Seahawks legend Doug Baldwin weighs in on 2022 NFL draft class
The Seattle Seahawks went into the 2022 NFL draft playing by a different set of rules. Whether it was the influence of new associate head coach Sean Desai or a long overdue embrace of a modern approach to roster building, the team loaded up at several critical positions that impact the passing game.
Quarterback is at the top of that list. However, Seattle decided to pass on what’s supposed to be a weak class of them. Time will tell if that was the right decision or not, but the rest of the draft went about as well as anyone could have hoped for. While they took the obligatory detour to use an early pick on a running back, the Seahawks doubled up on highly-athletic prospects at offensive tackle, cornerback, EDGE and wide receiver.
It will take at least a couple of years to fairly evaluate these nine new faces and how they fit into the league. However, the front office deserves major brownie points for finally bringing their draft game into the 21st century.
For the most part, they have gotten high grades and a lot of acclaim for this draft class. NFL.com ranked Seattle’s class No. 6 out of 32 and Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire gave them an A grade. The opinion we care most about in this industry belongs to a different Doug, though.
Last night Seahawks great Doug Baldwin weighed in:
After further review, I think the @Seahawks had a GREAT draft.
— Doug Baldwin Jr 🌹 (@DougBaldwinJr) May 11, 2022
That about settles it.
We’d love to know if Baldwin sees any of shades of his own game in any of these prospects, particularly seventh-round pick Bo Melton.
Baldwin famously went undrafted yet carved out a special career for himself. Meanwhile, the equally-undersized Melton was expected to be taken much earlier in the draft than he was.
Excluding the rare slam-dunk No. 1 overall pick QBs who are practically guaranteed to eventually figure things out in the NFL, nobody really knows how any prospect will fare at this level. We do know that the one thing that would help Melton get there is matching Baldwin’s determination. Taking his low draft position personally would be a good place to start.
