The Seattle Seahawks’ 2024 draft class saw plenty of action during their first year in the league.
Observations from Seattle Seahawks’ preseason opener
First-round pick Byron Murphy II was on the field for nearly half of the team’s defensive snaps when he was healthy. Fourth-rounders Tyrice Knight and AJ Barner each carved out prominent roles, with Knight becoming a starter midseason. And the offensive line trio of Christian Haynes, Sataoa Laumea and Michael Jerrell each started games or had a clear opportunity to win a starting role throughout the year.
One player who didn’t receive much action was fifth-round cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett. After getting his only start of the year in Week 7, the Auburn product missed the next week with an injury and ended up not playing another defensive snap until the final week of the season when Seattle had been eliminated from playoff contention.
Pritchett was on the field plenty in Seattle’s preseason opener on Thursday night against the Las Vegas Raiders, and he made the most of his opportunity with an interception and two passes defended.
Pritchett’s performance caught the eye of Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus, who said Pritchett was in need of a big play like the interception he had against Las Vegas.
“Nehemiah needed that play to be made because we know there’s a lot of competition (at cornerback),” Bumpus said. “(Shaquill) Griffin is now back with the team. He was off in Florida handling business with his family for a long time. You see Josh Jobe with an interception (earlier in the game), so now now Nehemiah is feeling some pressure. There’s competition out there.
“Yes, you want to win the game. You’re part of a team, but you’re trying to beat that guy in front of you. So for a guy who hasn’t made too many plays over the last year or so, this was big for Nehemiah, and he showed just proper technique and great instinct.”
Inside Pritchett’s INT
Bumpus said Pritchett’s interception was the most impressive of two Seattle had on the night. For Bumpus, it’s the way Pritchett adjusted from his assignment to undercut an out route to the slot receiver that stood out.
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“It looked like he was in a soft coverage. It was either Cover 3 or Cover 4, so his job is to make sure that the receiver over him does not get behind him. You get deeper than the deepest, you turn your hips and you run,” Bumpus said. “But at some point because you’re in a zone, you can look in the backfield and kind of see what the quarterback is doing. That’s what he did.
“He had outside leverage, he’s on top of the receiver, sees the quarterback throwing that out route to the number two receiver – that’s the one inside of Nehemiah – and he breaks off his responsibility and you go and make a play.”
The interception was Pritchett’s first in an NFL game, preseason or regular season.
“A lot of times guys get caught up in just doing their job. That’s what you’re supposed to do. You make sure your job is secure, you’re assignment-friendly, you’re good to go,” Bumpus said. “But at the end of the day, see ball, get ball. And he recognized the route combination, he was in good position, trusted his eyes and his instincts, broke on the football, caught that thing and tried to get some money.”
Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Listen to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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