Re-grading the Seahawks first round draft picks under Pete Carroll
By Lee Vowell
2010, 6th overall – Russell Okung: B+
It’s funny that 12s complain about the state of the offensive line now and think how good the group was when Seattle was going to back-to-back Super Bowls in 2013 and 2014. I remember how 12s complained about the offensive line then too. Heck, I am sure I did it. But looking back on Okung and Max Unger and others now, that unit was good.
Okung was a bit underrated too. He made a Pro Bowl in 2012 with Seattle and was an elite pass blocker. He didn’t block as well for Marshawn Lynch and maybe that was part of the problem. In the early 2010s, Seattle was more Lynch-centric than Russell Wilson-centric on offense. But Okung played for 11 years, six in Seattle, and made two Pro Bowls overall.
2010, 14th overall – Earl Thomas: A+
I know how Thomas left Seattle and it was ugly with him flipping off the sidelines while being carted off the field in Week 4 in 2018. But let’s put that aside for now. Thomas was one of the best, if not the best, safety in the NFL for most of his nine years with the Seahawks. He was a 6-time Pro Bowler and 3-time First-Team All-Pro.
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
Between 2010 and 2015, Thomas didn’t miss a game. He played deep center as well as anyone who has ever played the game as his speed was extraordinary (28 interceptions as a Seahawk) but his ability to hit ball carriers hard was just as incredible. Remember, Thomas was the guy – even though he was 5’10” and 200 pounds – who broke Rob Gronkowski’s rib (and Gronkowski is 6’6″ and 270 pounds).