50 Seahawks seasons: Seattle turns iconic 2010s drafts into Super Bowl glory

So. Many. Seahawks. Legends!

The Seattle Seahawks recently announced some of their plans for celebrating their 50th season this year. They’re also likely deep into their preparations for next week’s NFL Draft. What a perfect opportunity to combine them and look at some of the best Seahawks draft picks for each decade of existence!

Just a heads up…this is going to be a longest one yet. That’s a good sign, however, because it means the Seahawks were drafting well! I feel a little bad about some of the guys that I slotted as honorable mentions or were left off, but we’d be here all day if I included everyone that I had a soft spot for because of the success of the team.

Buckle up and enjoy!

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Earl Thomas, FS – 2010 NFL Draft Round 1, Pick No. 14

The Seahawks ad a solid first pick of the 2010 decade with Russell Okung – you’ll find him in the honorable mentions below – yet it was their second pick of the first round, Earl Thomas, who stole the show. He erased the middle of the field by himself, allowing Pete Carroll’s cover-3 defense to shine. He was remarkably durable during his first six years, but was hit with the injury bug as he neared his 30s. Thomas played nine years in Seattle, starting 140 games with 664 tackles, 71 passes defensed, 28 INT, 12 forced fumbles, and 3 defensive TDs. He was a 6x Pro-Bowler, 3x All-Pro, and is a member of the HOF All-2010s Team. Thomas ranks in the Seahawks top 10 for career INTs and tackles.

Kam Chancellor, SS – 2010 NFL Draft Round 5, Pick No. 133

Not only did the Seahawks strike gold with Thomas in the first round, they also unearthed another gem in the fifth round with his running mate Kam Chancellor. Unlike Earl, “Bam Bam” didn’t become a starter until his second season but proved he was ready for the challenge by making the Pro Bowl that year. Kam was the hammer, and I’m sure that Vernon Davis still sees Chancellor and his dark visor in his nightmares. He was an alpha among alpha’s and was the true leader of that nasty Seahawks defense. Sadly, Kam’s career was cut short by a neck injury in his 8th season. He finished with 607 tackles, 12 INT and 9 forced fumbles. Kam was named to the Pro Bowl four times and ranks among the top 10 in Seahawks history for career tackles.

K.J. Wright, LB – 2011 NFL Draft Round 4, Pick No. 99

With so many stars on Seattle’s defense in the 2010s, it would be easy to overlook the importance of KJ Wright. It would also be very foolish. Wright’s lanky frame combined with his high football IQ to make him the “screen whisperer.” I honestly think he took it as a personal affront when teams tried to run a screen his way and took it out on them by snuffing it out from the jump. Wright played in 144 games over 10 years in Seattle, collecting 941 tackles, 54 passes defensed, 66 tackles for loss, 6 INT, 11 forced fumbles and 13.5 sacks. It’s a shame that he was only named to the Pro Bowl one time. Wright’s 941 tackles are good for 3rd in Seahawks history.

Richard Sherman, CB – 2011 NFL Draft Round 5, Pick No. 154

Shoeless Richard Sherman. The Tip. “U Mad Bro?” If Kam Chancellor was the quiet leader for the Seahawks defense, Richard Sherman was the bombastic mouthpiece. His brashness and confidence brought eyes to the Pacific Northwest and – more importantly – his play backed up all the talking. Sherman played seven years in Seattle, totaling 368 tackles, 32 INT, 99 passes defensed, and 2 defensive TDs (plus a blocked field goal return TD). He was a 4x Pro-Bowler, 3x All-Pro, and was named to the HOF All-2010s Team. Sherm is 4th all-time for INT in Seahawks history and likely would have had many more if opposing QBs didn’t stop throwing his way completely.

Bobby Wagner, LB – 2012 NFL Draft Round 2, Pick No. 47

Bobby Wagner is in the running for the best Seahawks player ever and is firmly in the discussion of the best middle linebacker in NFL history, right there with guys like Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher. His 11 years in Seattle absolutely stuffed the stat sheets to the tune of 168 games played, 1,566 tackles, 72 passes defensed, 13 INT, 6 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, 79 tackles for loss, 27.0 sacks, and 4 defensive TD. Wagner made 9 Pro Bowl rosters, was 6x All Pro, and is another member of the HOF All-2010s Team. He holds numerous team records related to tackles including the all-time team tackle record of 1,566 tackles – nearly 600 more than second place.

