It took until the final offensive or defensive position, but the Seattle Seahawks finally had two players get some recognition in ESPN’s rankings of the NFL’s best players. Amongst all cornerbacks league-wide, Devon Witherspoon snagged a spot in the top ten while Riq Woolen snuck into the “others receiving votes” (ORV) category.
Spoon is the third Seahawk to get a top-ten placement. Like safety Julian Love, the Illinois standout was ranked tenth best at his position by a panel of experts. Leonard Williams, sixth among interior defensive linemen, was the Seahawks’ highest-ranked player. It should come as no surprise that all of Seattle’s top ten players were on the defensive side of the ball.
Like Woolen, Ernest Jones IV landed in the ORV tier, giving Mike Macdonald five defenders ranked in the upper half of the league’s players. Perceived strength at cornerback and linebacker allowed John Schneider to devote most of his 2025 draft to shoring up his offense. Only two defenders were chosen with eleven picks. Schneider did not draft a cornerback or linebacker.
Did ESPN get it right when it comes to Seahawks cornerbacks?
I have complained about the lack of respect shown to a couple of Seahawks players throughout the ranking process, but I think the experts mostly nailed it when it comes to the corners.
Witherspoon is absolutely a top ten player. You could make the case that he should be a spot or two higher than tenth, but it’s debatable. I suspect that Sauce Gardner is still riding the wave of acclaim from his rookie season. Certainly, it doesn’t appear that he is currently the fifth-best cornerback in the league.
The Eagles' Quinyon Mitchell was a revelation in his rookie season, but it was just one season. He finished one spot ahead of Spoon at nine, and it’s a defensible ranking. Still, I’d move the Seahawks’ top corner ahead of both Gardner and Mitchell, and into the number 8 spot.
What hurts Witherspoon in these rankings is his lack of interceptions. Corners aren’t often recognized for their play against the run, where Spoon is as good as anyone in the league. Coupled with his well-above-average coverage skills, I would choose him over a player like Gardner, who rarely makes a tackle.
As for Woolen, he finds himself in a category filled with young up-and-comers like Cooper DeJean and Joey Porter, alongside older vets looking to prove they are still among the league's best, like Charvarius Ward and Marshon Lattimore.
In a sense, Woolen is a bit of both. He is still just 26, but some fans have already decided he will never live up to the promise he showed early. Hopefully, this ranking will convince at least a few of his detractors that Riq Woolen remains a very valuable player with a high ceiling. He is Seattle's best pure perimeter cover corner.
If he has a strong year in 2025, the Seahawks' defense could become very difficult for opposing offenses to attack.
Seattle placed three offensive players into ESPN’s ORV tier. Kenneth Walker, Jr, Charles Cross, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba all got some attention. That means eight total Seahawks were recognized. Overall, that number is about par for the course, but it still suggests a roster that is somewhat below league average.
Seattle placed just one player in the top nine at his position – Williams. Most of their honorees were positioned toward the bottom of their tier. And of course, Seattle did not have a player ranked at the single most important position – quarterback.
Now, a coach like Pete Carroll would have used this perceived undervaluing of Seattle’s roster as motivation. We’ll see if Mike Macdonald does something similar. Of course, he may not need to. Last year’s rankings did include DK Metcalf, but they were also missing several currently-ranked players.
In other words, ESPN didn’t love the Seahawks’ roster in 2024 either. Macdonald, in his first season, took them to a 10-7 record, far better than some of the teams with greater representation on these lists. Fortunately, wins and losses are determined on the field, and not by the vote of league experts.