SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Who are the best and worst Seahawks draft picks since 2013?

Feb 1, 2020, 11:40 AM | Updated: 11:42 am

Seahawks WR DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett...

Top Seahawks receivers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett came to Seattle in the NFL Draft. (Getty)

(Getty)

The best draft in the history of the Seahawks is 2012. That much is without question.

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In that draft, Seattle snagged their current franchise cornerstones in quarterback Russell Wilson (third round) and middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (second round), while also drafting edge rusher/linebacker Bruce Irvin in the first round, who was a key contributor while with the Seahawks. They also picked up backup running back Robert Turbin (fourth round), nickel corner Jeremy Lane (sixth round) and J.R. Sweezy, who the Seahawks converted from defensive line to offensive line and would start in the team’s Super Bowl victory in 2013.

Since that fabled draft, the team hasn’t been as successful – especially with their first-round selections. This prompted both Jim Moore and Brent Stecker to write columns this week on 710Sports.com about the possibility of Seattle trading up in the first round of the upcoming draft, something they usually do the opposite of.

While those two are looking ahead to the 2020 NFL Draft, let’s look back on Seattle’s last seven drafts starting in 2013 and see which picks the Seahawks nailed and which ones were flops.

2013 draft

Best: TE Luke Willson

Willson has been a staple of the Seahawks organization since he entered the league and is one of four players left on the roster, along with Wilson, Wagner and linebacker K.J. Wright, who was part of the 2013 Super Bowl-winning team.

Willson may not have the gaudiest numbers, totaling 1,295 yards and 11 touchdowns in his seven NFL seasons, but he’s a capable blocker and is a solid No. 2 tight end for nearly any NFL team.

Plus, he’s a favorite of fans and in the locker room. It’s hard to quantify his impact overall, but he’s made a big one in Seattle.

Worst: RB Christine Michael

The case could be made for receiver Chris Harper, who never played for the Seahawks despite being selected in the fourth round, but Michael was tabbed to be the replacement or at least a complement to Marshawn Lynch. Obviously, that never happened.

Michael was the Seahawks’ first selection in 2013, taken in the second round (the team traded their first-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for receiver Percy Harvin).

Michael played sparingly in 2013 and 2014 behind Lynch and Robert Turbin before being traded to the Dallas Cowboys in early 2015. He would later return to the Seahawks, even taking over as the starter in 2016 for the first half of the year but was waived in November. He is now in the XFL.

2014 draft

Best: OL Justin Britt

Britt, taken late in the second round, has been a staple of the Seahawks’ offensive line since entering the league in 2014.

Originally a right tackle, he switched to guard his second season before finding his footing as a center, a move that ultimately landed him a contract extension.

Up until 2019, Britt had been one of Seattle’s more durable players, missing just two games between 2014 and 2018. But midway through the 2019 season, he tore his ACL and landed on injured reserve.

He has one year remaining on his deal and will look to anchor an offensive line in 2020 that really wore down towards the end of the season.

Worst: WR Kevin Norwood

A fourth-round selection out of Alabama, Norwood had over 100 yards his rookie year, but that was essentially it.

He was traded to the Carolina Panthers and never recorded another catch in the NFL. Like Harper, he is one of several fourth-round receivers to never pan out for the Seahawks.

2015 draft

Best: WR Tyler Lockett

When the Seahawks took Lockett in the third round, he was initially used as a special teams ace and a second or third option for Wilson. Now, he’s emerged as the team’s No. 1 receiver the last two seasons, combining for over 2,000 receiving yards and 18 touchdowns during that stretch.

He burst onto the scene with his special teams ability, earning All-Pro honors as a rookie, and he’s still a threat in the return game, but an injury and his increased role in the Seattle offense have caused him to ease back the returns.

With Doug Baldwin retiring ahead of the 2019 season, Lockett emerged as Wilson’s security blanket. On plays Wilson scrambles around, Lockett always seems to be the guy that slips open for a first down or a touchdown, like this improbable snag in Week 5.

Whether or not he’s returning kicks or punts next year, he will still be a top option in the passing game for Wilson and is a threat to have his second 1,000-yard campaign.

Honorable mention to defensive end Frank Clark, who shined in his final season with the Seahawks in 2018 before being shipped to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Worst: OL Terry Poole

Poole was one of a few picks in this draft that didn’t pan out, others being cornerback Tye Smith, defensive end Obum Gwacham, guard Kristjan Sokoli and cornerback Ryan Murphy.

Poole, who was Seattle’s next pick after Lockett and Clark, played offensive line, an area of weakness for the Seahawks at this time, making his selection in the fourth round more disappointing. Poole, like Michael, now plays in the XFL.

2016 draft

Best: DT Jarran Reed

This is really between Reed and first-round pick Germain Ifedi. Yes, Ifedi is up there for his durability and he had a solid season in 2019 as he heads into free agency.

But the nod still goes to Reed, who the Seahawks took in the second round. Reed, after two solid years to start his career, exploded for 10.5 sacks as a defensive tackle in 2018. This left many salivating over his potential in 2019, but a six-game suspension to start the year seemingly slowed him down.

Reed finished the campaign with just 1.5 sacks but still played the run well as he has over his first four seasons.

