Sep 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini linebacker Seth Coleman (9) during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Seahawks Rookie Roundup: Can productive UDFA pass-rusher standout from the bunch?

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Connor Benintendi | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 8:22 PM ET

The Seattle Seahawks begin training camp on Wednesday, July 23, officially kicking off the second season under head coach Mike Macdonald. Seattle's rookie class — draft pick and undrafted free agent alike — will be among the most closely watched additions to the team during camp.

This season, the Seahawks have 29 total rookies on their 90-man roster. Before camp begins, we will profile each of the team's first-year players and project their chances of making the final 53-man roster in early September. Another experienced rookie who spent six seasons in college, undrafted Illinois edge rusher Seth Coleman is looking to find an NFL home with the Seahawks.

Path to the NFL

A four-star recruit by 247Sports out of Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne, Florida, Coleman committed to Illinois as part of the 2019 recruiting class. Coleman was listed at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds coming out of high school, making him an appealing prospect as a pass rusher.

He saw extensive action in each of his final five seasons, totaling 56 appearances in his six total campaigns with the Fighting Illini. Coleman never put up massive numbers, and he only started every game for Illinois in 2022 and 2023 — earning All-Big Ten honorable mention honors in both seasons. For his career, Coleman totaled 183 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks and 15 pass deflections.

Coleman was projected to be a seventh-round pick or priority undrafted free agent by NFL.com, and ultimately was listed at 6-foot-3, 242 pounds in the lead up to the draft. The Seahawks signed Coleman on May 2 in the first round of UDFA signings.

Outlook

Even before mentioning the locked-in roster players for the Seahawks at pass-rusher, Coleman has to compete with fellow UDFAs Jared Ivey, Jalan Gaines and Connor O'Toole in training camp. Then Seattle has DeMarcus Lawrence, Boye Mafe, Derick Hall and Uchenna Nwosu at the top end of the position group, which makes it one of the hardest rotations to crack on the entire Seattle roster. That doesn't even include the experienced NFL players in the middle that will also be fighting for a roster spot (Jamie Sheriff and Tyreke Smith).

It'll be a difficult battle for Coleman as he tries to stand out from the bunch. Six years of college production doesn't stand out nearly as much as it used to, as fifth- and sixth-year seniors are becoming increasingly common. Coleman will turn 25 in December, which means he has to quickly latch on with a team to avoid aging out of his NFL opportunity.

Coleman lacks speed off the line of scrimmage, which is what separates a decent pass-rusher from a great one. He also didn't excel in run defense, but he was a good tackler throughout his college career if he can be coached to maintain position against NFL blockers. Coleman thrives on his agility, rather than outright speed. Still, he might not have the refined skills and overall athleticism to even stick as a practice squad player.