Re-grading the Seahawks first round draft picks under Pete Carroll
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks have been fairly successful since Pete Carroll became the head coach in 2010. But how has Seattle done with their first-round draft picks?
The team has been built in a weird way since 2010. It’s not even something that was truly intentional. For instance, no one could have known that fifth-round picks Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman would turn out to be consistent Pro Bowlers. If teams had known that, Sherman and Chancellor wouldn’t have lasted until the fifth round.
Also oddly, Seattle’s early picks haven’t been as consistently impactful. Malik McDowell (second round and Seattle’s first pick in 2017) anyone? Christine Michael (second round and first pick in 2013)? They didn’t work out.
From 2013 through 2015, Seattle didn’t have a first-round choice. 2013 was not good overall, starting with taking Michael. but besides tight end Luke Willson (fifth-round pick) none of Seattle’s other 11 picks played more than 43 games in the NFL. That’s bad. Really bad.
Re-grading the Seahawks first-round picks since Pete Carroll became head coach in 2010
2014 was not good either overall. Justin Britt was taken in the second round and has been OK at center but doesn’t play in Seattle. Paul Richardson had parts of good seasons with the Seahawks but hasn’t been with Seattle since 2017 and not in the NFL at all since 2019.
2015 actually ended up being OK, though, even without a first-round selection. The Seahawks went with Frank Clark with the first pick and Tyler Lockett with their second. Clark was a second-round choice and Lockett went in the third round. Seattle also chose Mark Glowinski in the fourth round and he’s had a decent career.
2017 and 2021 are the other draft years Seattle hasn’t had a first-round choice. McDowell was the first pick in 2017. And it’s too early to judge the 2021 class. But how did the first-round picks grade since 2010?