2020 draft class makes statement for Seahawks

SEATTLE — You had to wait until the end to see it — and for once, the end of a Seattle Seahawks game was uneventful, featuring three Russell Wilson kneeldowns.

But as Wilson and the offense took the field to run out the clock on a 37-27 victory Sunday against the 49ers with three peaceful kneeldowns, so did rookie tight end Colby Parkinson, part of a five tight-end formation the team used for its three final plays.

The snaps were the first of Parkinson’s NFL career, and when he took the field he became the seventh member of Seattle’s eight-man rookie class to play in the game, as well as for this season.

Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan made their NFL debuts against the 49ers.

The other five members of the rookie class who played in the game all started — receiver Freddie Swain (on the field for the first play and credited as a starter), running back DeeJay Dallas, right guard Damien Lewis, weakside linebacker Jordyn Brooks and defensive end Alton Robinson.

Unofficially, it’s thought to be the first time in the Pete Carroll era five rookies have started the same game.

In 2019, Seattle had only four members of its draft class start as much as one game all year (DK Metcalf, Cody Barton, Marquise Blair and Travis Homer).

Swain’s start might have been more of a formation thing, but the other four were starters in name and in snaps, Lewis playing 68 snaps, Dallas 54, Robinson 49 and Brooks 35.

The seven rookies combined to play 250 snaps, score two touchdowns and make eight tackles with one sack.

The only member of the rookie draft class to not take part was second-round choice Darrell Taylor, who remains on the non-football injury list recovering from leg surgery, with it unclear if or when he will return this season.

But the other seven all could keep factoring into Seattle’s plans the rest of the season, giving the Seahawks the kind of mid-to-late-season boost from rookies that became something of a trademark in the early years of the Carroll-John Schneider era.

Here’s a review of what each of the rookies did against San Francisco (aside from Taylor) in order of draft standing and what their role could be going forward.

Brooks

He got his third start and played 50 percent of the available defensive snaps, which was a career high. He was playing the weakside linebacker spot in the base defense, then coming off the field in the nickel, when K.J. Wright moved to WLB from the strongside spot. Figure that to be Brooks’ role the rest of the season.

Lewis

Lewis, a third-round choice out of LSU, has started every game this season — the only Seahawks rookie to do so — but he missed most of the Dallas game with an ankle injury. Pro Football Focus last week rated Lewis the ninth-best rookie in the NFL this season, stating he had “produced an 86.5 run-block grade for the season, ranking fourth among qualifying guards.” Could be Seattle’s right guard for years to come.

Parkinson

A fourth-round choice from Stanford, the Seahawks activated Parkinson off the non-football injury list Saturday and was in on the final three plays. Seattle had five tight ends active against the 49ers. That didn’t last long as it was reported the team released Luke Willson on Tuesday, meaning Parkinson — who missed the first six games after being on the non-football injury list because of a broken foot suffered in an offseason workout — will have a steady role going forward.

Dallas

Dallas, a fourth-rounder out of Miami, got his first NFL start with Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde and Homer all injured, and while his numbers weren’t spectacular (41 yards on 18 carries) he didn’t make any mistakes and scored two touchdowns. “I’m not surprised a bit that he handled this because he hasn’t appeared at any time like anything’s too big for him,” Carroll said Monday. “But this was such a big role you know it could have made a difference, but it didn’t.” Seattle could have a log jam at running back if everyone gets healthy and Rashaad Penny returns. But Dallas also looks like a long-term keeper.

Robinson

Against Arizona, Robinson — a fifth-round selection out of Syracuse — got just seven snaps as Seattle gave 40 to Shaquem Griffin, most as an edge rusher, thinking his speed would be a good matchup against Kyler Murray. Those numbers flipped against the 49ers, with Robinson starting at the LEO spot in place of the injured Benson Mayowa and getting a career-high 49 snaps as Griffin didn’t play on defense, getting only four special-teams snaps. Robinson finished with three tackles and a sack and drew about the highest praise possible from Carroll on Monday. “He did a beautiful job,” Carroll said. “He played against the most accomplished edge blockers in (49ers tight end George Kittle and fullback Kyle Juscczyk) and he handled himself really well. He was disruptive. He was tough. He did not have any physical issues that he couldn’t handle. I love the way he played.” Figure Robinson to have earned a steady role in the rotation going forward.

Swain

Swain, a sixth-rounder out of Florida, played 19 snaps against San Francisco and didn’t have a catch or a target (but with Metcalf running roughshod through things and getting 15 of Russell Wilson’s 36 targets there wasn’t a lot left). But Swain has proven dependable, playing 12 or more snaps in every game (and six or more on special teams) with seven receptions on nine targets for 97 yards and a touchdown and a passer rating of 156.8 when targeted (a perfect rating is 158.3).

Sullivan

This maybe the best story of the rookies. A seventh-round pick out of LSU, Sullivan mostly was a receiver in college making a transition to tight end fully as a pro, then asked by the Seahawks a few weeks ago to try his hand at defensive end. The Seahawks never figured he’d be needed this early. But an injury to Mayowa and Carlos Dunlap not yet being available led to a shortage at the rush end spot and the need for Sullivan, who was elevated off the practice squad Saturday, then saw 22 snaps against the 49ers, getting an assisted tackle on his first play. Sullivan also was credited by Pro Football Focus with a hurry on one of his 18 pass-rush snaps. Carroll said Monday that Sullivan “missed some assignments,” which only makes sense given how new he is to the position. The expected return this week of Mayowa and the addition of Dunlap (and the return of Rasheem Green at the other end spot) means Sullivan might not be active this week — and he might again return to tight end eventually. But if nothing else, he’s won a lot of people over with his willingness to switch spots and ability to do it well enough to play credibly in his first time out.