As a late sixth-round pick in 2024, offensive lineman Mike Jerrell arguably became the most underrated member of the Seattle Seahawks’ draft class. However, Jerrell did get snaps as a rookie and some appearances as a starter.
Can Jerrell dream of something bigger role than being a backup in the future?
Michael Jerrell’s 2024
Jerrell was a gamble coming out of the unknown Findlay University, a Division II school. A very athletic player but one who needed some refinement, he made the 53-man roster. The idea was that his rookie year would basically serve as a redshirt season.
Abe Lucas didn’t recover in time for the start of the regular season and after other injuries, such as those to George Fant and Stone Forsythe, Jerrell became the starter against the Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills. He played most of the snaps against the Los Angeles Rams, some against the San Francisco 49ers and started again against the Rams in the season finale after Lucas suffered another injury.
Jerrell played 250 snaps, gave up 15 pressures, had 3 sacks, 2 hits and 10 hurries. He received the third-worst PFF run block grade and the second-worst PFF pass block grade among OL rookies. However, he was the lowest pick on the rookie list. You can’t ask for much more from a sixth-rounder who played in Division II last year. I think he was very productive and if we can get a competent OL and OC coach, Jerrell could be a great asset in the future.
“Some ups and a lot of downs”
Good contact, physically keeping the EDGE away and creating the gap alongside Christian Haynes for Ken Walker’s TD.
Excellent athletic ability, just needs to be more refined.
You can’t always win on every snap. Something important is having alternatives to recover during the snap and Jerrell manages to redirect the EDGE after initially losing it.
He has always liked to impose himself physically. Obviously, imposing himself at Findlay is much easier than in the NFL. However, here he manages to replicate his good moments by throwing none other than Grady Jarrett to the ground.
This game against the Rams was very tough for Jerrell. He made holds that nullified great plays for Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The pressure ended with Geno Smith’s interception, but I don’t think there was much more to ask of the rookie here. In two steps he gets to the EDGE and makes very physical contact with Byron Young, who is a difficult defender to face. After a while Young gets away and Jerrell can’t stay ahead and “lets go” of the defender to avoid making another hold. Geno held the ball too much and still made the wrong decision.
He can’t stop his feet, especially against fast EDGEs. It’s a technical error that can be fixed, but that was one of the reasons for his penalties and pressures.
Another “coachable” snap. He comes out late from the snap and gives in to pressure, but it’s something that can be fixed.
Final Thoughts
Jerrell far exceeded expectations for his first year. Not in terms of performance, but in terms of playing time. As we said at the beginning of the article, perhaps Seattle was considering him for the practice squad, or to have a year as a redshirt. However, injuries to Abe Lucas, George Fant, and Stone Forsythe meant that the team’s former RT4 had games as a starter, which is very important for his development.
It was common during the offseason to come across videos of Jerrell and Christian Haynes training. We will only be able to see the real impact of this in the first games of the preseason, but as previously mentioned, Jerrell’s athletic potential makes him a raw talent to be polished. The arrival of John Benton on the coaching staff will greatly help his growth.
In theory, he will have to compete for a spot with Mason Richman, recently drafted in the seventh round, and Josh Jones, the only OL brought in in free agency. Jones is basically a lock on the roster, unless he suffers an injury. Therefore, Jerrell’s real competition would be with Richman. The Iowa player has in his favor the potential versatility of playing inside the line and having many starting games in a big program, while Jerrell is a much better athlete.