Seahawks Draft: K-State CB Julius Brents could be Sherman-esque steal

When it comes to the 2023 NFL Draft, cornerback isn’t really a position of need for the Seattle Seahawks.

Why did the Seahawks rescind their tender to safety Ryan Neal?

Seattle has Tariq Woolen, a finalist for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022, as well as Coby Bryant and Tre Brown as options on the outside. The Hawks instead could use more help around the line of scrimmage.

But what if a cornerback that fits the mold that the Seahawks like at the position falls to them in, say, the third round? Well, in that case, former NFL quarterback and current FOX college football analyst Brock Huard has a name to know: Julius Brents of Kansas State.

“I give you a player that maybe not even is a fit positionally for the Seahawks but is just simply a baller,” Huard said Monday during his daily Seahawks Draft Profile segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “I’ve come across Julius Brents this season on two different occasions, and both the game tape pops and when I meet him in person, it further hammers home my point. And then you start to do a little digging and you’re like, ‘Yep, I think this guy is a Seahawk.'”

What a play @Jbrents_18 pic.twitter.com/dlMxlD48nI

— K-State Football (@KStateFB) November 19, 2022

What makes Huard feels so strongly? Well, Brents reminds him of maybe the best to ever play cornerback in a Seahawks uniform.

“You want a comp for Julius Brents? … There was one guy that wore 25 for Seattle, and he didn’t mind telling you how good he was, and he didn’t mind telling you how he’s going to shut down people, and he didn’t mind telling you that he can guard the very best,” Huard said.

Huard was alluding to Richard Sherman, and he has a pretty compelling point, pointing out all the measurables where Brents either matches or surpasses Sherman.

Size? Sherman was 6 foot 3 and 195 pounds when he went to the NFL combine, while Brents is 6-3 and 198. Arms? Brents’ 34-inch arms are two inches longer than Sherman’s. Speed? Brents ran the 40-yard dash in 4.53 seconds, better than Sherman’s 4.6. Jumping ability? Brents did the broad jump (11 feet, 6 inches) over a foot further than Sherman (10-5). And finally, change of direction? Brents did the 20-yard shuttle in 4.05 seconds compared to 4.33 for Sherman.

“Those are pieces of clay that this head coach wouldn’t mind to mold,” Huard said, referring to Seahawks coach Pete Carroll.

Brents’ Sherman-esque brashness is part of the reason he left such an impression on Huard.

“I have a handful of scouts and NFL people that I know and I reach out to,” Huard said, “and I’m like, ‘Yep, this is one you’re going to want to sit with at the combine.'”

Brents, who was named first-team All-Big 12 by the league’s coaches as a redshirt senior in 2022, made four interceptions and eight passes defensed last season. It was his second year with the Wildcats after transferring from Iowa following the 2020 campaign.

“This guy’s a corner – a bonafide corner,” Huard said. “… Went to Iowa, started some games there, but it just never fit. So he found a way after three years of playing there to transfer and became a difference maker for Kansas State. Became a lockdown, shutdown corner guarding some of the best Big 12 receivers, and there were some good ones.”

Where could Brents land in the draft?

“I think he will probably go third round, maybe second round. Just depends. This is a deep corner draft,” Huard said. “… If this kid is there in the third round (for the Seahawks), I would be very, very intrigued.”

Listen to Huard’s full draft profile of Brents in the podcast below.

More Seahawks draft profiles

• Huard makes sense of Anthony Richardson’s pro day
• Standout USC DL Tuli Tuipulotu fits Seahawks’ scheme
• The late-round ‘monster’ Wisconsin LB that Seattle should draft
• The massive ‘man eater’ Baylor nose tackle Siaki Ika
• Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Kansas State RB Deuce Vaughn

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