RENTON, Wash. -- After the seventh round of this year's draft wrapped up, Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was asked if he felt like his team had increased the competition level going into spring practices.
"Without question," Carroll said. "That’s what this feels like. Coming out of this area here and also what’s going on down the hall right now, we know there’s a couple really cool things that are happening down there as well. It’s going to be one of our most competitive camps."
What was happening down the hall was the courting of undrafted free agents, something the Seahawks take very seriously.
They currently have 24 players on their roster who were originally undrafted free agents. That's 45.3 percent of the entire team.
This year, the Seahawks have seven new undrafted rookie free agents and 15 rookies overall.
"I think it's a good statement about what we're doing," Carroll said. "We believe in young guys. We believe young guys can play. We've committed to that a long time ago, and it's worked out fine for us. We'll see how these guys do. It's a good statement about the process and getting guys in here that compete and battle. I'm happy about it -- not worried at all."
As the Seahawks try to keep their window for a Super Bowl open, they've done a good job of getting younger.
A strength of the Carroll/John Schneider era has been their willingness to admit mistakes and move on. The only first-round picks still on the roster are safety Earl Thomas and rookie Germain Ifedi.
One reason there are so many undrafted players is because those guys beat out draft picks. For example, offensive lineman George Fant beat out Terry Poole, a fourth-round pick from last year. Cornerback DeAndre Elliott took Tye Smith's spot. Smith was a fifth-round pick in 2015.
Carroll often discusses his obsession with competition, and the numbers show that it's not all talk. From the start of the offseason program to the final deadline for roster cuts, the Seahawks have shown that they are looking for their best 53 players, regardless of where guys are coming from.
