SEATTLE — The Seahawks will feature quite a few new faces when the team takes the field for its first preseason game Thursday night at Lumen Field against the Minnesota Vikings.
Some of them will enter with extremely high levels of interest, like first-round wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose training camp highlights seem to go viral near-daily.
Others have much less attention on them, including quite a few undrafted prospects who could end up factoring into the Seahawks' 2023 game plan.
Here are five rookies to keep an eye on Thursday night:
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR
Few Seahawks rookies have ever been as hyped up as Smith-Njigba. The former Ohio State Buckeye was unstoppable for much of his college career, including a memorable Rose Bowl where he put together perhaps the single-greatest individual performance in a significant bowl game.
His chemistry with Geno Smith has developed quickly, and no player seems to have popped up as much on the Seahawks' social media channels with highlights as Smith-Njigba.
Expect an absolute roar from the crowd at Lumen Field if Smith-Njigba scores a touchdown Thursday night.
Derick Hall, OLB
The 37th overall draft pick in April, Hall comes from an Auburn program that regularly churns out high-quality NFL players. Hall has drawn rave reviews at training camp so far for his ability to rush the passer, periodically racking up sacks in full-team periods.
No team ever has too much depth when it comes to pass rushers, and even with Uchenna Nwosu's big contract and Boye Mafe entering his second year on the other side of the defense, Hall will be counted on to make plays during the regular season.
With preseason games generally featuring a lot of untested offensive linemen and quarterbacks, Hall has an opportunity to feed and showcase his skills to his new home city.
Holton Ahlers, QB
Ahlers will not be competing for the Seahawks' starting or backup quarterback jobs this month. Most NFL teams don't take three quarterbacks on the roster into the regular season, so Ahlers is almost certainly destined to be cut before camp wraps up.
However, Smith likely will see limited action in the preseason, as the Seahawks now know they have a proven No. 1 quarterback in the veteran. Drew Lock is a known commodity after spending last year as Smith's backup.
Ahlers should see quite a few reps during the Seahawks' three preseason games and could prove himself worthy of a backup role with another organization depending on how well he performs. The 23-year-old shattered records during his collegiate career at East Carolina University, and should be able to soak up a lot of knowledge from Smith and Lock on and off the field.
Even if he does not earn a backup job this year, the Seahawks will likely try to keep him around on the practice squad and see if he can develop into Seattle's eventual No. 2 quarterback.
Zach Charbonnet, RB
An early injury briefly derailed his first training camp, but Charbonnet figures to factor heavily into Seattle's running back rotation, at least during training camp. Kenneth Walker is nursing an injury, and DeeJay Dallas has been with the organization for several years, so Charbonnet should see a lion's share of the touches out of the backfield Thursday night.
Charbonnet was a workhorse at UCLA, scoring 27 touchdowns in just two seasons with the Bruins after transferring from Michigan. He runs hard and might remind some fans of another Pac-12 (rest in peace) star running back who played in Seattle: Marshawn Lynch.
If anyone is going to produce a highlight on offense Thursday night, there's a good chance Charbonnet will be involved.
Jake Bobo, WR
The second Bruin on this list, Bobo's stock has steadily risen since the outset of training camp. Both Smith and Pete Carroll have praised Bobo's development and ability to run crisp routes and haul in tough catches.
“Bobo has been doing a great job," Smith said (h/t Corbin Smith). "Ever since minicamp and OTAs, he was a guy that was showing up on tape and making plays consistently. He’s a guy that knows his assignment and has a lot of confidence and swag. Everyone around here loves Bobo. We’re happy to see him make those plays because he can be a really good player.”
With Dee Eskridge facing a suspension to begin the season, Bobo has an opportunity to earn a spot on the 53-man roster, especially if he also can make a special team impact.
