Seahawks Roster Ranked 1 to 53
By Justin Floor
Seahawks Roster: Rising Backups and Linemen
21. Luke Willson (22)– Another player entering his contract season, Luke Willson will be a very important piece of the offensive puzzle in 2016 as Jimmy Graham is likely to at least be restricted by his knee injury if not sidelined for at least part of the year because of it. Willson is a decent secondary target for Russell Wilson whose role will be to make chain-moving catches at important times and be a surprise red zone weapon. “Two L’s” playing for a contract should only benefit the Seahawks further.
22. Mark Glowinski (49)– Has any offensive lineman in history earned as much fan adoration after one start as Glowinski? The answer is no. That’s how desperate Seahawks fans are to see a lineman not be awful and get the quarterback maimed. Glowinski does seem to have the ingredients needed to satisfactorily play left guard, as he is currently slated to do: a big barrel-chested body, gnarly beard, actual previous collegiate experience on the offensive line and a nasty demeanor on the field. Count me among the excited to see this player get a chance to help stabilize things on front of the franchise QB.
23. Quinton Jefferson– Jefferson has a real chance to be a quality contributor to the defensive line rotation in his rookie season. When the pick was made, I immediately thought back to the NFL Combine when Jefferson looked very impressive in the D-Line drills but was an afterthought amongst all of the well-known talent at that position. His tapes suggest he has a knack of penetrating through the line to disrupt plays and that’s what he’ll be asked to do initially as the team figures out how to indoctrinate him into weekly game plans as either a DT or DE, depending on personnel groupings.
24. Kelcie McCray (50)– Count this among the many of John Schneider’s personnel moves that end up on the positive side of the ledger. Trading a fifth-round pick for the relatively unknown special teamer, the Seahawks got their money’s worth last season when McCray provided solid play from his safety position and continued to be a special teams stalwart. He is a fine depth piece for this team.
25. Christine Michael– The enigma is back. In what can only be described as a volatile if not successful NFL career, Christine Michael returns a different man. Not necessarily a different talent, but a different preparer, person, and teammate. His on-field professionalism is exponentially greater than what it was in his first stint as a Seahawk and the team may benefit greatly from his immense athleticism in 2016 in what could be somewhat of a timeshare at the running back position, depending on the health of hard-charging Thomas Rawls.
26. Nick Vannett– For a team as committed to running the football and being as physical as possible on offense as Seattle’s identity and philosophy is, I’ve always been surprised by the lack of good blocking tight ends the team has carried on its roster, especially since the departure of Zach Miller. The selection of Vannett in the 2016 is a big step toward correcting that deficiency, though fans are going to be pleasantly surprised by Vannett’s soft, reliable hands that can be counted on when needed. Another really solid draft pick in a class that I’m pretty excited about.
27. Germain Ifedi– All the Seahawks need is for Ifedi to not be terrible. That’s it. If Ifedi can simply get in the way of oncoming pass rushers and give Wilson a fighting chance of surveying the landscape when he drops back to pass, it’ll be considered a successful acquisition. His natural size, strength and demeanor should make him a respectable run blocker immediately. Ifedi seems to possess the will and smarts to catch on to and possibly excel in Tom Cable’s preferred blocking system. We may have a bona fide professional offensive lineman here!
28. Jon Ryan (25)– Ryan signed a four-year deal (it will actually be two at the most) in the spring that keeps the affable Canadian in Seattle. Last year Ryan ranked 17th in gross average per punt, 30th in net average and 19th on punts downed inside the 20. I know he’s a good dude and all but it seems as though this is a spot on the team that can clearly be improved upon and for not a lot of money. Maybe that new long snapper will help the swiftly aging 34-year-old recapture past successes? Yeah, that’s it. Let’s go with that.
29. C.J. Prosise– The first of three running backs selected by the Seahawks in the 2016 draft will contribute early on as a third down dual threat out of the backfield while learning to pass block on the job–though film review of his blocking snaps at Notre Dame was fairly encouraging. Prosise offers an intriguing blend of size, speed and refined route-running that should give defenders fits. Comparisons to Arizona’s versatile David Johnson may be a bit lofty, but possibly accurate.
30. Tony McDaniel– His story is great- going from hiking through wooded areas of the PNW to the Seahawks 53-man roster within two weeks. He fits the defense like a glove, knows his role, and understands his limitations. More importantly, so does the team. McDaniel should not see more than 30% of the defense’s snaps this year but he should prove to be effective in those limited opportunities.
Next: 31 to 42: Some Offensive Linemen Looking to Move up