Three cornerbacks Seahawks should target in 2021 NFL draft
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks need some long-term answers at cornerback. There are several players who would be good fits in the 2021 NFL draft. Going into 2021, Seattle will likely have Ahkello Witherspoon, Tre Flowers, D.J. Reed and maybe even Quinton Dunbar to play outside corner. Slot corner is set with either Ugo Amadi or Marquise Blair.
But Witherspoon, Flowers and Dunbar are probably not going to be starting in Seattle for several years. Hopefully, they will be good next year, but there are no guarantees, so Seattle might look at drafting a corner earlier in the draft than later. But the Seahawks also were able to find Richard Sherman in the fifth round in 2011.
So who might Seattle think of taking when the 2021 NFL draft comes around at the end of April? Possibly one of the three following players.
Seahawks need cornerback help
Shaun Wade, Ohio State
According to ESPN’s Todd McShay, Shaun Wade is a slot nickel only. But Wade offers a lot of what Pete Carroll likes in a cornerback. Wade isn’t afraid to play the run and is a great tackler in space and has the quickness to learn Seattle’s technique of step-kick. Maybe Wade is a lesser corner elsewhere but he appears to be a great fit for the Seahawks.
Wade certainly did not live up to expectations in his final year at Ohio State this past season and struggled when lined up opposite Alabama’s Devonta Smith in the college football championship in January. But honestly, most experienced NFL cornerbacks will struggle against Smith when he enters the league in 2021 so Wade can’t be blamed too much.
Wade has decent size too at 6’1″ and 200 pounds. He is definitely big enough to be an outside corner as a pro. If Seattle does take him, he likely starts off in the slot and once he learns the Seattle system will move his way outside.