The Seattle Seahawks rookies combined for 141 snaps in the NFC Divisional Round romp of the San Francisco 49ers. That number was inflated by garbage-time reps in the fourth quarter. It’s also important to remember that the Seahawks currently have two rookies on Injured Reserve and had four rookies inactive for this game as healthy scratches.
Let’s break down some of the key snaps from the All-22.
Grey Zabel – Offensive Guard (53 snaps)
Coming off the best game of his young career, Zabel followed it up with another strong performance in both
phases, playing a key role in the overall efficiency of the offense. According to PFF, he allowed just one pressure and finished seventh among blockers in both run blocking and pass blocking, with grades of 62.6 and 77.7, respectively.
Zabel continues to show good variety in his pass sets. On this rep, he uses a jump set to disrupt the defensive tackle’s timing. The DL responds by trying to win with pure power against the left guard. Zabel initially gets displaced but quickly re-anchors, resets his base, and re-fits his hands to prevent further push, keeping the quarterback clean. This is a clear area of growth, especially considering he had struggled earlier in the season against power rushers and strength-based moves.
Another noticeable improvement is his hand placement. He engages in a prolonged hand fight with the defensive lineman, but his initial hand positioning allows him to stay square and maintain leverage throughout the rep.
Once again, he mirrors the DL’s movements extremely well and wins the hand battle (amazing footwork), essentially eliminating any counter and keeping the pocket intact.
The Seahawks’ offense leaned heavily on outside and wide zone concepts. For those runs to work, the execution of reach blocks is critical, requiring both explosiveness and athleticism — areas where Zabel consistently delivered.
Speaking of athleticism, this snap is outstanding. Watch how many yards he covers blocking downfield on a 30-yard gain (alongside center Jalen Sundell). An excellent play call by Klint Kubiak.
Thank you for this pick, John Schneider. Zabel starts from a clearly unfavorable angle to block #53 Eric Kendricks — who had been the standout defender for the 49ers against the Eagles — yet he quickly closes space on the linebacker and completely eliminates any chance of a tackle.
Nick Emmanwori – Defensive Back (51 snaps)
After a string of strong performances, Emmanwori turned in a below-average game. Nothing overly concerning, especially given the defense’s overall success, but he was manipulated at times, with his aggressiveness used against him. He recorded one pressure, three tackles, and one run stop, while allowing four receptions on five targets for 41 yards.
Snap alignment breakdown:
- 4 snaps on the defensive line
- 27 snaps in the box
- 17 snaps in the slot
- 2 snaps at corner
- 1 snap at free safety
His primary responsibility on several reps appeared to be flat coverage/checkdown. When Brock Purdy shows his shoulders toward the opposite side of the field, Emmanwori flows with the QB’s eyes, opening up space on the flat and allowing the completion. As discussed in the preview, discipline means executing your assignment, not trying to do more than what the call asks.
Discipline is again an issue on the next rep. He abandons the crosser as soon as Purdy escapes the pocket in an attempt to help contain, which opens a window for a unlikely completion.
This is something we hadn’t seen much since his early-season tape. Here, the rookie is manipulated by the quarterback’s eyes and takes a false step forward despite no immediate threat, creating a window between himself and the deep safety.
On this snap, he flashes his full athletic profile as a blitzer. The design, with Leonard Williams attacking the interior gap, creates a true one-on-one with the running back. The RB executes a solid cut block, but Emmanwori stays focused, works through contact, and forces the quarterback off his spot.
Jake Tonges is about to secure this catch, which could have significantly altered the flow of the game. Emmanwori attacks the football at the catch point and breaks up the pass, preventing a touchdown. Emmanwori saves 6 points.
Elijah Arroyo – Tight End (0 snaps)
Injured Reserve.
Jalen Milroe – Quarterback (0 snaps)
Inactive.
Rylie Mills – Defensive Lineman (0 snaps)
Mills had shown steady improvement despite limited reps. The coaching staff opted to go with Brandon Pili, likely for added run defense, and Connor O’Toole, who has been a consistent contributor on special teams.
Tory Horton – Wide Receiver (0 snaps)
Injured Reserve.
Robbie Ouzts – Fullback (10 snaps)
It was surprising to see Ouzts log only 10 snaps, as his impact felt larger on tape. He saw his first NFL target, though the pass ultimately fell incomplete.
Excellent work as a lead blocker, showing the athleticism required to climb to the third level and assist on explosive runs.
The rookie helps make this play happen (along with an excellent block from Cooper Kupp). AJ Barner is tasked with blocking the edge defender — the primary read on the run — but fails to generate movement. Ouzts comes across the formation in motion and creates the necessary gap for the running back.
Aligned as an H-back/tight end, he executes a critical block on split zone. In this concept, the edge defender is intentionally left unblocked, with a backside player responsible for the kick-out. Once again, Ouzts helps create the run lane.
Bryce Cabeldue, Offensive Lineman (0 snaps)
Inactive.
Mason Richman, Offensive Lineman (0 snaps)
Inactive.
Nick Kallerup, Tight End (6 snaps)
It was just garbage time snaps.
Amari Kight – Offensive Lineman (17 snaps)
With Josh Jones injured and Charles Cross dealing with his third injury — after a lingering hamstring, a knee issue during the week, and a foot injury during the game — the Seahawks were forced to turn to Kight the new Left Tackle. According to head coach Mike Macdonald postgame, Cross’s injury did not appear to be serious.
Kight held up well and directly contributed to one of Ken Walker’s touchdown runs. He controls the edge long enough for strong tight end blocking to develop inside, allowing the gap to open and Walker to hit the crease.
He also does solid work on the first level, assisting Grey Zabel before climbing to the second level and effectively erasing the safety from the play.
Final Thoughts
As noted in the introduction, most of this rookie class was not active for this game. The class continues to be clearly led by Grey Zabel and Nick Emmanwori, but we also saw meaningful contributions from Robbie Ouzts. Additionally, the Seahawks had to rely on Amari Kight, an undrafted free agent, to handle left tackle duties during the game. Ten rookie snaps (O’Toole [4] and Kallerup) came exclusively during garbage time.
