2024 NFL Draft Grades: Seattle Seahawks

The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror, and we have compiled a consensus ranking using NFL draft grades from a variety of sites.

What draft grades have the media given to the Seattle Seahawks? What are they saying about the Seahawks' 2024 draft haul?

NFL.com - Grade: A

Day 1 grade: A
Day 2 grade: A
Day 3 grade: B+

Analysis: Murphy was always the pick for Seattle if available at No. 16 because of his ability to pressure quarterbacks and play the run. Haynes will start as a rookie for the Seahawks due to his athleticism and toughness. Re-upping defensive lineman Leonard Williams paid off the second-round investment in that trade with the Giants.

Knight is the strong tackler the Seahawks needed in the middle of their defense, though others like Jeremiah Trotter Jr. were available. Barner is a reliable receiver and blocker who can replace Will Dissly. Pritchett should have been picked much earlier. Laumea played well at tackle but projects as a power blocker at guard. No edge rushers were selected, so I suspect a couple top undrafted free agents will be signed.

ESPN - Grade: B-

Top needs entering the draft: Guard, tight end, defensive tackle, linebacker

My mock draft choices for the Seahawks had gotten a little boring, I'll admit. I just kept giving them Troy Fautanu, the top-ranked guard and one of my favorite prospects in this class. Why? Because guard was their biggest need and because I couldn't find another spot for Fautanu above them at No. 16. The fit just made too much sense.

But it's never that easy, is it? Seattle GM John Schneider passed on Fautanu and selected top-ranked defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (16) instead, trying to shore up a run defense that ranked 31st in rushing yards allowed per game (138.4) and 32nd in rushing first downs allowed (143). Murphy also can penetrate as an interior pass-rusher. I would have had a bigger problem with the choice if Schneider hadn't landed my third-ranked guard in Round 3, as Christian Haynes (81) could be an instant starter. These are two solid picks for the Seahawks.

Tight end AJ Barner (121) wasn't much of a pass-catcher in college, but he's a good blocker. The Seahawks took not one but two cornerbacks from Auburn on Day 3 in Nehemiah Pritchett (136) and D.J. James (192). I actually had James rated higher.

This is not the most glamourous draft Schneider has put together, but there is talent throughout.

The Ringer - Grade: B

SEATTLE FOCUSED PRIMARILY ON THE TRENCHES IN THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE JOHN SCHNEIDER/MIKE MACDONALD ERA. That strategy started with the selection of defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, an instant impact interior defender who plays with first-step quickness and immense strength to collapse the pocket. The Seahawks lacked a second-round pick (used to trade for Leonard Williams last season), but got great value in the third round with offensive guard Christian Haynes, a plug-and-play starter at a position of need. Seattle added a rangy linebacker in Tyrice Knight, a strong blocking tight end in AJ Barner, and a pair of potential depth linemen in Sataoa Laumea and Michael Jerrell on Day 3. Plus they grabbed two former teammates at Auburn who could compete for snaps in cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James. All in all, an unsexy but solid weekend for the Seahawks.

USA Today - Grade: B

Potential thievery with Texas DT Byron Murphy II, likely a linchpin of new HC Mike Macdonald's defense going forward, coming with the 16th pick. Third-round G Christian Haynes (Connecticut) addresses a desperate need on the other line. And good thing veteran DL Leonard Williams, acquired for this year's second-rounder at the 2023 trade deadline, decided to stick around and re-sign.

Fox Sports - Grade: B

First-round defensive tackle Byron Murphy is a home-run pick — one of the top defensive players in the draft who should develop into a mainstay on Seattle's defense for the next decade. But Seattle had just two picks in the top 100 because of the Leonard Williams trade, making it tough to secure impact players. Connecticut offensive lineman Christian Haynes should fight for time along the starting offensive line. UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight is a tackling machine and Michigan's AJ Barner has a chance to earn a role as a blocking tight end. But it appears these late-round picks are more developmental prospects who could take a few years to find roles for Seattle. —Williams

CBS Sports - Grade: C+

Best Pick: It was their first pick, defensive tackle Byron Murphy. He has the tools to be a dominant inside player. He will be a lot like Baltimore's Justin Madubuike for Seattle.

Worst Pick: I didn't love the pick of tight end AJ Barner in the fourth. There were better options on the board at that spot in my mind, including Jared Wiley, who was taken 10 picks later by the Chiefs. Barner can block, but Wiley can catch.

The Skinny: Murphy will be a star, which will make this draft a hit down the road. But the rest of it was just OK for me. I do like second-round guard Christian Haynes, who fills a need.

Sporting News - Grade: B-

Analysis: Murphy and Hayens were a great start to the draft for both interior line needs, but then the next-best pick was James. GM John Schneider continued to look at the board differently than most teams, but it wasn't his best work to kick off the post-Pete Carroll era with Mike Macdonald.

SI - Grade: C+

Analysis: New coach Mike Macdonald gets a defender in the first round who can be mentored by savvy veteran Johnathan Hankins. We'll see if the Seahawks plan on causing a similar amount of targeted chaos in this iteration of Macdonald's defense. He has many different pieces now, but Murphy, like Macdonald's units in Baltimore, can create havoc from multiple positions.

Touchdown Wire - Grade: B

After the second day of the draft, new Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said that he wants to build a team whose style of play is one that opponents will just hate dealing with. Murphy and Haynes will be tasked with redefining Seattle's lines, and that defensive line was especially vulnerable over the last few seasons. Both are capable, though I would have preferred Johnny Newton to Murphy. Seattle needs linebackers who can diagnose the play and flow to the ball accurately, and Tyrice Knight fits that profile. He's also a capable pass-rusher who had five sacks last season, and can hang in slot coverage.

The Auburn duo of cornerbacks are especially interesting. Both are athletic marvels who tested very well. Pritchett is more of an outside route-jumping guy, while James plays low, quick, and to the ball. These aren't old-school Seahawks cornerbacks in the Pete Carroll mold; they better match what Macdonald wants in his defenders.

The lack of a pure edge defender is a bit disappointing, but this is a draft in which the Seahawks must redefine their defense around their new head coach's paradigms, and this is Step 1.

More: 2024 NFL Draft Grade Roundups