Seattle Seahawks: 15 best first-round draft picks of all-time
By Lee Vowell
. Cornerback. 1997-03. Shawn Springs. 10. player. 36
In 1997, the Seahawks had two first-round draft picks. Both players Seattle chose ended up being good. The first player that Seattle took was cornerback Shawn Springs out of The Ohio State University No. 3 overall.
Unlike a lot of the other players on this list, Springs did not play in Seattle his entire career. But he was a Seahawk for seven of his 12 NFL seasons and they were mostly very good years.
Springs’ second season in Seattle may have been his best. After this year, opposing quarterbacks may have figured out that it is best not to throw his way and he was received fewer targets against. But in 1998, those quarterbacks didn’t know this information yet and paid the price.
1998 saw Springs pick off seven passes and he returned two of them for touchdowns. He also forced two fumbles and made 75 tackles. For his effort, Springs made the only Pro Bowl of his career.
We recently announced the winners of HeadHealthTECH Challenge VI. HHTC winner @ShawnSprings, CEO of @WindpactInc, appeared on @gmfb to discuss how NFL grants have helped him develop his breakthrough helmet technology. https://t.co/QvOMOzx7mA
— NFL345 (@NFL345) April 9, 2019
In 1999, Springs had five more interceptions. And in 2000, though he only had two picks, he recorded 85 tackles. Springs spent the next three years in Seattle, but they were mostly injury-filled years and his productivity lagged. Still, of Springs 33 career interceptions, 20 of them came in a Seahawks uniform.
Springs is currently the CEO of a business called Windpact, a company focused on safety features for various items.