The six Seattle Seahawks players selected to the NFL's Pro Bowl this year are tied for the second most in franchise history. Sam Darnold (QB), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR), Leonard Williams (DT), Devon Witherspoon (CB), Rashid Shaheed (KR), and DeMarcus Lawrence (DE). This is a fairly respectable group, considering the season the Seahawks had; all are deserving.
On top of Pro Bowl selections, four Seahawks players were named to All-Pro teams. Smith-Njigba earned first-time honors, while Williams and Witherspoon were named to the second team, alongside Michael Dickson (P) and Ernest Jones IV (LB).
This season has been quite the accolade-recognizing one for the Seahawks, as they are just days away from kicking off their playoff swing against the San Francisco 49ers. But when it comes to recognition, some players aren't mentioned above but are almost sure bets to be in the future.
Seahawks' Byron Murphy II and Nick Emmanwori are sure-bet All-Pro selections in the future
There's no doubt that the Seahawks possess one of the most talented and complete rosters across the NFL, if not top-ranked in those categories altogether. Especially on defense, they virtually have zero holes, flaws, or weak points, as was evident during the season.
Their defensive line is stacked with monsters, as is their linebacker core, and their backfield has exactly the right type of corners and safeties needed to complete the set.
So while veterans like Williams and Lawrence got their names called this year as it relates to the Pro Bowl, and for Williams, an All-Pro as well, the Seahawks' defense will no doubt see some younger additions of their team selected in the future.
Byron Murphy II
Byron Murphy II played in just his second season in the NFL this year and made leaps and bounds in his improvement and overall impact compared to his rookie campaign. Murphy tallied 36 total tackles last season, including 0.5 sacks and two tackles for loss. Murphy only played in 14 games, however, which was quite different from this year, where he played in 17.
His production skyrocketed this season, boosting his stats across the board. In 17 games, Murphy had 62 total tackles, including seven tackles for loss and seven sacks. While the significant uptick in tackles is impressive, it's going from virtually zero sacks to seven; that's truly the eye-popping stat line.
If those numbers were Murphy's second year, imagine what they could be in year three? The Pro Bowl will come for him soon, and he should also be an All-Team caliber player in the future as well, as long as Seattle's defense keeps it up.
Nick Emmanwori
The Seahawks' second-round draft pick, Nick Emmanwori, was another example of a solid late draft pick from the franchise. Emmanwori, Seattle's eventual top safety (unless he remains at the nickel cornerback position) and possible Defensive Rookie of the Year, was taken as the 37th pick, but he's quickly proven he was deserving of a much sooner selection.
That said, the Seahawks have to be thrilled with the fact that they nabbed him, no matter where in the draft they did. Emmanwori is another young Seahawks player destined for future All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, and there should be no surprise if at least the Pro Bowl comes calling as soon as next season.
What hindered Emmanwori's defensive numbers this season were injuries, which cost him four games. That said, in 14 games as a rookie, his numbers were still impressive. 81 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 11 pass breakups, and one interception.
Of his 81 tackles, 56 of them were solo, proving that Emmanwori is fully capable of chasing someone down and dragging them down on his own. Emmanwori is a star in the making, and it only took one season.