Seahawks: 15 best defensive backs in franchise history
By Lee Vowell
Number 7: Seahawks safety John Harris, 1978-1985
Talk about a 7th-round steal, that is exactly what John Harris was when the Seahawks took him in that round of the 1978 NFL draft. Harris was the first great free safety in Seattle history and with another Seattle safety (hint: the other safety comes later on this list) may have formed arguably one of the ten-best safety duos in NFL history.
Harris played from 1978 through 1988. In the final three seasons, he played for the Vikings. In each of his final three years, he had 3 interceptions in each season. That is how good Harris was. Because 3 interceptions in a season? Heck, that was nothing for Harris.
In 6 of Harris’ 8 years with the Seahawks he had at least 4 picks. And in four of those years, Harris had at least 6 interceptions. Harris wasn’t great simply because of one or two years. He was consistently good for many years.
Perhaps Harris’s best year was in 1981 when he had 10 interceptions (second in the NFL) and returned 2 of them for touchdowns. Those would be the only 2 picks that Harris returned for touchdowns in his career. But overall, he finished with 50 interceptions and 41 came in Seattle. Harris is third all-time in interceptions for the Seahawks.