.
Bang up job.

 

[olyfan63]

Thanks for sharing this. In the shower this morning, I was thinking of this same thing, in relation to the cost of bringing on Shaheed.

As you fill out your team with draft picks, it becomes harder to draft starters, and the value of your draft picks goes down, IMHO.

That, partially, explains the reason we had such a draft lull from 16-19. Now, we should have been churning players, but Pete was too loyal to “his guys.” That made drafting hard.

As we fill out the roster with MM’s guys, we may get more value out of our picks by trading them for players.

JS and MM as a draft team have earned some trust. Emmanwori is a case in point. Arroyo, Outzs, Murphy, etc. Plus making the trade for Leonard Williams, giving up a 2nd rounder. Very good trade in hindsight andsupports your point of picks for players---If the value is there with the player. I think we also gave up picks for EJIV IIRC. Another good trade.

 

[Trackhawk]

Pete was also involved with the 2022 and 2023 drafts.

I know we only have rumors that Pete was somewhat relieved of his personnel duties, during that time period, but the longer this goes on, the more those rumors appear to be true.

 

[Frank12]

John Schneider come draft weekend...

 

[Trackhawk]

JS and MM as a draft team have earned some trust. Emmanwori is a case in point. Arroyo, Outzs, Murphy, etc. Plus making the trade for Leonard Williams, giving up a 2nd rounder. Very good trade in hindsight andsupports your point of picks for players---If the value is there with the player. I think we also gave up picks for EJIV IIRC. Another good trade.

It was a 2025 4th rounder, and Jerome Baker.

 

[olyfan63]

It was a 2025 4th rounder, and Jerome Baker.

Thanks! Heckuva good deal for the value EJIV has brought to this defense!

 

[Nerter]

Thanks! Heckuva good deal for the value EJIV has brought to this defense!

Yessir...the defense changed the first game Jones played.

 

[oldhawkfan]

JS has done a great job of turning a 3rd round pick from 2012 into Cross, Mafe, Spoon, and Hall. One could also argue that JSN would not be a Seahawk if not for the 2022 trade of Russell Wilson. Because of that trade, they got Spoon with the 5th pick and JSN fell in that draft. Picking JSN was a complete luxury pick at the time. He was picked with the Seahawks own pick, but without the RW trade who knows who they would have gotten.
That’s five solid cornerstone types of players on both sides of the LOS garnered from that trade. Even though Drew Lock left and came back, he was also part of the trade.
So we can thank Me3 for being a big part of this team. Russ…the gift that keeps on giving! The greatest 3rd round pick in team history…brought us 12 years of (mostly) exciting success and how many more years of continued growth and winning. The 3rd round pick that keeps on producing!!