A pair of lesser-known Seahawks emerged as major surprises

Heading into this season, linebacker Drake Thomas and safety Ty Okada were a pair of undrafted backups who’d combined for just 74 defensive snaps over their first two years in the NFL.

They ended up as unsung heroes for the Seattle Seahawks this season, starting a combined 25 games for the league’s top-ranked scoring defense.

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Thomas, claimed off waivers by Seattle in 2023, took over Tyrice Knight’s starting role in late September and flourished as a hard-hitting force in the middle of the defense. He finished with 96 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and eight pass breakups, along with a key red-zone interception in the Seahawks’ division-clinching win over the San Francisco 49ers last Saturday night.

According to Stathead, Thomas was one of just three NFL players this season three-plus sacks, 10-plus tackles for loss and eight-plus pass breakups. The others? Eight-time Pro Bowl edge rusher T.J. Watt and one-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel.

Okada, who signed with Seattle in 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Montana State, ended up making 11 starts this season while filling in due to injuries to starting safeties Julian Love, Coby Bryant and Nick Emmanwori. Okada rose to the occasion, totaling an interception, six pass breakups, 1.5 sacks and three tackles for loss.

Thomas finished 23rd out of 87 linebackers in Pro Football Focus grading, while Okada ranked 16th out of 98 safeties.

And again, these were a pair of undrafted third-year pros who hadn’t started a single NFL game prior to this season.

That’s why former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus listed Thomas and Okada as two of his biggest surprises for the Seahawks this season during Thursday’s edition of Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.

“It’s the undrafted free agents, specifically Drake Thomas and Ty Okada, who have been (most) impressive to me,” Bumpus said. “That says that their preparation was on point, and that these coaches made sure the preparation was on point.”

Listen to the full Bump and Stacy conversation at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune into Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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