Draft Class Re-rank: Assessing the Seahawks’ 2024 picks

Seattle Sports writer Zac Hereth ranks the Seattle Seahawks' 2024 NFL Draft selections from best to worst.

Jan 18, 2025, 9:50 AM

Mike Macdonald’s first season as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks saw plenty of rookies get significant action in their debut seasons – probably quite a bit more than the team expected.

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Despite having only one selection over the first two rounds, all but two of the Seahawks’ eight 2024 draft picks started at least one game this season. A few of those first-year players had quite a bit of impact on the team’s 10-win campaign, too.

With the season over, it’s time to look back at the Seahawks’ 2024 draft class and rank the picks best to worst based on the impact they made in 2024. We’ll take into consideration the overall impact each player had on the team and how it relates to where they were selected in the draft. Of course, there’s plenty of time for each of these players to move up and down over the next few seasons.

Seattle Seahawks 2024 Draft Rankings

Tyrice Knight

Knight, who went in the fourth round, feels like the clear top choice here. The UTEP product emerged as the second starting linebacker after Tyrel Dodson was cut during the bye week and played well while establishing himself as one of the team’s most deft tacklers. Knight made nine starts, played in all but one game and finished fourth on the team with 88 tackles. He added three tackles for loss, two passes defended, 1.5 sacks and one fumble recovery. One of the most impressive stats from Knight’s rookie year was his 6.7% missed tackle rate, which was the third-best mark among all Seahawks and seventh-best among off-ball linebackers across the league with at least 400 defensive snaps played. He also didn’t commit any penalties. Knight, who was the ninth linebacker to be taken in his draft class, ranked 83rd among 189 linebackers in PFF grading, and fourth among seven qualified rookie linebackers. The Seahawks appear to have found great value in this pick.

First career sack for @Tyricek_. 💥 pic.twitter.com/yeU74y1EVx

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) November 24, 2024

AJ Barner

There’s some irony in the fact that Knight and Barner are one-two on this list, as both were viewed as reaches by a segment of draft analysts. But like Knight, Barner made key contributions as a fourth-rounder in his rookie season. The Michigan product’s four TD receptions ranked third on the team and tied the most by a Seahawks tight end in a single season since Jimmy Graham had 10 in 2017. And he gave the Seattle a viable option at the position while starter Noah Fant dealt with injuries at different points of the season. Barner, who was the seventh tight end taken in the draft, ranked second among rookies at his position in PFF grading. He also had the sixth-best catch rate among all tight ends with at least 30 targets at 81.1%. Barner finished the season with 30 receptions for 245 yards, finishing seventh on the team in both categories.

Barner for six! pic.twitter.com/3uBo9vw4cT

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 1, 2024

Byron Murphy II

Murphy’s rookie season is somewhat difficult to get a true grasp on due to the nature of his position. There were other rookie defenders who put up stats far beyond Murphy’s, but the nature of the Texas product’s position on the interior of the defensive line doesn’t lend itself to stuffing the stat sheet. He also had to deal with being a part of rotation that featured strong veterans in Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed. Murphy, the second defensive player taken off the board, had 36 tackles (and just 12 solo tackles) with two tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks in 14 games. He ranked 92nd among 219 interior D-linemen and fifth out of 12 qualified rookies at his position in PFF grading. There were some good signs along the way. The first-rounder’s 5.7% missed tackle rate was second on the team behind only Reed, and he remained a key member of the defensive line rotation all season. The Seahawks also were 10-4 when he played and 0-3 without him, allowing 35.7 points per game in those losses (there were other key defenders missing during those games, though). Production still does matter, so Murphy checks in behind Knight and Barner. But he’s a prime candidate for a second-year leap like the Seahawks saw wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba make this season.

Strong tackle by the rookie Byron Murphy II 😤

📱: Stream #SEAvsLAC on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/QKcSCQlcIm

— NFL (@NFL) August 10, 2024

Sataoa Laumea

There isn’t a ton separating the three offensive linemen the Seahawks drafted at this point, but Laumea at least earned a starting role late in the season not solely based on being the only body available. After Anthony Bradford went down with an injury, the sixth-round pick out of Utah surpassed third-rounder Christian Haynes on the depth chart and started the final six games of the season at right guard. There were quite a few struggles for Laumea. He ranked last among 77 guards in PFF grading, and had a two-game stretch where he allowed 17 pressures, 12 quarterback hurries and two sacks. But he was also a first-year player who was making the transition back to guard after playing tackle for his final two seasons in college.

Michael Jerrell

Jerrell was certainly a fun story as a D-II player who found himself getting his first start just seven games into his rookie campaign. The Findlay product ended up making three starts this season as the Seahawks dealt with numerous injuries at right tackle and spent the first half of the season awaiting the return of starter Abraham Lucas. As to be expected, Jerrell faced his share of difficulties, but he was thrust into a position neither he or the Seahawks likely saw coming. It certainly could have gone worse.

Nehemiah Pritchett

Pritchett, a fifth-round pick, didn’t see the field much in his first season. The Auburn product played sparingly until getting his first career start in Week 7 against Atlanta, and the emergence of Josh Jobe during that game essentially took Pritchett out of the rotation at corner. He didn’t play another defensive snap until the season finale when Jobe was out and Riq Woolen suffered an injury midgame. Late-round defensive backs have set an impossibly high standard over the years for the Seahawks. Pritchett’s first-year impact is probably more in line with what should be expected from those selections.

Christian Haynes

Haynes’ rookie season was pretty disappointing considering what transpired around him. After being drafted in the third round, there was a thought the Connecticut product would at least push Bradford for the starting job at right guard. That did eventually happen, as Haynes and Bradford split time at the position several times early in the year. But after Bradford went down for the season, it was Laumea who started at right guard for the rest of the season. Haynes was also one of two draft picks to not start a game in 2024.

DJ James

James is the clear choice for the bottom the list. The sixth-round cornerback out of Auburn was the only draft pick who did not make 53-man roster and was released at the end of the preseason. He was signed to the New England Patriots’ practice squad Sept. 16 and did not appear in a game this season.

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Zac Hereth Seattle Sports

Zac Hereth is a digital content editor for Seattle Sports. A Central Washington University graduate, Zac joined the Seattle Sports team after seven years with The Everett Herald as a sports writer and editor.

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