Seahawks’ 2022 pre-draft player visits have begun

With the 2022 NFL Combine underway, it is officially #DraftSZN. Millions of Americans can rest easy now that they know the size of Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett’s hands.

What we do often get around this time of year is news on pre-draft visits. There are a few notable college players who’ve met with the Seattle Seahawks in recent days and weeks, so instead of a deep analysis of 3-cone times let’s focus on who’s spoken to Seattle!

Max Borghi – Running Back, Washington State

Borghi rushed for 2,158 yards on just 369 carries over his four seasons in the Cougars’ run-and-shoot offense. Max also racked up 156 receptions for 1134 yards, but more than half of those totals were concentrated in his sophomore season. He opted out of the 2021 Sun Bowl so as to not suffer any catastrophic injury ahead of the NFL Draft. Prior to the start of 2021, Borghi was on the Doak Walker (top running back) and Fred Biletnikoff Award (top receiver) watch lists.

Seattle is in an interesting spot at running back given Rashaad Penny and Alex Collins are free agents, Chris Carson is an obvious cap casualty candidate, Travis Homer is more of a 3rd down back, and DeeJay Dallas is serviceable depth and not necessarily a starting caliber player.

Until the Combine is over I’m not really going to bother with draft projections but other reputable scout sites have Borghi ranging from a Day 3 pick to a UDFA, so keep an eye on him as a potential local UDFA signing.

Abraham Lucas – OL, Washington State

Borghi’s teammate Abraham Lucas was the Cougars’ starting right tackle and earned All-Pac-12 First-Team honors via Associated Press vote as a redshirt junior in 2020. In 2021 he did not allow a sack and only gave up 8 hurries on 477 pass-blocking snaps. Early projections have Lucas as a third- or fourth-rounder.

Duane Brown and Brandon Shell are both free agents, although the Seahawks seem to be keen on re-signing Brown. Jake Curhan showed some signs of promise at right tackle but Lucas could provide some intrigue.

Treylon Burks – Wide Receiver, Arkansas

Burks is one of the more electrifying receivers in this year’s draft and is most likely going to be off the board by the second round. Frank T. Raines already did a little rundown on his stats and draft projection and it’s hard not to like his skill set. At 6’3” and 225 lbs, Burks says he wants to model his game after Deebo Samuel, which is easier said than done. In three years he was second-team All-SEC and then first-team in 2021, breaking through with an 1,100 yard, 11-touchdown junior season.

The odds of the Seahawks taking him are unlikely for multiple reasons, including having just drafted Dee Eskridge last season. You can never have too much receiving talent in my book, but there are more WR needy teams than Seattle who will surely have their sights set on Burks.

Cade Otton – Tight End, Washington

Why yes, another tight end from the Huskies. Otton went the full four years at UW and his best statistical season was in 2019, when he grabbed 32 catches for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s been lauded for his blocking more than his receiving (which is also more than respectable), and is projected to be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick.

Fellow UW alum Will Dissly and Gerald Everett are both unrestricted free agents, so the Seahawks may be in the market for a TE through free agency and the NFL Draft.

Rasheed Walker – OL, Penn State

…Yeah, what Corbin said! Walker played left tackle at Penn State and started three years with the Nittany Lions.

Abram Smith – RB, Baylor

Smith tore it up in his final season at Baylor and led the Big XII in rushing yards and yards after contact.

Isaiah Spiller – RB, Texas A&M

Spiller had consecutive 1,000 yard seasons with the Aggies and figures to be taken within the first four rounds of the draft. He’s a versatile every-down back who can run and receive. He had first-team All-SEC honors in 2020 and then a second-team selection in 2021.

The last time the Seahawks went with a Texas A&M running back was Christine Michael. I’ll leave it at that.

These are only offensive players at the moment since the defensive players don’t have their combine workouts until the weekend, so don’t freak out just yet. When we get to April we’ll have a pre-draft visit tracker, but for now these are the names we have on record!