• last year
Transcript
00:00 All right, we're here in Renton, Washington, my 10th training camp.
00:04 You guys can see under beautiful blue skies,
00:06 I have five takeaways from Seahawks camp.
00:09 Takeaway number one, the second year guys, who were such a huge part of the
00:12 resurgence a year ago, have hit the ground running.
00:14 They're playing faster, the corners, the tackles.
00:16 And one guy in particular who looks like he's ready to take a big step forward is
00:20 a second year defensive end out of Minnesota named Boye Mafe.
00:24 He's stronger than he was a year ago.
00:26 Again, like a lot of his classmates, he's playing faster than he was a year ago.
00:29 He's a real tough guy and he's drawn comparisons internally to Cliff Averill.
00:33 Between he and a rookie named Derrick Hall,
00:36 the Seahawks are younger at the edge position.
00:37 They're also deeper at the edge position.
00:39 Takeaway number two, another spot where they're really deep here,
00:42 is at running back.
00:43 Now, Zach Charbonnet, the rookie out of UCLA, has been nicked up.
00:47 He got back on the practice field today.
00:49 Second year man Kenneth Walker's nursing injury as well.
00:52 And that's opened the door for Kenny McIntosh,
00:54 his seventh round pick out of Georgia, to shine early in camp.
00:58 He didn't have a good combine.
00:59 He didn't have a good pro day.
01:00 That's why he fell in the draft.
01:01 But you're seeing a 215 pound back out there who can catch the ball.
01:05 And certainly something for
01:06 the Seahawks to be excited about with the depth that he can provide at that position.
01:10 Takeaway number three, the first rounders,
01:12 the two first rounders have come as advertised.
01:15 Jackson Smith and J Ball already looks like a pro out there.
01:18 One of the most skilled route runners on the team as a rookie.
01:21 It looks like he's gonna play in the slot right away,
01:23 be a security blanket right away for Geno Smith.
01:26 And then there's Devin Witherspoon, the fifth overall pick.
01:29 Tough, physical, edgy, competitive.
01:32 Plays a little bit like the older Antoine Winfield who once came through here.
01:37 Witherspoon looks like he's gonna be another one who's gonna play from day one.
01:41 Takeaway number four, if there's an issue on the roster,
01:43 it might be with the interior defensive line depth.
01:46 The Seahawks like their front line guys, but
01:48 could add some depth there over the course of the next few weeks.
01:51 So if there's a roster adjustment coming, that's where to look for it.
01:54 Finally, takeaway number five, if you wanna talk about a team that's locked in,
01:57 really the biggest piece of trauma coming into camp was what might happen with
02:01 Ntene Unwosu.
02:03 And his contract was done within a day.
02:06 His agent came in here, they hammered a deal out, that's taken care of.
02:10 So this looks like, again, a team that's locked in.
02:12 And the biggest question I've heard, really,
02:14 is what's gonna happen with Geno Smith.
02:16 But they love what Geno Smith's done over the course of the offseason.
02:19 Stayed a couple extra weeks after the Super Bowl to get extra work in.
02:22 He went and flew individually to each one of his receivers to work with them in
02:25 the offseason and build relationships with them.
02:28 They feel great about where they are with Geno Smith and
02:31 really good about where they are with their last two draft classes,
02:34 which is part of the fallout of the Russell Wilson trade of about 17 months ago.
02:40 That's it for me in Seattle.
02:41 Next stop, Los Angeles, first with the Cowboys.
02:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]