DK edit: Obviously it's early in the offseason and the roster will change before it's all said and done, but I thought this was an interesting look at the age & experience distribution for the 2012 Seahawks' team.

Pete Carroll and John Schneider have assembled a roster full of young, athletic, aggressive, and hungry (for success) football players. With so much youth, and so little experience, what can we expect in 2012? How close is the team to contending for a title?

Taking a look at the professional development and experience of each player may suggest how well the team will play in 2012.

This roster review was inspired by Kenneth Arthur’s post a while ago:

Only those players that I think will significantly impact the season will be included, a total of 45 players.* Each of them will receive one of the following tags:

Rookie – first year in the league

Freshman – player with little to no real game experience

Sophomore – a player that has seen a fair amount of real-game action, yet can be expected to improve with more practice and experience.

Junior – more game experience than a sophomore and further along in their professional development, but has yet to reach their prime.

Prime – a player at his peak.

Post-Prime – a player past his peak

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Offense (25 players listed)

QB

Tarvaris Jackson - Prime

Matt Flynn – Sophomore

Russell Wilson – Rookie

RB

Marshawn Lynch - Prime

Robert Turbin – Rookie

Michael Robinson – Prime

Leon Washington – Prime

WR

Sidney Rice – Prime

Mike Williams – Prime

Ben Obomanu – Prime

Deon Butler - Junior

Doug Baldwin – Sophomore

Golden Tate – Sophomore

Kris Durham – Freshman

Ricardo Lockette – Freshman

TE

Zach Miller – Prime

Cameron Morrah – Sophomore

Anthony McCoy – Sophomore

OT

Russell Okung – Junior

James Carpenter – Sophomore

Paul McQuistin – Sophomore

Breno Giacomini - Sophomore

OG

John Moffitt – Sophomore

Deuce Lutui – Post-Prime

C

Max Unger – Junior

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Defense (20 players listed)

DT

Brandon Mebane – Prime

Alan Branch – Prime

DE

Red Bryant – Prime

Chris Clemons - Prime

Jason Jones – Prime

Bruce Irvin – Rookie

LB

Leroy Hill - Prime

K.J. Wright – Sophomore

Bobby Wagner – Rookie

Malcolm Smith – Freshman

DB

Brandon Browner – Prime

Marcus Trufant – Post-Prime

Richard Sherman – Sophomore

Walter Thurmond – Sophomore

Byron Maxwell – Freshman

Jeremy Lane – Rookie

SS/FS

Earl Thomas – Junior

Kam Chancellor – Sophomore

Winston Guy - Rookie

Jeron Johnson - Sophomore

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The breakdown:

Prime – 15/45 (33%)

Juniors – 4/45 (9%)

Sophomores – 14/45 (31%)

Freshmen – 4/45 (9%)

Rookies – 6/45 (13%)

Post-Prime – 2/45 (4%)

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Observations:

1 - Only a third of the team are playing their best football, the implication being that they can get much better with more practice and experience

2 – there are very few, if any, aging veteran players in key roles. Lutui and Trufant probably won’t start, and may not impact the team very much one way or another

3 – The only unit made up entirely of players in their prime is the defensive front four. Every other unit contains a mix of young players and veterans

4 – The starting defensive back-field has only one player rated in his prime (Browner). A very young and upcoming group.

5 – The unit I have the least confidence in rating is the offensive line. I don’t think any of them are in their prime; my understanding is that it takes time and experience for a guard, tackle (and especially) a center to reach their full professional maturity.

6 – Presumably only six of the eight WRs will make the team. If Obo and BMW are taken off the list, Rice would be the only remaining player in his prime.

7 –Seattle will likely start one, and possibly two rookies (Wagner, Wilson), and likely count on rookies/freshmen for important starting/situational roles (Malcolm Smith at Will, Bruce Irvin as designated pass-rusher, Jeremy Lane as nickel-CB, Winston Guy in the Bigby role).

Conclusion:

With such a young, inexperienced team, we are advised, as fans, to temper our expectations this coming season (even as I type these words I am already violating the recommendation).

*The players listed and the tags are my own subjective choices. Too many WRs, for instance; counting some rookies and not others (Guy and Lane, for instance). Obviously different choices would sway the analysis one way or another.