Where Seahawks landed in ESPN’s annual position rankings

The summer lull in the NFL calendar between minicamp and training camp has become known as “list season.” With little action taking place, much of the content during this quiet six-week window takes the form of lists and rankings.

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One of the most popular rankings during this period comes from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, who conducts an annual survey of league executives, coaches and scouts to rank the top 10 players at each of the 11 position groups. As Fowler describes, “this was not a five-year projection or a career achievement award, but meant to answer a simple question: Who are the best players right now?”

No ranking is perfect, of course. But Fowler’s rankings are among the most useful, as they provide actual league insight into how players are viewed.

So, how did the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks fare? Here’s a look.

Seahawks’ top-10 selections

The Seahawks landed four players in the top 10 of their respective position groups:

• Leonard Williams – No. 1 defensive tackle
• Jaxon Smith-Njigba – No. 3 wide receiver
• Devon Witherspoon – No. 4 cornerback
• Nick Emmanwori – No. 6 safety

Seahawks’ honorable mentions

The Seahawks had four near-misses – three players who were the top honorable mention at their position group and another who was the second honorable mention. In other words, they essentially had they essentially had three players who were No. 11 in their position group and another who was No. 12:

• Sam Darnold – 1st HM at quarterback
• Byron Murphy II – 1st HM at defensive tackle
• Grey Zabel – 1st HM at interior offensive line
• Charles Cross – 2nd HM at offensive tackle

Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV and safety Julian Love also received votes, but neither was ranked in the top 10 or among the honorable mentions at their position group.

How Seahawks compare to other teams

The Seahawks’ four top-10 selections are tied for the 10th-most. Nine teams have at least five top-10 selections: The Detroit Lions (nine), Philadelphia Eagles (eight), Kansas City Chiefs (seven), Houston Texans (six), Denver Broncos (five), Baltimore Ravens (five), Dallas Cowboys (five), San Francisco 49ers (five) and Los Angeles Rams (five).

But again, the Seahawks essentially had eight top-12 selections. If the cutout line was top 12 instead of top 10, Seattle would be near the top of the league.

How it compares to last year

It’s also worth noting that the Seahawks had just three top-10 selections in last year’s rankings and none in the top five. Williams was ranked sixth among defensive tackles, Witherspoon was 10th among cornerbacks and Love was 10th among safeties. Seattle also didn’t have any honorable mentions last year.

And as you may remember, the Seahawks went on to hoist the Lombardi Trophy with one of the most dominant seasons by a Super Bowl champion this century. So, while these rankings can be instructive, they certainly aren’t the end-all, be-all.

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