Regrading the Seattle Seahawks 2010 NFL draft class
By Lee Vowell
Round 1 Pick 14: Earl Thomas: A+
OK, here we go. Earl Thomas. If any one player forced a change of the Seahawks defense from a not-good one to one that would become arguably the greatest in the history of the NFL that player would be Thomas. His speed allowed Seattle to play Cover-2 with a safety high. Without the speed of Thomas and his ability to cover so much ground, Seattle’s defense would have been fundamentally changed.
Thomas played in Seattle from 2010 to 2018 and was a Pro Bowler six times. He was First-Team All-Pro at free safety three times and probably worthy of being named that more than three times. Thomas missed no games between 2010 and 2015. He had 28 interceptions in a Seattle uniform, as well as 67 passes-defended and 11 forced fumbles.
Thomas was much more than just a speedster, though. In a 2016 game with the New England Patriots, Thomas hit tight end Rob Gronkowski so far Thomas broke Gronkowski’s rib. Thomas weighs 200 pounds. Gronkowski weighs 270 pounds.
With Rob Gronkowski retiring, the first thing that popped in my head was the "thud" of #Seahawks Earl Thomas nailing him over the center of the field haha.
— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) March 25, 2019
Gronk was such a good player. Very few players will ever be like him!pic.twitter.com/Nrb98TpmEX
Earl Thomas should be in the NFL Hall of Fame five years after his career ends. And he was one of the best Seahawks players – offensive or defensive – to ever don a Seattle jersey.
Thomas’ season ended early in 2018 as he broke his leg in week four. Prior to the season, Thomas had held out. Then after being injured, Thomas flipped off the Seahawks sideline as he was carted off the field. Not a great way to basically end his career in Seattle, but he was so great of a player this will likely be forgiven by 12s one day.