Undrafted free agents eat up significant snaps each season; thankfully, it looks like the Seahawks recruited some exciting talent.
The NFL Draft is over, and the Seattle Seahawks have their initial rookie class of 2024. While the drafted players see the most time in the spotlight, undrafted free agents are frequently significant contributors as professionals. With that in mind, we should be happy to find out that the Seahawks did pretty well in assembling their squad of undrafted players this year. At least, they did so according to Thor Nystrom of Fantasy Pros, who ranked fourth in his comparison of UDFA classes across the league.
First, here is an interesting tidbit pulled directly from Thor’s article:
Historically, UDFA provide the NFL with more aggregate value and snaps-played than sixth- and seventh-round prospects combined. The list of UDFA Hall of Famers includes Kurt Warner, John Randle, Warren Moon and Dick “Night Train” Lane. Austin Ekeler, Adam Thielen, and La’el Collins are among a large list of UDFA-made-good stories currently in the NFL.
So with that in mind, I would certainly take some solace in the fact that the Seahawks ranked so high on his list. Some prospects who Nystrom highlighted may be more familiar than others; one name that many will recognize is tight end Jack Westover, who played under Ryan Grubb at Washington.
The UDFA emphasis carried over to Mike Macdonald’s first process as HC with another top-5 UDFA showing. The Seahawks signed 13 players on my pre-draft 500 board, including four I had draftable grades on – EDGE Nelson Ceaser, OT Garret Greenfield, TE Jack Westover, and RB George Holani.
Thor goes on to elaborate about each of the above mentioned prospects, saying:
EDGE Ceaser was a first-team All-Big 12 selection in 2023. A team captain at Houston, Ceaser posted 13.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks last season. OT Greenfield was dominant at the subdivision – a three-time first-team FCS All-American – and has an NFL body with NFL athleticism. Each was a top-200 prospect on my board.
TE Westover is small, but reliable. He gives effort as a blocker, and he was Washington’s go-to paper-cut guy when coverage resources were tilted too heavily to account for the machinations of Washington’s three stud WRs. It seems the NFL explained to itself that Westover’s production was only a result of his situation – I wonder if Westover wouldn’t have done more at a school where he was afforded the opportunity to do more.
RB Holani is older – 25 in December – and struggled with durability concerns in college. He doesn’t have joystick agility, but Holani – No. 5 on Boise State’s all-time rushing yard list – is skilled and physical, and he comes with solid speed.
Thor noted that last year’s class — with Jake Bobo at the forefront — landed first in his UDFA rankings. The three teams that ranked ahead of the Seahawks this year were (starting with third) the Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and Kansas City Chiefs. For those interested in how the rest of the NFC West did, the San Francisco 49ers ranked 14th, the Arizona Cardinals 20th, and the LA Rams pulled up the rear at 24th. I’ll take it.
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