Tariq Woolen the lone Seahawks player in PFF’s ‘Top 25 under 25’

The folks over at Pro Football Focus released its list of top 25 players under the age of 25 (entering the opening weekend of the 2023 NFL season). Rookies are excluded since, well, they haven’t played an NFL snap. Unsurprisingly, the Dallas Cowboys’ Micah Parsons was the number one player, followed by Minnesota Vikings superstar Justin Jefferson.

There is only one Seattle Seahawks player on this list, and I don’t think there is any surprise as to who it is.

24. CB Tariq Woolen, Seattle Seahawks

Woolen’s lone season thus far was one to remember. He earned an impressive 74.2 coverage grade with six interceptions and 12 forced incompletions. He also had frequent difficult assignments while playing more than 300 coverage snaps in press coverage.

Woolen tied for the league lead in interceptions with six, and seamlessly stepped in as a Day 1 starter on his way to being a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year. With Devon Witherspoon now in the fold, Seattle may have found two franchise cornerbacks in as many drafts.

The notable non-rookie Seahawks players under 25 include Charles Cross (22), Abe Lucas (24), Kenneth Walker III (22), and Coby Bryant (24). I suppose you could’ve made a case for Walker given his performance behind an offensive line that struggled to run-block at a high level, but he also had a ton of negative or no-gain run plays that makes his production vs. efficiency rates wildly divergent. It’s otherwise hard to make room for any other Seahawks youngsters when the list contains the likes of Ja’Marr Chase, Creed Humphrey, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tristan Wirfs, Devonta Smith, Sauce Gardner, and Trevor Lawrence.

Personally, I think Woolen should be even higher on the list and at least in the top 20, but he’s continuing to get recognition as one of the top talents in the sport.