Russell Wilson, QB – 2012 NFL Draft Round 3, Pick No. 75

Regardless of how his Seahawks career ended, Russell Wilson in the only Super Bowl-winning QB in franchise history. He started every single game from 2012-2020 before finally succumbing to injury in 2021. Wilson’s 10-year Seattle career included winning 104 of his 158 games played, 37,059 passing yards, 292 passing TD, 4,689 rushing yards, 23 rushing TD, and an additional 2 receiving TD just for good measure. Russ was a 9x Pro-Bowler in Seattle and was the 2020 Walter Payton Man of the Year in the NFL. Wilson’s name is all over the Seahawks passing record books as you can imagine and he’s also 5th on the Seahawks career rushing yards list.

Tyler Lockett, WR – 2015 NFL Draft Round 3, Pick No. 69

This one might still sting little bit as Lockett was recently released. He will be fondly remembered, however, as an extremely effective returner early in his career who transitioned to a focal point of the offense once Doug Baldwin retired. Lockett only made the Pro Bowl once, for his special teams contributions in his rookie season. As a receiver, Lockett gained 8,594 yards and scored 61 TDs. He ranks 2nd in Seahawks history for both receptions and receiving yards and is also top 10 in points scored and career TDs.

Michael Dickson, P – 2018 NFL Draft Round 5, Pick No. 149

When Seattle traded up with the Denver Broncos to select punter Michael Dickson in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Broncos thought it was hilarious. After Dickson made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams as a rookie and established himself as one of the best punters in the NFL, who’s laughing now? Criminally, he hasn’t made another Pro Bowl or All-Pro team yet is always among the best at the position year in, year out. He already holds many of the Seahawks single-season punting records and is currently the team leader in career punt yard average and ranks 3rd in NFL history in the same category.

DK Metcalf, WR – 2019 NFL Draft Round 2, Pick No. 64

Similar to Lockett above, this one might hurt a bit depending on your viewpoint since Metcalf was just traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason. That doesn’t change what DK achieved in a Seahawks uniform, including all six seasons of 900 or more receiving yards and two Pro Bowl bids. He set the Seahawks single season receiving yards record at 1,303 yards in 2020. Overall, Metcalf gained 6,324 receiving yards and caught 48 TDs. He ranks in the top 10 for receptions, receiving yards, and total TDs in Seahawks history.

Honorable Mentions

Russell Okung, OT – 2010 NFL Draft Round 1, Pick No. 6 (Played six total years in Seattle, starting 72 games at LT. Made Pro Bowl in 2012)

Golden Tate, WR – 2010 NFL Draft Round 2, Pick No. 60 (Played six seasons with the Seahawks, gaining 2,195 receiving yards with 15 TDs. Made the Pro-Bowl with the Detroit Lions in 2014 and finished with 8,278 career receiving yards)

Malcolm Smith, LB – 2011 NFL Draft Round 7, Pick No. 242 (Spent four seasons in Seattle with just 16 starts. Notably, was the Super Bowl 48 MVP as Seattle brought home its first Lombardi trophy)

Bruce Irvin, DE/LB – 2012 NFL Draft Round 1, Pick No. 15 (Had three separate stints with the Seahawks, totaling 166 tackles, 30.5 sacks, 3 INT, 2 defensive TDs, and a Jimmy Graham ball punt at midfield of a 2013 playoff game!)

J.R Sweezy, OG – 2012 NFL Draft Round 7, Pick No. 225 (Was with the Seahawks two different times in his career. A converted DL, Sweezy started 64 games for the Seahawks at OG)

Luke Willson, TE – 2013 NFL Draft Round 5, Pick No. 158 (Another player with three tours of Seattle, playing in 85 games over 7 seasons with 1,208 receiving yards and 11 TDs)

Justin Britt, OL – 2014 NFL Draft Round 2, Pick No. 64 (Moved from RT to LG before finally settling in at C, Britt started 86 games over his six years with the Seahawks)

Frank Clark, DE – 2015 NFL Draft Round 2, Pick No. 63 (Played in five seasons for Seattle including his last snaps of his NFL career in 2023. Racked up 35.0 sacks and 8 forced fumbles. Made 3 Pro-Bowls and won 2 Super Bowls after being traded to the Kansas City Chiefs)

Jarran Reed, DT – 2016 NFL Draft Round 2, Pick No. 49 (Has played in seven seasons with the Seahawks and was just extended. Now has a leadership role to go along with 33.5 career sacks in Seattle)

Chris Carson, RB – 2017 NFL Draft Round 7, Pick No. 249 (Unfortunately, Carson’s career ended prematurely due to a neck injury. He played in 49 games over 5 seasons with Seattle, gaining 3,502 rushing yards, 24 rushing TDs, 804 receiving yards and 7 receiving TDs. Carson ranks in the top 10 for rushing yards in Seahawks history)

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Next week is the last part of this series as we look at the most recent draft classes from the 2020s. There aren’t as many draft picks to choose from but there are some standout young players that have been added to help create an exciting young core for the Seahawks!