The Seattle Seahawks rookie snap count dropped significantly in Week 15, with the group combining for 137 total snaps. That decrease is largely explained by two offensive rookies landing on Injured Reserve (Elijah Arroyo and Tory Horton), Rylie Mills being eased back in with fewer than 10 snaps after a long injury absence, and Robbie Ouzts being a somewhat unexpected inactive.
In total, only four rookies saw the field, and just two played more than 10 snaps. As a result, the All-22 review is heavily
centered on Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori.
Grey Zabel — Offensive Guard (60 snaps)
From an All-22 perspective, this was Zabel’s roughest outing of the season in pass protection, allowing four pressures — matching his Week 2 performance against Pittsburgh. The struggles were not isolated; Charles Cross also had one of his least effective games of the year, and several of Zabel’s losses came in situations where the left side failed to function cohesively.
In the run game, Zabel still flashed the traits that made him a Day 1 pick. He was effective at times on first-level blocks, generating displacement or taking efficient angles. The recurring issue showed up on second-level execution. Zabel was late climbing or failed to square up linebackers, a problem that has affected the offensive line as a whole throughout the season.
On one representative snap, Zabel and Cross attempt a double-team but never establish control. Zabel is slow transitioning to the second level, which leaves the linebacker free to scrape and make the tackle. Even with Cross struggling, the timing of Zabel’s climb exacerbates the result.
Pass protection is where the tape is most concerning. Against J.T. Tuimoloau, Zabel repeatedly struggled with inside counters. On one snap, Tuimoloau attacks the inside gap to set up a spin move. Zabel fails to land meaningful contact, forcing a hurried throw.
Later, Tuimoloau wins with a bull rush, quickly collapsing the pocket. Zabel attempts to compensate by leaning forward, opening himself up to a clean push-and-pull counter. Darnold avoids the sack, but the rep is a clear loss.
There are, however, encouraging developments on tape. Zabel has incorporated more jump sets in the second half of the season, and they show up here. While not every rep results in a win, the jump set helps disrupt pass-rush timing and prevents defenders from executing their planned moves cleanly.
One snap stands out where Zabel pairs a jump set with independent hands, landing first contact and finishing the rep with the defender on the ground. That sequence reflects tangible growth in both confidence and technique.
Another positive rep highlights his best trait: footwork. Zabel stays square laterally, maintains leverage, and uses proper hand placement to defeat a swipe attempt. Even in a down game, the baseline traits remain visible.
Nick Emmanwori — Defensive Back (60 snaps)
Emmanwori’s All-22 continues to be extremely impressive. He finished with 7 tackles, 6 run stops, 1 sack, and 2 passes defensed, allowing just 2 catches for 3 yards on 4 targets.
Usage breakdown:
8 snaps on the defensive line
32 snaps in the box
18 snaps in the slot
2 snaps at outside corner
What stands out most is not just the production, but the processing speed and discipline. On one play, Emmanwori throttles down instead of finishing a tackle that would likely draw a flag. That type of restraint is often missing from aggressive young defenders.
There are still moments where aggression works against him. On one run fit, Emmanwori attacks the same gap already occupied by DeMarcus Lawrence, leaving the edge vulnerable. The defense recovers quickly, but the rep shows where his eyes can improve.
The versatility continues to show up on tape. Emmanwori is comfortable triggering downhill from multiple alignments. On one snap, he sheds an offensive lineman and inserts into the backfield with linebacker-like timing and physicality.
His closing speed is elite. As the backside pursuit defender, he tracks Jonathan Taylor across the formation and finishes the tackle without conceding extra yards — a play that doesn’t happen without high-end explosiveness.
As a blitzer, he remains a problem. He generates one of the few legitimate near-sack moments of the game. The quarterback checks the handoff just in time, but Emmanwori’s speed still forces an incompletion.
His best rep of the night comes on a screen recognition. Emmanwori diagnoses the play early, slips past a block from Quenton Nelson, and blows up the design before it can develop. That’s veteran-level anticipation.
Elijah Arroyo, Tight End (0 snaps)
Injury Reserve.
Jalen Milroe, Quarterback(0 snaps)
Inactive.
Rylie Mills — Defensive Lineman (7 snaps)
Mills’ debut was limited, and the tape reflects the expected rust. On multiple snaps, he is slow to diagnose blocking schemes and becomes an easy target on trap and double-team concepts. The Colts’ offensive line consistently removed him from the play.
That said, the first step still flashes. It’s clear where his upside lies, particularly as a pass rusher. The lack of timing and functional strength is noticeable, but after such a long layoff, that was inevitable.
Tory Horton, Wide Receiver (0 snaps)
Injury Reserve.
Robbie Ouzts, Fullback (0 snaps)
Inactive, but Brady Russell played so poorly at fullback that even without playing, the rookie was one of the winners of the game.
Bryce Cabeldue, Offensive Lineman (0 snaps)
No garbage time, no offensive snaps.
Mason Richman, Offensive Lineman (0 snaps)
Inactive.
Nick Kallerup — Tight End (10 snaps)
Kallerup functioned strictly as a blocking tight end. Eric Saubert played 22 snaps, with Kallerup on the field for 8 of the team’s 20 rushing attempts. That usage aligns with a developmental TE3 who hasn’t yet shown receiving value.
Final Thoughts
From an All-22 standpoint, Nick Emmanwori continues to separate himself as one of the most impactful rookies on the roster. His versatility, processing, and speed are already at a high NFL level. Grey Zabel had a difficult game, particularly in pass protection, but the underlying traits and technical growth — especially with jump sets and hand usage — remain encouraging.
Rylie Mills looks like a long-term project, and 2025 still profiles as a functional redshirt season for him. With multiple rookies on Injured Reserve, meaningful rookie contributions are likely to remain concentrated on Zabel and Emmanwori moving forward.
