Seahawks rejoice!: Steve Hutchinson gets elected to Hall of Fame
By Lee Vowell
Steve Hutchinson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday marking the fifth Seahawks draftee to be so honored.
Steve Hutchinson, who the Seahawks drafted 17th overall in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft, was elected to the Hall of Fame on Saturday. Hutchinson played for Seattle for five seasons. In three of those years, he was selected to the Pro Bowl and in two of them was first-team All-Pro. Along with left tackle Walter Jones, left guard Hitchinson helped form what might have been the best left side of an offensive line ever.
Hutchinson played for 12 years in total. After leaving Seattle, he played six seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He was great with the Vikings too. In his six years there, he was first-team All-Pro three times and made the Pro Bowl four times.
Still, Hutchinson was drafted by the Seahawks and made his NFL bones with the team. Along with Jones and fullback Mack Strong, Hutchinson punished opposing defensive lines and in 2005 helped lead the team to the Super Bowl. Running back Shawn Alexander gained 9,453 yards in his NFL career. 7,504 of those yards were between the seasons of 2001 and 2005 when Alexander was running behind Hutchinson and Jones.
In the five years Hutchinson was left guard with the Seahawks and Alexander was running behind him, Alexander ran for 87. Did Alexander relatively fail to succeed after 2005 because he got hurt? Or was it that he no longer had the punishing Hutchinson to run behind?
Hutchinson joins four other Seahawks draftees to make the Hall of Fame. The others are Jones, safety Kenny Easley, receiver Steve Largent and defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy. In the coming years, players like Earl Thomas, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson are likely to join them.
Next. Interior offensive linemen Seahawks should look to draft in 2020. dark
Hutchinson was elected in a 2020 group that also includes non-Seahawks draftees Rams receiver Isaac Bruce, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James. and Denver Broncos safety Steve Atwater.