The Seahawks' entire 2019 draft class is now under contract following the signing of third-round pick Cody Barton.
Barton, a third-round pick out of Utah, was the only one of Seattle's 11 draft picks who remained unsigned prior to signing his rookie deal. As a senior, Barton led the Utes with 116 tackles and had 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, six pass breakups and an interception.
The Seahawks moved up four spots in the third round to take Barton with the 88th overall pick in the draft, and so far in preseason workouts he and fellow Pac-12 linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven have made a strong first impression.
"The thing with these guys, especially in my group, is they're really ahead of the curve and really smart," linebacker K.J. Wright said last month during organized team activities. "BBK and Cody Barton are very impressive rookies and I'm enjoying what I'm seeing out of them so far… I've never seen rookie linebackers like this. Usually it takes them a while to get the playbook down, especially with the D-line stunts, but they're pretty much ahead of the curve."
Barton and Burr-Kirven are part of a rookie class that has impressed so far and that has Seahawks coach Pete Carroll excited about the future.
"I'm pumped about this group, man," Carroll said of the 2019 draft class. "I just have been. Their minds are in the right place. They're really focused on studying and learning. They feel the responsibility of catching up. You know, they're asking questions, they're staying late, they're coming around and doing everything they can to make sure that they're doing their part. Plus, there's some talent out here that's obvious it's going to add to the competition of all the different spots. Everybody that's had the opportunity has made a good statement about where they know they're going for it. And it's really exciting for us."
