10 most valuable Seahawks draft selections of the last decade

The best Seahawks draft selection of the 2010s: Russell Wilson, QB

This was an easy choice. Russell Wilson has yet to win an offensive player of the year award or receive an MVP vote. Yet, there was never a doubt in my mind who the best selection during the John Schneider and Pete Carroll era was going to be.

Here is an actual quote from Bleacher Report: they spoke about the Seahawks selection of Russell Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft.

"“As if the day wasn’t bad enough, Seattle selecting Russell Wilson, a QB that doesn’t fit their offense at all, was by far the worst move of the draft. With the two worst moves of the draft (Bruce Irving being the other), Seattle is the only team that received an F on draft day.”"

This draft expert obviously didn’t watch Russell Wilson’s tape. He threw bombs all year long for Wisconsin. He was pinpoint accurate and did it all behind an NFL sized offensive line. He was nothing short of spectacular despite his short stature.

Draft experts can only go off the tape. They can’t peer inside of the player and see what goes on in their head. What makes the player tick. For Russell Wilson, that is his desire to be great.

Receiving criticism and doubt is nothing new for Wilson. He received that all the way through his rise to the top. Wilson was not highly sought-after, despite bringing his high school football a state championships.

Wilson ended up getting an offer to play for the Wolfpack in NC State. He played admirably. However, the team wasn’t thrilled with Wilson’s desire to play both baseball and football.

Russell Wilson explained why he transferred from NC State to Wisconsin for his senior season:

"“The summer before my senior year of college, I am playing minor-league baseball. I called my football coach at NC State and said, ‘Hey coach, I’d like to come back for my senior year.’  He told me I wasn’t coming back. He said, ‘Listen son. You’re never going to play in the National Football League. You’re too small. There’s no chance. You’ve got no shot. Give it up.’”"

The Seahawks believed in him and selected the undersized quarterback in the third round on the 2012 NFL Draft. After his selection, and through Pete Carroll’s always compete philosophy, Wilson won the starting job. He won this despite the team having just signed Matt Flynn to a sizeable contract to be the starting QB.

As history now knows, Russell Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He is easily one of the most influential players in the league. He believed in himself when no one else would. He has an unbreakable spirit. His lives to prove people wrong like his coach and scouts.

Let’s take a look at several of the NFL and Franchise records Russell Wilson has broken:

Record                                                                                                                                  Type

Rookie record for most touchdown passes thrown                                                 NFL

Most TD passes thrown in first four seasons                                                            NFL

Most touchdowns in a 5-game span (19 without an interception)                        NFL

Highest passer rating (101.2)                                                                                       Franchise

Most passing touchdowns in single season (2015, 2017, 2018)                       Franchise

Single season passing yards (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)                                       Franchise

Career passing yards (29,734)                                                                                     Franchise

Highest completion percentage (64.5%)                                                                    Franchise

When you look at the franchise records, one thing is clear. He keeps breaking his own records. He is not one of those players who will sit around after accomplishing what he wanted to accomplish. He became the richest NFL player ever (this has since been broken by Patrick Mahomes), yet he works harder now than he ever has.

His desire to be the greatest ever doesn’t stop with personal achievements. It ends when he decides to hang up his cleats. His unbreakable spirit, ability to perform under pressure, athleticism, work ethic, leadership abilities and red hit desire for greatness has him slotted as the best selection of the 2010s and quite possibly ever.