Seahawks draft long, speedy UTSA CB Tariq Woolen in 5th round

One round after taking Cincinnati cornerback Coby Bryant in the fourth round, the Seahawks double dipped at the position, drafting University of Texas-San Antonio corner Tariq Woolen with the 153rd pick on Saturday.

Seahawks Draft Breakdown: Close look at all nine picks

Woolen is, simply put, a Pete Carroll-style cornerback.

Woolen stands 6 foot 4 and weighs just over 200 pounds. He’s also long with 33 5/8-inch arms and ran a blazing 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine.

.@UTSAFTBL CB @_Tariqwoolen with a 4.31u.

He's 6'4", 205 lbs.

📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/lOkWUckcsQ

— NFL (@NFL) March 6, 2022

Woolen will naturally draw comparisons to franchise icon Richard Sherman as he’s a tall and long cornerback drafted by the Seahawks in the fifth round, and like Sherman, he started his college career as a wide receiver.

“Woolen has shown growth over his two years at cornerback but he’s still raw and needs time to get where he needs to go,” NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. ” He has an exceptionally rare blend of size, length and speed to contest catches on all three levels of the field if a team can develop his technique. A lack of commitment as a run supporter will need to be addressed, though. Woolen’s rare measurables and potential to play in a variety of schemes make him worthy of drafting and molding for the long haul.”

In 18 games as a cornerback, Woolen recorded two interceptions and broke up nine passes.

Woolen, like many recent Seahawks draft picks, appeared at the Senior Bowl, which is organized by former Seattle scout Jim Nagy. Shortly after the Senior Bowl in February, Nagy joined Seattle Sports 710 AM’s Jake and Stacy and said that Woolen is a player who looked like a Seahawks player.

“He’s a kid that played receiver his first couple years at UTSA. He’s been a corner the past two years and made a big jump this year,” he said. “I think we measured him right at 6-4. I mean, he’s an old school Seahawks corner now. He’s 6-4, 210 pounds and he’s gonna run in the low 4.3s, or maybe the 4.2s (in the 40-yard dash). He was the fastest guy that we’ve ever had in the Senior Bowl.”

Woolen has the physical tools to be an outside cornerback for Carroll, and he joins Bryant, veteran Sidney Jones and 2021 fourth-round pick Tre Brown as perimeter cornerbacks on Seattle’s roster.

More Seahawks draft selections

• Seattle selects Mississippi State OT Charles Cross at No. 9 overall
• Hawks add Minnesota DE Boye Mafe with 40th pick
• Hawks draft Michigan State RB Kenneth Walker at 41
• Seahawks take WSU OT Abraham Lucas in third round
• Seahawks draft Cincy CB Coby Bryant in fourth round
• Hawks pick Ohio State edge rusher Tyreke Smith in fifth
• Hawks end draft with 2 WRs in Rutgers’ Melton, Lenoir-Rhyne’s Young

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