Back in 2012 the Seahawks got the draft steal of the decade when they landed their new franchise quarterback in the third round. Seattle picked Russell Wilson out of Wisconsin at No. 75 overall. Given what they got out of him it was the most-valuable pick any team made last decade. As we turn the chapter to 2023, Wilson will be trying to revive his career in Denver after a surprisingly-putrid 2022 season.
As for the Seahawks, trading Wilson has helped them reload into a contender again and they still have a few high-value picks on the roster. Recently Matt Miller and Jordan Reid at ESPN ranked the 50 biggest draft steals of the last 10 years and three Seattle players made the cut. Here’s who they are, where they ranked and what ESPN had to say about each.
No. 42: FS Quandre Diggs
A sixth-round pick in 2015, Diggs became a starter by the middle of his rookie season in a nickel role. Today, he plays a variety of roles in Seattle, and he has recorded at least three interceptions in each of the past four seasons. — Reid
No. 39: WR Tyler Lockett
A lack of size (5-10) had scouts thinking Lockett would be nothing more than a slot receiver and return man, but he has become so much more as a foundational player for the Seahawks. The speedy Lockett has been a top-tier deep threat while also contributing on special teams and opening eyes around the league to the benefit of an inside receiver. He now has four straight 1,000-yard seasons and five straight years with at least eight TD catches. — Miller
No. 34: WR DK Metcalf
Metcalf sent the NFL world into a frenzy after he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3, 228 pounds at the 2019 combine. But a poor 7.38 three-cone drill time and some long-term health questions after a season-ending neck injury during his final year at Ole Miss pushed him to the final pick of the second round. Metcalf has already set Seattle’s single-season record for receiving yards (1,303 in 2020) and hasn’t missed a single game during his career. — Reid
Analysis
What this list says to us more than anything is that general manager John Schneider does not get enough credit, as he’s so often overshadowed by the team’s far more famous head coach Pete Carroll. While the team did admittedly have a bizarre nearly decade-long drought in the draft from 2013-2021, Schneider helped put together the greatest defense in NFL history early in this run and has now reshaped the Seahawks into a contender again with two straight strong draft classes.
While there have been missteps (dealing for Jamal Adams is at the top of that list), Schneider has also pulled off some brilliant trades, most notably stealing Quandre Diggs from Detroit, moving up for Tyler Lockett and sending Russell Wilson away at what appears to be just the right time.
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