Reed enters free agency at 27 years old and made it clear on social media he is looking for a big deal this offseason. Seattle needs defensive linemen for 2020 and has money to spend, so there’s definitely a chance Reed returns to Seattle for 2020 and beyond.

Worst: The entire third round

The Seahawks had three selections in the third round and all were in close proximity to one another,

Seattle took running back C.J. Prosise at pick 90, tight end Nick Vannett at 94 and offensive lineman Rees Odhiambo at 97.

Prosise was still on Seattle’s roster at the end of 2019 and flashed some big play ability during his rookie season, but has been injury prone his entire career and likely won’t be back in 2020.

Vannett never molded into a No. 1 or 2 tight end despite his draft status and the Seahawks traded him to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a fifth-round pick early on in 2019.

Odhiambo started 2017 as Seattle’s left tackle but was injured and released at the start of 2018.

Clearly, this was a round to forget for the Seahawks.

2017 draft

Best (tie): CB Shaquill Griffin and RB Chris Carson

These two have been critical over the last few seasons for Seattle.

Griffin, taken in the third round, was a starter from the beginning opposite Richard Sherman in his rookie season. When Sherman left in free agency, Griffin assumed the No. 1 corner role.

After a tough season in 2018, he bounced back in a big way in 2019, making the Pro Bowl by playing well in coverage and breaking up passes throughout the year despite not recording an interception.

While Carson briefly assumed the starting role at running back as a rookie until he went down with an injury, he has since burst onto the scene, recording back to back 1,000-yard campaigns and emerging as a top-10 running back. He also took a step forward in 2019 as a receiver, catching 37 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

Carson suffered a hip injury in Week 16 of the 2019 season, and his absence was evident from that point forward.

The Seahawks struggled to find a rhythm in the run game during the playoffs with Travis Homer and Marshawn Lynch carrying the load. The good news is Carson won’t need surgery and should be ready for the start of the 2020 season.

Worst: DT Malik McDowell

The story of Malik McDowell, who the Seahawks took in the second round with their first selection, is a sad one as he never played a game for Seattle after injuring his head in an ATV accident ahead of training camp. He was released in July 2018.

McDowell has also had multiple run-ins with law enforcement since Seattle selected him 35th overall and was sentenced to 11 months in jail in 2019 for assault, resisting arrest and operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

2018 draft

Best: P Michael Dickson

This draft, at least as it currently stands, is pretty impressive.

The reason Dickson gets this spot over guys like Will Dissly and Tre Flowers is he earned All-Pro honors his rookie season and continued to be a weapon in 2019, whereas Dissly has injury history despite his Pro Bowl-caliber play and Flowers struggled at the end of 2019.

Dickson beat out longtime Seahawks punter Jon Ryan for the starting job in 2018 and hasn’t looked back since, helping Seattle flip the field time and time again.

The draft also has current and future starters like offensive lineman Jamarco Jones, defensive end Rasheem Green and running back Rashaad Penny, who have all flashed at times, as has edge rusher and core special teams contributor Shaquem Griffin.

Worst: QB Alex McGough

Some may want to put Penny here given his inconsistent play and his status as a first-round pick or even Green, who struggled mightily his rookie season after being selected in the third round. Penny has made some big plays in his first two seasons, and if he can recover from his season-ending knee injury and return to how he played in Week 12 and 13, he could be an even bigger contributor going forward. Green, meanwhile, led the team in sacks and also blocked multiple kicks in 2019.

McGough gets the nod here simply because he was the only one out of the nine-man draft class that didn’t contribute at all for the Seahawks. He was ultimately released after 2018.

Defensive end Jacob Martin is the only other 2018 selection who isn’t on the team anymore, but he had a solid rookie season as an edge rusher and was used in the trade to acquire defensive end Jadeveon Clowney from the Houston Texans, leaving McGough as the odd man out in a strong draft class.

2019 draft

Best: WR DK Metcalf

This one, for the moment, is a no-brainer.

Metcalf exceeded all expectations in 2019, compiling 900 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season before setting an NFL rookie playoff record with 160 yards in Seattle’s wild card round win against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Metcalf’s size and speed, which shined through at the NFL Combine, were on full display throughout the season, leading many to question how he slid to the end of the second round.

After never playing a full season in college at Ole Miss, Metcalf played all 16 regular season contests as well as Seattle’s two playoff games. The duo of Metcalf and Lockett will likely terrorize opposing defenses for years to come, and Metcalf, who just turned 22 in December, is only getting started.

Worst: DE LJ Collier

You could make the case for another fourth-round receiver in Gary Jennings, who was waived when the team claimed veteran receiver Josh Gordon off waivers, but Seattle needed help on the defensive line in the worst way in 2019 and Collier couldn’t answer the call.

Collier was inactive throughout the season despite being healthy after Week 1.

An offseason injury caused him to miss most of training camp and all of the preseason, which could be a reason he never seemed to catch up to the rest of the roster.

Collier had just three tackles and was inactive for both playoff games.

Head coach Pete Carroll said he hopes Collier makes a big leap in year two, similar to how Rasheem Green took a step forward from 2018 to 2019, when he led the Seahawks with four sacks.

The 2020 NFL Draft is in Las Vegas from April 23 to April 25, and the Seahawks’ first pick is at No. 27.

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