Instant impact players to watch at Seattle Seahawks NFL Rookie Minicamp who could breakout this season

The 2024 NFL Draft is behind us. The NFL offseason is now in full swing. Next up: Rookie Minicamps. The Seattle Seahawks will be welcoming all of their draft picks, undrafted free agent signings, and camp invite players for their rookie minicamp this week!

The rookie minicamp at the Seahawks practice facility will start Friday May 3rd and span the entire weekend. This is a great opportunity for each and every incoming rookie to make their presence known, proving to the team that they're ready to make an instant impact in year one for the team.

Let's dive into some of the new players who will be making their first appearance at rookie minicamp and could be primed to break out this season for the Seahawks!

By on Murphy, DL Texas

This one might be rather obvious, but Byron Murphy was an absolute steal for the Seahawks in the middle of round one of the 2024 NFL Draft. Byron Murphy will be asked to plug in right away as a near every down player along the stacked defensive front for the Seahawks.

His near 17% pass rush pressure rate last fall led all defensive tackles in this year's draft class, so expect him to create all kinds of havoc in year one. At 6'1", 297 pounds he doesn't look the prototypical interior defensive lineman, but he and veteran Jarran Reed should work well alongside each other right away.

Christian Haynes, OG UConn

Heading into day two of the NFL Draft the biggest remaining need for the Seattle Seahawkswas offensive guard. General manager John Schneider waited patiently at pick 81 and got the player that many expected might be the perfect fit if he made it that far. Christian Haynes played over 3,300 snaps at offensive guard for UConn and allowed just one sack in the last two seasons combined.

Haynes will need to prove himself at rookie minicamp and into the summer, but he should be on the fast track to earn the starting right guard role in year one (instead of Anthony Bradford).

AJ Barner, TE Michigan

The Seahawks did re-sign Noah Fant this spring, but outside of him they don't really have any solid proven option at the position on the roster. Yes, Pharaoh Brown has been in the league for a while, but he's hardly a difference maker.

AJ Barner is fresh off a national championship at Michigan where he played over 600 snaps succeeding both as a blocker and receiver. Prior to that he played over 900 snaps for Indiana as an excellent blocking tight end.

Barner will have to prove himself at rookie minicamp and throughout practices heading into the season, but he should be slated to slide into the TE2 role for the Seahawks in year one, seeing significant snaps early. The top Seahawks staffers certainly believe he brings both receiving and blocking abilities to play an important role (as you can see in the post below).