Pro Football Focus ranks Seahawks 2023 draft class as 5th-best

Grading each team’s draft class is so yesterday. Literally.

Today is about ranking the draft classes.

At least on PFF.com.

The Pittsburgh Steelers took the top spot, mainly because six of their seven draft picks, including an R3, an R4, and one of their two R7s, were ranked in the top-80 on PFF’s Big Board.

Philadelphia landed at No. 2 for all of the obvious reasons . . .

• R1.09: Georgia DT Jalen Carter
• R1.30: Georgia EDGE Nolan Smith
• R3.65: Alabama LT Tyler Steen
• R3.66: Illinois Safety Sydney Brown
• R4.105: Georgia CB Kelee Ringo
• R6.188: Stanford QB Tanner McKee
• R7.249: Texas DT Moro Ojomo

Looking at the Eagles’ draft class, one might be inclined to think that it’s Howie Roseman’s world and the rest of the league is just living in it.

At No. 3, PFF gives the nod to the Indianapolis Colts, whose first pick (out of 12 picks) was their best pick (Florida QB Anthony Richardson at No. 4 overall), although the second of their two 4th-round picks (Northwestern’s Adetomiwa Adebawore) is arguably one of the steals of the draft.

Our division rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, are No.4 on PFF’s list.

Personally, I found their draft class sort of MEH.

That said, they fleeced the Texans in the draft’s first trade, turned around and semi-fleeced the Lions thirty minutes later, and still managed to draft the player they wanted in Round 1, and pocketed three future picks (an R1 and 2 R3s), with two of the three coming from the Texans.

That’s not why PFF put them at No. 4, but it is the reason that I’m not arguing with the ranking.

At number five . . .

Copied straight from the NFC grades article they published on Monday . . .

Day 1: The Seahawks surprise everyone and take Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon at No. 5. Witherspoon was the highest-graded cornerback in the Power Five last season. In press coverage for 107 snaps, he allowed just one yard in coverage on those plays.

The Seahawks finish Round 1 with two top-10 players on the PFF big board. With a 91.7 PFF grade in 2021, Smith-Njigba outproduced 2021 first-round draft picks Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson that year at Ohio State on a per-snap basis.

Day 2: Hall was one of the SEC’s most productive pass-rushers throughout his time at Auburn, earning a pass-rush grade above 80.0 in each of the past three seasons. While his run defense is a bit of a concern at the next level, he works speed to power exceptionally well. He has the quickness, bend and length to sustain his pass-rush production in Seattle.

The grade is not for the player here, but for Seattle using the No. 52 overall pick on a running back after selecting Kenneth Walker III early in the second round previously. Charbonnet earned elite rushing grades in back-to-back seasons, racking up over 4 yards after contact per attempt and 24 carries of 15-plus yards, which ranked ninth in college football.

Day 3: Bradford fits well in a gap scheme by bringing strength in the run game to Seattle, filling a position of need with an athlete that tested very well for his size. However, Bradford will need to develop as a pass protector, as he finished with a 51.7 pass-blocking grade.

Young projects as a rotational, early-down run defender. He has the length to hold down two gaps in the run game, but it doesn’t translate to the passing game, as he put up just a 55.5 true pass-rush grade in 2022. The hope is likely that he turns into something comparable to Folorunso Fatukasi.

Morris profiles as a powerful option on the edge who wins with strength and length. He never had an extensive role in the Michigan defense, given their talent along the defensive line, but put up 37 pressures and a career-high 86.6 PFF pass-rushing grade in 2022.

Oluwatimi is good value at this stage of the draft and fills an area of need at center for Seattle. He’s a high-IQ, strong prospect with four years of starting experience — most recently anchoring the Joe Moore Award-winning Michigan offensive line in 2022. Oluwatimi put up PFF grades of at least 80.0 in each of the past two seasons.

Another strong safety/slot hybrid, Reed was a bright spot for the New Mexico defense. His consistency was evident as he only posted two game grades under 63 this past season. There also isn’t a ton of high-end play, with just two game grades above 80 in his career. Reed played nearly 600 special teams snaps in his career, which may be his best path to playing time.

The (Seahawks) add another running back after drafting Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in the second rounds of each of the past two drafts. McIntosh was a consistent producer in a rotational role in Georgia’s backfield, averaging over 5.0 yards per carry and putting up 80.0-plus PFF rushing grades in each of the past three seasons.

The New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams (boo!), and Buffalo Bills round out the Top 10.