Ranking the last 10 Seahawks first-round draft picks in the NFL draft

No. 4 - Bruce Irvin, linebacker (2012, pick 15)

Irvin's time during his first stint in Seattle will be overshadowed by two things. One is that the overall defense from 2012 through 2015 was probably the best defense in the history of the NFL and Irvin had to share any attention with his excellent teammates. The second reason Irvin might be overshadowed is the next two players Seattle chose in the 2012 draft, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson. Wagner is arguably among the top five Seahawks ever and Wilson is the best quarterback in franchise history.

Irvin was good in his own right, though. He had 8 sacks in his rookie season and at least 5.5 in both 2014 and 2015. He was also surprisingly good in coverage and excelled as a run defender from 2013 through 2015. He was a well-rounded linebacker who simply will be mostly forgotten because of players such as Wagner, Richard Sherman, and another player on this list that is still to follow.

No. 3 - Devon Witherspoon, cornerback (2023, pick 5)

Remember when I was discussing Jaxon Smith-Njigba and I said I was going to be hypocritical? Here it is. Witherspoon has only played one season and ranking him higher than Irvin, for instance, seems wrong, right? But at least Witherspoon made the Pro Bowl in his first season and Irvin did not do that in any of his first four seasons with Seattle. The fact is that had Witherspoon had better defensive coaching and more talent around him, he might have made an All-Pro team as well.

The 2023 rookie had one interception, but he returned 97 yards for a touchdown. He also had 3 sacks and 4 quarterback hits even though he was mostly just a slot corner. He was the only player in the history of the NFL to have an interception return and 2 sacks in the same game, which he did in Week 4 against the New York Giants. He is a special player who will only get better with age.